In this episode, Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley continue their series on the Apostles' Creed as they discuss the person and work of Jesus Christ. They are joined by Matt Emerson—the Dickinson Chair of Religion at Oklahoma Baptist University—for part of the conversation to talk about what it means that Christ descended to the dead.

Questions Covered in This Episode:

• Can God suffer?
• The significance of a historical marker like “Pontius Pilate?”
• What is crucifixion and the significance of this mode for our understanding of Jesus Christ?
• Was Jesus mostly dead?
• What does descended to the dead mean?
• What is the place of the righteous dead and are there other places he could have gone?
• What do we lose if we are apathetic towards this or deny it?
• Pastorally why does this matter?
• What is the significance of the resurrection event?

The Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth,

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended to hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended to 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.

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.

Helpful Definitions:

Impassable: God does not feel emotions.

Immutable: God is always the same.

Anthropomorphic: A way of expressing, in humanly understandable terms, something that is true.

Guest Bio:

Matt Emerson (Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an associate professor of religion at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and as co-executive director of the Center for Baptist Renewal. His areas of interest include biblical theology, canonical interpretation, theological method, and Baptist theology. He is the author of He Descended to the Dead: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday, winner of a 2019 TGC book award. Emerson and his wife, Alicia, are both from Huntsville, AL. Married in 2006, they have five daughters.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Luke 16:19-31, 1 Peter 3, 2 Peter 2, Jude 1:6
• The Apostles Creed
• "The Impassible God of the Bible" Article by Wesley Hill
• “The Crucifixion” by Fleming Rutledge
• "He Descended to the Dead: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday" by Matthew Emerson
• "He Descended to the Dead: The Burial of Christ and the Eschatological Character of the Atonement" Journal by Matthew Emerson

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In this episode, Kyle, JT, and Jen continue their series on the Apostles' Creed as they discuss the person and work of Jesus Christ. They are joined by Matt Emerson—the Dickinson Chair of Religion at Oklahoma Baptist University—for part of the conversation to talk about what it means that Christ descended to the dead.

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