Posted on 01/20/2018 9:22:33 AM PST by tiredofallofit
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light...
Do these words sound familiar? I hope they do. These words, which have been recited in liturgy, at church councils, in battles, and at dinner tables in hundreds of languages, echo to us today through nearly 17 centuries of continual use. This creed is what has united the church (except perhaps in 1054 when it greatly divided the church) and has helped to defend it against all manner of heresies and attacks.
Sadly, I had never heard of this creed until I was in my late 20’s. In the church I grew up in, creeds were never recited; they were considered to be extra-Biblical and therefore highly suspect. Or maybe people just didn’t know about them. Prayer in our church was usually a long drawn out speech of varying eloquence depending on who was delivering it. Prayer was supposed to be spontaneous and elevated, not scripted and repetitious. To have recited a creed would have meant introducing a form of liturgy into our midst which would have taken us “dangerously” close to Catholicism. After all, the word “catholic” is contained in the creed, right? More on that another time.
And so I missed out on this beautiful tradition which if one looks at closely, is derived directly from Scripture. I believe that this creed, which is only outdated by the Apostles Creed (another creed that I never heard when I was young) should be front and center in every church. It should be inscribed on walls and memorized in Sunday School.
(Excerpt) Read more at runningawayfrommychurch.com ...
And not part of orthodox Christianity
Actually that is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The Apostles Creed is much shorter.
Thank you for agreeing with the Catholic Nicene Creed.
THE ATHANASAN CREED
(Quicumque Vult, 6th Century)
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.
It is logical that Nicene Christians believe the Nicene creed
Those churches that don’t embrace it, find their members to be confused, they don’t know what they believe. Unsure about what the incarnation means, etc. They talk like Nestorians.
U will find some evangelists churches have adopted the creed to combat this
https://madisoncbc.org/statement-of-faith/
One example.
Yet, generally, America is a fundamental ist mess
Christianity teaches you can know for sure that you have eternal life based on the promises of Christ.
24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24 NASB
Christianity and Roman Catholicism....there is a difference.
Don’t be a twit. There is simply the Nicene Creed. That is the creed adopted at the Holy Councils of 325 & 381. Anything else is... something different. And anything different is condemned.
Beautiful! Brings tears to my eyes.
Thank you.
Our church doesn’t “do” creeds. The “vain repetitions” thing, I suppose.
Nothing wrong with creeds - per se - as long as they are Scripturally sound and words mean what they say (i.e., catholic (meaning universal) and NOT the Roman Catholic church). It was shorthand, in a way, for spelling out what are genuine Christian faith tenets.
Well said.
The truth is that the creeds are scripture in prayer form.
The Maasai Creed;
We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created Man and wanted Man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the Earth. We have known this High God in darkness, and now we know Him in the light. God promised in the book of His word, the Bible, that He would save the world and all the nations and tribes.
We believe that God made good His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left His home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, He rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.
We believe that all our sins are forgiven through Him. All who have faith in Him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love and share the bread together in love, to announce the Good News to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for Him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.
How about the Lord’s Prayer? Does your church use that?
No. We don’t say The Lord’s Prayer — as a prayer. If we’re studying that passage in Matthew, of course we read and discuss it.
Nothing against it; we just believe it to be more of a “model” prayer. It says, “After this MANNER therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven...”. A kind of template or format for praying. Our prayers aren’t scripted and repititious. Where’s the feeling and sincerity?
I love “The Lord’s Prayer” by Malotte, and have a beautiful piano arrangement of it.
It's a shame that many churches today ignore The Creeds.
Yes, it is.
Church I grew up in (mainline Presbyterian) we said the Apostles' Creed Weekly. Where we're at now (PCA), Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed gets confessed at least monthly, at the Lord's Supper.
While I understand your reasoning, I think it’s sad that you don’t say the Lord’s Prayer regularly in Church. Yes, of course it can become vain and repetitious if the person praying it is not paying attention to the words. But if you were to take the more “spontaneous” prayers that are prayed at your church over a period of weeks or month, my educated guess is that there would be plenty of repetition in those as well.
The longest and lease known of the creeds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.