Where do the Creeds come from?

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 

1 Peter 3:15

I believe in God… for centuries Christians across the globes and denominations have joined our voices together in “confessing our holy Christian Faith;” oftentimes using a creed. Dictionary.com defines a creed as: “any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination, an authoritative, formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief.” Simply, a creed is a summary statement of what Christians believe. 

However not all creeds are created equal. In order for a creed to be considered “Christian” it must be based on the Word of God, and only set forth that which God does. There are three creeds which have been accepted by all Christians for centuries: The Apostles' Creed, The Nicene Creed, and The Athanasian Creed. 

The most common, oldest, and shortest creed is The Apostles Creed. Although, not written by the Apostles, it bears their name because it clearly sets forth their teachings. In one hundred and ten words this simple statement plainly and correctly explains the essential teachings of God as Creator, Jesus as Redeemer, the Holy Spirit, Church, and the promise of life everlasting. 

The Apostles Creed is a great expression of the crucial truths of the Christian’s faith. It serves as an important reminder of these truths, keeps us in them, and if we are ever asked what we believe - can serve as a great way to share our faith. This simple confession contains everything someone needs to know in order to be saved. 

As the oldest creed, there is some disagreement when it was actually written, and may date back to the first century A.D., was in use by the second century, and by the the time Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century it was accepted. The Apostles Creed spread to Ireland by the seventh century, England in the eighth, and is still in use today.  

Although not as “popular” as the Apostles Creed, the other two classical creeds (The Nicene and Athanasian) are based on the Word of God and clearly set forth the sound doctrine of the Christian Faith. The Nicene Creed was first written at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Affirming the Apostles Creed, it describes Christ in greater detail and the important role of baptism. It later was modified when references to the Holy Spirit were greater defined. 

The Athanasian Creed is the longest and newest, thought to be written by Athanasius (bishop of Alexandria) who lived from 328-373 A.D. It affirms the teaching of both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, while developing further the teachings of the Trinity, the duel natures of Christ (the fact that He is True God and Man) and lays out the essentials of salvation (and what happens to those who do not believe). 

These creeds have served as a great testimony to the fundamental truths of the Christian Faith; and continue to be an expression of Biblical Christianity. 

Are We Living In The End Times?

“All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Matthew 24:8

This question (or ones like it) seem popular in our society, and at times it seems like the entire world is fixated on the end of the World. From movies like 2012 and Knowing, to a rising interest in the predictions of Nostradamus and the unprecedented success of the much beloved “Left Behind” series many people have tuned in to the “end of the world.” The July 1^st 2002 issue of Time Magazine reported that one-third of Americans are paying more attention to how their lives relate to the end of the world, and fifty precent of people believe the events in Revelation will come to pass. This has left many wondering, and worrying about the end. 

The state of our culture has only fueled this fear. With the increasing unrest in the Middle East to the rise in healthcare in the Midwest, from rise in home invasion to increased frequency of earthquakes, from rising unemployment to falling of morality it seems as if things are only getting worse, and they are! 

With this growing interest, and the state of our world, prophecy has turned into big business for Hollywood and preacher alike. Unfortunately much of what is shared is unreliable, unbiblical, and seeks only to invoke fear. Christ’s desire for us is to face the future with faith, not fear. 

In Matthew 24 Jesus told us what will happen: simply put “life is going to get worse”. In verses four and five he warns about false teachers and those claiming to be Christ. In verses six and seven He tells us that wars, famines, and natural disasters will increase. According to verses nine through fourteen persecution will grow, Christians will abandon truth and faith, many will be lead astray, while others will give their life for Christ. The world as we know it will come to an end. 

Yet Christ encourages two commands and one promise. 

In Matthew 24:4 he says “Watch out that no one deceives you.” He wants us to be on guard, equipped with the truth, knowing what will come. In Verse 6 he tell says “but see to it that you are not alarmed.” We are not to be surprised, worried or gripped in fear by the things that we see or hear on the news. 

Why? Because of the great promise in verse 13 “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Those who remain faithful to God and His Word will be saved. Not from the calamity of This World but from the eternal punishment and death that sin brings. We will be saved!

Are we living in the end times? We can’t be certain; but we can be assured that whatever happens Christ is preparing a place for us to spend all eternity. 

When the earth shakes, or the bombs drop, the World is gripped by fear and filled with questions. As Christians we have The Answer, and are called to give it. In Verse fourteen Christ says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”  Let’s not live in fear of what the future holds, but confidently face it with faith in Christ, boldly providing solid answers in times of uncertainty.   

Why are the books of the Bible in the order that they are in?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

II Timothy 3:16–17

“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” II Peter 1:21

All of God’s Word (the Bible) is inspired by God, which means that He is its originator and author. He chose to use men with different gifts, backgrounds, and unique abilities to write it as He spoke to them by the Holy Spirit. As a result, the Bible Is God’s Word and contains no errors, or mistakes, and cannot be changed by anyone. However, the format of the Bible (chapter and verse breaks, headings, names of the books, and order of the books) is not inspired. They have been organized this way by men over the centuries to make the books and passages within the Bible easier to find and read. The English Bible contains sixty-six books and is broken up into two major sections: the Old Testament (spanning from creation to about four hundred years before Christ) and the New Testament (encompassing approximately one hundred years, starting about a year before the birth of Christ and closing with a prophecy describing the end of the world). The former contains thirty-nine books and the latter twenty-seven.

These books are not organized in chronological order, but rather by theme or type. The Old Testament is broken down into four sections: Law (Genesis - Deuteronomy), History (Joshua - Esther), Wisdom literature (Job - Song of Solomon), and Prophecy (Isaiah - Malachi). Likewise the New Testament is five sections: Gospels (Matthew - John), History (Acts) Paul’s Epistles (letters) (Romans - Philemon), other Epistles (Hebrews - Jude), and Prophecy (Revelation). Obviously, these are only general categories or themes that each book falls into; for history, prophecy, and law are contained in nearly every book of the Bible, not just the ones found in their categories. Moreover it would be difficult to place them in a purely chronological order, as many of the books cover similar time periods and overlap.

Why are the dinosaurs not mentioned in the Bible?

Although names like Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, or Brontosaurus are not contained in the Bible, doesn’t mean God’s Word does not mention them. It is an undisputed fact that dinosaurs once roamed this planet. For almost 200 years scientists have been unearthing, reconstructing, and studying their fossils. The question is, where did they come from? The answer is found in the book of Genesis, chapter one. Here, we are told that God created everything from the heavens to the earth and everything on it; including all land animals.

“Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind” and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind.” Genesis 1:24-25.

Since God created every living thing, and dinosaurs were once living; it is proper to conclude that God created them as well. Moreover we should not expect to find the term “dinosaur” in the Bible since it was not coined until 1841. Nevertheless, Genesis 1:21 tells us that God created “the great creatures of the sea,” Job 41:1-34, Psalm 73:13-14 and Isaiah 27:1 speak about a sea creature called Leviathan, Job 40:15-24 tells of a land dwelling animal called Behemoth, and Isaiah 30:6 mentions a “flying serpent” (NASB). The descriptions found in each text sound nothing like a current animal, rather they all carry dinosaur like qualities.

Dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible, just not with the words or pictures we associate with them. Why doesn’t the Bible say more? Because the purpose of the Bible was not to describe in great detail everything God created, rather it was to reveal God’s redemptive plan of Salvation found in Jesus Christ.

For more information concerning dinosaurs and the Bible please visit “Answers In Genesis” at the link below, or look for “The New Answers Book” edited by Ken Ham.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/1999/11/05/dinosaurs-and-the-bible

Are we a soul or do we have a soul?

“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7.

God created man in two steps. First, He formed him out of the dust of the ground and created his physical body (body, bones, organs, etc). Second, He breathed life into man’s body and at that time man became alive - literally a living “Soul.” Humans are made up of both “material” (visible or tangible) and “immaterial” (invisible or intangible) parts. The immaterial qualities (soul, spirit, intellect, will, conscience, etc) are all closely related to one another, are what make humans different than anything else that God created, and exist beyond the physical lifespan of the individual. In its simplest meaning the Biblical word for “Soul” in both the Old and New Testament is life, the “spiritual” life that was given to humans by God in creation, and is separated from the Body at death to spend eternity in heaven or hell. Humans do not just have a soul, but humans are a soul. The immaterial, invisible, eternal part of our creation.