The Apostles’ Creed: The Son… Who Was Conceived
January 22, 2020
If you’re like me, quite a bit of your work is accomplished through the avenue of emails. While I vastly prefer face-to-face communication, our time with others is often limited. Emails provide a convenient way to use the power of language to influence, bring about positive change, and spread knowledge.
But when you’re writing an email, do you find yourself pouring over every word in the first sentence? Probably not! Usually a short intro will suffice, and you can jump right into the heart of the content you are trying to convey. That is where the meat of your email is. There is the place you elaborate the intent of your message.
Much like an email, the Apostles’ Creed arrives at the heart of the creed quickly and stays there a while. But why is this? Why is the cadence of “I believe” elongated drastically under the doctrine of Christ. Why not the lines concerning God the Father or God the Spirit or even the Church?
Well, around the time of the composition of the Apostles’ Creed, Christology, or the branch of theology concerning Christ’s person and work, had been a point of contention in the established church. Many heresies had arisen that strayed from biblical truth and denied the divinity of Christ. The subscribers of such heresies rejected things of no small importance like Christ’s eternality, his being fully God and fully man, and the implications these doctrines had upon his work of redemption.
For the Church as a whole to propagate any theory concerning Jesus Christ that was unbiblical would not only undermine the Mediator of God’s Elect himself, but the whole sum of Christian theology. Of such importance then were the Church Councils that gathered pastors from around the known world to address these heresies and reaffirm their commitment to sound orthodoxy, or right teaching, concerning Christ.
The composers of the Apostles’ Creed had wisdom to address the person and work of Christ, accordingly. Literally half of the Apostle’s Creed—six out of twelve lines of doctrine!—were dedicated to affirming the biblical truth of Christ’s person and work.
Last week, our church considered the truth that Christ is God the Father’s only begotten Son, our Lord. What a mystery then that the eternal Son of God, our Lord, would take on human flesh, be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and live as our sinless Mediator—being made in the likeness of his own to intercede as our merciful and faithful high priest. He was tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb 2:16–18; 4:15).
To elaborate further, consider the following, carefully-worded explanation from the Westminster Confession of Faith:
“Though Christ is and always has been very God of very God, eternal, and of one substance and equal with the Father, he took upon man’s nature, with all its essential properties and common infirmities, yet completely free of sin. And as he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary, or her very flesh, the two natures of Godhead and manhood—whole and perfect and distinct—were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 8.2).
Such knowledge is complex, yet comprehendible. It is mysterious, yet true.
To think that Christ would come in the flesh and humble himself demands our attention. To know that the glorious King over all the earth would be made low to procure our redemption demands our our awe. To marvel at the mystery of the gospel that God would come for the rescue of us, his people, demands our devotion. For he is our Lord who from heaven came and sought us.
“From heaven he came and sought her, to be his holy Bride; with his own blood he bought her, and for her life, he died.”
The Church’s One Foundation, Samuel J. Stone
