The Apostles' Creed - Pt. 16

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked wand with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7-8 ESV).

 

We come to the next declaration in our study of the Apostles’ Creed: “… descended into hell.” First, we must acknowledge the truth of the existence of a place called “hell.” The Bible teaches about a place called “hell” that is reserved for God’s enemies. The New Testament mentions hell 162 times, and Jesus himself mentions it over 70 times. However, to say that this phrase is even remotely accepted throughout Christianity is at best complicated. Remember the Apostles’ Creed (Nicene Creed) has been in existence for over seventeen centuries. That complicates matter more rather than simplifying our understanding.

 

Many well regarded theologians have found themselves on different sides of this issue. In general people have found it puzzling and incongruent that the Apostles’ Creed says Jesus “descended to hell.” Appearing in some versions of the creed from the fourth century, this phrase may be based partly on some statements by the apostle Peter, who wrote that Jesus “went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits” (cf. 1 Peter 3:19-20; 4:6). Some people have taken this to mean that after he died, Jesus descended to hell to free ancient sinners. Others have said that “descended to hell” refers to the depths of Christ’s anguished suffering throughout his life, crucifixion, death, and burial for our sake.

 

Our question remains: What does this mean for us today? What we must accept, regardless of whatever the full meaning is, should not distract from the bedrock teachings about Jesus and the Christian faith. At the very least, the phrase captures in a condensed way Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant in our reading today that Jesus suffered and died for us. This teaching assures us in our own moments of fear and temptation that Jesus, through his sacrifice for us, suffered in a way that we, by grace, will never have to suffer death or hell since we are no longer the enemies of God. We are reconciled through His death. That’s the good news of this statement!