Sunday Feature: The Chalcedonian Creed

This creed was adopted at the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held at Chalcedon, located in what is now Turkey, in 451, as a response to certain heretical views concerning the nature of Christ. It established the orthodox view that Christ has two natures (human and divine) that are unified in one person.

The Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451)

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

From CARM.org.

Sunday Feature: The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN. From Spurgeon.org

(Photo from wikipedia)

Catechizing the Kids

I am my continuing quest to use my Sunday posts to highlight Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms. Today I want to touch on the topic of teaching children by the means of a catechism.

Catechism is a word that has become very familiar to the Kelley family because it is one of the ways we instruct our children in the things of God.

I'm almost certain that the mere sound of the word "catechism" strikes fear into the hearts of many modern Evangelicals. Baptists in particular probably think a catechism is some sort of skin disease one catches from associating too closely with Presbyterians, but I assure you, there's nothing to be afraid of!

A catechism is simply a way of teaching by the means of a question and answer format. The teacher asks a question, and the student answers it. Most catechisms have Scripture proofs so the teacher and student can go to the Bible to see what it says on each topic. We were first introduced to this method of instruction in our children's home school curriculum which is Bible based and from a Reformed/Presbyterian theological perspective.

From what I understand, the use of catechisms was once very common in early America, but much like Creeds and Confessions, catechisms have fallen on hard times as well. As much as I appreciate programs such as AWANA and Sunday School, I'm afraid that with the advent of such programs, the majority of Christian families have relegated the theological instruction of their children entirely to the local church. In doing so, they have forsaken their duty to rear their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Using a catechism in the home on a daily basis would be a great way for any Christian family to begin to follow the principles God commanded to His people in Deuteronomy 6:5-7:

"And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt rehearse them continually unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou tarriest in thine house, and as thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up:" -1599 Geneva Bible (emphasis added)

I have found this method of instruction to be very rewarding and profitable to my children's theological training. Because all my children are young (under 9), we use a simple Catechism designed especially for them. Not only are they learning important truths about God and the Christian faith, but I've have found this practice to be something that the children and I enjoy doing together.

If you have young children, now would be a great time to get started using a catechism. In fact, getting started won't cost you anything but a postage stamp. You can obtain a FREE Reformed/Baptistic catechism created especially for young children by writing to the following ministry:

Mt. Zion Chapel Library
2603 W. Wright St.
Pensacola, Fl. 32505
http://www.mountzion.org/

Ask for a copy of "A Catechism for Boys and Girls" by Erroll Hulse.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The Apostles' Creed

"There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed? A creed is what you believe. What is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe. That declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing, but the creed is there either expressed or implied." —B.H. Carrol

After posting a the foundational confessions of a couple Baptist churches -one that was well crafted and one that was not- today I want to take a trip back in time and highlight the Apostles' Creed.

This is one of the earliest creeds in Christendom and is used in Catholic and Protestant churches alike. This creed wasn't formulated in such a way as to deal with issues concerning Christ's deity or the triune nature of the Godhead, therefore I've read that even the heretic Arius affirmed it and would often hide behind it when challenged on his teachings!

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty; Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. *He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come again 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.

* Please note: the line "He descended into Hell" has been the source of some debate. For more information, please see the following works by Wayne Grudem and John Calvin.

Green Pond Baptist Church: Articles of Faith and Principles

Today I am featuring the founding Articles of Faith and Principles of the Green Pond Baptist Church in Polk County, FL. This church was organized in 1894 and a few of my ancestors had a hand in it. This church is historically the home church of most of the people on my mother's side of the family. None of my immediate family is active in the church at this time.

Green Pond Baptist Church Articles of Faith

1. We believe in one true God, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Equal in ever divine perfection.
2. We believe the Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect Treasure of Heavenly instruction. That it reveals the principles by which God will judge us.
3. We believe in a converted and regenerated church membership.
4. We believe that Baptism by immersion is the only Baptism of the New Testament and believers are the only ones it should be applied to.
5. We believe the Lord's Supper is a Church and not a Kingdom ordinance and none but believers Baptized are entitled to it.
6. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all people, through the Gospel. That nothing prevents the Salvation of the Greatest Sinner on earth, only his own voluntary refusal to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Principles of Green Pond Baptist Church

1. The Church is designed to be composed of regenerate persons, who have professed Faith in Christ and have been baptized (immersed).
2. The New Testament is the only rule of Faith and Practice
3. The entire Separation of Church and State.
4. Civil and Religious Liberty be granted to all people.Church Government.
5. The Brethren and Sister[s] Rule and Not Preachers.

These Articles and Principles come from the 110th anniversary (2004 Homecoming Service) booklet I received when I visited the church a few years ago during a trip to Florida. The church is SBC, but in the booklet, it says it was organized under the "Missionary Baptist Denomination."

Here is an article about an event held at Green Pond in 2006. The cowboy holding the Bible in the article is a Deacon named Dale "Shorty" Boyette. Shorty is a friend of the family, a godly man, and a real honest-to-goodness Florida Cowboy!

Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms

I recently began featuring historic Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms on this blog each Sunday. This video explains the reasons why they are still important to the church today:



(H.T.:Old Truth)

This related article at Old Truth is also worth checking out.

First Baptist Church: Articles of Faith

As I stated yesterday, I am going to dedicate my Sunday posts to historic Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms. While I'll probably focus most of my attention on denominational confessions and ecumenical creeds, I decided to begin this series by featuring the founding articles of the First Baptist Church of Metter, GA. (SBC) where I now worship and serve the church's Youth Director.

1. We believe there is one, and only one true and living God. He subsists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit- and yet the three are one God.


2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in the Word of God are given by inspiration, and is the only rule of faith and practice.


3. We believe in the fall of Adam, in the consequent corruption of human nature, and the inability of man to recover himself from his lost estate.


4. We believe God from eternity loved His people, and before the world began chose them in Christ to grace and glory. The effectual calling, justification and glorification of each is infallibly secured through an eternal covenant between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


5. We believe that sinners are justified before God only by the righteousness of Christ, wrought out in the vicarious atonement for sin and imputed to them through faith.


6. We believe that the Spirit and power of God will effectually call the elect and will support, sustain and keep them through faith, so they will persevere to the end, and not be lost.


7. We believe that a visible church is a congregation of baptized believers in Jesus Christ who enjoy Christian fellowship one with another, having associated themselves together to maintain public worship and Godly discipline agreeable to the rules of the Gospel.


8. We believe that Jesus Christ is the great Head of the Church and the only law-giver, but that the administration of the laws on earth is vested in the church itself, an equal share of the administration being the privilege of each member, and that discipline is intended for the purity of the church, and for the reclaiming members who may be disorderly in principle or practice, and should be faithfully kept up for the glory of God.


9. We believe that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of Jesus Christ are are to be continued until His second coming.


10. We believe that Baptism and Immersion are equivalent terms, and that none but baptized church members have right to commune at the Lord's Table.


11. We believe that good works are the fruits of faith; they will follow justification and are evidence of a gracious state.


12. We believe there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a general judgment and the happiness of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked will be everlasting.
    
    

The preceding articles of faith have been transcribed from a booklet commemorating the church's 100 year anniversary. The church was organized on July 15, 1900.

New Feature to Begin Sunday...

In the past I have posted a few historic Creeds and Confessions. Going forward, I want to dedicate my Sunday posts entirely to Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms.

As I have often lamented on this blog, we live in a era where people no longer value historic church documents. I have often heard it said that this reaction is due to people having equated these documents with Scripture, however, I have yet to meet someone who is guilty of this.

What many people fail to realize is that many creeds and confessions were formulated in response to heresy. That being the case, it might be wise to investigate what brought about the formulation of a certain confession before rejecting it outright.

When possible, I will post an entire document, but due to the fact that many confessions are rather lengthy, I may only be able to post a section at a time. I hope this exercise will be profitable and perhaps others will begin to value these documents as well.

image: 95 Thesis from wikipedia

The Abstract of Principles

from the SBTS website:

When the original charter of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was adopted in 1858, it contained the following statement which continues as a part of the “fundamental laws.”

Every professor of the institution shall be a member of a regular Baptist church; and all persons accepting professorships in this seminary shall be considered, by such acceptance, as engaging to teach in accordance with, and not contrary to, the Abstract of Principles hereinafter laid down, a departure from which principles on his part shall be considered grounds for his resignation or removal by the Trustees, to wit:

I. The Scriptures
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience.

II. God
There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself, all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.

III. The Trinity
God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.

IV. Providence
God from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any wise to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.

V. Election
Election is God's eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ-in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.

VI. The Fall of Man
God originally created Man in His own image, and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, he transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; whereby his posterity inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors.

VII. The Mediator
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law; suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He ever liveth to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest and King of the Church, and Sovereign of the Universe.

VIII. Regeneration
Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who quickeneth the dead in trespasses and sins enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God's free and special grace alone.

IX. Repentance
Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, humbleth himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.

X. Faith
Saving faith is the belief, on God's authority, of whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.

XI. Justification
Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal of sinners, who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction that Christ has made; not for anything wrought in them or done by them; but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith.

XII. Sanctification
Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God's word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial obedience to all Christ's commands.

XIII. Perseverance of the Saints
Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

XIV. The Church
The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. According to His commandment, Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches; and to each of these churches He hath given needful authority for administering that order, discipline and worship which He hath appointed. The regular officers of a Church are Bishops or Elders, and Deacons.

XV. Baptism
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church fellowship, and to participation in the Lord's Supper.

XVI. The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with the elements of bread and wine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship.

XVII. The Lord's Day
The Lord's Day is a Christian institution for regular observance, and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, resting from worldly employments and amusements, works of necessity and mercy only excepted.

XVIII. Liberty of Conscience
God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it. Civil magistrates being ordained of God, subjection in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

XIX. The Resurrection
The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God-the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked, to be reserved under darkness to the judgment. At the last day, the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.

XX. The Judgment
God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when every one shall receive according to his deeds; the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.

The Athanasian Creed

In my continuing quest to expose the errors of Modalism, I thought it might be profitable to post the Athanasian Creed.

Unfortunately, creeds, confessions, and catechisms have fallen on hard times in our day, but I believe there is much we can learn from these historic writings as well as from men whom God raised up in centuries past.

The Athanasian Creed was written sometime in the 4th or 5th Centuries. Though the creed is named after Athanasius (a great defender of the Doctrine of the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ), it's very probable that he wasn't the author. This creed is a wonderful definition of the orthodox Trinitarian understanding of the Godhead as well as the Divinity of Christ.

Please note: The word "catholic" in the creed should be understood as meaning "universal" and not a reference to Roman Catholicism.

The Athanasian Creed

1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;

2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;

4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.

5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.

6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.

8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.

9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.

10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.

11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.

12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.

13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.

14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.

15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;

16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;

18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.

19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;

20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.

21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.

22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.

23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.

26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.

27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.

31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.

32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.

33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.

34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.

35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.

36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.

37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;

38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;

39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;

40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;

42. and shall give account of their own works.

43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.


(photo: Athanasius, from Wikipedia.)