Did You Know: The Nicene Creed
June 10, 2009
by us (it’s a slow news day)
The Concept of the Trinity was challenged in 325 AD, at the First Council of Nicaea, by Arius who opposed Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius, stating that Christ was a created Son of God, like all other “sons of God” in the Bible.
The council, an estimated 318 members then voted after hearing the arguments, with all but 3 siding with Alexander and Athanasius. Thus the original Nicene Creed read, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father…”
The creed was updated in 381 AD, at the First Council of Constantinople, to include more detail on the creation, crucifixion, the Holy spirit, and the universal baptism through Christ.
Read the Creeds side by side
Don’t understand the Trinity? Read Here
2008 survey: 60% of American Christians believe Satan, Holy Spirit are ’symbols,’ not ‘living entities’
April 13, 2009
Barna Group website (HT: Jeffrey Weiss, Religion Blog)
‘13 Quick Facts about Famous Pentecostals’
April 6, 2009
New book discusses the two ‘bookends’ of the Christian life
March 31, 2009
Tim Challies reviews The Bookends of the Christian Life, by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington
Amazon: The Bookends of the Christian Life
Mark D. Roberts on spiritual gifts (update)
November 19, 2008
“Little is more important for the health and growth of the body of Christ than the power of the Holy Spirit manifested in what we call spiritual gifts. Through such bits of grace, the Spirit builds the body of Christ. In fact, it wouldn’t be too far off the mark to say that the Holy Spirit is a bodybuilder. …”
(update 11/7) Part 2: “The Abuse of Spiritual Experiences in Corinth . . . and Today“:
“We have seen what might be called an outbreak of ‘Corinthianism’ in the last fifty years. Positively, millions of Christians began to discover the power of the Spirit through spiritual gifts. Negative[ly], this often caused division in the church … Let me supply a bit of history that places our conversation of spiritual gifts in context …”
(update 11/10) Part 3: “The Ministry of the Spirit in ”
(Update 11/11) Part 4: “Defining ‘Spiritual Gifts‘”
(Update 11/13) Part 5: “Spiritual Gifts as ‘Momentary Empowerments’ for Ministry”
Part 6: “When and How Do We Receive Spiritual Gifts?”
“Although there are benefits to the ‘discover and use your gift’ model, it only takes you so far in ministry …”
(Update 11/17) Part 7: “All Gifts Matter to the Body of Christ”
“As it turns out, most churches in today’s world, whether overtly or implicitly, value some spiritual gifts while devaluing others.”
(Update 11/19) Part 8: “Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 1”
Part 9: “Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 2”
“So far we have seen that if we want to receive spiritual gifts, we should focus, not on the gifts or on our experiences, but on loving others and building up the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts come in the context of ministry done for the sake of love and edification.”
“Women’s Ministry: Why Ethics Matters”
October 27, 2008
Sarah Flashing discusses the responsibility Christians have to think through tough decisions, using the mind God gave them:
“There are times when we say that we are praying about matters when what we are really doing is avoiding a reasoned decision because that might be less than spiritual, or too human.”
