Apostles' Creed Session Eight -Suffered Under Pilate, Died, and was Buried
1. Session 8:
Suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died,
and was buried;
2. The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.
3. THIS HAD ALWAYS BEEN GOD’S PLAN....
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief...Surely he
has born our griefs and carried our sorrows... All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-
every one-to his own way; and the Lord has laid
on him the iniquity of us all. But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities;...and with his stripes we are healed.
He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth,
like a lamb led to the slaughter; they made his
grave with the wicked, although he had done no
violence.
Isaiah 53:3-9
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate
• Pilate was the Roman governor
– Mentioning Pilate in the Creed dates the life and death
of Jesus. It validates the fact that he was a real person
who lived and died. He is not some made up figure.
• Why Jesus ends up being crucified is crazy!
– Who was actually responsible for his death?
• Pilate/Romans
• Jews
• Disciples
• Us
• God
5. Was crucified, died, and was buried
• A standard Roman way of executing
criminals
– Like saying he was executed or put to death by
lethal injection.
• Romans crucified criminals, particularly
those who posed a threat to Rome. They
did this often and in great numbers.
– Limbs were held by nails or ropes
– Death resulted from asphyxiation or exposure
– Bodies were left to rot, eaten by animals
6. Was crucified, died, and was buried
• Two great questions:
1. What was God’s purpose in the cross?
• Simply put: “Judgment on sin, for the sake of mercy to
sinners.” –J.I. Packer
2. What did the passion (suffering) of Christ do for
us:
• Form three groups. Read the passages below, be
prepared to share your findings.
1. (Rom. 3:25, 1 John 2:2, 4:10, Heb.2:17)
2. (Rom. 5:9-11)
3. (Eph. 1:7, Rom. 3:24, Rev. 5:9, Mk 10:45)
7. – Rom. 3:25,
• 25
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to
be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former
sins.
• 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours
but also for the sins of the whole world.
• 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
– Heb.2:17
• 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human
in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and
faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make
atonement for the sins of the people.
– Propitiatioin: to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of
8. – Rom. 5:9-11
• 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how
much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath
through him! 10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we
were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be
saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also
boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation.
– Reconciliation
Reconcile: to restore to friendship or harmony
9. • Eph. 1:7,
– 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
• Rom. 3:24,
– 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus.
• Rev. 5:9,
– 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
– “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because
you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for
God persons from every tribe and language and people and
nation.
• Mk 10:45
– 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Redeeming: serving to offset or compensate for a defect
10. The next day John saw Jesus
coming toward him and
said, “Look, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the
world!
-John 1:29
• In the OT, a lamb without blemish was offered
as a temporary atoning sacrifice for the sins of
God’s people, Israel.
• In the NT, the perfect (sinless) lamb of God
(provided by God-God’s only son Jesus) is the
final and all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. Period.
11. REVIEW
• Why is mentioning Pilate in the Creed
important?
• Who is responsible for crucifying Christ?
• What was the purpose of Jesus’ death on the
cross?
• Why did John call Jesus the “Lamb of God”?