Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 11/27/2007

Question
Where do I find this in the Bible?

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And 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, dead, buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, & sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Answer
Dear Donna,

Thank you for your question about the creed. There is no place in the Bible where this statement actually occurs in this way, because this is a summation of the beliefs of many Christians. However the creed can be broken down into units that can be found in the Bible.

1) Father, Son, Holy Spirit｡XThe Trinity: Three persons comprising the one God that we worship. They created heaven and earth.

2) Christ was born of the virgin Mary who conceived by the Holy Spirit.

3) Jesus suffered, died, was buried, and rose from the grave on the third day. (The subject of descending into hell rests on the Bible doctrines of the state of the dead and the punishment of the wicked. I refer you to www.PettyPress.com. Click on ｡ｧBible Lessons,｡ｨ and choose #s 26, 27, and A5.)

4) Jesus ascended to heaven and sits on the right hand of His Father

5) Jesus is judging the living and the dead.

Numbers 2 and 3 are a matter of record, found in the four gospels.

4) Jesus ascended to heaven:

Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:9  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Acts 1:10  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
Acts 1:11  "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

He sat down on the right hand of the Father:

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Heb 1:3  The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Heb 8:1  The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
Heb 8:2  and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
Heb 10:12  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
Heb 12:2  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

5) Jesus is judging the living and the dead. The subject of Jesus IS judging (right now) will take more space than we have here. I refer you to my web site www.PettyPress.com. Click on ｡ｧBible Lessons,｡ｨ then read lessons #s 32-35.

1) I present the following article I wrote some time ago on the subject of the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

Let me share with you just a few of the many texts that the Bible uses to describe the nature of God. And then I'll list the references to many other Biblical passages that refer to the multiple Persons of the Deity. (Paul uses the word ｡ｧGodhead｡ｨ in KJV Rom. 1.20 and Col. 2:9.) All texts are from NIV unless otherwise noted.
>> The Bible makes it abundantly clear that we serve one God, not many.
Deut 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (When the words ｡ｧLORD｡ｨ or ｡ｧGOD｡ｨ appears in all caps, they is translated from the Hebrew word ｡ｧYahweh.｡ｨ the personal name of God that is transliterated in the KJV as ｡ｧJehovah｡ｨ.)
So we worship only one God. But that ｡ｧone｡ｨ God is evidently made up of more than one person. As Jesus said:
John 10:30  I and the Father are one."
This ｡ｨOne｡ｨ encompasses more than one individual, just as in marriage, ｡ｧone｡ｨ includes two people.
This may not make sense to our finite minds, but look at what the Bible says:
>> The God who created the world was more than one Person:
Gen 1:1, 2  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Perhaps we have more than one Person here. But notice how God describes Himself later in the chapter.
Gen 1:26  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Moses, when writing this passage under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, used the plural pronoun when revealing God's decision to make human beings. While the plural here is not enough in itself to prove that the Trinity exists, yet it is very strong evidence that the title ｡ｧGod｡ｨ in verse 1 must include more than one Person. (The same could be said of Gen. 3:22.)
Notice what the Apostle John said about God:
John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2  He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . .
John 1:10  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. . . .
John 1:14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . .
John 1:18  No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
This is an interesting progression of thought:
  >>｡ｨIn the beginning｡ｨ｡XGreek gives the sense of ｡ｧWhen everything that had a beginning began, the Word already was.
  >>｡ｨThe Word was with God｡ｨ There are two individuals here
  >>｡ｨThe Word was God｡ｨ In other words, the two individuals here are both God. Both are equal by the fact that they are both God. So the One God has at least two People within it｡XTwo in One.
But that｡ｦs not all:
  >>The Word worked closely with the Father in the creation of the world. In other words, the Word was the Creator.
  >>The Word came to this world.
  >>The Word became flesh, seen by John and others; He showed them His glory; He was the One and Only. The phrase ｡ｧOne and Only｡ｨ comes from Greek ｡ｧmonogenes｡ｨ which means unique, one of a kind.
  >>The One and Only was God｡Xwho sat at the Father｡ｦs side, and made the Father known to us humans.
So you see, there are two Beings who are God, the Father and Jesus. Both are God｡Xpart of the One God Moses talked about in Deut.
There are a number of passages of Scripture that would have no clear message if there were only one Person in the One we call ｡ｧGod.｡ｨ
John 16:15  All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
John 16:26-28  In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
Notice how Jesus separates the Persons of the Godhead.
>> In the following verses we can see clearly what Jesus taught about the Trinity:
John 14:16, 17  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever｡Xthe Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Notice the Persons that Jesus mentions here: ｡ｧI｡ｨ = Jesus. ｡ｧThe Father｡ｨ and ｡ｧHe｡ｨ = the Father. The ｡ｧCounselor｡ｨ = ｡ｧthe Spirit of truth｡ｨ = the One Whom Jesus elsewhere called the Holy Spirit. Count the Persons here:
1) Jesus is talking to the disciples telling them that He will ask
2) the Father to send
3) the Holy Spirit.
This verse would be utter nonsense if God were only one Person, for then Jesus would be saying that He would ask Himself to send Himself!
>> When Jesus instructed His disciples to go to all the world He gave them, what we might call a ｡ｧformula｡ｨ that they should use when baptizing their converts.
Mat 28:19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
You｡ｦll notice that we are to baptize people in the ｡ｧname｡ｨ (singular) of ｡ｧThe Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.｡ｨ The singular word ｡ｧname｡ｨ represents three divinely equal persons｡Xknown to us by the name ｡ｧGod｡ｨ and ｡ｧTrinity.｡ｨWe have to remember that we are not omniscient. There are mysteries about God of which we have no knowledge.
Deu 29:29  The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
You might find my book  Quest for the Super Leader, of interest, as it gives more details｡Xespecially about the Son. You'll find it on my web site. www.PettyPress.com.
Perhaps it would be well if we looked briefly at the Holy Spirit and His work.
First, Jesus is limited now to His human body. And yet Jesus promised to be with us always:
Mat 28:19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus can't be everywhere, with every Christian all at the same time. But He made provision for that. He has a representative Who will be in the lives of all God's people.
John 16:7  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:13-15  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
So Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus' messages to us. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE. When you see one (I speak in human terms) you've seen them all. Though Jesus in His human body could not be bodily with His people in all the world and in all ages all at the same time, through the Holy Spirit he can do that.
You'll notice, at the beginning I used the word ｡ｧexcept.｡ｨ There is one limitation that even the Holy Spirit has. He cannot enter the heart of man unless we let Him in. Jesus' invitation is for that very purpose:
Rev 3:20  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
When Jesus knocks, it is the Holy Spirit Who is doing the knocking; Jesus through His Holy Spirit enters the heart and eats supper with us｡Vperforms with us even the most mundane tasks.
But, as I said, the Holy Spirit can only come into our hearts if we allow Him to. If we shut Him out, then we have, in effect, limited Him; we've made it impossible for Him to do His work in us. And if we persist in doing that, we will spurn Jesus and lose our only hope for eternal life.
Mat 12:31, 32  And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Here Jesus described for us what we would call the ｡ｧunpardonable sin.｡ｨ We commit this sin ｡ｧwhen we persistently reject Christ and deliberately choose options contrary to the principles of His kingdom, when we no longer view sin for what it is, when we mistake darkness for light, when Satan's lies become to us the truth, and when our hearts are so hardened they no longer recognize the need for forgiveness." Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly Feb. 26, 2002
So the Holy Spirit represents Christ to all who will admit Him into their hearts. He is unlimited in power, unlimited in His ability to be in the heart of every follower of Christ (even those who do not know Christ but follow the leading of the Spirit), unlimited in his knowledge of Christ and His salvation. But He is limited only by the choice of man to accept or reject His fellowship.
You have heard (or are now hearing) the knock of the Spirit upon your heart's door. Open the door. Let Him in. You will probably not feel anything when He comes in. But He will bring the peace of knowing that Christ lives within. He will bring to pass the promise that Jesus made:
Mat 11:28-30  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."


A Quick Survey of the Bible for Texts that Deal with the Members of the Trinity(This list is by no means complete, but only a sampling.)
There are a number of different types of references which deal with members of the Trinity as individuals. Some texts refer to all three members, while others refer to at least two of the Persons. Then there are a few texts that I thought you would find to be interesting that I've added at the end.
バ Trinity
  Gen. 3.22
  Isa. 42.1
     48.16
     46:5
  Matt. 28.19
  Luke 1:35
  Luke 3:22
  John 14:16, 25, 26
     15.26
  Acts 2.32, 33
     7.55, 56
  Rom. 1.2-4
     8.2-6, 11
  2 Cor. 13.14
  1 Thess. 5.16-22
  Titus 3.4-7
  1 Pet. 1.2
     4.14
  1 John 4.2, 3
  Rev. 1.4, 5

バ The Son (Christ; Jesus, etc) and the Father
  Matt.11.27
     16.16, 17
     17.5
     23.9, 10, 31                   
     25.31, 34                             24.36
     26.39-42
     26.64
     27.46
  Mark 2.6-10
     8.38
     9.7
  Luke 5.20-24
     9.26, 35
     22.69
     23.34
  John 1.1-4, 14, 18
     3.16, 18           5. 17, 26, 27, 36
     6.38, 40, 57
                   8.16, 18, 19,                                              28, 29, 42, 54         10.14, 15, 17,              30, 36, 38   
     11.4, 41
     12. 26, 27, 28
     13.1, 3
     14.1, 6. 9, 10,               13,
     15.1, 10, 15, 23
     16.21, 28
     17.1-26
     18.11
     20.17, 21, 22
  Acts 3.14-21
  Rom. 2.16
     3.22-24
     4.23, 24
     5.1, 8
     6.4, 11, 23
     7.25            8.17, 31-34, 39
     10.9
     15.17
  1 Cor. 8.6
     15.57
  2 Cor. 1.3, 4
     2.14
     4.4
     5.17-19
  Gal. 1.3, 4
     4.4, 5
  Eph. 1.2, 3
     2.4, 5
     3.11, 12
     5.20
  Phil. 1.2
     2.5-11
     4.7, 19
  Col. 1.14-20
     3.17
  1 Thess. 1.1
     3.12, 13
     4.16
  2 Thess 1.1, 2
     2.16
  1 Tim. 1.1, 2
     2.5
     6.13-16
  2 Tim. 1.2
  Philemon 1.3
  Heb. 1.1-3
     1.5-10
     3. 6
     5.5
     7.24, 25
     9.24
     12.2
     13.15, 16, 20,              21
  1 Pet. 1.3
  2 Pet. 1.1, 2
  1 John 2.1
     2.22, 23
     4.10
     5.11, 12
  2 John 3
  Jude 1, 24, 25
  Rev. 1.1
     14.1
     21.22, 23

バ Son & Holy Spirit
  Matt 12.30-32
  Luke 4.1, 14, 18-21,
  Acts 2.38
  1 Cor 6.11, 19, 20
     12.3
  Gal. 5.22-25

バ Father & Holy Spirit
     Psa 143:10
     Luke 11.12, 13
     Rom. 5.5
        8.14
        15.13
     1 Cor. 2.10-12
        3.16
While the following texts are of a different nature than the others, I've included them because I believe they help us understand the subject better.
バ Son of God Born to Mary by the Holy Spirit while the power of the Most High overshadows them
  Luke 1.35
バ Father Greater than Son
  John 14.28

バ Son Greater than:
  John 12.6 the Temple
     41 Jonah
     42 Solomon
バ First and Last
Isa. 41.4 the LORD (Yahweh)
Rev. 1.17 Jesus

バ Jesus Accepted Worship
  Matt. 14.33
  John 20.28
バ Jesus is the fulness of the deity
  Col. 2.9

Thank you again for your question. While your on my web site www.PettyPress.com, read one or two of my 18 books, and more of the 40 Bible lessons. You｡ｦll find a lot more on the site as well.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
Thurman@PettyPress.com