Building the Church: Creeds

 Statements of FAITH  FAITH = TRUTH  Belief is in our Faith  Before the Scripture Canon was set, a way of expressing and gauging Faith, guiding belief  Often statements are in response to errors in thinking

 the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.  God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,  begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;  Through him all things were made.  For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,  and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,  he suffered death and was buried,  and rose again on the third day  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.

 Jesus is both God and human  Son of God – see John  With God before time  With God until the end of time  With God forever  Son of Mary – see Matthew and Luke  Through the Spirit, born, lived, and died here on earth  Jesus is our Lord – see Acts and Epistles  Power over our Life and Death = Salvation  His death gives us life (freedom from sin = death)

 Jesus is not God  Ebionites – Christ had the Spirit after he was baptized, he was not preexistent  Arians – Christ was the first and highest created being  Jesus is not Human  Docetists and Gnostics – Jesus appeared human but was really divine

 Jesus’ Divine and Human Natures could not Coexists  Appollinarians – God’s wisdom took the place of Jesus’ human mind  Nestorians – Union of persons was moral, not organic. The human person was completely controlled by the divine.  Eutychians – The human nature was swallowed by the divine nature to create a third nature

 Jesus’ Divine and Human Wills could not Coexists  Monothelitism – There was only one will of Christ