What Is The Apostles Creed
“What is the Apostles’ Creed?”The Apostles' Creed is not found in the Bible. The Apostles' Creed was not written by the apostles. Rather, it was written at least 150 years after the apostles had all died. It is called the Apostles' Creed because it is supposed to be a record of what the apostles taught. The Apostles’ Creed is as follows:I believe in God, the Father Almighty,the Creator of heaven and earth,and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into hell. (See study on descended to hell)The third day He arose again from the dead.He ascended into heavenand sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,thecommunion of the saints, (See study below)the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting.Amen.The Apostles’ Creed is a good summary of Christian doctrine. However, there are two primary concerns with the Apostles’ Creed. First, in regards to the phrase “He descended into hell” Second, in regards to “the holy catholic church,” this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word “catholic” refers to universal. The true “catholic” church is all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. A true "universal Church" ( See article below)“What does ‘communion of the saints’ mean in the ancient creeds?”The word communion means "an act or instance of sharing." When the Apostles Creed speaks of the “communion of the saints” it is not just specifically referring to the Lord’s Supper/Holy Communion in which believers come together to remember Jesus' sacrifice through the bread and the wine. The communion of the saints is much deeper than this important sacrament.The communion of the saints refers to believers in the past, believers in the present and believers in the years to come sharing a common salvation in our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have passed from this world into the presence of Christ at the death of their body have the same salvation as believers who are alive today. Those who will come after us will have the same salvation we have.The communion of saints is all that each one of us as Christians have in common with all other believers. We have been forgiven through His death, and saved by His life, set free from the law of sin and death.Romans 5:1010 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.Romans 8:22 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.and passed from spiritual death to eternal life1 John 3:1616 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. We have all been permanently adopted as children of God by the will of God John 1:12-1312 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.13 They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.We have become God’s handy work to do good works that He has prepared for usEphesians 2:1010 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.And we have all been given an eternal home in the New Jerusalem in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lamb, our Temple and our Light Revelation 21:22-2722 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honour into the city.27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty-but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. These are only a few of the blessings we have in common with all other believers.
“What is the difference between the universal church and local church?”To understand the difference between the local church and the universal church, one must get a basic definition of each. The local church is a group of professing believers in Jesus Christ who meet in some particular location on a regular basis. The universal church is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide. The term church is a translation of a Greek word having to do with a meeting together or an "assembly"1 Thessalonians 2:1414 And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God's churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.12 Thessalonians 1:1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, (Greek Silvanus, the Greek form of the name. )and Timothy.2 Thessalonians 1:1We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This word pertains to the work of God in saving and sanctifying believers as "called-out ones." Another Greek word that speaks of ownership and literally means "belonging to the Lord" is transliterated as church, but it is only used twice in the New Testament and never in direct reference to the church.A local church is normally defined as a local assembly of all who profess faith and allegiance to Christ. Most often, the Greek word ekklesia is used in reference to the local assembly 1 Thessalonians 1:1This letter is from Paul, Silas, (Greek Silvanus, the Greek form of the name.)and TimothyWe are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.May God give you grace and peace.1 Corinthians 4:1717 That's why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.2 Corinthians 11:88 I "robbed" other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.There is not just one specific local church in any one area, necessarily. There are many local churches in larger cities.The universal church is the name given to the church worldwide. In this case the idea of the church is not so much the assembly itself but those constituting the church. The church is the church even when it is not holding an official meeting. InActs 8:3 one can see that the church is still the church even when its members are at home. 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.InActs 9:31 describes the universal church, not just local churches.31 The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.Sometimes the universal church is called the "invisible church"-invisible in the sense of having no street address, GPS coordinates, or physical building and in the sense that only God can see who is truly saved. Of course, the church is never described in Scripture as "invisible," Matthew 5:1414 "You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.Here are more verses that talk about the universal church:1 Corinthians 12:28; 15:9; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18“Where was Jesus for the three days between His death and resurrection?”1 Peter 3:18-19states,"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison" .” The phrase, “by the Spirit,” in verse 18 is exactly the same construction as the phrase, “in the body.” So it seems best to relate the word “spirit” to the same realm as the word “flesh.” The flesh and spirit are Christ’s flesh and spirit. The words “made alive by (in) the spirit” point to the fact that Christ’s sin-bearing and death brought about the separation of His human spirit from the Father Matthew 27:46At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lemasabachthani?" which means"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"The contrast is between flesh and spirit, as in Matth.27:46 &Romans 1:3-4
Romans 1:3-4The good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line,4 and he was shown to be[a] the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.[] He is Jesus Christ our Lord.and not between Christ’s flesh and the Holy Spirit. When Christ’s atonement for sin was completed, His spirit restored the fellowship which had been broken.describes a necessary link between Christ’s suffering (verse 18) and His glorification (verse 22).1Peter 3:18-22Christ suffered[ for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit So he went and preached to the spirits in prison- those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God froma clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
Only Peter gives specific information about what happened between these two events. The word “preached” in verse 19 is not the usual word in the New Testament to describe the preaching of the gospel. It literally means to herald a message.
Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, His body being put to death, and His spirit died when He was made sin. But His spirit was made alive and He yielded it to the Father. According to Peter, sometime between His death and His resurrection Jesus made a special proclamation to “the spirits in prison.”To begin with, Peter referred to people as “souls” and not “spirits” (3:20). In the New Testament, the word “spirits” is used to describe angels or demons, not human beings, and verse 22 seems to bear out this meaning. Also, nowhere in the Bible are we told that Jesus visited hell.Acts 2:31David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.
says that He went to “Hades” (New American Standard Bible), but “Hades” is not hell. The word “Hades” refers to the realm of the dead, a temporary place where they await the resurrection. Revelation 20:11-15 in the NASB or the New International Version give a clear distinction between the two. Hell is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a temporary place.Revelation 20:11-15Then I saw a great white )throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence )earth and heaven fled away, and )no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them)according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Our Lord yielded His spirit to the Father, died, and at some time between death and resurrection, visited the realm of the dead where He delivered a message to spirit beings (probably fallen angels; who were somehow related to the period before the flood in Noah’s time. Jude 1:6And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.Verse 20 makes this clear. Peter did not tell us what He proclaimed to these imprisoned spirits, but it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be savedHebrews 2:16We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham.. It was probably a declaration of victory over Satan and his hosts 1 Peter 3:22Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.Colossians 2:15.In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.Ephesians 4:8-10 That is why the Scriptures say, "When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
It also seems to indicate that Christ went to "paradise" and took to heaven all those who had believed in Him prior to His death.Luke 16:20At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores……Luke 23:43And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."The passage doesn't give a great amount of detail about what occurred, but most Bible scholars agree that this is what is meant by "led captivity captive."So, all that to say, the Bible isn't entirely clear what exactly Christ did for the three days between His death and resurrection. It does seem, though, that He was preaching victory over the fallen angels and/or unbelievers. What we can know for sure is that Jesus was not giving people a second chance for salvation. The Bible tells us that we face judgment after death, not a second chance.
Hebrews 9:27And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
There isn’t really any definitively clear answer for what Jesus was doing for the time between His death and resurrection. Perhaps this is one of the mysteries we will understand once we reach glory.