The second part of the Apostles’ Creed says “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son, our Lord.” Whilst affirming belief in one God, the Creed quickly acknowledges something of the mystery of the Godhead, namely that One God exists in Three Persons, the doctrine of the Trinity.

I believe in Jesus Christ
Jesus is God’s Final Word, the final and definitive revelation of God. As Michael Card puts it,
“When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to communicate His love,
He spoke it in one final perfect Word.

He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.” (Michael Card, ‘Final Word’)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_idg5Xxy6kE

Or, as the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Even the names given to the Son are significant. Jesus – the name given by the angel to Joseph before the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:21) – means ‘Jehovah is Salvation.’ Christ or Messiah is the title meaning ‘Anointed One’. Both these names set out for us the purpose of Jesus, that He came into the world to save sinners. Matt 16 looks at the disciples’ confused understanding of who Jesus was, resulting in Peter’s confession ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God’ (Matt 16:16). We need spiritual or divine insight to understand who Jesus really is.

The only-begotten Son
This tells us something of that special relationship within the Godhead. The Creed echoes the language of John 1 which tells us how the one and only Son came to make his dwelling on earth and came to reveal the Father’s heart to us. Jesus was not a created being (see John 1 and Colossians 1), but one who lived in awareness of that relationship with His Father and who came to do the Father’s will. By belief in that name, we too can become children of God (John 1:12) and through believing, we can have life in that name (John 20:31)

Our Lord
Jesus is not just someone to be admired, someone to be respected. He is someone to be obeyed. Whilst we have that close, personal relationship with God, He is also someone to be feared (see Hebrews 12:22-29), for He is a consuming fire. When we stop and declare that Jesus Christ is our Lord, we are surrendering the control of our lives to God. This is scary and it’s frightening to see how often we take back that control and need, therefore, to surrender it again. That’s why it’s good to come back frequently to these core beliefs and examine who is really running our lives. Have we taken back the reins? Are we trying to manipulate circumstances and people to bend to our will? Or are we able to say, like Job, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job1:21)?

1. Jesus Christ is the author of salvation – His name indicates His identity and purpose and He lived up to that name! Because of this we can be saved!
2. We strive to live in relationship with God and with others, for our God is a relational God.
3. We submit to God and surrender control of our lives, for He is our Lord. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:5-6)