Ancient Paths Blog

From the Creed - He Descended Into Hell...

I said last time that the peculiar formation of the Apostle's Creed being the product of multiple authors working independently over the course of centuries in different languages was in all likelihood the best place to look for what is meant by this phrase "He descended into hell..."

This particular phrase was not found in any version of the creed until the late 4th century AD where a Greek manuscript of it reads, "He descended into hades..." (The phrase then disappears in the commonly use versions of the creed until the mid 7th century AD).  So it's the meaning of the word hades that we must investigate.

So You're "Spiritual But Not Religious"? Right...

I recently read a CNN piece critiquing a phenomenon of western culture.  Entitled "Are There Dangers to Being 'Spiritual But Not Religious'?," the author, John Blake, explores the growing trend among (especially but not exclusive to) young people who claim to be spiritual but not religious. 

This means they believe in some sort of spiritual dimension and engage in spiritual practices without a formal commitment to any one religious faith.  They are doers but not joiners. 

From the Creed - He Descended into Hell...

We've looked at Christ's suffering at the hands of Pontius Pilate, His crucifixion, death, and burial.  Now we come to this somewhat discomfiting phrase "He descended into hell..."  We should admit that this is the one statement in the creed which has provoked some disagreement among Christians.

Many have difficulty with this statement because it does not seem to be found in scripture.  Moreover, it seems to imply further suffering by Christ beyond the cross.  What can we say about it?

Delighting In Weaknesses

Paul, commenting on his so-called thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12, said that God had brought him to the place where he "delighted in weaknesses" (v.10).

While I have understood the initial stage of this spiritual transformation - that "My grace is sufficient for you..." - I have far to go before I can truly say, "I delight in weaknesses..."

I am late in my posting largely because of the activity and demands of this past weekend have me utterly exhausted.

What would have gone unnoticed in previous years has, after months of cancer treatment, made me feel like I've run a marathon - or like I'm an 85 year old man - or both...

No - I cannot yet say "I delight in weaknesses" but hopefully, by that all sufficient grace I will come to do so.

From the Creed - Died and Was Buried...

That Jesus was duly noted as "dead and buried" as a result of His crucifixion is made explicit in the scriptures.

John 19:33-35 says, "But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 

From the Creed - Was Crucified...

Christ's suffering under the Roman governor Pilate led directly to His execution - not in the humane, painless way of modern times (I have in mind lethal injection) - but an exquisite torture, the agonies of which were meant to be a deterrent.

So horrible and degrading was this practice that it was forbidden for a Roman citizen to be crucified.  Instead, it was reserved for the masses, the rabble, and the vilest offenders.  So Jesus is for all time identified with those who have been most degraded by man's cruelty.

From the Creed - Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

The creed shifts from its focus on Christ's nativity to the events associated with Holy Week.  And with this shift - as one commentator put it - "the creed takes a jarring leap from Jesus' birth to His death," James Howell, The Life We Claim, 59.

That is jarring - not just because it moves us immediately from the tender scene of Mary's maternal love in the incarnation to the shocking specter of Christ's violent death on the cross.  But it's also jarring because of what it seems to leave out namely,

From the Creed - An Affirmation of Virginity

One final thing to note as we continue examining our Lord's birth is the creed's implicit approval of virginity.  Our Lord was born to the virgin Mary.  Indeed, it is not Mary's faith that is highlighted but her chastity. 

And Oh, what a timely and relevant message this is - not just to our culture but to the Church.  In response to the assertion, "The virginity of Mary matter just doesn't matter in modern times!" one man responded "In my opinion the virginity of Mary matters more in modern times than at any other point in history."  James C. Howell, The Life We Claim, 55.

From the Creed - An Affirmation of Motherhood

Sunday, May 9 is of course Mother's Day.  It would not do therefore, in our consideration of Jesus "born to the virgin Mary...," to miss the creed's implicit affirmation or approval of motherhood.  Or maybe it would be better to say the creed has preserved for us the important place of motherhood in God's plan of redeeming the cosmos.

Mary stands in a long line of Biblical women through whom God has saved the world - not because they themselves have brought salvation.  Rather, God brings His saviors into the world by means of women embracing their uniquely feminine powers of bearing and nurturing children.

From the Creed - Must We Believe in the Virgin Birth? Part 2

Mark Driscoll, preaching pastor for Mars Hill Church in Seattle was once asked (by an incredulous advocate of the Emergent church movement impatient with theology), "What would we loose by abandoning the virgin birth?"  He answered (equally incredulously and with just a little sarcasm), "Ah, I don't know... Jesus! The gospel!  Everything!"