“And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord”
By Ray Cannata and Joshua Reitano
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Editor’s Note: In November 2019, PCA pastors Ray Cannata and Joshua Reitano released a new and expanded edition of their 2013 book “Rooted: The Apostle’s Creed.” This article is adapted from the revised edition. 


“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:1–4).

A friend burst into my ( Josh’s) dorm room in college, announcing that he planned to get a fish tattoo on his ankle. I was puzzled. A representation of a bass he caught on his latest fishing trip? Was this really worth memorializing on his skin? He explained that he was planning to get an ichthus tattoo—a symbol of faith for early Christians. It was an appropriate symbol for the early church because the ichthus served as an acrostic, spelling out the center of their faith: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”

The focus on Jesus is what set early Christians apart from the beliefs of the people around them. That is why the largest part of the Apostles’ Creed is about Jesus. So what do Christians mean when they confess faith in “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord”?

The Inexhaustible Mystery of God

The Apostles’ Creed is Trinitarian. It’s broken into three main parts, reflecting the Bible’s teaching about the nature of God. “I believe in God the Father… I believe in Jesus Christ…  I believe in the Holy Spirit.”

It’s one thing to talk about the Trinity, but it’s a whole other ball game to try to wrap your mind around it. You might have heard some explanations like this:

The Trinity is like an egg: You have the yolk, the white and the shell. But they are all one egg.

The Trinity is like water: Water can be a liquid, it can be ice, and it can be vapor. But all three are the same H2O.

The Trinity is like the presidency: Obama is president, Bush is president, Trump is president. Different persons, but all three are president.

These all have one thing in common: they’re all heresies! Hard boil an egg, peel off the shell, and what do you have? An egg! But you cannot get rid of a member of the Trinity and still have the God of the Bible.

Yes, water can be liquid, ice, and steam—and we are even told there’s a triple point where water can exist in all three forms at the same time. But if you melt ice, it becomes liquid.

The members of the Trinity never morph into one another. The Son never melts into the Holy Spirit. And being God is not like holding elected office. It’s not as if the Father is for Social Security reform, the Son is not, and the Spirit is still polling his constituents.

It might be a little harsh to call these illustrations “heresies.” The people who came up with them were no doubt well-intentioned. But in every case, the illustrations break down. The fact that people have stretched so much to come up with illustrations ought to give you a clue as to how difficult this concept is to understand.

The best illustration we can come up with is  this: Imagine that you are a square. You’re a nice little square, living on your little two-dimensional piece of paper for your whole life. You have friends: circles and triangles and lines. But then one day,  someone tells  you  that there is something like you — and yet not like you. Something like a square — and not like a square. We call it a cube.

Imagine being a square your whole life and trying  to wrap your mind around a cube (a figure qualitatively different from you). It would be difficult to do. Even if you could say some things about the cube, there would be still be an awful lot of mystery if you’d only lived in a two-dimensional world all your life.

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational, not only to our understanding of God, but to how we relate to him. But the essential nature of the Trinity doesn’t necessarily make it easy to comprehend.

Similarly there is going to be mystery when it comes to understanding the nature of God. This makes sense. In fact, the doctrine of the Trinity might be one of the best reasons to believe in the Christian God. If God does exist, wouldn’t it make sense for there to be some things about him that are so different from us and our understanding that they would be hard to grasp? If you asked someone about the nature of God, and they went on to describe someone who sounded an awful lot like your Uncle Al, you’d be a little suspicious. There ought to be some mystery in trying to understand a Being qualitatively different than humanity.

But does it matter if you believe in the Trinitarian nature of God? Some might be tempted to think that talk of the Trinity is fine for a theology exam, but that it makes no difference in real life. Why would the Creed maintain the essential nature of such a confusing doctrine?

Athanasius and the Trinity

Athanasius was bishop of Alexandria for 46 years in the fourth century. That is a pretty good run by any era’s estimation: 46 years in the same job. But it was more difficult than you might imagine. During that time, Athanasius was exiled and brought back five times — all because of his uncompromising defense of the Trinity. He wrote a book on the Trinity, and his enemies kicked him out of town. He came back and wrote a worship song about the Trinity, and they kicked him out again. He clawed his way back and wrote yet another book on the Trinity — and got kicked out again.

He did this so many times they ended up naming a creed after him: the Athanasian Creed. Each time he was fired from his post, he was also threatened with death. But Athanasius knew the entire faith, the whole Christian church, would stand or fall on the doctrine of the Trinity.

Athanasius invites us to consider a practical example: the biblical teaching about prayer. The Bible says God the Father ordains all things and so we ask him for what we need. But we aren’t worthy to come into his presence to ask, so Jesus brings our requests to God (“in Jesus’ name we pray”). But we wouldn’t even really know what to pray if the Holy Spirit didn’t come to live within us.

The Trinity is crucial to understanding prayer. Here is how Athanasius put it: take away the Father, and you have no reason to pray. Take away the Son, and you have no way to pray. Take away the Spirit, and you have no desire to pray.

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational, not only to our understanding of God, but to how we relate to him. But the essential nature of the Trinity doesn’t necessarily make it easy to comprehend. It is okay to admit that it is deeply mysterious. We should expect that.

We need to admit that we all have to live with some mystery, no matter what we choose to believe in. What we should be asking is, does Christianity help make sense of the world?

The Creed teaches us the mystery of God. But it also points to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is Ruler and Lord over the entire world.

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ

We referenced a portion of Hebrews 1 at the beginning of this essay. This is one of the best places to turn in order to understand the nature of Jesus Christ. From this passage we learn that Jesus is superior to the prophets, to the priests, and even to the angels.

In the Old Testament, a prophet was the mouthpiece of God. He spoke the very Word  of God to the people of God. In many ways prophets were the greatest figures in the Old Testament. They admonished, encouraged, and made God’s will known.

In many cases these prophets were celebrities, the rock stars of the covenant community, dramatic in their presentation. When Elijah came through town, every party, every dinner conversation, was about him. “What did Elijah say? Will the famine end? What’s the word from the Lord? Is God pleased?”

But the Bible is not primarily about you, and it’s not even primarily instructions about how to live. The Bible is primarily a roadmap to Jesus.

Moses was the greatest of the prophets. He had the most to say. He alone got a glimpse of God’s shekinah glory. When he came down from the mountain, his face glowed for a month (Exodus 34:29–35).

But Hebrews 1 says that Jesus is greater than the prophets, for he hasn’t just delivered the Word of God, he is the Word of God. The author writes, God has spoken to us now by his Son.” He is the Word made flesh, the expressed word of our mysterious God.

When you look at the Bible, what do you look for? Information about yourself? Information about how to live? No doubt there is some of that in the pages of Scripture. But the Bible is not primarily about you, and it’s not even primarily instructions about how to live. The Bible is primarily a roadmap to Jesus.

So when the author of Hebrews says that God has now spoken to us by his Son, he’s not just saying that Jesus is the best prophet, or the most recent prophet. He is saying that all the other prophets were anticipating Jesus in some way or another.

Peter writes that all of the Old Testament prophets were looking forward to the sufferings and glories” of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:10–12).

If he is superior to the prophets, this means Jesus is superior to all the other voices and influences in our lives. He is greater than your parents, your spouse, your education, your friend group, and your favorite writer. This means we need to regularly bring all the statements and teachings that come to us from those other influences to Jesus. It doesn’t mean that those other influences aren’t useful, but we always need to interpret them through Jesus, not the other way around.

Superior to the Priests

Jesus is also superior to the priests. The writer of Hebrews continues: “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Hebrews 1:3). Here, the writer is anticipating the argument he will make later, in chapter 4: “We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14).

In ancient Israel, the role of the high priest was to represent the people in all matters before God. The high priest would bring God gifts from the people. He would offer sacrifices for their sins, and interceded on their behalf so that they could worship freely. He was something of a bridge between the people and God.

How is Jesus superior to the priests? The Bible describes him as the once-and-for-all sacrifice. His blood makes purification for sins. The gospel writers make a big deal of the fact that, at Jesus’ crucifixion, the temple curtain was torn in two. This tearing symbolized that the way to God’s presence was now open. People could come to him freely through the work of Christ.

This means the priests are out of work. The pages and pages of how and what to sacrifice — the doves, the bulls, the lambs — are swallowed up in Jesus. According to Hebrews, we no longer need the shed blood of animals to cover our sins. In Jesus, God shed his own blood for our purification. He is the one Great Sacrifice, the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world. God the Son does what no priest could ever do. He is the perfect sacrifice, covering all your sins, once and  for all.

Do you recognize Jesus as your great high priest? Some of us only come to Jesus as prophet (or teacher) but never as priest. You search the Bible for principles to live by. You battle against the mistakes and weaknesses in your life. Jesus is your prophet. And that’s good. But you need to go to him  as your priest as well.

Following God’s law is a good thing. But the fact of the matter is we don’t do it very well. And even when we seem to get it right on the outside, our motives are often  impure. That is why you need Jesus as your high priest. You  can go to him and say, “You know my pain. Your blood has been shed. You know my weakness and sin. I can never try hard enough to overcome these things. Jesus, please go to the Father for me. Speak to him for me. Be my high priest.”

And take comfort in this promise: “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus makes intercession for you. He speaks to the Father for you.

Superior to the Angels

What image comes to mind when you think of angels?

Growing up, my (Ray’s) Italian Grandma Georgina had pictures of chubby, naked cherubs all over her New York City apartment. For the longest time this was my view of angels. And when you read Hebrews 1 with that idea in mind, it doesn’t seem like a big deal for Jesus to be superior to them.

But the Bible presents a very different view of angels. In his preface to “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis complains about the diminished view of angels that has come down to us in religious art. In Lewis’ view, Medieval artists were much more faithful to the Biblical images concerning angels. He writes:

Italian painter Fra Angelico’s angels carry in their face the authority of Heaven. Later come the chubby infantile nudes of Raphael; finally the soft, slim, girlish and consolatory angels of nineteenth century art, shapes so feminine that they avoid being voluptuous only by their total insipidity.

The Creed teaches us the mystery of God. But it also points to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is Ruler and Lord over the entire world.

Nancy Gibbs, writing about the angel craze of the late 1990s (and if you’ve ever been to a greeting card store, you know this is still around), observes that “for those who choke too easily on God and rules, angels are the handy compromise, all fluff, kind, nonjudgmental. And they are available to everyone, like aspirin.”

What does the Bible tell us about angels? The word we translate as “angel” is used over one hundred times in the Old Testament, and means, very simply, “messenger.”

Whenever angels appear in the Bible, people have to pick themselves up off the dirt. They fall down in terror, so much so, that angels often have to begin by saying, “Fear not! Get up. You will not die.”

For example, the Roman centurions were frozen in fear at Jesus’ tomb when an angel appeared to announce Jesus’ resurrection. This happens all over the Bible. When they appear, angels are always fierce and terrifying.

The writer of Hebrews presents a chain of Old Testament verses that refer to the Messiah: Hebrews 1:5 tells us that he would not only be a man, but the Son of God (Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14). Verse 6 says angels will worship him (Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 97:7). Verse 7 tells us that the angels are pretty tough too, like the wind and flames of fire (Psalm 104:4). But they are primarily messengers whose job is to talk about Jesus. Verses 8–9 teach us about the kingship of the Son and how he will rule (Psalm 45:6–7). Verses 10–12 tell us that Jesus was the agent of the creation of the world (Psalm 102:25–27). None of the angels can say that. Jesus is God in the flesh, the Creator of the universe stepping down into his creation. Verse 13 speaks to his authority and power to defeat all his enemies (Psalm 110:1).

Angels are worshippers. Jesus is the object worshipped. Angels are created. Jesus is the creator. Angels are subordinate. Jesus is the supreme king.

The Creed says, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” This is the point of Hebrews 1 — that  you  might see Jesus as Lord. The prophets were great, but Jesus is greater still. The priests ushered people into the presence of God and made purification for sins, but Jesus is greater still. The angels are fierce and powerful, but Jesus is greater still. Jesus is Lord. He is God. And Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

If the Christians are right and this is true, then when you get connected to Jesus, your status changes dramatically. In the fifth grade, I (Josh) was not cool. I had big Coke-bottle glasses and a bowl cut, and my mom dressed me in ridiculously fluffy sweaters. But for some reason, a girl named Brandi started to like me. When that got around school, everything changed. Brandi was cool, and all of a sudden, my status in fifth grade changed dramatically. People talked to me differently. I got invited to parties, and new people sat with me at lunch.

That is a superficial example. But think of how a relationship can change status even in the world of a fifth grader. Now think about what the Bible says about Jesus, how big and majestic and important he is. Let your mind rest on the Bible’s promise that when you place your faith in Jesus, you are united to him. You can call him “brother.” You  share in  his inheritance. You are part of his body, the church. If you are a Christian, your status has changed because of who you are connected to.

This should not make you arrogant, but it ought to make you confident and bold and hopeful. You are connected to the King of the universe. If you  believe in Jesus, you are united to the One who is supreme over all things.

But it is not just a new status. Being connected to Jesus also means you get a new mission as well. You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). In other words, His mission is now your mission. Paul calls us ambassadors for Christ(2 Corinthians 5:20). What Jesus is all about, you’ve got to be all about.

And so you have a mission: to feed the poor and to love your neighbors; to celebrate the unique beauties of your city and to redeem its brokenness; to be pure and to fight injustice; to feast in celebration of the kingdom; to spread the good news; to use your home as a place of hospitality; to love even your enemies.

Adapted from “Rooted: The Apostles’ Creed” by Ray Cannata and Joshua Reitano.


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