The Apostle's Creed

In what follows I have written a few thoughts of mine surrounding The Apostle's Creed. I've broken it into two days so stay tuned for part 2!

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe: the deep cry of our souls so desperately wanting this first eternal statement of the Apostles’ Creed to be true. Not only to be true, but to radiate power, authority, dominion- Almighty-ness. Deep breath. The maker of heaven and earth. How far around that statement can we actually wrap our minds? Do we even scratch the surface of realizing the incomprehensible nature of the breadth and depth of the makings of heaven and earth? The making of such a vast expanse from nothing, not even thin air or dirt. To believe in God, the Father who made all of this by speaking it, although not even necessary in itself. Even the act of speaking things into being could be God’s first application of limiting Himself, or better, arranging Himself in such a way that the human mind might more easily comprehend His workings from the beginning. Limiting not in a sense of boundaries to God, but limiting in a sense of deep, perfect, seamless love that realizes so intricately our make-up, since He is the maker, that it limits its incomprehensibility in order that our fleck-of-sand faith might have a possibility of even catching the hem of his tapestry.

And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord. His only son. You and I are not original sons and daughters. We are adopted heirs bought, as in normal adoptive cases, but given the same privileges of the only rightful heir. Privileges to live life the way He lived it. Privileges to put the Father and His creations first before ourselves. Privileges not to try and pay back our adoptive price tag or earn our Father’s favor by deeds of obedience, but privileges that embrace the goodness of God and His abundance because He is our Lord, our Messiah, our Redeemer, our infinite God that made Himself finite that we might be able to inherit Kingdom entry because of our adoption.

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary. A young virgin having a baby, unmarried while pregnant. Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is conventional about God. Those things which make the least sense often emerge as the most powerful. Those things that require faith often become the most profitable.

suffered under Pontius Pilate. Oh Pilate, didn’t want to go against the grain, didn’t want to disengage the crowd and terrified to be a waves maker. Luke says Pilate was “desiring to release Jesus” (23:20) and he “did not find this man guilty of any of the charges against Him” (v14). Pilate, when will we learn the costliness of your mistake? When will we see that following the crowd’s orders and being more afraid of them than God will never make us succeed or be complete? When will we stop seeking others’ affirmation for voids only God can fulfill? He had a life in His hands that He could have sold everything he had, purchased that life, and lived more abundantly from then on than all His riches held. He could have been a follower of the true leader but instead chose to be a leader of a bunch of false followers. He chose appeasement, he chose fame, he chose prosperity and popularity. . I’m fortunate I wasn’t around in Biblical times. So often in daily practice I stand beside Pilate in the same decisions. My name should be right alongside his in this sacred creed. Suffered under me. Suffered because of my sin, my self-righteous actions, my arrogance, my ideals and my desire to be liked. But he suffered not because of me but for me. He suffered under my sin, under my great desire to deviate from His plan, but not because of my great folly. He chose to suffer and willingly entered into it. He may have prayed in the garden, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me” (Luke 22:42), but He knew when He stood at the beginning with the Father (John 1:1-5), that He would in fact have to prove that life He had in Him was and is the light of men by coming here and suffering for crimes He didn’t commit but willingly took upon Himself. He stood at creation and wholeheartedly agreed in unison that all of creation was very good.

was crucified, dead and buried. Would that be the end, some wondered. Others sat crushed, some feeling duped, some feeling saddened He wasn’t the messiah they were looking for. He wasn’t the king who came to take back what the Jews thought rightfully theirs. He wasn’t boisterous, daring and outspoken. He was a soldier, but a much different one that they imagined or truthfully wanted. And now He was dead so did any of it even matter? They knew the prophesy of the Old Testament, they memorized the scriptures for lack of ability to read. They listened at the synagogue with unparalleled attention to each word coming out of any teacher’s mouth. They had heard Jesus say on multiple occasions that on the third day He would rise. But this crucifixion, this dishonoring and disrespectful way of dying was not according to the human plan. It was not how they saw their King riding into victory. They didn’t understand, but they didn’t ask or stop to think that these three harsh words- crucified, dead and buried could come to hold the most glorious tidings for each of us. He truly did turn that which is most horrid, most terrifying and most ugly to most freeing, beautiful and perfect.