The Apostles’ Creed serves as a focused explanation of the core, basic, and non-negotiable tenets of our Christian faith. These are the foundational beliefs that make our faith meaningful. Today, we’ll explore what it means when we say: “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.”

Why is Jesus mentioned in the Old Testament?
From the very beginning, God had a plan for the redemption of this world. Even in Genesis 3:15, immediately after the fall of humanity, God proclaims His solution for sin: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” This is the first mention of the coming Messiah.
Throughout the Old Testament, we find numerous prophecies about Jesus:

Isaiah 7:14 proclaims that “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government will be upon his shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.”
Isaiah 50:6 foretells His suffering: “I gave my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.”
Isaiah 53:11 speaks of His atonement: “My righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear many their iniquities.”
Psalm 16:10 prophesies His resurrection: “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.”

What does the New Testament reveal about Jesus?
The New Testament fulfills these prophecies and reveals Jesus as both fully human and fully divine:

John 1:1 establishes His divinity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Luke 1:35 confirms His virgin birth: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you in the power of the highest God, who will overshadow you. Therefore, also the Holy One who is to be born, will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 23:23-25 documents His suffering under Pontius Pilate.
John 19:17-18 describes His crucifixion.
John 19:30 records His death: “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ And bowing his head, he gave up his Spirit.”

What does “descended to the dead” mean?
This phrase, sometimes translated as “descended into hell,” has caused confusion. The Jewish understanding of “Sheol” was not hell as we think of it today, but a waiting place where those who had died rested until God called them forth.
1 Peter 3:18-19 explains: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, for the just and the unjust, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by whom he also went and preached to the spirits in prison who were formerly disobedient.”
Jesus descended to this place of the dead and ministered to those who had died before His coming, sharing with them the grace of God.
Why is the resurrection so important?
Luke 24:51-53 describes Jesus’ ascension to heaven. And John 5:21-23 reveals that Jesus will be the judge of all: “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.”
The resurrection is crucial because if Jesus did not rise from the dead, our faith is meaningless. The early disciples were willing to die for their testimony that they had seen the risen Christ. They wouldn’t have faced persecution and death for a lie.

Why was the virgin birth necessary?
Just as you wouldn’t bake a cake in a pan contaminated with pet food, God’s pure and holy nature required an undefiled vessel. For Christ to maintain the pure and righteous nature of God, He needed to be born of a virgin.
God, who knows no sin, became God who could not sin. If Christ was not born of a virgin, then the entire foundation of our faith crumbles, because God would no longer be in a position to proclaim, “I have touched no sin. I am perfect. I am the only one who can pay for your sin.”
Why did Jesus have to suffer and die?
Atonement is necessary for us to be rid of sin. From the very beginning, when God made the first sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness and shame, God has been working to cover our sin.
But in an imperfect world, only a perfect sacrifice would suffice. Jesus suffered on our behalf to fulfill the perfect sacrifice that we don’t deserve but that God wanted us to have.
If Jesus did not die, our sin is not forgiven. If our sin is not forgiven, we have no hope of being in the presence of a holy, righteous, and perfect God.
What does it mean that Jesus will judge the living and the dead?
When Christ returns, everyone—both those alive and those who have died—will stand before His throne of judgment. This means there is a standard by which we are meant to live in this world as representatives of what we believe.
Someone who claims to believe in Jesus should live differently, avoiding inappropriate behavior, being kind even when pointing out sin, and examining their own faults before criticizing others.

Life Application
If you believe in Jesus Christ as God’s only Son and your Savior, then your life should reflect that belief. Live transformed, in a different manner than before you came to this understanding. Live as if:

You are loved by the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the universe
You are part of God’s own family, adopted by His grace
Your actions reflect the words of faith you speak
You believe in Him as much as He believes in you

Ask yourself these questions:

Do my daily actions align with my proclaimed belief in Jesus Christ?
How am I dealing with the struggles in my own heart?
In what ways can I better represent Christ to those around me?
Am I living as if I truly believe Jesus died and rose for me?

Remember, justification happens when Jesus becomes the heart of our life, but sanctification happens when He becomes the life of our heart. This truth should move us to proclaim the gospel to the world through both our words and our transformed lives.