Telling the Story of the Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
The Bible’s very first verse, Genesis 1:1, states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” We can imagine the almighty, the creator of the entire universe, shaping our world and bringing it into being. But this immensely powerful deity does not remain distant from us. Instead, as we read in John 1:12, “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” Thus, we believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
Because we call God our Father, we can accept Jesus Christ as his Son. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he told her, “You will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1:31-32) We also know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord, as prophesied by Isaiah, who wrote, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:6) We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.
Furthermore, we know that, while Jesus was born to a humble Galilean family, his birth was unlike any other. His mother, “a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,” (Luke 1:27) was told by the angel, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Thus, he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
At the end of his life, Jesus was arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate, who asked the crowd, “What shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:12-13) Some details of the crucifixion had been foreseen by the writer of the 22nd Psalm: “They have pierced my hands and feet—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots.” After suffering on the cross, Jesus died, as Matthew reports, “Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” (Matthew 27:50) He was buried in a nearby tomb: “as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” (John 19:42) Under Pontius Pilate, he was crucified, died, and was buried.
After his death, Jesus descended to the dead, to the place the Hebrew Old Testament calls Sheol. When Jacob believed his beloved son Joseph had died, he declared, “I shall go down to Sheol, to my son, mourning.” (Genesis 37:35) In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul explains that Jesus “descended into the lower parts of the earth” and then “ascended far above all the heavens.” (Ephesians 4:9-10) He descended to the dead.
Wilson Alvarez, a lover of Jesus Christ had an early experience where he had a vision of the Risen Lord & instantaneously became a believer at the prime age of 3. Throughout his young life, he always felt protection and blessings and even though was not walking with the Lord, always acknowledged his blessings. It was when he turned 30, that he became a follower and prayed based on John 3:3 – “In order to enter the Kingdom of God, you must be born again.” Mr. Alvarez enjoys Men’s ministries and is active in the prison ministry movement where he gives weekly leadership and Christian talks. For ministry opportunities, please reach him at info@godsfishermen.org