The Apostles' Creed - Pt. 8

 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband  Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:18-21 ESV).

 

The next phrase of the Apostles’ Creed is: “I believe in Jesus Christ”. There is so much to be learned from this simple statement of belief. And, of course, that’s the real challenge. If we are to understand the source of our hope and the foundation of grace in our life, then we must also do more than merely recite memorized words and phrases about our beliefs; we must also comprehend what we mean when we declare them. It would not have been unusual for the first-born son of a Jewish family to have named that child after the father. Yet, in view of the circumstances and the uncertainty of Joseph, this was not an option. God sent an angel to tell him of the miraculous conception of his betrothed and to give him the name that would suit the child’s destiny and purpose. It was to be “Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins” (v. 21). When Mary was about to give birth, she and Joseph didn’t have a choice. Through an angel, God commanded them to name the child Jesus.

 

The name Jesus is Greek for the Hebrew name Joshua, whom God chose to lead Israel into the Promised Land (cf. Joshua 1). The Hebrew name Joshua means “God is deliverance,” and that was a fitting name for the man who led Israel out of their wandering in the wilderness and into the land God had promised them. And in God’s great story, the life of Joshua points toward an even greater figure.

 

When we recite the Apostles’ Creed and declare “I believe in Jesus,” we affirm that God’s Son, Jesus, is our salvation. God’s own Son rescues us from the dark pit of our sin into the light and spacious peace of knowing and resting in God. So many things promise deliverance in this life. Yet the Bible states clearly that there is only one way to know God and that is through his Son, Jesus (cf. John 14:6). Do you believe in him? Do you trust in him? His name means “Savior,” or “the Lord saves,” revealing that Jesus is God’s deliverance.