Nicene Creed: Forged in Controversy and Founded on God’s Word

1. Nicene Creed: Forged in Controversy and Founded on God’s Word

2. Trinity

3. Second Article • Read the Second Article of the Nicene Creed (Christian Worship, p. 31) • What was at stake at the Council of Nicaea when the participants were discussing the person of Jesus Christ? Why is this all so important? • We need God to be our Savior, and if Jesus is not God, there is no salvation. • God as our Savior gives us confidence in our salvation.

4. Second Article • “Through him all things were made.” • See John 1:1-3,10-11. Anything stick out? • 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.

5. Second Article • “For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven …” • See Isaiah 59:15b-17; 1 Peter 1:18-20. Anything stick out? • Is 59:16 His own arm brought salvation.

6. Second Article • “For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven …” • The purpose of the Savior’s mission and incarnation is made plain by the Church in this phrase. (Waterstradt, Nicene Creed, 6)

7. Second Article • “…was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary ..” • See Luke 1:31-35 • See Matthew 1:20 – Gk. ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου (“is from the Holy Spirit”) • Nicene Creed – Gk. Σαρκωθέντα ἐκ πνεύματοςἁγίουκαὶ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου (“incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary”)

8. Second Article • “… and became fully human.” • The Lutheran Hymnal – “and was made man” • Nicene Creed – Latin homo factusest • Nicene Creed – Gk. καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα • The issue at Nicaea was not Jesus’ “maleness.” That was never in question. The issue was his divinity and humanity. The Council declared him fully God and fully human. See Hebrews 2:14-18

9. Second Article • “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried.” • See Romans 4:25 • Died for our sins

10. Second Article • “On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.” • See Luke 24:44-46 • Jesus did everything written about him in the Scriptures

11. Second Article • Odds of one person fulfilling 8 of the Messianic prophecies: 1 x 10 to 17th power • Now let's try to imagine what this means. If we took that many silver dollars (100,000,000,000,000,000) and laid them over the State of Texas, they would cover the state two feet deep. Now mark one of the silver dollars, stir the whole mass thoroughly, blindfold a person, and tell him/her that they can travel as far as they want but must pick up one silver dollar and say that it is the marked one.

12. Second Article • Odds of one person fulfilling 48 Messianic prophecies: 1 x 10 to 157th power • There are some 60 Messianic prophecies • Luke 24:44–46 (HCSB) 44 Then He told them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day,

13. Second Article • “…is seated at the right hand of the Father” • What is the right hand of God? What is Jesus doing there? (Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33; Romans 8:34) • Position of power and prays for us

14. Second Article • Et incarnatusest de SpirituSancto ex Maria virgine et homo factusest • …was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became fully human • The mystery of eternal God becoming a mortal human being for our salvation. Jesus lowers himself to be our brother-servant.

15. Second Article • Crucifixusetiam pro nobis sub PontioPilato, passus et sepultusest • For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. • The burden of our sin and death that our Savior Jesus carried for us.

16. Second Article • Et resurrexittertia die secundumScripturas et ascendit ad coelos; sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris, et iterumventurusest cum gloriajudicarevivos et mortuos, cuiusregni non erit finis. • On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

17. Second Article • “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead” • Where would the Nicene Creed get “He will come again”? (Matthew 24:30; John 14:3; Revelation 22:20) • Jesus says he will come again!

18. Second Article • “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead” • How about “in glory”? (an addition in 381) (Mark 13:26; Colossians 3:4) • Jesus’ second coming will be glorious, not like his first coming

19. Second Article • “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead” • How about “to judge the living and the dead”? (Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 17:31; 2 Timothy 4:1) • That is what Jesus will do when he comes again!

20. Second Article • “and his kingdom will have no end” • Where would this come from? (Psalm 45:6; Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; Daniel 7:27; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:11) • The Bible says it is an eternal kingdom

21. Nicene Creed of 325 vsNiceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 • through whom all things came into being, [things in heaven and things on earth,] who because of us people, and because of our salvation, came down and became incarnate, becoming man, suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven; will come to judge the living and the dead. • through whom all things came into existence, who because of us people and because of our salvation came downfrom heaven, and was incarnatefrom the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Maryand became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures and ascended to heaven, andsits on the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there will be no end.

22. Third Article of the Nicene Creed • “We believe in the Holy Spirit…”