Analysis of the Nicene Creed

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Analysis of the Nicene Creed
Well Anthony, Howard and I did this as Bible class homework. But since it took us so much effort and stuff, it made me feel like it might be worthwhile posting. If not, ignore me But for those who are interested, here's the full version of it; compare while reading my post: http://weblog.xanga.com/the_truth_seeker/652272000/the-nicene-creed.html
- we "believe": states that this is a religion based on faith, not what we can see
- "one God": monotheism
- the "Father": believers are directly related to this god; implies love
- the "Almighty": all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, etc
- "maker": powerful enough to have made everything; this is his creation, and therefore belongs to him
- "heaven" and "earth": earth is not the only place that God made; however, did not say "in seven days" or not
- of "all" that is, "seen" and "unseen": everything was made by God, even the things we can't prove/see/touch
- "Lord": a ruler with direct powers on earth, as opposed to God taking care of everything from heaven
- Jesus "Christ": he is the promised savior of mankind; THE Messiah that OT talked about
- the "only" Son of God: he is a one and only; there is no other
- "eternally begotten": there is no time before Jesus; God is not before Jesus; God did not MAKE Jesus
- God from God ... true God from true God: Jesus IS God; one and the same
- begotten, "not made": he isn't just an entity made by God that can be made again; this gives him equal status with God
- of one being with the Father: they are together, they are one
- for us ... he "came down from heaven": he willingly lowered his status and forsook his powers; implies mercy from love
- "Virgin" Mary: she wasn't defiled to let him into this world; he is special and completely holy
- and was made "man": from GOD to MAN; willing official demotion
- he was "crucified": he chose to endure the most dishonorable death, the one with most suffering
- under "Pontius Pilate": he put himself under the power of a man, one of his own creations
- he "suffered death" and was "buried": he really really did die, this is not symbolic or metaphoric
- on the "third day": places importance on fulfilling his own words and OT prophecies
- he "rose" again: from death he came back up; states that he really did resurrect
- "ascended into heaven": Jesus gained new power that allowed him to return to heaven; mission accomplished
- seated at the "right hand": shows that God accepts him; he is the action of God's heart
- he will "come again": he hasn't forsook or forgotten us; he has plans
- his kingdom "will have no end": after returning, changes are gonna be physical; this isn't only metaphoric
- "Holy" Spirit: the only thing holy is God, so this states that the Spirit is from God alone
- "With" the Father and ... Son He is worshipped: supports the Trinity; saying that all three of them are one
- he has "spoken": Hebrew "ruah" as in breath, like as in how God spoke/breathed creation into existence; shows that the Spirit has power, or IS God's power
- "one" ... Church: all Christian denominations have same basic faith; same church/body
- "forgiveness" of sins: sins can be forgiven! in this religion, you can go back to being pure
- look for the "resurrection of the dead": there will definitely be a time when even death loses its hold
- "life" of the world to come: the new world isn't just some snobby, holy place; there is gonna be real life, real happiness, real joy, it's all gonna be very real
* although the exact nature of aforementioned resurrection is not included, like how will it happen?
- AMEN: the very definition of "amen" means that "what we're saying/praying/stating, we believe from the bottom of our heart" ... places emphasis on the fact that this Creed is to fully state/cover all of a Christian's beliefs