We Believe Course Notes

8/7/2019 We Believe Course Notes

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/we-believe-course-notes 1/20

There is one b

ody and one

Spirit… one Lo

rd, one faith,

one baptism; one G

od and

Father of all, who is o

ver all

and through all and in a

ll.

Ephesians 4:4

-6

We Believe…

I

N

T

E

R

A

T

I

O

N

A

L

C

HU

R

C

H

O

F

PR

A

G

U

E

ST

U

D

Y

C

E

N

T

R

E









One GodWe believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of

all that is, seen and unseen.

Questions

1. What statements about God does thissentence make?

2. Why is each of them important to our

understanding of God and to our faith?

3. What verses might you use to give a biblical basis for these statements?

4. What other things about God might you want to state if you were asked to

describe the God you believe in?

We Believe…

3

This is the rule of our faith, the

foundation of the building, and

what gives support to our

behaviour.

God the Father uncreated , who is

uncontained, invisible, one God,

creator of the universe; this is the

first article of our faith.

Irenaeus (~130-202) quoted inThe Christian Theology Reader,

93



One LordWe 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.

Questions1. What would you say is the main point of this

statement of belief?

2. What important Christian doctrine does this

bring to our attention?

The TrinityThe word ʻTrinityʼ means ʻa unity of threeʼ and, while it does not occur in the

Bible, sums up the Christian belief that the God who has revealed himself to us is

One God in Three Persons. This is stated in much more detail in one of the other

early Christian creeds, The Athanasian (which you will find at the end of this weekʼs

study notes). Belief in the Trinity is, therefore, a belief in One God (monotheism)

who exists in Three Persons. It is not a belief in three gods (polytheism) or a belief

in a ʻdividedʼ God. It is a belief that all Three Persons of the Trinity share in the

same ʻsubstanceʼ - the Divine Nature - but that they are distinct Persons. “The

divine essence is not divided into three: it is fully present in each of the Persons”1

.The diagram on the next page - which is an attempt to represent one of the central

statements of the Athanasian Creed, may help in understanding this.

One of the problems we face in describing and understanding this doctrine, is

that we do not have the words to do so. This is something which is beyond our

total comprehension. As Leonardo Boff says, “To say that God is Father, Son and

Holy Spirit is revelation; to say that God is “one substance and three Persons” is

theology, a human endeavour to fit the revelation of God within the limits of

reason.2”

We Believe…

4

1 In Understanding Be Men , 54

2 Quoted in The Christian Theology Reader, 121

Christ Jesus, who, being in very

nature God, did not consider

equality with God something to be

grasped, but made himself

nothing, taking the very nature of

a servant, being made in human

likeness. And being found in

appearance as a man, he

humbled himself and became

obedient to death even death on

a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the

highest place and gave him the

name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every

knee should bow, in heaven and

on earth and under the earth, and

every tongue confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God

the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11



Many i l lustrations

have been used: water

as liquid, ice and steam;

the three leaves of a

s h a m r o c k e t c .

However, we must becareful with any picture

we use that we do not

try to push it too far.

Best to stick with what

we do know and accept

that the intricacies of the

relationships between

Father, Son and Spirit

a r e b e y o n d o u r

understanding.

Biblical BasisThe statement in the

Nicene Creed that we

are looking at today,

though, concentrates on Jesus, so we will leave the general discussion of the

Trinity to concentrate on the biblical basis for our belief that Jesus is fully God. The

question of his humanity is one we will consider next week.

1. Read John 1:1-14a. What does this tell you about Jesus?

b. What do you think John means by using ʻThe Wordʼ as a title?

2. Read Colossians 1:15-20.

a. What is Paulʼs main point here?

b. How does he describe the relationship between the Son and God?

c. In verses 19-20, what does Paul say is the result of Godʼs pleasure in

having “all his fulness dwell in” the Son?

We Believe…

5

IS NOT

I S N O T

IS NOT

GOD

SONFATHER

I S IS

SPIRIT

IS



3. Read Hebrews 1:1-6

a. How does the writer describe the Son?

b. How does he contrast the Son with what has gone before?

4. Why do you think it is important to our faith the Jesus is truly and fully God?

Assignment1. Does Jesus say anything about the Trinity? If so, what?

2. What other verses in the New Testament might you use to show the deity of

Jesus?

3. Are there any clues in the Old Testament which point towards a plurality in the

Godhead? If so, what are they?

We Believe…

6



The Athanasian CreedThat 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.

We Believe…

7



One SaviourFor us and for our salvation he came down

from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit

and the Virgin Mary and was made man.

Questions1. What would you say is the main point of this

statement of belief?

2. Why do you think this is important?

The Person of ChristThe next statement in the Nicene Creed

continues with one of the great mysteries of the

Christian faith: the nature of Christ.

Last week, we saw how Jesus is described as being fully God. This week we

see how he is also fully human. Both of these truths have to be held to have a true

and complete picture of who Jesus is. When writing about the truth of the deity of

Jesus, Bruce Milne says, “Here we arrive at the staggering truth which lies at the

heart of the Christian religion.”3 As with the deity of Christ, there has been much

discussion concerning his humanity and what this actually means. The traditional

understanding says that in the person of Jesus there were two natures, the divine

and the human, which were distinct but inseparable. Both natures preserved what

was true to that nature and the two natures were not in any way mingled together

but are in union. This classic formulation is to be found in the statement from the

council at Chalcedon in 415 which you will find at the end of this weekʼs notes.Various heresies concerning Jesus have arisen down the ages and they usually

find their root in an emphasis, or disregard, of one or other of the two natures. So,

some will say that while Jesus was God, he was not truly human. Others, that

while he was human, he was not truly God (The Jehovahʼs Witnesses fall into this

second category). The biblical position demands that we accept both truths.

We Believe…

8

3 Know The Truth , 128

But when the time had fully come,

God sent his Son, born of a

woman, born under law, to

redeem those under law, that we

might receive the full rights of

sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

Beyond all question, the mystery

of godliness is great:

He appeared in a body,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world,

was taken up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:16





Discussion1. Why do you think the Nicene Creed starts off this section about the incarnation

by talking about salvation?

Assignment1. How would you explain the nature of Jesus to someone who is not a believer?

2. Are there any other aspects of this doctrine which are important in our

understanding of the faith we profess?

3. Read John 10:22-38 and explain what this says about the person of Jesus.

Chalcedon Statement on Christʼs NatureFollowing the holy Fathers we teach with one voice that the Son [of God] and our

Lord Jesus Christ is to be confessed as one and the same [Person], that he is

perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, very God and very man, of a

reasonable soul and [human] body consisting, consubstantial with the Father as

touching his Godhead, and consubstantial with us as touching his manhood; made

in all things like unto us, sin only excepted; begotten of his Father before the worlds

according to his Godhead; but in these last days for us men and for our salvation

born [into the world] of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God according to his

manhood. This one and the same Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son [of God]

must be confessed to be in two natures, unconfusedly, immutably, indivisibly,

inseparably [united], and that without the distinction of natures being taken away bysuch union, but rather the peculiar property of each nature being preserved and

being united in one Person and subsistence, not separated or divided into two

persons, but one and the same Son and only-begotten, God the Word, our Lord

Jesus Christ, as the Prophets of old time have spoken concerning him, and as the

Lord Jesus Christ hath taught us, and as the Creed of the Fathers hath delivered to

us.

We Believe…

10



One JudgeFor 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.

Questions1. What are the main historical events that this

section mentions and why are they

important?

2. What main events that are still in the future are mentioned and what do you

understand by them?

Past Realities and Future HopeThis section of the Nicene Creed looks both backwards to what has already

happened and forwards to what will happen. The events mentioned occur both on

earth and in heaven; some we can verify historically, some we rely upon revelation

and faith.

This is not the place to go into the evidence for the death and resurrection of

Jesus but any good book on apologetics will discuss the issue in detail4. As Josh

McDowell says, “After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to

the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked,vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings--or it is the

most remarkable fact of history.”5

As christians, we often seem to stop at the resurrection almost as though we

think that the story ended there. Of course, it doesnʼt; it continues on to the

ascension (what someone has called “the forgotten celebration”) through to Christ ʼs

glorification and on into the future with his return as both King and Judge.

We Believe…

11

4 Even though it was written in 1930, one of the best books on the subject is still Who Moved the Stone? ByF. Morrison.

5 http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html

In my vision at night I looked, and

there before me was one like a

son of man, coming with the

clouds of heaven. He approached

the Ancient of Days and was led

into his presence. He was given

authority, glory and sovereign

power; all peoples, nations and

m e n o f e v e r y l a n g u a g e

worshipped him. His dominion is

an everlasting dominion that will

not pass away, and his kingdom is

one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14



Questions1. Why is the resurrection fundamental to our faith?

a. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. What do you understand by these verses?

2. Read Acts 1:6-11.

a. What happens in these verses?

b. What are the important things do we learn about Jesus?

3. Read Philippians 2:9-11

a. What do we learn about what has happened to Jesus?

b. What do we learn will happen in the future?

4. Read Acts 17:29-31?a. Who is “the man he has appointed” (:31)?

b. What will this man do?

c. What do you understand by judgment?

5. Read Revelation 20:11-15.

a. What is happening here, and to whom?

6. Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10. What is happening here?

We Believe…

12



Discussion1. Why do you think believing in the return of Jesus is so important?

Assignment1. What biblical passages are there which speak of the return of Jesus?

2. What effect should the reality of Jesusʼ return have on your life?

We Believe…

13





5. Read Acts 5:3 and Ephesians 4:30.

a. How do these show us that the Holy

Spirit is a person not a force?

6. What titles can you think of that are given to

the Holy Spirit?

7. Read Genesis 2:7 and John3:5-8

a. How are these verses linked?

b. What do they tell you about the role ofthe Spirit?

The Spirit in the Life of the Believer

Discussion

1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

a. What are we told about spiritual gifts?

2. Read Galatians 5:22-26.

a. What does this tell us about how the Spirit works in our lives?

We Believe…

15

The Holy Spirit is the third divine

person of the eternal Godhead,

co-equal, co-eternal and co-

existent with the Father and the

Son. It is His ministry to convict

and convert man as well as to

reveal the Son and the Father to

th e be l i ev er . S i nc e th e

glorification of the Lord Jesus

Christ, the Holy Spirit in all His

glorious operations is working

through all who believe on the

Father through the Son.

The Foundations of Christian

Doctrine, 71



One ChurchWe believe in one holy catholic 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.

The Final StatementsIn this, our final session, we look at the last

three statements in the Nicene Creed which

cover the church, baptism and the future. The

first statement directly concerns the church,

while the second tackles on the the main

sacraments of the church. The third statementbrings us back to some of our discussion from

week four.

It may, at first sight, seem strange that belief in the church is in the Nicene Creed

- especially if we come from a very ʻlowʼ church background. However, it is clear

from the Bible that the people of God are not just a group of individuals; we are

saved into community, and that community is the Church. As Bruce Milne puts it,

“Scripture then knows nothing of solitary religion. No-one can be reconciled to God

without being reconciled to the people of God among whom his experience of grace

immediately sets him. Thus soteriology (the doctrine of salvation ) is indissolubly

bound up with ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church ).”6

In the New Testament, the church is given a number of titles, the Nicene Creed

doesnʼt look at these but mentions four important general truths we need to hold on

to.

Discussion1. What are the four truths about the church that are mentioned in the first

statement above?

2. What do you understand by each of these words?

a. One

b. Holy

We Believe…

16

6 Know the Truth , 209 -210

If anyone wishes to be saved, let

them come to this house [the

Church], just as they once came

to that of the prostitute [Rahab]. If

anyone of that people wished to

be saved, they could come to that

house, and they could have

salvation as a result. Let them

come to this house where the

blood of Christ is a sign of

redemption.

Origen (~185-~254) quoted in The

Christian Theology Reader, 260



c. Catholic

d. Apostolic

Baptism1. What does the Nicene Creed tell us about

baptism? And what does this mean?

Baptism is one of the two sacraments, or

ordinances, that most Protestant and Reformed

churches accept and practise; the second beingcommunion. A sacrament is, according to the

Church of England catechism, “An outward and

visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” In

his book, Bruce Milne describes baptism in four ways7:

1. A confession of faith in Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Acts 8:37).

2. An experience of communion with Christ (Colossians 2:12).

3. A consecration to living for Christ (Romans 6:4-22).

4. A promise of consummation through Christ (Romans 6:22).

It is the second of these meanings that the Nicene Creed refers to more than anyof the others.

ConclusionWe have seen that while the Nicene Creed does not tackle every area of belief

associated with the Christian faith, it does remind us of the important fundamentals

of our faith. Our prayer is that this course will have not only equipped you with

knowledge but also encouraged you to a deeper relationship with the God we

serve.

We Believe…

17

7 Know the Truth , 232-233

What shall we say, then? Shall we

go on sinning, so that grace may

increase? By no means! We died

to sin; how can we live in it any

longer? Or don't you know that all

of us who were baptised into

Christ Jesus were baptised into

his death? We were therefore

buried with him through baptism

into death in order that, just as

Christ was raised from the dead

through the glory of the Father, we

too may live a new life.

Romans 6:1-4



Study CentreInternational Church of PragueBox 91, ℅ IBTS, Nad Habrovkou 3

Jenerálka, 164 00 Praha [email protected]

(420) 296 392 338www icpstudycentre cz

Documents

We Believe Course Notes