1 / 58

The Creed

rhett
Download Presentation

The Creed

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 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 The Creed

  2. 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

  3. 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 The Creed I BELIEVE

  4. “What I believe in my heart must make sense in my mind” - Ravi Zacharias The Creed – I Believe

  5. Believe - Pisteuo • to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust • to entrust oneself to an entity in complete confidence The Creed – I Believe

  6. Poll: Belief in UFOs Matches Belief in OT, NT as Word of God By Eric Young Christian Post Reporter Thu, Dec. 11 2008 01:51 PM EST A little more than a third of Americans believe all the text in the Old Testament or all the text in the New Testament represent the Word of God, according to the results of a newly released poll. That’s about the same as the percentage of people who believe in UFOs (36 percent) and less than the amount of people who believe in ghosts (44 percent), Harris Interactive found through its online survey. The Creed – I Believe

  7. Key Question… Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All…? The Creed – I Believe

  8. “When one person suffers from a delusion, it's called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it's called religion.” • Robert Pirsig, • American writer and philosopher The Creed – I Believe

  9. Why do people believe what they believe? Sociological Psychological Religious • Culture • Friends • Parents • Society • Comfort • Hope • Identity/Meaning • Peace of Mind • Church • Guru • Holy Book • Pastor Are any of these the right reason to believe? The Creed – I Believe

  10. Why should people believe what they believe? Philosophical Approach – To ascertain facts or truth and the causes of things. • Something is worth believing if it is… • Rational • Supported by evidence • The best reason for explaining the gathered data What happens when you don’t do this? The Creed – I Believe

  11. “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive” – Blaise Pascal The Creed – I Believe

  12. “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. ” - C. S. Lewis The Creed – I Believe

  13. “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” - Colossians 2:8 The Creed – I Believe

  14. Philosophy: philosophia: love of wisdom "Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;"(Proverbs 2:2) "For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;"(Proverbs 2:6-10) The Creed – I Believe

  15. The Philosophical Tests for Any Valid Belief System: Logical Consistency Empirical Adequacy Existential Relevancy It must present in a consistent non-contradictory manner, provide evidential and explanatory support, and account for the facts of experience “Come let us reason together…” – Isaiah 1:18 The Creed – I Believe

  16. “They [religious beliefs] are illusions, fulfillments of the oldest, strongest, and most urgent wishes of mankind. We call belief an illusion when a wish-fulfillment is a prominent factor in its motivation, and in doing so we disregard its relation to reality, just as the illusion itself sets no store by verification” - Sigmund Freud The Creed – I Believe

  17. Epistemology… The branch of philosophy that investigates the nature and origin of knowledge • Think Critically (examination) • Think Clearly (clarification) • Think Correctly (argumentation) • Think Comprehensively (systematization) “You shall love the Lord your God with all … your mind” – Matt. 22:37 The Creed – I Believe

  18. Epistemology… The branch of philosophy that investigates the nature and origin of knowledge • Minds – may be knowing or ignorant • Propositions – may be true or false • Objects – may be real or imaginary Example: Unicorns are imaginary objects; therefore, the proposition “Unicorns do not exist” is true; and when a mind assents to this proposition, the person knows it to be true and has acquired knowledge. The Creed – I Believe

  19. Forming a Belief… • A belief begins by understanding that a particular idea is plausible • A plausibility structure – “favorable conditions” – form in the mind so that a belief can be entertained • Anything not viewed as plausible will be rejected • Real belief must rest on content (not sincerity and fervency of desire) “Beliefs are simply not to be equated with truth or reality; rather, they are to conform to truth” - Paul Copan The Creed – I Believe

  20. “Hence we account simultaneously for the two facts that beliefs (a) depend on minds for their existence, (b) do not depend on minds for their truth.” - Betrand Russell, Atheist, The Problems of Philosophy The Creed – I Believe

  21. Knowledge… “When the knower and the known become one” – Thomas Aquinas The Creed – I Believe

  22. Five Means of Gaining Knowledge Authoritarianism (Faith) – Testimony Subjectivism – Intuition & direct contact Rationalism – Through reason alone Empiricism – Experience via the senses Pragmatism – Through natural sciences Which source(s) of knowledge does Christianity rely on? The Creed – I Believe

  23. “If we take in our hand any volume of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance, let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.” - David Hume The Creed – I Believe

  24. A. J. Ayer • Logical Positivism (Scientism) • Is the truth claim a tautology? • Is the truth claim empirically verifiable? • If not, then it is meaningless and emotive at best. All God talk is meaningless The Creed – I Believe

  25. “There is an important difference between the scientific and legal methods for determining truth. The legal method does not ignore testimony or facts because they are not reproducible or testable. By a process of elimination and corroboration, the legal method allows history and testimony to speak for itself until a verdict is reached beyond a reasonable doubt and the balance of probability is achieved. I did not witness various battles that occurred through history and I cannot reproduce WWII so I must rely on documents and independent testimony to determine its plausibility. Certain kinds of tests are appropriate for different realms of thought.” - Joe Boot The Creed – I Believe

  26. "And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe." - John 19:35 The Creed – I Believe

  27. Subjectivism "For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,“ (Romans 2:14) Authoritarianism (Faith) “ Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.“ (John 20:30-31) Rationalism "And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,“ (Acts 17:2) The Creed – I Believe

  28. Empiricism “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luke 24:39) Authoritarianism (Faith) “ Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.“ (John 20:30-31) Pragmatism “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."(Psalm 19:1) The Creed – I Believe

  29. Frederick Nietzsche on Faith: “When faith is thus exalted above everything else, it necessarily follows that reason, knowledge and patient inquiry have to be discredited: the road to the truth becomes a forbidden road.” “Faith means not wanting to know what is true.” The Creed – I Believe

  30. Immanuel Kant on Faith: “I have therefore found it necessary to deny knowledge, in order to make room for faith.” - Critique of Pure Reason “Facts have nothing to do with religion.” The Creed – I Believe

  31. The Bible on Faith: Faith: Pistis - “trust” – “something/one in whom confidence can be placed; reliability; that which evokes trust; state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted; pertaining to being worthy of belief or trust; conviction of the truth; the character of one who can be relied on.” - Greek Lexicon “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 The Creed – I Believe

  32. How do you Reconcile Faith and Reason in Christian Belief? The Creed – I Believe

  33. Evidence that Jesus can do this… "And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” - Mark 2:3-12 … produces faith that Jesus can do this. The Creed – I Believe

  34. What Part does Man Play and What Part does God Play in Belief? The Creed – I Believe

  35. " For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20) VS. "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) The Creed – I Believe

  36. General Revelation and Reason Show God via His Effects “ The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3) The Spirit Comes to Teach and Testify of God "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” - Romans 8:16 The Creed – I Believe

  37. The Role of God in Matters of Belief " Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 16:13-17 The Creed – I Believe

  38. The Role of the Holy Spirit in Belief " A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14) "for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5) The Creed – I Believe

  39. Revelatory Authoritarianism The primary foundation of Christian Belief Special Revelation "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.“ (2 Timothy 3:16-17) General Revelation "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.“ (Romans 1:20) Ontological Revelation "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation … For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,“ (Colossians 1:15,2:9) The Creed – I Believe

  40. Revelatory Authoritarianism That is Rejected by Fallen Mankind Special Revelation "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.“ (2 Timothy 4:3-4) General Revelation “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25) Ontological Revelation "the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;“ (1 Corinthians 2:8) The Creed – I Believe

  41. Christianity is Worthy of Belief and Trust Because… • It is logically consistent, with no contradictory teaching (rationalism, but not omitting revelation) • It is empirically verifiable; grounded in space/time history through the legal process of evidence (empiricism) • It is existentially relevant as no other system adequately explains our world as it exists (empiricism via the senses) • It is carried via trustworthy testimony (authoritarian) • It is life-changing (subjectivism) • It is verifiable via the orderly universe in which all live (pragmatic) The Creed – I Believe

  42. Christianity is Different Than All Other Belief Systems. All Others Are… • Epistemological – The path to God or enlightenment is through knowledge • Pragmatic – The path to God or enlightenment is through works • Existential – The path to God or enlightenment is through an experience Christianity is none of the above – it is Ontological The Creed – I Believe

  43. The Ontological Nature of Christian Belief… Truth, Knowledge, and Wisdom are a Person “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.“ (John 14:6) "For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.“ (2 Corinthians 4:6) “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30) The Creed – I Believe

  44. “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” - 2 Timothy 1:12 …Whom not What… The Creed – I Believe

  45. Is belief just a matter of … Thinking logically? … Examining the evidence? … Recognizing reality? No. People act contrary to evidence all the time. There are brilliant people who are believers in Christ and brilliant people who choose to disbelieve. Belief is a Matter of the Will “If one were to prove this God of the Christians to us, we should be even less able to believe in him.” – Nietzsche The Creed – I Believe

  46. “I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn't just that I don't believe in God and, naturally hope that I'm right in my belief. It's that I hope that there is no God! I don't want there to be a God; I don't want the universe to be like that.” - Thomas Nagel Professor of Philosophy, New York The Creed – I Believe

  47. Belief is much more than just intellectual assent to a truth claim… “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31) The Creed – I Believe

  48. “If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.” - Malachi 2:2 “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?” – Mark 2:8 “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken” – Luke 24:25 “for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness…” - Romans 10:10 “When we lack the will to see things as they really are, there is nothing so mysterious as the obvious.” – Irving Kristol, Professor of Social Thought The Creed – I Believe

  49. “Truth is subjectivity” – Soren Kierkegaard Kierkegaard was not espousing relative truth, but calling all people to commit themselves to the truth. Truth has an existential bearing on the life of the one who commits to it. He knew that Bible truths were easy to understand in theory, but difficult to understand in practice – the latter requires obedience. The Creed – I Believe

  50. "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.“ - Jesus, John 13:17 “ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” - Jesus, Matthew 7:24-27 The Creed – I Believe

More Related