Apostles’ Creed
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
The Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed divides the work of Christ into two parts, just like the verse above. The first part is about Jesus’ humiliation. We confess that the eternal Son of God became Man for us, kept the law for us, and died for our sins. Our response to this is to live lives of repentance. We realize it was our sin that caused Jesus to go to the cross and receive the Father’s wrath in our place. We are humbled when we consider the cost of our salvation.
The second part of the work of Christ is His exaltation. We confess that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to rule over all things forever. We see in all of this our sins forgiven and our hope of eternal salvation. Luther tells us that the purpose of all of Jesus’ work is that we should be His own. We live under Him and His kingdom. We are saints who were once sinners.
So we serve Jesus with righteousness, knowing that He has forgiven the sins we have committed. We live in innocence, knowing that Jesus kept the law for us so we can stand holy before God. We live in blessedness, happily anticipating our own exaltation when Jesus comes to judge His people righteous and worthy of His everlasting kingdom.
We all believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Mary's Son,
Who descended from His throne And for us salvation won;
By whose cross and death are we Rescued from all misery.
The Lutheran Hymnal 252:2