Throughout history there has been one common denominator in Christian congregations worldwide. The single most important aspect that is universal of each Christian denomination is the belief that God and Jesus are one. As defined by the Trinity, The father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit make up God. The truth of the unification of Jesus and the Father is manifested in multiple ways. God has the sole power to create in the universe and in the Bible it says that through Jesus all things were created. The union of God and Jesus is also shown in the Forgiveness of Sins. According to the Old Testament forgiveness of sins is a power reserved exclusively for God the Father and in the New Testament it very clearly displays Jesus as one who was sent to forgive us of our sins. The Nicene Creed is right in saying that Jesus and God are one because creation and forgiveness of sins are actions reserved for God that Jesus also carry outs. Since Jesus possesses the ability to do things that God has left for himself, it is apparent that Jesus and God are one.
Throughout history many different secs of Christianity have fought over whose theology was sounder then the other. In many places often resorting to violence to try and establish their views as the most dominant. However, there is one theological belief
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The first major part of the creed is the recognition that God the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, anything that is, is made by God the Father. The second major part of the Creed is that Jesus Christ is the one and only begotten Son of God. The key word being that Jesus is begotten by God, not created like the universe or humankind. Jesus being begotten by God, is one with God and is God. Like God the Father, through Jesus all things were made. Being begotten by the Father and one with Him, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is what forgives us of our
Greatness is nothing more than a vague idea with the understanding that someone has achieved a level of success, admiration, or inspiration that has significances upon our ideas and values. The issue with greatness is it can be misleading and applied to people and situations that when looked back upon or seen from a different light are not elements we want to see mixed in with the development of these ideas or values. Ignatius of Loyola has these characterizes where when viewed as parts and sections it presents itself with concepts that would appear to be of greatness, but truly strengths of guise revealed to be mere illusions and nonsensical strengths and characteristics.
People are in search of understanding life and the happenings that surround them. When things go wrong, people turn to God for hope and understanding. As we look at the Jewish and the Christian faiths, both of which trace their origins back past Abraham and Moses, to the original stories of the Garden of Eden, we notice basic similarities and major differences between the two religions. The three main differences between Jewish and Christianity is the concept of God, judgment, and salvation. The most eminent difference between both religions is the concept of God. Christianity believes that God is trinity which means three persons in one the father, the son and the holy spirit. However Judaism sees God as a single entity, and viewsTrinitarianism as a violation of the Bible's teaching that ...
We should live by this truth and meditate on it day and night. The Creed is based on Scripture. The One who the truth points to is the Almighty God. God is omnipotent and He does whatsoever He rightly and justly will. He created us in His image. Yet we fell into sin and corrupted our lives. The wages of sin is death. Because of this, God sent His Perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us as a way to pay all our debt. The Father and the Son both have divine nature. Both are God, and both are Holy. There is only one God, and He is a Triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God in one Divine Nature. God does not change, He does not grow or learn, He is almighty and never-changing. Jesus Christ became humble and low by becoming human. He came down to earth and exemplified servant hood. He suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried for sinners. Nevertheless, the eternal son of God has always existed, similar to the eternal Father. There was no beginning to God. Augustine explained that Jesus showed us in the cross what we have to endure, and He showed us in the resurrection what we have to hope. Job teaches us that God will give and take away. God is the ultimate leader of our lives and we, as humans, are sinful followers of Him. Sometimes God causes us to learn through suffering, trials and tribulations. We should be very thankful because Jesus died for us, which allows
A man of noble birth, living in the time before the Common Era, preached a way to extinguish the fire of self-centered delusion. This state of Nirvana can be achieved by understanding The Four Noble Truths, suffering in life, he explains can be avoided by following an Eightfold Path. Sounds simple? This must have been an awaking for people of his time seeking a more personal religion, away from the rigidities of a priest-dominated Hinduism of India. The man, the Buddha, spent the rest of his life teaching the religion he discovered and its doctrine based upon his Dharma (cosmic law and order). The first written evidence of the existence of Buddhism is found over 400 years ago after the life of the Buddha. (Kozak) Historians pose the
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
One of the earliest trends in Christianity was the need for Councils to settle disagreements on the religion. There have been many times where Christians had disagreements on what to consider as the base concepts of Christianity. Some
The human race needed salvation because of one sin that affected the rest of humanity. God reached out through Jesus to guide us, “He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men” (Athanasius 2). It was through Jesus that salvation was brought to us because, “God has not only made them of nothing, but had also graciously bestowed on them His own life by the grace of the Word” (Athanasius 5). Another name for Jesus is the Word, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, The glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (Schroeder 20). Through this we understand that the Word has been with God since the dawn of time and it was through Him in which creation came to be (Pohle February Seventh).
...lemental biblical Christianity has been twisted by both Catholics and Protestants dating back to the time of the Reformation and the Roman Emperor Constantine. As a result various denominations and belief systems have evolved throughout the centuries.
Until 381CE, Christianity had experienced many persecutions. However, over time it became the central religion of the Roman Empire. Conversely, in the 11th century, Christianity had split into two main denominations, the Church of the East, known as the Orthodox Church, and the Church of the West, known as the Roman Church. This was due to the breakdown of the Roman Empire. Similarly, in the 16th century the ‘Reformation in Europe’ led to more divisions.
The Creeds of the church were key parts of the origins of the church. They lay the foundation for the first years of the church in order to accomplish the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus. Two of these creeds were the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Culture during that time period was key to the layout of these creeds and the messages they set. A creed was an early statement of Christian beliefs, and a symbol for others to follow by. There were numerous cultures and needs that led to the ultimate development and writing of the creeds, which are still used for their original purpose today. One of these needs was for the church to have a basic statement of beliefs, which was accomplished by the Apostles creed. Early Christians knew that people needed to have an understanding of what they believed in that wasn’t requiring a lot of research. Cultures of the people and the time period also had a great influence on the creation of these creeds. They needed a way to spread the word of Christ to all people, in a time period where we didn’t have the technology and communication options that we have today. A combination of the churches basic needs for success and the fact that the word needed to be spread were two of the leading causes in the creations of these creeds.
(397) Or Trinity of the God, the Son and the Holy Spirit in Nicene and Apostles Creed.(312,390 respectively). Unitive salvation as being spelled out seems unlikely, but God is at the helm to reveal so who knows. Roger Olsen provides some insight on salvation;
It says: “For us men and for our salvation [Christ] came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of he Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontious Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”. Notice how it uses the phrases for us and for our sake. Christ’s death and resurrection was not for himself, so he could feel like he had done something worthwhile. It was not for the Father, so he could have a relationship with us. Christ’s death and resurrection was for humanity, so that we may have a loving and passionate relationship with God. The crucifixion was completely selfless, and selfless acts can only be done out of love. Notice also how the Creed does not use phrases like for the elect few or for just a small proportion of humanity, but rather, for us and for our sake; for all of us, and for all of our sakes. God’s love, exhibited through the crucifixion, restored the relationship between God and all of humanity, so everyone may have eternal life with
The ideal of unity seems to be of great importance in the religious world, but rarely is it ever achieved among professed Christians. However, it is vitally important to comprehend unity in its Biblical light. Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” By definition, unity is the state of being one. In order to have a unified church every member must be one one with the Father and the Son. Subsequently, to achieve such an oneness, each member must be perfectly holy, because God is holy. Unfortunately, this is where a clear contrast is made between the saints and mere religious professors.
Modern society and its people have the ability to make a vast range of choice when it comes to anything in their lives. People to today have the ability and free will to choose their partners, their careers, their aspirations in life and their own religion. In the opinion of Peter L. Berger, written in his 1979 book ‘The Heretical Imperative’, modern times provide three fundamental options in relation to religion; the first being ‘The deductive option’, which reaffirms a certain religious tradition in spit of counter claims against it (e.g. Islamic fundamentalism); the second is the reductive option, which modernizes a religious tradition in term which make it sensible or understandable in todays most important modes of though. The final option is called the ‘inductive option’, which turns external forms of authority to individual experience (e.g. William James and the varieties of religious experience). By looking at these options deeper and look at opposing views to Berger’s theory and personal religious preference will give the reader a clearer view of Berger’s ‘The Heretical Imperative’.
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.