Creeds of the Christian Church
I. THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father
Through Him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation,
He came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake He was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy
catholic (universal) and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
II. THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
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,
sitteth 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 Ghost,
the holy catholic (universal) Church,
The communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
“The Word became flesh….and dwelt among us.” – John 1:14
“The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to even the division of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give and account.”
*The Book of Hebrews 4:12-13
(ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AND POINTS TO CONSIDER)
The Biblical Christian worldview is reasonable and logical. Through the centuries it has received the criticism and praise of intellectuals and atheists. Brilliant minds like Voltaire and Pascal the mathmitician have deduced opposite viewpoints. Physicists such as Einstein stopped short of confessing God while admitted “the universe points to some Mystical force order- something beautiful originating, creating, ordering.”
We should respect the professionalism and science of brilliant minds. What strikes us sometimes is the lack of scientific approach to Biblical evidence, manuscript evidence and Biblical related archaeology. There is no archaeology from Rosetta Stone to Hammurabi’s Code that contradicts Bible authenticity. All of it confirms and affirms Biblical history. Historians and archaeologists (with an open mind) continually make discoveries and observations that affirm Biblical history.
There is a scoffing, anti- scientific approach towards the Bible and Christian faith. It’s evident that much of the world looks at us as ‘fools’ or foolish. Its not fair, scientific or reasonable. The atheist Christopher Hitchen’s book against Mother Theresa is antagonistic, critical and unreasonable. Some work hard to point to flawed people or easy bait in Christianity- they don’t usually point to literary brilliants like CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien whose masterpieces still speak with authority today. Its not difficult to see that most of science is ‘un scientific’- they carry a predisposition against Jesus and archaeological discoveries that confirm His death, burial and resurrection. Its difficult to win with an arrogant person who puts all of his faith in his years of study, his memorizations, his theories and his belief that “I am objective and able to view all of history objectively”. Our goal must never to be elite or intellectual bullies – we must carry a heart full of Christ’s love, gentleness and confidence. The church owes the world a true and living witness / representation of Jesus Christ. We mustn’t apologize, sidestep or hurt sincere seekers who desire to know the True God and follow Him. Our only enemies are spiritual- not people however misguided they may be.
I enjoy the question’s of atheist- they are valid and some are very sincere. Its only the attitude of antagonism and even anger against Christianity that is of itself un-scientific and unreasonable. They have decided that our faith is not scientific enough, yet they won’t examine (for example) the deathbed conversions of Nietze or Charles Darwin. Many famous atheists converted moments before they passed into eternity. When they were faced with reality, real questions, eternity, goodness and justice- all science began to point to the Creator and Savior. They examined their own scientific evidence and realized “there are no witnesses to confirm the evolution of man 75,000 years ago much less 2 million years ago.” No one knows Lucy or Lucy’s grandparents or grandchildren- yet evolution wants us to put 100 percent of our faith in its theories. Yet the Bible has a more precise history with exact knowledge. This exact knowledge is currently dictating the course of history- in the Middle East, in China, in USA, in Egypt and in every part of the world. From Genesis to Daniel to the Gospels and the Book of Revelation it fits together like a puzzle. There are many witnesses, viewpoints and its prophetic words have been confirmed again and again. People mock and scoff at it because as the Book of Revelation declares “the have a predisposition against God- they shake their fist at God and blame God.” There is an obsession to blame God for every problem- this antagonistic viewpoint is common in nearly every public university and college. Historians such as Flavius Josephus and Will Durant took a neutral approach during their two distinct eras of recording. One lived in the first century and the other 20th century. Both of them concluded that the Life of Jesus Christ (Gospels) was not only possible but probable.
And of course the weaknesses of the modern church which are abundant and easy to see. There is arrogance and cultism, even elitism. People point to this as reason ‘not to believe’ What we are presenting here CHRIST’S GOSPEL IS THE GOODNESS OF GOD we present confidently. We know that Jesus Christ ultimately makes the decision about “who followed Him and believed in His salvation”- we are not here to qualify you or disqualify you. Obviously there are are multitudes inside the church and outside that do not believe. Our one goal for this writing is to urge you to “inquire of Jesus Christ- inquire passionately, consistently, scientifically with an open heart and mind.” Study great leaders and humanitarians throughout history. Read about great leaders and great minds in the 20th century- you will discover many of them from Alexander Solzenythzen to Victor Frankl deduced and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read about the great philosophers- Rousseau, Locke and Hobbes. The Enlightenment Age of Europe turned many people to God. Michaelangelo, Davinci, Galileo, and Newton all carried interest in the Bible and Jesus Christ. Does that make current scientists archaic and out of touch? That’s what modern intellectual arrogance tries to suggest to us.
The Christ-follower follows exact knowledge about sin, fall, redemption and the human condition. Most of science is still theoretical knowledge- yet the Bible offers exact knowledge about sickness, suffering, healing and redemption. It offers precise prescriptions to countries ranging from Egypt, Israel, Iraq and remote islands. Its prophecies are stunningly accurate and some of them repeat as if in a cycle. Mockers and scoffers should take a humble moment and think “what if all of it is true? What is the ramifications for my life, family, nation and world?”
God is a wonderful father who deserves not to be blamed for all the world’s problems. On earth you can see a family with a father. There might be 4 children- one is a doctor, one a contractor, one a mayor and the last one a murderer. No one usually says “that murderer is just like his father”– often times parents are the most shocked and upset at how their children turn out. My point is that to blame God the Father is senseless and un-scientific. Its like blaming the father who raised a mayor, a doctor and a contractor that he failed because he nurtured his children to choose ‘free will” and make the best choices. Somehow a father’s goodness and free will teaching decision making has been turned into “God is the ultimate author of all the problems” which is lack of responsibility, and hypocrisy at the highest levels.
At the end of this discussion on faith, the Apostle Paul (brilliant mind and theologian of the New Testament) said “The Cross is foolisness- the Gospel has a foolish appearance to it. The Gospel doesn’t reach many noble, dignified, high society- God chose the foolish and weak things to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians chapters 1-2) This mirrors what Jesus Christ said “it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy.” Its as if God made the door of salvation a humble door, humble like a manger- and all the self seeking, arrogant, proud minded would miss it without considering a deeper level of honesty. The Gospel and true Christian life are free gifts, yet they are not the easiest thing on earth. Sinfulness and convenience has a glitzy bling appeal– the attraction to get your needs met in your own ways and desires. The attraction of being your own god, without accountability and morality. Yet the Gospel of Jesus is True, and for sincere seekers they can discover a New Life where He is our Way, our Truth and our Life. He is worth the study, the discovery and the journey. We encourage you to seek Him out!
The Bible was inspired by God Himself. He inspired men and under the Holy Spirit of God they were able to write the Bible, there’s no way one can expect the understand it in our carnal minds, it’s also through the help of the Holy Spirit that the word of God is made life, sharp and able to perform in our lives. It’s thro having a relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ, then we’ll be able to walk in Him and Him in us. Thanks for the challenge brother, it’s true Christ Jesus should be the center of our Lives. AMEN