Die vroeë belydenisse aangaande Jesus in die Nuwe Testament

Abstract

In 50 different instances in the Gospels and Acts confessions about Jesus are expressed. A synopsis of these confessions indicates that these confessions reflect on the question about who Jesus really is. Furthermore it is revealed that the contents of these confessions ultimately represent only three basic confessions about Jesus:(1) Jesus is the Christ, (2) Jesus is the Son of God, and (3) Jesus is the Lord. These basic confessions are augmented by three other more detailed confes­sions, in which Jesus is confessed to be (4) God Himself, (5) our Saviour, and (6) the Judge of the living and the dead. It is maintained that the Gospels and Acts state that God, through his Spirit and his Word, gave these truths about Jesus to his Church to confess. That these truths are indeed confessed by the Church, is evident from a survey of the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, as well as the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt.