Musing – Which do you prefer – Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed?

Hebraic Musing – Which do you prefer – Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed?

The Apostles' Creed was originally written around A.D.180.  Roman Christians developed an early form of the Apostles' Creed to present the beliefs and teachings of the original apostles.  It does not address Christology (nature and person of Jesus), issues that are defined in the Nicene Creed. It says nothing explicitly about the divinity of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit, thus making it acceptable to many Unitarians and Arians who assert that the Son of God was a subordinate entity to God the Father. It left other theological questions that became objects of dispute. Here is the Apostles’ Creed with underscored wording differences.

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” not capitalized, means "universal"; capitalized, it refers to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Nicene Creed was first adopted in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea. The Roman Emperor Constantine had convened the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify the Christian church with one doctrine, especially on the issues of the Trinity and the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. The Nicene Creed reads as follows with underscored wording differences.

"We 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 Spirit 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 both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.       And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Distinctions were added in the Nicene Creed to counter the Arian point of view.  Jesus Christ is …

1. "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God", proclaiming his divinity.
2. "begotten, not made", asserting that he was not a mere creature, brought into being out of nothing, but the true Son of God, brought into being 'from the substance of the Father'.
3. "of one being with The Father".  The significance of this clause is ambiguous and argued.

Points to ponder

Which do you prefer?    And why?

Shalom

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                                    June 24, 2014

Author of two books “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”
And weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings” 
Yosef1@cox.net  or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

Musing – What would life be like without rules?

Hebraic Musing – What would life be like without rules?

I opened a Sunday School class of 10 to 12 year olds with Good News.  “Today we are going to play a really exciting new game. This new game is called “Bokee Ball” and it is a lot of fun because there are no rules to worry about.”  The questions came – “How do you score?”  “How many points to win?”  “How many players on a side?”   “What’s out of bounds?”  “What kind of ball do we use?”  and on and on the questions came.  The answer I gave to each question was the same – “Whatever you want; there are no rules.”  Needless to say, the game never started.

The moral of the lesson became obvious. The Bible, both OT and NT, has rules we are expected to live by; and without those rules life would be a mess.  I asked someone at lunch today “How do you like it when other people do not obey the rules?” or worse yet, “How would you like it if all the other people in the world decided to not obey the rules?” How does this apply to the messages about rules that are taught in the Bible, especially in the Torah?  Here are a few perspectives:

·      The “Ten Commandments” start in Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words:  "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me...”  NIV    Again in Deuteronomy 5:5   …And He said:  "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me….”   In both cases “words” and “said” are translated from the Hebrew d’bar which means “a word.”  So what we have been calling “commandments” are really “words” from Father God.   BTW – Whatever a loving parent tells his/her child to do is always for the child’s own good. Always!

·      The Hebrew word for the first five books of the OT is Torah, and it appears numerous times in both the Hebrew OT and NT.  Unfortunately word Torah in Hebrew is translated as “Law” in our English versions.  We all know that he word “law” has a must do connotation with enforcement and punitive consequences; thus it stirs up in some of us a desire to “kick against the goads” or see how close we can get to the edge.  The Torah with its lessons, history, character studies and “Words” from God teaches us rules for living healthy, safe and full lives with respect for authority. I’d prefer to translate the Hebrew word Torah as “Lessons” or “Guidelines” or “God’s advice to His children” than to call it “Law”.    That’s just my preference.

·      Mitzvot is a Hebrew word literally meaning “Good Deeds”.  In Genesis 26:4-5 we learn “all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.”  The word “commands” is translated from the Hebrew Mitzvot which literally means “good deeds.”  So our blessings come from obediently doing good deeds.

·      Tradition says that the OT has 613 Mitzvot (some call “commandments”), whereas the NT has over 1,050 Mitzvot. I am amazed at the Amazing Grace granted in the OT to the people and patriarchs.  So between the OT and NT, which is about Grace and which is about Law?  See Heb. 13:8.

Does this explain why my life has changed for the better since I put Mezuzahs* on the door posts of our house? As I enter or leave the house I kiss it and say “Thank you Lord for your commandments?”    

Points to ponder

How can we thank the Lord for giving us His rules for living?

* Mezuzah is a piece of parchment in a decorative case inscribed with specific verses from Torah, 6:6-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. … Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                                    June 17, 2014

Author of two books “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”
And weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings” 
Yosef1@cox.net  or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

Musing – What did the four cups of wine signify at the “Lord’s Supper”?

Hebraic Musing – What did the four cups of wine signify at the “Lord’s Supper”?
And why did Jesus say “I will not drink this cup again until…”?

Last week’s musing explored the original “Lord’s Supper” as a Pesach (Passover) Seder (meal) described in Luke 22:13-20  So they prepared the Passover.… Jesus … said…. “For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."  … "Take this (Cup) and divide it among you.  For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  NIV  The occasion is a Passover Seder, a complete meal replete with symbolism. But why the traditional four cups of wine?

The Torah verse being remembered and celebrated is Exod. 6:6-8 -- Therefore, say to the Israelites: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.”  The Four Cups of the Passover Seder are each based on specific phrases in Exodus 6:6-8.  Can you see the applications to us today?

First Cup — "I will bring you out…" God chose us to be His holy (separated) people. He promised salvation from the harsh labor.  He will unburden us from our enemy’s entanglements.

Second Cup — "I will free (save) you…" He promised salvation from servitude. We were set free on the day the Israelites left Egypt. We cannot release ourselves; we must trust in Him alone for salvation.

Third Cup — "I will redeem you…" which he did by splitting the sea. Only then were we completely redeemed and set free.  His work of salvation requires both divine power and acts of judgment.

Fourth Cup — "I will take you as my own people (nation)…"  And the Israelites indeed started to become a nation at Sinai. God alone can fully transform us into the holy people He has ordained. 

However, instead of partaking from this fourth cup which takes us to be His own, Jesus drank from a fifth cup!  Thus He deferred God’s protection against the death angel by saying, “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Fifth Cup – This cup was and is set up for Elijah during the second half of the Seder, but we do not drink it. This cup recognizes verse 8 above, "And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”  While the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish nation were permanent, we have yet to be brought to Israel on a permanent basis. Elijah will announce the arrival of the Messiah, who will bring all Jews (and Christians) to Israel, for good.  This fifth cup recognizes Jeremiah 25:15-16  “This is what the LORD… said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.  When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.’”

This cup of God’s wrath is also known as Elijah’s cup because Malachi 4:5 prophesied, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” In the traditional ceremony, this cup is filled but not drunk — not until the coming of Elijah. But Jesus drank the fifth cup, the cup of God’s wrath against the nations. Thus, Yeshua declared himself to be the Messiah, the ultimate Savior of the world, who will drink and celebrate with us after the time of the final wrath.

This is just one explanation of events of “The Last Supper”; and the meaning behind, “I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes”.

Points to ponder

Can the NT be fully appreciated without understanding the OT and Jewish customs?

Shalom

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                                    June 10, 2014

Author of two books “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”
And weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings” 
Yosef1@cox.net  or  www.InsightsByYosef.com