Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
There Is a Necessity for Creeds.
The word Creed means "I believe." Often people will say "I don't have a creed, I only have the Bible." However, such a statement would only work in a perfect world. Almost all christian denominations will say they teach scripture and yet come to different conclusions. If you ask someone what the Bible teaches they will inevitably start saying what they "believe" in their own words. They make up a creed on their own - it's inescapable. Either they refuse to have a formal creed because they don't take a hard stance on what scripture teaches or they don't realize they have a creed, (although less formal). A statement of faith cuts through the word play and draws truths out from scripture to interact with people's notions of God. When men make these statements it will either be Biblical or not Biblical. Statements of faith are not automatically contrary to scripture because in scripture there are people who make statements of faith all the time.
Even a heretic can say "I only have the Bible." In fact, during times when the Roman Empire was warming up to Christianity such heretics existed and denied Christ's divinity. The heresy was quite pervasive, causing difficulty in the Church and a council was convened to figure out how to deal with this teaching. The Church united to confess scripture truthfully in the words of the Nicene Creed, formulated in Nicea, 325 AD.
These kinds of councils weren't foreign to the Church. Even in the time of the Apostles, church councils were formed to deal with heresy. The Council of Jerusalem took place in Acts 15 and dealt with the problem of circumcision. In like manner, the council of Nicea re-confessed the teaching of scripture and thereby made a statement of faith. It simply clarified in a concise way what we receive from Christ by the Spirit in Holy Scripture.
Creeds are consequently an orderly way of marking boundaries of faith to positively express Christ, and to call those back to repentance who do not believe in the necessary teachings of scripture. It is also an appropriate way for us to confess and believe our salvation because it has been founded and elaborated in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - which is the name of God by which we receive our salvation.
The Creeds are always about Christ. (If it isn't about Christ it isn't Christian.) One of the most basic creeds comes from St Paul in Philippians 2. "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord." And so in the very early Church the most basic creed was "Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus meaning the man, Christ meaning the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, Lord that he is God. However even this needed to be quickly elaborated.
The creed kind of took a pragmatic shape throughout history. Because people would often twist what the Bible said, Christ needed to be confessed more fully and formally. So what you get from the early church was a basic expression and then out of necessity a unified expression. The basics needed to be unpacked by scripture to maintain its proper meaning and orthodoxy. Therefore the longer creed is still the same as the basic creed, however it is more thorough in defending those essential truths.
Like anything, even something simple, if you try to explain it and break it down, it will seem more complex. Surprisingly, the Creed is still pretty simple. If you quickly glance it over it might seem like head knowledge. But it's important to remember that the confession is not just an intellectual "I believe that" but its an "I trust in" statement which clings to Christ. The statements are all from the Bible, the word of God.
The Apostle's Creed was probably the first unified Creed. It wasn't written by the Apostles but only named after their teaching. the Apostle's Creed:
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, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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
Before the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds, churches would each make their own creed locally. But as common heresies came up so did the need for common (formalized) confessions to maintain unity and fellowship in the faith. In confessing the Nicene Creed today, we recognize the Christians (saints) who went before us, who stood for sound doctrine. They passed on the true teaching of scripture to us through history, and we stand even with those who died for this confession. And so we confess with them and give testimony to the common confession of every Christian. When we stand up to recite the creed we stand in fellowship with all the company of heaven. We are united in one faith, one church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. The Trinitarian faith isn't new tradition, but we are tied into one ancient Church with the same, single confession: Lord Jesus Christ.
Even a heretic can say "I only have the Bible." In fact, during times when the Roman Empire was warming up to Christianity such heretics existed and denied Christ's divinity. The heresy was quite pervasive, causing difficulty in the Church and a council was convened to figure out how to deal with this teaching. The Church united to confess scripture truthfully in the words of the Nicene Creed, formulated in Nicea, 325 AD.
These kinds of councils weren't foreign to the Church. Even in the time of the Apostles, church councils were formed to deal with heresy. The Council of Jerusalem took place in Acts 15 and dealt with the problem of circumcision. In like manner, the council of Nicea re-confessed the teaching of scripture and thereby made a statement of faith. It simply clarified in a concise way what we receive from Christ by the Spirit in Holy Scripture.
Creeds are consequently an orderly way of marking boundaries of faith to positively express Christ, and to call those back to repentance who do not believe in the necessary teachings of scripture. It is also an appropriate way for us to confess and believe our salvation because it has been founded and elaborated in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - which is the name of God by which we receive our salvation.
The Creeds are always about Christ. (If it isn't about Christ it isn't Christian.) One of the most basic creeds comes from St Paul in Philippians 2. "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord." And so in the very early Church the most basic creed was "Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus meaning the man, Christ meaning the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, Lord that he is God. However even this needed to be quickly elaborated.
The creed kind of took a pragmatic shape throughout history. Because people would often twist what the Bible said, Christ needed to be confessed more fully and formally. So what you get from the early church was a basic expression and then out of necessity a unified expression. The basics needed to be unpacked by scripture to maintain its proper meaning and orthodoxy. Therefore the longer creed is still the same as the basic creed, however it is more thorough in defending those essential truths.
Like anything, even something simple, if you try to explain it and break it down, it will seem more complex. Surprisingly, the Creed is still pretty simple. If you quickly glance it over it might seem like head knowledge. But it's important to remember that the confession is not just an intellectual "I believe that" but its an "I trust in" statement which clings to Christ. The statements are all from the Bible, the word of God.
The Apostle's Creed was probably the first unified Creed. It wasn't written by the Apostles but only named after their teaching. the Apostle's Creed:
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, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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
Before the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds, churches would each make their own creed locally. But as common heresies came up so did the need for common (formalized) confessions to maintain unity and fellowship in the faith. In confessing the Nicene Creed today, we recognize the Christians (saints) who went before us, who stood for sound doctrine. They passed on the true teaching of scripture to us through history, and we stand even with those who died for this confession. And so we confess with them and give testimony to the common confession of every Christian. When we stand up to recite the creed we stand in fellowship with all the company of heaven. We are united in one faith, one church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. The Trinitarian faith isn't new tradition, but we are tied into one ancient Church with the same, single confession: Lord Jesus Christ.
The Nicene Creed (And Scripture texts)
The Nicene Creed is an important expression and confession of the Christian faith because it deals explicitly with God's nature and how he brings about our salvation. It's accuracy is important because we are saved by faith. Faith isn't an abstract concept. Our faith must be put in the right place. Jesus Christ. If we get Christ wrong we get God wrong and the Gospel wrong. The Nicene Creed is entirely scriptural. God's salvation comes to us in Trinity because God is Trinity. Each person of the Trinity has a special role in our salvation as revealed by Scripture. Everything in this creed is based on the scriptures as necessary for our salvation. It is Christ centered.
Nicene Creed:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
If you would like to see what it looks like with scripture references backing everything up (Click on the reference and it will take you to the verse):
[The Father] I believe (John 14:1) in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Father (2 Peter 1:17) Almighty (Revelation 4:8), Maker (Job 4:17) of heaven (Genesis 1:1) and earth (Psalm 104:5), and of all things (Genesis 1:31) visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). [The Son] And in one Lord (Ephesians 4:5) Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36), the only-begotten Son of God (John 3:16), begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:5) before all worlds (Colossians 1:17), God of God, Light of Light (2 Corinthians 4:4-6), very God of very God (John 1:1), begotten (John 1:18), not made, (John 17:5) being of one substance with the Father (John 10:30); by whom all things were made (Colossians 1:15-18); who for us men (Matthew 20:28), and for our salvation (Matthew 1:21), came down from heaven (Ephesians 4:10), and was incarnate (Colossians 2:9) by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18) of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:34-35), and was made man (John 1:14), and was crucified (John 19:18) also for us (Romans 5:8) under Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2); He suffered (1 Peter 2:21) and was buried and the third day He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:4) according to the Scriptures (Psalm 16:10); and ascended (Luke 24:51) into heaven (Mark 16:19), and sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3); and He shall come again (John 14:3) with glory (Matthew 16:27) to judge (Matthew 25:31-46) the living and the dead (Acts 10:42); whose kingdom (John 18:36) shall have no end (Revelation 11:15). [The Holy Spirit]And I believe in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17) and Giver of life (2 Corinthians 3:6), who proceeds from the Father (John 14:16-l7) and the Son (John 15:26) ; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified (John 4:24); who spoke by the Prophets (2 Peter 1:21). And I believe in one (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) holy (Ephesians 5:27) catholic (1 Corinthians 1:2) and apostolic (Ephesians 2:20) Church (Ephesians 1:22-23). I acknowledge one Baptism (Ephesians 4:5) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); and I look for the resurrection of the dead (I Thessalonians 4:16), and the life of the world to come (Revelation 22:5). Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
* catholic means the universality of the church and does not reference the Roman Catholic Church
Nicene Creed:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
If you would like to see what it looks like with scripture references backing everything up (Click on the reference and it will take you to the verse):
[The Father] I believe (John 14:1) in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Father (2 Peter 1:17) Almighty (Revelation 4:8), Maker (Job 4:17) of heaven (Genesis 1:1) and earth (Psalm 104:5), and of all things (Genesis 1:31) visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). [The Son] And in one Lord (Ephesians 4:5) Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36), the only-begotten Son of God (John 3:16), begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:5) before all worlds (Colossians 1:17), God of God, Light of Light (2 Corinthians 4:4-6), very God of very God (John 1:1), begotten (John 1:18), not made, (John 17:5) being of one substance with the Father (John 10:30); by whom all things were made (Colossians 1:15-18); who for us men (Matthew 20:28), and for our salvation (Matthew 1:21), came down from heaven (Ephesians 4:10), and was incarnate (Colossians 2:9) by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18) of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:34-35), and was made man (John 1:14), and was crucified (John 19:18) also for us (Romans 5:8) under Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2); He suffered (1 Peter 2:21) and was buried and the third day He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:4) according to the Scriptures (Psalm 16:10); and ascended (Luke 24:51) into heaven (Mark 16:19), and sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3); and He shall come again (John 14:3) with glory (Matthew 16:27) to judge (Matthew 25:31-46) the living and the dead (Acts 10:42); whose kingdom (John 18:36) shall have no end (Revelation 11:15). [The Holy Spirit]And I believe in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17) and Giver of life (2 Corinthians 3:6), who proceeds from the Father (John 14:16-l7) and the Son (John 15:26) ; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified (John 4:24); who spoke by the Prophets (2 Peter 1:21). And I believe in one (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) holy (Ephesians 5:27) catholic (1 Corinthians 1:2) and apostolic (Ephesians 2:20) Church (Ephesians 1:22-23). I acknowledge one Baptism (Ephesians 4:5) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); and I look for the resurrection of the dead (I Thessalonians 4:16), and the life of the world to come (Revelation 22:5). Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
* catholic means the universality of the church and does not reference the Roman Catholic Church
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Faith - Joy
"This is Christian faith which gives peace to the heart, not when affliction is absent but when it is most severe - and this is the difference between earthly and heavenly peace. In the former case, if someone is suffering he does not have peace. But Christian peace embraces external discord: Poverty, death and persecution are present. But Christian peace does not feel those things within and the heart abounds with more joy when they are present than when they are not. This peace surpasses reason and understanding. This peace comforts a person and sets the troubled heart at rest. Amid these things the Christian has peace where others have discord. Where does this come from? From faith in Christ. For if I believe that by his resurrection he has conquered sin and death and that he abides with me so that I shall lack nothing then I cannot become timid. If death assails me I say 'Christ has risen and has conquered death.' If I'm poor I look at the wealth of Christ. And whatever other danger might confront me. The Christian turns his eyes to Christ. The second fruit follows: 'When they saw the Lord and he shows his hands and feet they were glad' The greatest joy is that Christ shows them his hands. Hitherto we have been shown only our own hands. It is through these fruits that we recognize whether there is a true Christian. If a Christian does not rejoice amid his troubles it is a certain sign that he is still worldly. We see scarcely one and many thousands who is able to rejoice amid afflictions and trials. This is what we sing in that truly Christian song 'Christ is Risen' that Christ rose not for his own sake but for ours. Therefore let us joyful be. If he had risen for himself why should I be joyful? Christ our comfort true will be and not anything else for he has conquered all evils." M. Luther.
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