Basic Christianity Course A Closer Look at the Creeds q Click on a study title you’d like to see q 2 INTRODUCTION Study 1: HOW SHOULD WE ADDRESS GOD? 5 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 2: JESUS CHRIST’S BIRTH 18 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 3: THE CRUCIFIXION 28 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 4: THE RESURRECTION 39 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 5: JESUS AS JUDGE 50 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 6: THE TRINITY 58 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 7: AUTHENTIC FELLOWSHIP 69 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 8: FORGIVENESS OF SINS 81 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide Study 9: LIFE EVERLASTING 91 Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide 1 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Introduction Introduction The Nicene Creed In the first three centuries, the church was often forced into secrecy and seclusion. As a result, it was fraught with theological disputes, especially concerning the divinity of Jesus Christ. When Constantine won control of the Roman Empire in 312 A.D., he elevated Christianity to favored status. He soon discovered the fractured state of the church and what it believed. To bring unity, he convened a council in the year of 325 that met in the city of Nicaea. Out of that convention, came the Nicene Creed, which is still a standard of belief for many Christian churches. Below is the 1975 ecumenical version agreed upon by the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET), published in the book Prayers We Have in Common. Nicene Creed: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty maker of heaven and 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: 2 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Introduction by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from 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. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We 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. Amen. The Apostles’ Creed The origin of the Apostles’ Creed is less clear than that of the Nicene Creed. The most common view is that it was originally developed in the first or second century and was influenced later by the Nicene Creed. The earliest historical evidence of the creed’s existence is in a letter of the Council of Milan in 390 A.D. Almost every denomination has a slightly different version of the Apostles’ Creed. Below is the ecumenical version of the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC). Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, 3 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Introduction was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will 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. This study attempts to take a closer look at the basic doctrines declared in these creeds. It covers how to address God, the virgin birth, an examination of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, his role as judge, the role of the Trinity, the role of the church, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. 4 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Addressing God Leader’s Guide Leader’s Guide Addressing God We believe in one God, What we call God reflects who we believe him to be. the Father, the Almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen A thing’s name defines it, clarifies how we think of it, and unseen. (Nicene and helps us talk about it. But a name can be much Creed) more than mere definition: it can reveal identity, I believe in God, the character, and relationship. To many, God is just Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. another concept with a label: Deity, Creator, Judge. (Apostles’ Creed) But to the believer, he is the single most important person one can know. And we want to know—we need to know—what his name is. How has God introduced himself to us, and what does this reveal about his identity? What do God’s names reveal about his character and the way he acts throughout history? And how does our use of God’s names help us relate to him? This study assumes God is more than a concept or a construct, and seeks to answer the question: How should we address God? Scripture: Genesis 2; Exodus 3; Matthew 6:5–15; Hebrews 2:18; 4:16; 1 John 2:1 5 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Addressing God Leader’s Guide Part 1 Identify the Issue Note to leader: Provide each person with the Participant’s Guide, included at the end of this study. When we first meet someone we tend to want key facts right away: “What do you do? Where are you from? What is your name?” Without at least having someone’s name, building a relationship is difficult, if not impossible. According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, our main purpose in life is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” But glorifying and enjoying God assumes an intimacy far beyond mere job titles and last-known addresses. We need to know who God is so we can relate to him—talk to him, glorify him, and enjoy his company. Even though God has revealed himself and told us who he is, sometimes we still get his name wrong. Forgetting that the names we use reveal the nature of a relationship, we often think of God solely in terms of his titles and “job descriptions.” Katie Wiebe recalls what J. B. Philips had to say about reducing God to labels: In the classic Your God is Too Small, J. B. Phillips says we tend to give God many names which aren’t actually his names: managing director, puppeteer, magician, resident policeman, fun-hater, pie-in-the-sky, and others. Today we have added “health and wealth bringer” and others. — Katie Wiebe in the Christian Leader (Dec. 6, 1989); Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 9 Discussion Starters: [Q] Which is more important, that we call on God at all, or that we use the right name? Does it matter what people call you? Why or why not? [Q] How have you addressed God in your thoughts and prayers? • How have your ways of addressing God changed through the years? • What caused the change? [Q] Have you ever noticed yourself (or others) using the “scatter-gun” approach in naming God in prayer? These prayers often begin with something like, “Dear Father-God, Lord Jesus …” or something similar. Why do you think we sometimes adopt this approach? 6 ©2008 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com A Closer Look at the Creeds Addressing God Leader’s Guide [Q] We smile at children who struggle to understand God, but how is our concept of God superior or inferior to a child’s approach? Madeleine L’Engle has written, “It seems that more than ever the compulsion today is to identify, to reduce someone to what is on the label. To identify is to control, to limit. To love is to call by name, and so open the wide gates of creativity. But we forget names, and turn to labels ... If we are pigeonholed and labeled we are unnamed” (“Walking on Water,” Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 2). [Q] Think back over your recent prayer and thought life. Do you often think of God in terms of labels and titles? • Why do you think someone might start to address God in these terms, and what effect does it have on our relationship with him? [Q] How does a study of God’s names help us remain intimate with God? • What does understanding God’s names reveal about who he is—his character, his nature, and his relationship with us? Part 2 Discover the Eternal Principles Teaching Point One: Names are crucial for true intimacy. Read Genesis 2 (the creation of Adam and Eve) and/or Exodus 3 (God’s call to Moses).