I recently taught a mini-series at my church about the first part of our proposed Statement of Faith. This series is adapted from that study.

Read Part 1. Part 2 of our series starts with:

Through him all things were made.

This reminds us of Col 1:16, which begins:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth

Jesus Christ is the creator of all. The universe is not self-existent. The creed continues,

For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Notice that while the child is born, the Son is given. The Son was pre-existent as the second person of the Trinity. What is this child's name? Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Those are not titles for merely good men, especially in a monotheistic Hebrew culture. If false, they would be blasphemous.

Truly flesh and truly human, Jesus was not some spiritual apparition or otherworldly Gnostic manifestation of God. He was made human so that he might live a life of perfect obedience and then die to save his people from their sins. His righteousness is then imputed (credited) to us, even as our sins are imputed to Him.