1 Peter 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
They’re the first two words of each article in the creed, including the second article: I believe. I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord. When we say I believe in Jesus, we’re saying I trust in Jesus. But it’s possible to use those same two words in another way. Sometimes when we say I believe, we’re saying we have a good opinion about something: I believe in campfires and cool summer nights. I believe marriage oughtta be for life. I believe there’s no greater nation in the world than the good old U.S. of A.
So I believe in Jesus could mean: I have a good opinion about Jesus. That’s great! It would be wonderful if everyone in the world had a good opinion about Jesus. We might forget, though, how much we need him. How deep and dark our misdeeds have been and still are, how utterly wrong-headed, how completely flawed and broken we are in our natural flesh! This world is broken not because of politics or war and not even because of immoral behavior. It’s deeper than all of that. You know: the problem in the world, the problem for you and me in our flesh is sin.
If all we have to say about Jesus is “I have a good opinion about him,” we’ve lost our way. We’ve turned the creed from an eternal lifeline into a Facebook status. There’s a chilling passage in Scripture where Jesus talks about what the Last Day will be like for people who are connected to him in name only: Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23).
Take the warning to heart, fellow believers, but don’t get stuck there. I believe - those are only the first two words in the creed. What follows next in the second article of the creed is the best good news a sinner could ever hear, and if you want to sum it up in just a few words you could say, he redeemed us. He paid for us. Tonight’s reading from 1 Peter lays out just how much he was willing to pay: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. What love! All for you and me!
That cross on our jewelry, hanging on our walls, gracing the front of our church, and setting the tone for every word spoken from that ambo - it’s more than decoration. This symbol points me and you to the one answer needed for a world full of questions, grief, tragedy, and unsolved problems. We need more than an opinion about Jesus. We need redemption from him. God be praised, we have it! Will you say it with me? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
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Author: Pastor Jon Zabell
Copyright (c) 2024, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Green Bay, WI 54301
Bible text, NIV (c) Biblia, 2011
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