The Anointed Savior, Son, and Lord

A Homily on the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed

As we’ve been looking at our catechetical foundations in this series, we’ve talked about how the Apostles’ Creed gives us a summary of the Christian Faith that is both Trinitarian and Christological. Today we begin this Christological focus as we tackle Article 2 of the Apostles’ Creed. You can follow along in our Offices of Instruction on page 284 of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer:

And [I believe] in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into Hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

As I mentioned in our first piece, this second article is, by far, the majority of the Creed’s content. We spend more time on the Lord Jesus Christ than on the other two Persons of the Trinity put together. In light of Jesus’ own teaching about himself and the Scriptures, this indeed makes sense. In John 5:39, when rebuking the Pharisees for their unbelief and religious hypocrisy, Jesus says, “Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” That is, the rest of the Scriptures bear witness to Jesus, including the Old Testament.

Similarly, in the last chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel, we have the famous journey on the Road to Emmaus, in which the Risen Lord encounters two disciples who don’t yet recognize him. In verse 27, we read, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Again, in context, Jesus is specifically explaining the Old Testament Scriptures, and he describes to the two disciples how he is found throughout the Scriptures’ laws, prophecies, stories, and poetry.

Speaking of Christ’s sufferings, the the faith we have in him, and indeed the entire story of the Bible, St. Paul tells the Romans, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, though patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (15:4). Indeed, through Jesus we see the full story of the Scriptures and are ourselves made participants in that story. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews puts it this way in the opening verses of the letter:

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (1:1,2).

The story of the Bible is indeed the story of Jesus. So, when you are reading your bible, whether in your private devotions and studies, or in our common liturgical worship, or even when listening to sermons and homilies, one of the first questions you should ask is what the Scripture text tells you about Jesus. This approach applies equally to the Law, Prophets, wisdom literature, and stories of the Old Testament as it does to the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles in the New Testament. Sometimes seeing Jesus will be obvious; sometimes it may be more difficult. But thinking and praying about how a given passage refers to Jesus is one of the joys of getting to know the Scriptures better. It’s one of the joys of discussing the Scriptures with your fellow Christians. Simple commentaries, like you’ll find in a good study bible, can help with that. And your local priest probably also loves engaging in that kind of discussion. Wrestling with those passages will help you know the Bible better. It will also help you know Jesus better. Nothing but good can come from looking for Jesus in the Bible!

Because of this central place Jesus has in the story of Scripture and in the Creed itself, we’ll spend a total of four entries unpacking this second article of the Apostles’ Creed. But for now, we see that it briefly summarizes the Second Person of the Trinity in his divine essence, gives an overview of his incarnate life and earthly ministry, and speaks to our hope and expectations now that he is ascended into heaven. Our Offices of Instruction sum up the second article of the Creed, like this: “Secondly, [I learn to believe] in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind.”^[1] The central place of Jesus in the creed speaks primarily to our redemption.

So we begin: “And [I believe] in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.” We call the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God the Son. Throughout the New Testament Jesus is often referred to as the Son of God, as God’s only Son, or similar terms. Our Provincial Catechism, To Be a Christian, explains the sonship of Jesus like this:

Jesus alone is God the Son, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He alone is the image of the invisible Father, the one who makes the Father known.^[2]

Similarly, Article 2 of our Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion describes Jesus as:

The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father…

As we mentioned last week, St. John describes Jesus as the “only begotten Son of the Father,”^[3] and we contrasted this with our adopted sonship through Christ and with us being called God’s children because he is our creator. Unlike us, Jesus is not a created being but is co-eternal and co-equal with the other two Persons of the Trinity. Indeed, this is why we worship Jesus just as we worship God the Father. St. Cyril of Jerusalem puts it this way in his Catechetical Lectures:

They who have been taught to believe “In One God the Father Almighty,” ought also to believe in His Only-Begotten Son. For he that denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. I am the Door, saith Jesus; no one cometh unto the Father but though Me… If, therefore, any one wishes to shew piety towards God, let him worship the Son, since otherwise the Father accepts not his service.^[4]

Christian worship is Christ-centered. Indeed, we follow the Church’s 2000-year pattern of centering our public, communal worship in the celebration of the Eucharist because Holy Communion centers on what Jesus has done for us. We center our worship on communing with Jesus through the Sacrament. While this does not downplay the importance of Word-centered worship through things like Matins and Evensong, historic Christian worship is primarily Eucharistic.

Indeed, as we can see in St. John’s gospel, echoed in Article 2, Jesus is himself called the Word. The communication from God that comes to us as the Bible is called the Word of God, but we see that Jesus himself is the ultimate Word of God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:1-5,9-14).

God’s written Word then bears witness to God’s living Word. God’s living Word reveals the truth of God’s written Word. The written and living Word are never opposed to each other. Indeed, we only know the written Word through the living Word. And we only know the living Word through the written Word. I suspect this is part of why the early Church Fathers tended to use, Logos, the Greek term for “Word” used in John’s gospel, when referring to the Second Person of the Trinity in his divine essence. Rarely do they call him “God the Son;” typically, they prefer to call our Lord the Logos.

Furthermore, as the catechism (and St. Paul) said, Jesus “alone is the image of the invisible Father, the one who makes the Father known.”^[5] This is illustrated in a remarkable interchange between our Lord and the apostles during the Last Supper in John 14:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Phillip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake (14:6-11).

If you want to know the Father, you must know Jesus. If you want to know what God is like, look to Jesus. In both is teachings and his works, Jesus shows the Father to those with eyes to see. Sometimes people think that God the Father is an angry judge, but Jesus is the loving and merciful Son who calms his Father down. This is not a biblical teaching.

Rather, Jesus’ love is an outflowing and demonstration of the Father’s love. Jesus’ mercy is an outflowing and demonstration of the Father’s mercy. “For God so loved the World that he sent his only begotten Son…”

Indeed, Jesus’ very name is an illustration of this. The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew word for “Salvation.” It’s the same name as Joshua, Moses’ successor, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, conquering their enemies. The Church Fathers make much of this imagery. Jesus leads us into the Promised Land of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus conquers our enemies of Sin and of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. As our Provincial Catechism says, “In Jesus, God has come to save us from the power of sin and death.”^[6]

St. Cyril also makes a connection between the Greek version of the name and healing.^[7] While the actual linguistic connection is doubtful based on any Greek lexicon I’ve ever read, the theological concept is certainly biblical. Jesus is indeed the Great Physician. Cyril puts it this way: “He is physician of souls and bodies, curer of spirits, curing the blind in body, and leading minds into light, healing the visible lame, and guiding sinners’ steps to repentance.”^[8] Even if we don’t have full physical healing on this side of eternity, the salvation Jesus brings is the guarantee that we will have ultimate healing when our bodies are glorified and healed from the corruption of sin and death in the World to Come.

The Scriptures and Creed give Jesus the title, “Christ,” showing that the salvation we receive, and the mercy Christ shows, were also part of God’s great plan. Our provincial catechism explains the title like this:

Christos is the Greek term for the Hebrew title, Messiah, meaning “Anointed One.” Old Testament kings, priest, and prophets were anointed with oil. Jesus the Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit to perfectly fulfill these roles, and he rules now as Prophet, Priest, and King over his Church and all creation.^[9]

These Old Testament offices were to be a type of the Messiah to come. When we see Moses, Aaron, David, and the rest, we should see them as imperfect shadows of what Jesus would do. All of this is evidence of God’s hand and God’s plan unfolding in history and its fulfillment by our Lord Jesus. St. Cyril writes, “He is called Christ, not as having been anointed by men’s hands, but eternally anointed by the Father to His High-Priesthood on behalf of men.”^[10]

The Catechism said that Christ now rules as Prophet, Priest, and King. This brings us to the final title used in the Creed: “our Lord.” The Catechism explains the title like this:

I acknowledge Jesus’ divine authority over the Church and all creation, over all societies and their leaders, and over every aspect of my life, both public and private. I surrender my entire life to him and seek to live in a way that pleases him.^[11]

It can be hard to see on my Tippet (Preaching Scarf), but part of our diocesan seal is a little icon of a royal orb. If you watched the coronation of King Charles, you may have seen something like this among the Crown Jewels. It looks like a gold ball encircled with gems and topped by a cross. Since the Middle Ages, many European monarchs have had an orb among their regalia. The orb symbolizes Christ’s ultimate lordship over all the world. Whether they are aware of this symbolism or not, when they are crowned, the kings and queens are stating that they are rulers under the ultimate rule of Jesus himself. This is not unlike how St. Peter calls Jesus the “bishop and pastor” of our souls, which implies that we pastors and our bishops are merely “under shepherds” of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus’ Lordship is absolute. He is Lord over all earthly powers. He is Lord over each and every one of us. As his people, we owe him absolute allegiance. Our lives are not our own; they belong to him. Every possession of ours belongs to him. Our children and spouses belong to him. Our churches belong to him. We are merely his stewards.

Even though our Lord is perfectly loving and merciful, even though we are made co-heirs with him, as Christians we are bound to him with duties as his people. The Second Office of Instruction in the Prayer Book describes our “bounden duty” like this:

My bounden duty is to follow Christ, to worship God every Sunday in his Church; and to work and pray and give for the spread of his kingdom.^[12]

You’ll notice that this is not a particularly complex description of the Christian life. It is is actually very simple. While the difficulties are indeed in the day-to-day details, this description of our duty under Jesus’ lordship makes for a good spiritual checkup. Ask yourself: Am I following Christ or am I following my own desires? Am I faithful to worship him on the Lord’s Day or do I begrudge Jesus my time? Am I working for his kingdom or for my own? Am I faithful in coming before the Lord in prayer or do I act like I can take care of things on my own? Am I faithful in honoring God with my money and possessions, or am I stingy before him?

None of us is perfect, but this is a good rubric for general spiritual health. If you find that one of these areas is seriously lacking, God always offers repentance. Rethink and return to your Lord. If you need to, come to your priest for some help, such as through private confession. The good news is that Jesus is a merciful Lord. He loves a penitent heart. When we humble ourselves, he raises us up.

He is our Lord. He is the very Word and Son of the Father. And he is our Anointed Savior. With the Father and the Holy Spirit, he is of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness.^[13] His love knows no bounds. So, let us humbly come to him with thanksgiving.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Notes

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1. BCP1928, p284. ↑
2. The Anglican Church in North America. To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism. Edited by J.I. Packer and Joel Scandrett. Wheaton: Crossway (2020), 39. ↑
3. Cf., John 1:18, 3:16. See footnote 5 in the previous entry regarding the use and translation of μονογενής. ↑
4. Cyril of Jerusalem, “Lecture X,” Catechetical Lectures, NPNF2.7, 57. Emphasis in the original. ↑
5. To Be a Christian, 39. ↑
6. Ibid., 38. ↑
7. Cyril of Jerusalem, 61. ↑
8. Ibid. ↑
9. To be a Christian, 38. Emphasis added. ↑
10. Cyril of Jerusalem, 58. ↑
11. To be a Christian, 39. ↑
12. BCP1928, 291. ↑
13. C.f. Article 1 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. See also the previous homily. ↑