The second line of the Apostles’ Creed reads, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His (God’s) only Son, our Lord.”

Just like the first line of the creed (“I believe in God the Father”), there’s a lot packed into this short sentence.

The term Christ literally means “anointed one.” It’s the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, and refers to one who has been anointed (called and sealed) by God to bring about His people’s salvation.

To call Jesus God’s Son means that He has a very intimate relationship with God – and always has.

From all eternity, the spirit of Jesus has dwelt in perfect harmony with the Creator (God the Father) and though not literally God’s son (since spirits don’t give birth in a literal sense), is close enough to the Father’s heart to be called God’s son.

The term Lord has both spiritual and political overtones. It means one to whom we give our utmost allegiance.

In Jesus’ time, the Roman emperors all claimed to be “Lord.” By affirming Jesus as Lord, this creed rejects all earthly claims to ultimate allegiance. For those of us who are Christians, only Jesus can be our King – and any earthly authority that stands in the way of that must be resisted. We are to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:30).

Jesus is also our Lord in another sense – He is our ultimate teacher and spiritual guide. His teachings serve as our ultimate reference point for spiritual and moral truth. Anything that contradicts the teachings of Jesus (as found in the gospel narratives) cannot be considered truth for those who consider themselves Christians.

I have to admit I have some reservations about the word “only” in this clause. What does it mean to say Jesus is God’s “only” Son? Aren’t we all sons and daughters of God? How is Jesus (apart from the claim that He is without sin (Heb 4:15)), any different than the rest of us?

Traditionally, the church has taught that Jesus is different, not just because of His perfect obedience to the Father, but also because of His origin.

The Eternal Logos, or Christ Spirit, has been present with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity; His soul is pre-existent, having no beginning or end.

In contrast, human beings are created in a definite place and time – though their souls are also immortal, according to most Christian traditions.

The problem I have with this line of thinking is that it doesn’t ring true to my experiences. Like many other people, I have had vivid memories of things that never happened to me in my earthly lifetime – and this is pretty hard to explain if our souls were created at the same time as our bodies!

While these experiences don’t prove that reincarnation happens, they strongly suggest, at the very least, that our souls are pre-existent – having been around for a lot longer than our bodies.

It seems entirely plausible that we have always existed in one form or another, just like God; but the creed seems to deny this possibility when it says Jesus is God’s “only” Son.

What does seem clear to me is that Jesus, whatever His divine origins may be, is united to God (and indeed a part of the godhead) in a way that we mortals are not – at least not yet.

But we are called to emulate Him, and indeed, His spirit lives in us and gives us the power to do that.

The creed goes on to make five important declarations about Jesus – He was born of the Virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, He truly did experience death, He rose from the dead and was reunited to God, and He will return to judge the living and the dead. Each one of these needs to be unpacked for us to get a full sense of who Jesus was and is.

(Coming Next: The Apostles’ Creed, Part Three: “Born of the Virgin Mary”)