Q & A on The Apostles' Creed
On Sunday, 28 November 2004, Rev. Hunter shared the floor with Rev. Clark Fisher (retired) to field questions from the congregation on The Apostles’ Creed. Designed as the conclusion to Mr. Hunter’s fall sermon series on The Apostles’ Creed, the session gave the congregation a chance to quiz the two pastors on the creed. Here's what people asked:
Question: Why does the creed include the language "descending into hell"?
CF (Clark Fisher): The phrase refers to Sheol--an afterlife which is a shadowy lack of existence, presumably where people from the Old Testament would wander. When Christ descended into hell, He met these people and gave them the opportunity for salvation.
DH (David Hunter): The descent into hell represents several things. It shows Jesus was really dead; God did not spare Christ the pangs of death. It represents the way Jesus experienced God's judgment on our behalf and paid for our sins by going to hell. It represents the separation from God which is caused by sin. And, finally, it fulfills two mysterious scripture references where Christ breaks down the gates of Hell and releases souls from Sheol.
Question: Why do we say we believe in the "holy catholic church"?
DH: We do not have protestant and Catholic versions of The Apostles' Creed; instead, the creed represents beliefs of Christ's one church here on earth, in all its variations of denominations. "Catholic" means "universal." What we affirm is belief in the "universal church" of Jesus Christ.
CF: Our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior binds all of us Christians into one body that belong to Christ.
Question: How often and when do Presbyterian congregations recite The Apostles' Creed?
DH: Some Presbyterian congregations recite it weekly. At the very least, we all recite The Apostles' Creed when we celebrate the church's sacraments.
CF: From the 2nd to 6th centuries AD, the creed grew and developed in response to theological questions that were posed by society to the young religion. The creed is a condensed version of the essential tenants of our faith.
Question: In the creed, Christ descends into hell, arises, and ascends into heaven; why doesn't the creed mention Christ's time on earth between his resurrection and the Ascension?
DH: The mention of the resurrection shows that Christ spent time on earth. The Apostles' Creed is such a condensed and abbreviated version of our tenets that the writers probably assumed it didn't need any more elaboration.
CF: Our faith places its emphasis on the idea that a resurrected Christ rules in our lives right now. The creed emphasizes the essential, controversial points at the time it was written.
Question: The creed says we believe in "Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord." Why does it includes the word only?
DH: Only points to Christ's uniqueness. While we are all "children of God," only Jesus is part of the godhead--He's different. Since the creed was written, some heresies have arisen which suggest we all have God within us and that Jesus is only one of many.
CF: I read something just recently which is worth musing upon. It suggests that Christ's virgin birth broke the male line of descent (Joseph) by which human sinfulness strains us all.
Question: Jesus was without sin, yet he was fully human. Isn't that a contradiction? Isn't any human prone to sin?
CF: Christ was sinless, which shows there was no separation between Him and God. His divine nature is without sin--that divine nature separates itself from his human nature.
DH: We know Christ was tempted, even as we are, but He was blameless. Christ's life is an example of what can happen if we depend upon God. We always should ask What would Jesus do?
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