1/21/11
TRUE CHRISTIANITY, TRINITY OF CREEDS
"The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds
Public Domain
http://www.bookofconcord.org/info.php
The texts used here are from Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church: German-Latin-English. Published as a memorial of the quadricentenary jubilee of the Reformation anno Domini 1917 by resolution of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921). These texts are in the public domain and may be freely copied.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/creeds.php
The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Lutheran Faith
The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds
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 Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
* catholic means "universal" and is not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.
Where we received the Apostles Creed from the Bible; with an OT and a NT reference.
This resource comes from a very old orthodox Lutheran theology book, dating back to the 17th century. It unknown precisely which book this derives from.
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I believe |
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In God |
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The Father |
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Almighty |
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Maker of heaven and earth |
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And in Jesus |
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Christ |
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His only |
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Son |
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Our Lord |
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Who was conceived |
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By the Holy Spirit |
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Born |
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Of the Virgin Mary |
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Suffered |
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Under Pontius Pilate |
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Was crucified |
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Died |
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And was buried |
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Descended into hell |
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And on the third day |
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He rose again from the dead |
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Ascended into heaven |
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And sits at the right hand of the God the Father Almighty |
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From thence he will come |
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To judge |
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The living and the dead |
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I believe in the Holy Spirit |
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The holy |
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Christian Church |
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The communion of saints |
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The forgiveness of sins |
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The resurrection of the body |
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And the life everlasting |
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Amen! |
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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 the 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 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 worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in 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.
The Athanasian Creed
Written against the Arians.
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords.
The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved."
END OF QUOTED MATERIAL.
WHAT IS A REAL CHRISTIAN?
This is a very important question for our times. The European Churches are mostly empty & many have been sold off. All over the world Liberals & those who see the Bible as unreliable & mythical are separating from Conservatives, Orthodox, Evangelicals & Fundamentalists Christians who believe in the guiding morality of the Ten Commandments & the saving power of Jesus Christ over sin & death. Those who believe in the above three Creeds are rightly considered: conservative, orthodox, authentic & true Christians. By that definition we have to include Roman Catholics & some others that some Protestants would prefer to exclude. By this test of fellowship we can further add that we should not add any non scriptural or non traditional deviations, burdens or heresies that destroy the original intent or meaning from the founding Church congregations & apostles. We have an idea of the original church, that the original disciples of Jesus of Nazareth followed, from the New Testament & the Didache (See the Didache a document that records an early church service.). You are a Christian when you are following the commandments of Jesus by loving God (Trinity) with everything you have & loving your neighbor as yourself. What behaviors did Jesus model for us & what rules & sacraments did he set up?
The original disciples & Apostles were mostly Jews that continued to attend the Temple in Jerusalem & preached in local synagogues. On Sunday they met in a private house of one of the followers of the Way of Jesus. There were not any church buildings with spires & crosses on them or pastors, priests or ministers leading, in a domineering way. The bishops were not the last word on any discussion & Peter was dominated by James the brother of Jesus & Paul. So much for dictatorship in the new church or gathering of believers. Maybe foot washing should become a big part of our Communion Services to remind the heads of our church denominations that the congregation is equal to the leaders. Leaders must become the slaves, not the masters making demands (John 13:5-17, 15:12-15).
What is the Church doing to protect us from the sinful cultures we live in? They are basically agreeing with the non religious sinners & Liberal Christians that the seven deadly sins are dead & buried. The Seven Deadly Sins are: Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Covetousness, Envy, Sloth & Pride & replaced with a devilish morality of sexual & other lusts; self defense, self righteous rage, road rage; competition, political slander, the rich crushing the poor; drugs, alcohol, welfare, early retirement; self-esteem, the Prosperity Gospel and materialism.6
There are different versions of the Apostles' Creed, which vary only slightly in text & meaning. One difference is immediately apparent:
a. Holy Ghost is now translated Holy Spirit. This is in keeping with the most accurate translation of Ghost, which for many years has been known to be Spirit.
b. There is some debate about the use of the word "Hell" in the Apostles' Creed:
"was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;"
Different books or texts have prefaced or footnoted this verse saying that the word hell can be eliminated or explained as the "place of departed spirits"1. In a side bar note, "the state of the dead, and under the power of death"2. In the Nicene Creed we see read: "He suffered and was buried"3. In a side by side comparison of the Apostles' Creed & the Nicene Creed in the Catholic Catechism we see the words in the Apostles' Creed saying "descended into hell", but the Nicene words saying, "died, & was buried"4
c. A word & etymology study of "Hell" can at various times mean different things depending when it was written. It can also mean several things at once.
1. Hell, in the Bible can mean the grave, the place were the dead are,
2. The place were the spirits of the dead wait for their redemption or rescue from God.
3. The place of torture that was created for the Devil, his evil spirits & demons & those human spirits that obeyed him.
4. Good Sheol is the grave, abode of the good souls or spirits of who follow the God of Abraham & Moses) or Abraham's Bosom were the righteous Jews & a few Gentiles' spirits (souls) who were visited by Jesus the Messiah, after his crucifixion & death. He preached to them & those who believed in him were rescued & brought to Heaven. Abraham's spirit or soul is portrayed here in Jesus' parable of the Lazarus the poor man & (Dives) the rich man. Abraham comforts Lazarus, but cannot help the former rich man.5
5. Bad Sheol or Hell (from Greek word & concept of Hades) is the place of torment & suffering. In Jesus' parable of Lazarus the rich man is portrayed here, suffering in the hot & dry Hell,Footnotes:
1. The Book of Common Pray... According to the Use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United states of America, The Church Pension Fund, 20 Exchange Place New York, September 1945, page 15, preface for the Apostle's Creed.
2. The Shorter Catechism, Christian Focus Publications, 1982, Lochcarron, Ross-Shire, page 6 "The Creed".
3. http://www.bookofconcord.org/creeds.php The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Lutheran Faith.
4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, First Image book edition published April 1995, published by Doubleday, New York.
5. Luke 16:19-31.
6. Creed or Chaos? by Dorothy L. Sayers, copyright 1949, Sophia Institute Press, www.sophiainstiture.com
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS & CONCLUSIONS
THE CREEDS, PART FOUR
WALKING THE PATH
BY JOHN, 4/16/11
http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com See my videos on the Creeds & Noah:
www.Godtube.com; Search: “pathbuilder”; www.Youtube.com; Search: “preachyification”
Will you be fooled by the Beast or the Antichrist? Will you be fooled by: Communists, Socialists, Capitalists, Atheists, Skeptics, Agnostics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Occultists, Wicca, Nature Religion, Philosopher Scientists (Usually non Christians, agnosticts or Atheists), Non Church/non creedal/non Bible religionists, New Age Medicine, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, an Angel, a spirit guide, a theologian, a rock star, politician, an anti Ten Commandments civil law, a false prophet, miracles, Television Evangelists, a resurrection from the dead, Satanists or Satan?
If you are a “Non Creedal Christian”, a liberal; practical person; or “Christian—just a Christian” you will have to rely on your instincts, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, or just guess your self onto the right Kingdom path of God. Granted, if you study the Bible, memorize passages, read commentaries, reliable books, & you have a Pastor, priest or church that teaches sound doctrine, & you truly love God & you obey the Holy Spirit you will be alright.
But, without the Creeds step by step your Pastor, your friends, your church, your
denomination may find they are on the wrong path & you along with them.
“Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel unto you that that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:7-9, KJV
You might say, “Doctrines don’t matter, just a relationship with Jesus”. Good for you, keep it simple & unreligious—right? The 3 Creeds tell us that:
Jesus is God & Man & suffered for our salvation. You must believe he came down
from Heaven, took our sins upon him & died. We also receive baptism so that we will
be forgiven of our sins. He was resurrected & ascended into Heaven.
You wouldn’t argue with that, most Christians wouldn’t? A Jehovah Witness, Gnostic or a pagan might believe Jesus came down from Heaven as a god or a spirit, but not The Son of God & the son of man, the long awaited Messiah who is our only salvation. Are you still convinced that the Creeds & doctrines don’t matter? Maybe it does matter what you believe about Jesus Christ & which doctrines or churches you practice (in).The apostle Paul & Peter and others were the “we” in the above quote. They were the: Apostles, Ambassadors or Emissaries of the true Kingdom of God. They were also greatest preachers & teachers, the greatest healers & the sure cure for the dead sinner through Jesus Christ. St. Paul says that even if they preached a different Gospel to kick them out of the church & to refuse to listen to them. Can the Christian, Fundamental, Evangelical, Non Creedal, Liberal, Ecumenical Protestant & Orthodox, Anglican, Roman Catholic churches, any or all of them, have some errors in them? Yes. Must they purge or vomit these errors out, clean house occasionally? You better believe it, you better do it!! How do they do it? By comparing their present day beliefs with the Creeds, catechisms, confessions or belief statements & seeing if they line up correctly with the New Testament Gospel. It’s a form of triangulation.
I’m lost in the woods with my tired & hungry family? I have a map, but I don’t know which way is north, so I don’t know if I should read the map to the right, left, upside down or right side up? The map is absolutely accurate, but without an ability to find the northerly direction I can’t interpret the map & it is useless to me. If it is night time and I have an azimuth compass I can find the azimuth or the North Star I can predict the compass point direction, very accurately. If it is daytime I look for the moss on the tree bark, which always grows on the north side. The Bible is the map, which we must interpret by orienting it towards Heaven & correct doctrine. Pagans have studied nature, the gods, astrology, meditation & occult writings for thousands of years & they’re still wrong, way off & lost!! But, they have even studied the Bible & Jesus Christ & still come out with the wrong Gospel!!
Todays’ Christians Need
- The Creeds that represent ancient Christianity
- The Bible
- The Body of Christ or Church
- The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit abides with us as long as we are obeying & repenting of our sins & trespasses & those done against us.
- Right holy relationship, not just any relationship with Jesus, based on his terms.
- Good Works Behaviors: Communion in Church or House Church or Gathering; Foot Washing; Loving the brothers & sisters of Christ; purity, humility services, all good works commanded by Jesus; love, following the example of Jesus by teaching, preaching openly to the vilest sinners; Praise; Thanksgiving; alms, donations, sharing sacrificial giving; preaching the Gospel; telling our testimony; obeying all Christian/Biblical laws; obeying Civil laws that are not against Christ; welcoming, blessing & teaching children; feeding those who come to hear the message for prolonged periods that are hungry; etc.
STRAYING FROM HIS PATH
It can happen to all of us. It does happen to all of us. Do we want to be anathema or accursed because we are accidentally or ignorantly preaching a false doctrine? Heaven forbid.
“But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”. Gal. 4:4-5, KJV
I’m not saying that my way is the only way, but God’s way is, whatever it is. My question to you is, if creeds & Christian beliefs aren’t important then why does the Apostle to the Gentiles-Paul, who wrote 1/3rd of the New Testament, make such a big deal out of not perverting the gospel of Christ? Also why do Christians persecute each other, call each other heretics, or tell you to avoid this church or that? Is correct doctrine found in: the Westminster Confession, the Common Book of Prayer, the Roman Catholic Catechism or even the three creeds I’ve been talking about, how do you know?
The confessions & catechisms are based on the Creeds which are based on the Bible and the practices or traditions of the early churches.
BY WHAT AUTHORITY DO YOU PREACH?
How can you condemn any church by saying it doesn’t preach the Gospel or contain Salvation?. By what authority do you pass that judgment?
Answer: I pass judgment through the Creeds, the Universal Christian Church that preserved the Creeds & by the Bible.
Why does my church & your church never have any errors in it, but errors are always widespread in other Christian denominations?
Answer: The Nile is not just a river in Egypt. This educational joke starts with the Nile pronounced da—ni-al. We are saying, you are guilty of the Denial Defense Mechanism—Denial Christians, pastors, Popes, theologians, churches can also be in denial.
Can the teachings in the three creeds by found in the Bible?
Answer: Yes through dozens of separate Bible passages in the Old (Hebrew Bible) & New Testaments [www.bookofconcord.org/creeds.php].
We see what we want to see
& protect ourselves from self-criticism & self-examination.
We don’t want our doctrines questioned, because it’s frustrating, challenging & we have to do some Bible studies to make sure our beliefs are true. That takes work & time. We may not be expert enough to know if our conclusions are true & we don’t like to appear stupid or rebellious to our priest or pastor. We don’t want to be mocked in High School or University by the professors & students, where myth, religion or Jesus have no place, only the “facts”. The arrogant, who are never wrong, say in their hearts, “Thank G_d I’m not like those faithless, evil works-doers & deceivers who are preaching a false gospel of Christ like the (possible examples): Roman Catholics, Fundamentalists, Pentecostals, prosperity gospel people, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian vitamin/herbal health businesses, Christian mental health/positive thinking preachers, etc.. Fill in your own favorite false churches, cults or TV ministries. Surely without sound doctrine we could be swayed to become: Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, pagans, spiritualists, snake handlers/poison drinking Christians, occultists, UFO cultists, astrologers, followers of a Guru in India, Islamic violent fanatics & antichrists. Who can we help us towards salvation, if we have the wrong proclamation about Jesus Christ, the only Savior in God’s Kingdom?
I’m a Christian, but I have changed my views many times in the past. Will I change them again in the future? Of course I will, but I hope I won’t distort the gospel that Jesus & his apostles taught us-too much. I believe that God has proved sufficiently to me that the Bible & Jesus are still real & relevant today. My personal experiences with God & research in & about the Bible have led me to some amazing conclusions, which are not spelled out in these three Creeds.
WHAT IS SPELLED OUT IN THE CREEDS?
a virgin. As God Jesus was never born
or created.
This excludes the teachings of most religions: Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Wicca, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christians who dismiss the co equal Trinity, pagans, the occult, nature worshipers, etc.
He was tortured by Pilate, died on the cross, was placed in a cave grave.
This again excludes the Muslim religion, which is poised to take over Europe again & most of the world, which says that Jesus didn’t die on the cross. Jehovah Witnesses (Arian Heresy), occultists & pagans say that Jesus was a god & not God. Some heresies ancient & modern that claim that Jesus was a spirit & not a man are also false.
Jesus descended to Hell/Sheol/Grave/Limbo of the fathers/and/or death.
Many religions, even Christians won’t believe that Jesus descended into Hell. Properly speaking they are partially correct. Jesus didn’t go to the bad, demonic Hell [the Pit, the Netherworld, chained in darkness, Abyss], but the hell of, Sheol, grave, death, separation, (Limbo) Bosom of Abraham, Sleeping with the Fathers & Jewish prophets.
He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven from where he will return to judge the living & the dead.
Most Jews, who were & are the covenant Nation, don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead. Some don’t even believe he existed, but was an invention or a grand excuse to torture & kill them. I feel sorry for them, hating, fearing or rejecting the majority of the human population. We must love & care for the Jewish people. Jesus was a Jew & God is love. Those who believe Jesus didn’t die or was only a spirit or an avatar (Hindus & New Age), etc. are simply incorrect.
He will resurrect everyone that has ever died in order to judge them.
Most Christians believe that when we are saved, born-again or baptized our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but at the end of our lives we are judged in Heaven as to whether we can come to Heaven in our spirit or soul. Then after our spirits reunite with our bodies we have the final Judgment. Most Christians don’t care about the resurrection, because if we can enjoy life in Heaven then who needs a body? That’s a difficult question to answer. Jesus was resurrected & taught it, so I believe it. The creeds teach it so, let’s not abandon this central doctrine. We don’t bend the truth but bend for the truth.
Heaven is life with God as our King: today, after death & after the resurrection.
Unfortunately there is also a sorrowful conclusion: Not everyone will serve & live with God in the Jerusalem in Heaven & later the New Jerusalem on the New Earth (in a resurrected holy body). In spite of the bad news, I hope to meet you there, it will be fun & more fulfilling than any romance, victory, love, adventure, power or pleasure we’ve had in our first life. Most Israelites & Christians will not be as close to God as the minority of saints, prophets, & martyrs, but at least they won’t be completely severed from His love.
Ecumenical & Loving, but Not Compromising
The deceived, in any religion, don’t believe in a judgment, because they don’t believe in sin. Sin & goodness to them are all part of a continuum of behaviors, like Yin & Yang. Sin is one extreme or another but morally it should be thought of as neutral, not good or bad. Nature, animals & human animals are comprised of all instinctual & natural behaviors--good or bad. So they conclude that there is no such thing as sin nor can it or should it be condemned or shunned.
Ignorance is worse than sin, & through successive reincarnations you will eliminate it & merge with God as a pure spirit. The belief in sin, they teach, is ignorance & causes all wars. Belief in ignorance as sin is wisdom, so…they believe also in sin? They judge the doctrine of sin as sin, but that contradicts their non judgmental, non labeling philosophies.
They may believe in reincarnation or like many Christians believe that we only need our souls (spirits) in Heaven & thus there is no need for a resurrection, like the spiritualist do.
Eastern, Jewish, Muslim religions hate us judging them, but they judge Jesus & Christians. Why? Isn’t that unfair or hypocrisy? We judge each other all the time, it’s natural to defend & attack your enemies.
We love our enemies, so we have less hatred & arrogance. It’s humbling to feed your enemies & protect them from injustice. Jesus taught resurrection & I believe it. Of course their societies, as most societies do, have a structure that seems to reward good over evil. The Creeds teach sin exists & it will be punished. The judgment is to ferret out sinners, but reward those forgiven of their sins who are called the saints. Every country & religion implies or openly expresses that sin exists. We need to be saved by God from our sins, we can’t do it in one life time, maybe not a million life times. That’s why Christians realize that only one life time of sin is necessary, if we realize that we are sinners, big mouths, fail to do good sometimes & often do evil that’s the right attitude for a human to have with God. . Jesus Christ is the only human that never sinned, so I claim his perfect life, saintly blood, his tortured body & perfect love of God as mine. Jesus said he was the only way to Heaven so, I said, “Yes” to Jesus. Will you say, “Yes” to Jesus?
Why Do All Religions Have Truth?
C.S. Lewis seems to say or believe at this time in his life that God planted seeds into all religions & pagan philosophies, that’s why they can sometimes convert to Christianity [The Timeless Writings of C.S. Lewis, ISBN: 0-88486-331-X, Christian Reflections, Answers to Questions on Christianity, Lewis’ answer to Question 8, 2nd answer, page 333. Edited By Walter Hooper, © 1981 by the Executors of the Estate of C/S. Lewis.]
I believe his theory is true for two reasons: The story of Adam & Eve & Noah are both true. God walked & spoke with Adam & Eve in the bodily, but spiritual form like Jesus Christ had done after the resurrection, (minus the nail, spear, thorns holes; whip marks; concussion; scrapes & bruises). Adam & Eve passed the story down, written &/or verbally to Methuselah, who told it to Noah. After the flood Noah & his seven member family, passed it down verbally &/or in written form. Most societies have a flood story with one family or few people being saved. Some pagan religions have a god who comes down to earth, dies & saves the world.
Most pagans sacrificed innocent children & virgin females, because they knew
that blood--innocent, sacred or holy blood
must be shed to appease the gods or God.
Maybe this is a corruption of the original stories that a Savior would come to die & shed his blood to make us acceptable to God again. Maybe they got tired of waiting so they created their own gods & salvation. We can think of Semele, Mithras, Osiris, Marduk, Nimrod, Baal…wait this is confusing. One god can have many different names according to the time & place it was believed in. Anti Christians, mythmakers & occultists say that that Jesus was accurately prefigured in pre-Christian times, but it is not true. They were gods & myths not the historical God & fully man, Jesus Christ. The pagan stories were corruptions of the true Messiah to come.
Next, any stories about a savior god, similar to Jesus, came after pagans heard the story about Jesus. Satan is an imitator who mixes a little truth with a little lie & destroys the whole truth & our salvation. Be careful people. The Creeds were created in opposition to the heresies of their times. They are for our protection. Most metaphysical books that are associated with the cultic or spiritualistic organizations are still active today, planting myths & lies, based on the old pagan ideas. These are the very gods & groups the Hebrews were told to separated from or destroy. It’s still good advice to separate from them. http://www.redmoonrising.com/Giza/DyingandRising3.htm; http://www.piney.com/MuTammuz.html
Most people are wooed by the Holy Spirit & not completely demon possessed. They have a conscious & do good things & good works. Those who are possessed of evil, try to attract you, because misery loves company. Satan doesn’t want to be in Hell, separated from good angles, people & God for ever---alone. He wants plenty of company, me & you. That explains to me how so many within Islam, the Jewish race, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Ageisms, Catholics, Protestants, Wiccans, Voodoo practitioners, etc. who will be lost, can be so nice, so kind & so loving. We can’t see the Book of Life or the seal of the Holy Spirit upon people. If God tells you to turn left & give money to that beggar, but Satan whispers to turn right & give some money to the other beggar, is it a good deed or a sinful deed as long as you give to the beggar? If we could tell the difference in voices then only the good works done for God would count as good or righteous. A good work done because of Satan’s suggestion would be rebellion against God. Your good deed is cancelled & it becomes evil. Sorry, but life is complicated, it’s a test. Who you love, you obey. Do you obey you mother, friends or boss or your wife/husband? The one you love the most, you will obey or at least talk it over with them first.
We can’t judge the saved & the damned by looking at them.
I only recommend to anyone that believes Jesus Christ is a savior or the Savior to study the Apostle’s, Nicene, & Athanasian Creeds or the more orthodox catechisms & confessions that don’t pervert the basic Creeds.
I believe nature worship & spirit worship found in Voodoo, Native American Religions, Black Magic, Astrology, Ouija Boards, Tarot Cards, Non Western Medicine (when incorporating spirits within or without us), Angel worship, worshipping saints, worshipping, not merely honoring, the Virgin Mary, ancient Babylonian, Greek & Roman gods, ancient Egyptian cultism, spirit guides, psychic possession by ghosts or demons & Wicca are dangerous practices. Demons, ghosts & spirits might enter the practitioners & lead them astray, but I must love them as people & potential saints of God. It’s easy to love people who are good to you & others & we should. But we cannot be so liberal as to say, “You’re a nice person, so in spite of your false religion you will go to heaven.” even if it is false. We must preach Christ & him crucified & be ready for rejection, persecution & hatred.
I know the truth, the truth that Jesus preached.
He said he alone can save you,
who am I or you to argue with him?
You only risk your salvation by rejecting him.
Will God Save Good People in Bad Religions or Beliefs?
Frankly, I don’t know. I hope so, but I can’t preach something that Jesus didn’t make clear enough to me. Some righteous people, who are not expecting salvation, because maybe they are agnostics, atheists, from false religions or never heard of Jesus might be saved, but I can’t be sure. It does say the righteous are saved, not the righteous within idol worshipping religions or antichrist religions. Look below at Matthew 25: 37-39.
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered an fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison and came unto thee?”
Jesus did talk about Sheol & Gehenna as Hell-fire, more than any other prophet in the Bible. He talked about it a lot. He changed the Netherworld from a cut off from God, dark demon infested place to a fiery, cut off from God, dark, demon infested place. The people in his day associated the garbage dump in Gehenna as a cursed place. Children had been sacrificed to gods there & only demons & ghosts haunted it. They lit the fires & kept them going to reduce the amount of trash so they could keep the dump open for more filth, diseased & unclean objects.
What the Creeds Leave Out
The Creeds leave out a lot, almost everything we Christians bicker about.
C.S. Lewis says, that the Creeds don’t mention the devil or demons and as a Christian he didn’t believe anyone had to believe in them, though he did [The Timeless Writings of C.S. Lewis, ISBN: 0-88486-331-X, Christian Reflections, Answers to Questions on Christianity, Lewis’ answer to Question 9, 3rd answer, page 335 Edited By Walter Hooper, © 1981 by the Executors of the Estate of C/S. Lewis.]
It also doesn’t mention praying to the Virgin Mary or Saints, so we don’t have to. Maybe we should leave the Catholics alone on that score, as long as they don’t start to worship her or claim her as sole redeemer. Some Church Fathers, even the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, for example: Martin Luther had a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. Also the Creeds don’t make any mention of Popes, authority of the church, Saturday or Sunday keeping, tithing, no mention of the Communion Service or foot washing, wearing veils, wearing our best clothes, Church Boards, Church Schools, salaries for church workers, the Poor Box, pews, confessionals, etc. .
The Agape Love Feast was a full meal plus the crackers & red wine. We’ve eliminated the full meal & now call it the Communion Service, the Sacrament of the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper & it is central to Christianity. I wouldn’t give it up, just because it isn’t mentioned, nor should we give up anything commanded by Jesus, like foot washing or loving one another. The Creeds are the foundation, but they are clearly not a catechism or confession statement of all beliefs, They were only written as refutations of a few heresies. Church traditions & practices based on the original apostles of Jesus & all people who belong to Christ no matter their denomination are the Universal (Catholic) & Apostolic Church. We believe in following their traditions, some of which are in outside documents like the Didache, which are not in the Bible.
Conclusion
Let’s agree to agree on the foundational information contained in these three creeds. If your confession, statement of beliefs or catechism is based & built up from there, let’s agree not to bicker with each other. Let’s socialize, visit each other’s churches, unite on social issues & make Christianity powerful & holy again. Jesus Christ is the head of the Universal or Invisible Christian Church not your beliefs or mine. Let’s honor him by loving one another, so that the world may admire us & join with us in that love & truth. One final warning: Just because your church believes in the Creeds doesn’t mean they are Biblically correct. They could be having sex in the aisles in church, getting drunk or drugged, or cutting themselves or others as part of the service. This would clearly be wrong. So the Creeds are foundational, but we must be careful to put sacred truths upon that foundation or the whole church structure can collapse. We have the Bible, the ancient history of the apostolic church & information at our fingertips. We also have the guidance from our church & the Holy Spirit. Why do we need so much help? Because, the Devil &/or our diseased &/or finite minds are constantly leading us to walk in circles or dead away from God. Let’s take our walk to Jesus seriously. We can rest & get lazy in Heaven, but not yet, not today & not now.
Amen.
