Credits: Savior of the World: The Faith We Confess (00:45)

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Credits: Savior of the World: The Faith We Confess

Who Jesus Is (01:54)

The first article of the Apostles' Creed affirms God as Creator and Father; the second article deals with the Son, separating Christianity from other monotheistic religions and rejecting the idea that Jesus was a mere prophet.

Jesus as Revelation (01:46)

Through Jesus, God revealed himself as a person who lived and died, something that seemed impossible to ancient philosophies. We hear a hymn to Jesus.

Meaning of Name Jesus (02:28)

Jesus was a popular name meaning salvation or savior; in this case, Jesus would save people from sins. We hear a hymn on Jesus as Savior.

Christ (02:38)

Often regarded as a kind of last name, Christ means The Anointed One; calling him Christ affirms belief that he is the prophesied Messiah. Jesus' salvation and nature differs greatly from Old Testament expectations.

Messiah's Role in History (02:40)

Jesus is the Person history has worked toward, to deliver all Creation. "Christ" indicates Jesus was anointed, as King, Priest and Sacrifice. The Messiah restores our relation with the Father and points the way to a new Heaven and Earth.

His Only Son (01:28)

The Old Testament passage in Proverbs in which Wisdom declares "The LORD brought me forth as the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old" influenced New Testament and early Christian understanding of Jesus.

Eternal Son (02:16)

Before Incarnation, Jesus was the second Person in the Trinity- the Word. The Word became incarnate as Jesus. Jesus is the unique Son for eternal, not biological, reasons; he eternally proceeded from the Father.

Arius and Nicaea (03:06)

Arius claimed Jesus was created, not eternal. The Council of Nicaea rejected this claim, asserting Jesus is "eternally begotten" but not made. Full understanding is beyond our language and capacity.

Our Lord (02:18)

Early Christians addressed and talked about Jesus as Lord. Caesar claimed to be the world's Lord, making Christians' claim subversive.

Theological Significance of "Lord" (02:37)

Talking about Jesus as Lord, early Christians refer to Old Testament passages referring to Israel's God; in the Greek OT, the personal name for God was translated as Lord.

Implications of Lord Title (03:09)

Upon seeing his wounds and being persuaded of his Resurrection, Thomas called Jesus Lord. The title insures that our only loyalty is to Jesus, a benevolent, serving ruler.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit (02:43)

Jesus' conception by the Holy Spirit and birth from the Virgin Mary facilitated the Incarnation. The Eternal God came among us, emptying himself so his Godhood was hidden.

Restoring Creation (02:08)

In the Creation story, God gives man the task of looking after God's creation, but they rebel and take their bearings from Creation, leading to decay. God took on decayed humanity in order to restore his plan.

Fully Human (01:46)

God did not just "come down," but became fully human. Docetic Gnosticism denied that Jesus came in the flesh; if he had not, the scheme of Salvation would break down.

Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Inseparable (02:07)

Divine and human nature are integral to who God is; Paul talks about God having taken on the form of a servant before emptying Himself. Jesus needed to be human to save humanity, and be divine to have the power to save.

Centrality of Incarnation (02:17)

The heart of Christian theology is Creation and the New Creation, and the problems New Creation solves. Incarnation is necessary to this story.

Conception and Birth (02:32)

Conception by the Holy Spirit means Jesus is divine; birth of the Virgin Mary means he is human. If Jesus had a human father, he would be no different from us, and so unable to save us.

Born of the Virgin Mary (01:22)

Birth from Mary is the human side of Jesus' birth. She gave birth to a human and divine child.

Novelty of Virgin Birth (02:28)

Nobody had interpreted Isaiah's prophecy of a virgin conceiving in the way Christians believed it happened. Gospel tales also do not appear to draw on each other here.

Possibility of Miracles (01:32)

Some dismiss the Virgin Birth as a product of pre-scientific culture, but ancient people knew the laws of nature and the idea was shocking at the time. Christ's birth from a human mother implies he is a real human being.

Sinless Second Adam (02:16)

The Virgin Birth means Christ does not share in original sin despite being born into this world. Scripture sometimes calls him the Second Adam, restoring what Adam lost for us.

Reconciling Humanity and God (03:14)

Jesus, the God-man, reconciles human beings with God. He had human experiences including temptation, without sin; he intercedes for us. Temptation implies the possibility of sinning.

Jesus as Starting Point (01:04)

We don't start with philosophical reasoning about divinity and humanity, but with the real Jesus. Only when we embrace and know him does it begin to make sense to think of him as human and divine.

Mary's Faith (02:05)

Mary shows remarkable faith, accepting the seemingly impossible mission of becoming the Mother of Christ.

Mary's Isolation (02:28)

Everyone else would have seen Mary as carrying an illegitimate child, but she trusted God. Like Noah, Abraham and similar Biblical figures, she was isolated from the world's fallen-ness. For Luther, she exemplifies justification by faith alone.

Hymn (00:47)

Closing hymn.

Credits: Savior of the World: The Faith We Confess (00:42)

Credits: Savior of the World: The Faith We Confess