Guard the Good Deposit

Guard the Good Deposit

Guard the Good Deposit: The Great Tradition for the Whole Church

© 2019. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved.

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The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 East 13th Street Wichita, KS 67208

ISBN: 978-1-62932-327-5

Published by TUMI Press, a division of World Impact, Inc. The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

TUMI Press • 3701 East 13th Street North • Wichita, Kansas 67208

T able of C ontents

Foreword 9 Introduction 11 The Great Tradition for the Whole Church 11 We Can All Guard the Good Deposit 12 Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? 15 Common Objections and Misconceptions 16 The Power of God for Salvation 22 The Harvest Is Plentiful, but the Workers Are Few 23 Freedom to Minister the Gospel Faithfully 24 Freedom to Multiply Faithful Laborers 24 Freedom to Empower Faithful Churches and Movements 25 Section II: What Is the Deposit We Guard? 27 The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots 28 The Objective Foundation: The Triune God’s Unfolding Drama 28

The Subjective Response: The Church’s Participation in God’s Unfolding Drama 31 Section III: How Do We Guard the Good Deposit? 33 How Do We Guard the Good Deposit? 34 The Great Confession: Our Theology 34 Why Do We Need the Nicene Creed? 36 How Do We Retrieve the Nicene Creed? 39 His Life in Us: Our Worship 42 Why Do We Need the Word and Table? 42 How Can We Retrieve the Word and Table? 44 Living in the Way: Our Spirituality 46 Why Do We Need the Church Year? 46 How Do We Retrieve the Church Year? 49 Reborn to Serve: Our Witness 52 Why Do We Need to Represent Christ and His Kingdom? 52 How Do We Retrieve the Representation of Christ and His Kingdom? 54 Conclusion 56 Appendix 57 Appendix 1 The Nicene Creed with Biblical Support 59 Appendix 2 The Term ‘Catholic’ 63 Appendix 3 Traditions (Paradosis) 67 Appendix 4 The Theology of Christus Victor 78

Appendix 5 Living in the Already and the Not Yet Kingdom 79 Appendix 6 The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots 80 Appendix 7 Jesus of Nazareth: The Presence of the Future 81

f oreWord

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

~ 2 Timothy 1.14

The heart of the Christian confession is God’s revealed message of hope and salvation in Jesus Christ. God has done a great work in the world: the Father was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, and has laid the foundation for all people everywhere to receive eternal life in his Son. The wondrous message of the Cross is that God has acted in history, and revealed his love and mercy in Jesus of Nazareth, who lived, died, and has risen again from the dead. Now, in Jesus’s name, God offers salvation and forgiveness to everyone who believes this Good News. This amazing word of hope and blessing has been entrusted to the Church, to all of us who believe it – to guard, to defend, and to cherish. Rev. Ryan Carter has penned this small but amazingly mighty text to call every disciple of Jesus to arms – to know this message and defend it against anything that would distort or diminish its truth. Ryan is a fine teacher, a person of rich knowledge and refreshing spiritual perspective. He has proven through years of guarding this good deposit how important this task of Christian discipleship truly is.

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I can think of no one who is better equipped to write a definitive, instructive, and utterly useful book on this subject. It is clear, concise, and truly inspiring. He and I both agree that when biblical truths are articulated simply and boldly, they will surely refresh the spirit and enlighten the mind. Prepare yourself for such an experience as you meditate on the truths within this short but weighty book. Having experienced the majesty of God’s revealed truths about Jesus Christ, I suspect that those who understand the biblical story of God will surely recognize it as a treasure, a masterpiece, a one-of-a-kind blessing. It is priceless, a message that must be studied, embodied, and shared with everyone for what it is – the words of eternal life. I have little doubt that those who read Ryan’s book slowly – with curiosity and care – will recognize the tremendous value of the Story of God, the message of hope that is provided in the Gospel, and challenge to every believer to guard this good deposit given to us by the Father to defend. May all of us who believe be empowered through God’s Holy Spirit to guard the good deposit that the Father has given to his people to delight in, and to share with the world. Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis Wichita, Kansas July 2, 2019

I ntroduction

The Great Tradition for the Whole Church

The early church was mainly made up of nobodies and cast-offs. The poor lower classes, the slaves, the women and children were the majority of the Church. Most Christians could not read or write. Very few had an influence or status in society. They were opposed and oppressed at every turn. Yet it was these ancient Christians who experienced some of the most dynamic and explosive growth the Church has ever known. How do the nobodies and cast-offs do such amazing things for Christ and his Kingdom? How do they learn Christian truth? How do they share the faith? How do they pray or worship? How do they represent Christ and his Kingdom? The Great Tradition of the Church formed in response to questions like these. “The Great Tradition represents the central core of Christian belief and practice derived from Scripture that runs between the time of Christ and the middle of the fifth century.” 1 It is the legacy of early Christian

1 Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis, Sacred Roots , TUMI, 2010, p. 74.

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engagement with Scripture that fundamentally shaped the Church as we know it. The early Church built a rule of faith (a creed) that summarizes the core of the faith from Scripture. They created a service of the Word and the Table that keys all gathered worship to the Gospel of Christ and his Kingdom. They Christianized the Jewish festival calendar to pattern their own spiritual lives on the story of God in Christ. The Word of God dwelt richly in them and they became a light representing Christ and his Kingdom in the world. Their beliefs and practices became the Sacred Roots of every branch of the Church. We Can All Guard the Good Deposit By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you (2 Tim. 1.14). Jesus of Nazareth has all authority in heaven and on earth. He conquered sin, death, and Satan, and established a Kingdom that will never end. He poured the Holy Spirit on the Church and sent us to call everyone everywhere to freedom and eternal life. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. ‘Us’ means the whole church. Every believer – man, woman, boy, and girl, no matter your age, culture, ethnicity, personality, education, background, or wealth – if the Holy Spirit dwells within you, you can guard the good deposit that as been entrusted to you. Friends, our intent is to empower whole Church to guard the good deposit that has been entrusted to us. The Great Tradition provides a clear witness to what has been

Introduction • 13

believed and practiced everywhere, always, by all Christians. It serves as a reliable pattern for the whole Church to represent Christ with faithfulness and freedom. We have been entrusted with a good deposit of faith and practice. It is our time to represent Christ and his Kingdom for our cities, communities, and families. It is our time to guard the good deposit .

S ection I: W hy M ust W e G uard the G ood D eposit ?

Do we really need the Great Tradition? We must guard the good deposit because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation! The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Guarding the Good Deposit . . . • Frees us to minister the Gospel faithfully. • Frees us to multiply faithful laborers. • Frees us to empower faithful movements and churches.

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Common Objections and Misconceptions If you are saying to yourself, ‘I am not so sure about this Great Tradition’ or maybe, ‘I don’t really think we need the Great Tradition,’ you are not alone. Before we answer why must we guard the good deposit, it is important to stop and address some objections to retrieving the Great Tradition.

Doesn’t the Bible condemn tradition? Is retrieving the Great Tradition unbiblical?

Jesus makes one point brutally clear: not all tradition is godly tradition. He accuses the Pharisees of “making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down” (Mark 7.13). Likewise, not everything the early church did or said should be regarded as godly tradition. To paraphrase one of the early fathers, “Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s true.” 1 However, the Bible mainly presents a positive outlook on tradition. 2 Paul, for instance tells the Thessalonians to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thess. 2.15). We are advocating guarding the scriptural witness to Christ and his Kingdom by confessing it in our

1 “Custom without truth is simply the antiquity of error” (Cyprian, in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs , David Bercot, ed. Hendrickson, 1998, p. 647).

2 See Appendix 3, Traditions , on page 65.

Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? • 17

theology, retelling and reenacting it in our worship, embodying it in our spirituality, and continuing it in our witness. The good deposit we guard consists of what has been believed and practiced everywhere, always, by all Christians. In the words of Dr. Don Davis: The Great Tradition represents the central core of Christian belief and practice derived from Scripture that runs between the time of Christ and the middle of the fifth century. In a formative way, this Tradition articulates the Church’s faith and practice, its joyful, faithful response to the truth of God’s sovereign work of grace in the world. We believe that most of what has proven essential and foundational to Christian theology, spirituality, and witness was articulated by the ancient undivided Church . . . 3 Isn’t the Bible enough? Does retrieving the Great Tradition threaten the authority of Scripture? Let us be completely clear: The Scriptures alone are the final authority for Christian life and faith. They are the very Word of God and nothing compares with them. They are sufficient for life and godliness. The problem is that false teachers and weird groups used the Scriptures to defend ideas that went against the Apostles’ teachings. This forced the early church to work out biblical doctrines and practices. The

3 Davis, Sacred Roots, p. 74.

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Great Tradition is the record and fruit of the ancient church guarding the good deposit. We have several incredible gifts that we take for granted because of the Great Tradition. The list of New Testament books, the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of Christ as the God-Man, and the basic services and celebrations of the Church all trace their origin to the Great Tradition. Each of the gifts, not explicitly contained in the Scriptures, enables us to faithfully believe, live, and proclaim the Scriptures. The Great Tradition is the legacy of early Christian engagement with Scripture that shaped the Church. The early church used the text of the Bible to work out their theology, worship, spirituality, and witness. Retrieving the Great Tradition actually demands that we demonstrate our respect for the authority of Scripture in every area of life and faith. Is this rigid man-made religion? Does retrieving the Great Tradition threaten the freedom of the Spirit? Friends, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!” (2 Cor 3.17). We must reject legalism in every form. We must not accept man-made rules and regulations. Christian freedom, however, is the freedom to represent. The faith was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). We are recipients of the faith, called to faithfully guard the good deposit and entrust it to others who will be faithful.

Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? • 19

You and I are not the first generation of the Church. We stand in a long line of brothers and sisters who have served Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Great Tradition is a record of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. No generation of the Church should try to rebuild the faith from scratch. We have the privilege to stand on the shoulders of giants! The Spirit of God leads us not only individually, but also through his people both past and present. The Great Tradition represents the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to the one Church united across the ages. The Great Tradition offers us a clear foundation for our freedom. It provides us with the tools we need to guard the good deposit as we live the radical freedom of the Spirit.

Does this make us Catholic? Does retrieving the Great Tradition threaten our Protestant identity?

When compared with the Great Tradition, the modern divisions and denominations of the Church are quite recent. The Great Tradition dates to the first 400 years of the church (c.100–500 AD). All our core doctrine and practices formed during this time. These truly are the sacred roots from which every branch of the church has grown. The division of the Church as we know it today began in 1054 with the split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Catholic Church. In the

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West, the division between Catholic and Protestant dates to the 1500’s. Without idealizing the ancient Church, we can say that it was essentially one body during the time of the Great Tradition. The Great Tradition, therefore, belongs to every branch of the Church as our common heritage. We do not need to give up the unique identity and history of our own traditions to retrieve the Great Tradition. “[The core tenets of the Great Tradition] represent the common roots of the Christian faith that, freshly understood and practiced, can bring renewal and revival to the fractured, splintered, and confused practice in many of our churches today.” 4 Is this stuffy high church? Aren’t you forcing your culture on everyone? Does retrieving the Great Tradition threaten our cultural identity? Retrieving the Great Tradition does not demand that we change our culture. We suffer from the confusion of the Great Tradition itself with the specific cultural ways that the Church has expressed the tradition throughout history. Tradition (or what is handed down) comes in three varieties. 5 First, we have the authoritative tradition of the Apostles and the Prophets, the Scriptures

4 Davis, Sacred Roots , p. 33

5 For more detail on this see Appendix 3, Traditions , on page 65.

Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? • 21

themselves. The authoritative tradition is infallible and universal. Second, the Great Tradition is the common core of the faith handed down from the ancient undivided Church. Vincent of Lerins provides a helpful guide to this sort of tradition saying it is what has been believed and practiced “everywhere, always, and by all.” Finally, there are specific traditions. Within a cultural and historical context, the Great Tradition is expressed by specific traditions (Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, Anglican, etc.). Each of these expressions embodies the Great Tradition in some form, but none of them is the Great Tradition itself. The Great Tradition is ancient, universal, consensual Christianity. Though it may be expressed in dozens of cultures, it belongs to none of them. We are committed to guarding the good deposit of what has been believed everywhere, always, by all. Is this too complicated for the whole Church? Does retrieving the Great Tradition threaten our practicality and relevance? All Christians can guard the good deposit of what has been believed everywhere, always, by all. Understood properly, the Great Tradition makes it much simpler for the whole Church to guard the good deposit. The Spirit of God has given us tools to equip every believer to serve the Lord, no matter their background or situation.

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The Great Tradition makes the richness of the faith clear and simple through memorable, repeatable forms. Not everyone will study doctrine, but everyone can affirm with the Church ‘We believe in One God. . . . We believe in One Lord. . . . We believe in the Holy Spirit. . . .” Not everyone has access to pastoral manuals, but everyone can retell and reenact the Gospel through a simple order of the Word and the Table. Not everyone will craft clever and interesting sermon series, but everyone can follow along with the life of Jesus through the Church Year. The Great Tradition offers the whole Church the tools to guard the good deposit. The Power of God for Salvation So then, why must we guard the good deposit? We must guard the good deposit because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation! For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1.16). Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. He is the spotless lamb slain for our sin, he is conquering lion who crushes the serpent’s head. He will return one day to put all his enemies under his feet and make all things new. The simple facts of the Gospel are the very power of salvation. This message, this Gospel, has been entrusted to us like a treasure put in a common breakable clay pot (2 Cor. 4.7) We are ambassadors of Christ, and through us God announces salvation for the world (2 Cor. 5.20).

Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? • 23

What must we do? How can we be faithful to such a high calling? We join the great company of believers across the ages and we guard the good deposit. We receive the message about Christ and his Kingdom. We faithfully believe, live, and teach this message in fresh and creative ways. We entrust it to faithful people who will guard it and entrust it to others. The Harvest Is Plentiful, but the Workers Are Few However, this pattern of guarding the good deposit faces a significant challenge. Traditional methods of training faithful people cannot keep up with the Gospel. The Kingdom is expanding rapidly among people who will never set foot in a seminary classroom or read a book of theology. Truly, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matt. 9.37). Thousands upon thousands of leaders serve the Lord with little or no training. And yet, the Lord has delivered, called, and gifted them to represent him and lead his Church. The key reason we need to retrieve the Great Tradition is so that the whole Church can represent Christ with faithfulness and freedom. Every far-flung believer and church is connected to our sacred roots like a leaf on the one glorious family tree of Christ. The mighty roots of the Great Tradition can refresh the whole Church and empower us all to represent Christ with faithfulness and freedom. There are at least three ways our sacred roots set us free to be faithful.

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Freedom to Minister the Gospel Faithfully Christ has entrusted to us the very words of life, the Gospel of his Kingdom. Substitute versions of the Gospel abound. We see gospels of prosperity, self-help, political agenda, and many others in the Church today. Every culture is liable to give rise to its own varieties of a false gospel. The Holy Spirit frees us to take the Gospel everywhere and to do what we must so that people can understand and embrace it (see 1 Cor. 9.19–23). However, we must never tamper with the truth itself! The extreme freedom of the Gospel means that we must know the truth and we must have clear ways to pass on the truth. How do we ensure faithfulness to the truth? Do we send everyone to seminary or Bible college for several years? Do we encourage everyone to read certain texts and listen to certain lectures? Maybe we invite everyone to attend certain conferences? The Great Tradition offers us a more viable solution. The rule of faith serves both as guide and guardrail in the understanding and proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. The service of the Word and Table retells and reenacts the Gospel for the gathered Church. The Church Year paints the Gospel over our whole lives year after year. Embracing the Great Tradition frees the whole Church to minister the Gospel faithfully!

Freedom to Multiply Faithful Laborers The Lord is raising up a generation of laborers for his Church who simply break traditional molds and defy conventional models of training. How does the Church

Section I: Why Must We Guard the Good Deposit? • 25

equip these called, anointed, gifted laborers to guard the good deposit? We believe the same Holy Spirit who descended upon the Apostles, who propelled the Apostle Paul in mission, and who has empowered every great saint across the ages rests on laypeople and leaders throughout the whole Church today. We must find reliable and credible ways to train, authorize, and release these leaders. The danger of sending false teachers into the world is great. Many greedy self-centered people have abused the flock of God for personal gain. How do we fulfill Paul’s instruction to entrust the truth to faithful people, who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2.2)? Again, where traditional methods and strategies fall short, the Great Tradition offers a real way forward. The rule of faith provides a clear theological standard for training and authorization of laborers. The service of the Word and Table provides concrete training material for laborers of the Church. The Church Year gives a big picture for planning the whole life of the Church. Embracing the Great Tradition frees the whole Church to multiply faithful laborers! Freedom to Empower Faithful Churches and Movements The end game of guarding the good deposit is seeing faithful congregations of believers confessing, worshiping, following, and sharing Christ at the very ends of the earth until he comes again in glory. The engine that moves the Church forward is spiritual reproduction, disciples making disciples, churches

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planting churches, and movements sparking movements. The spirit and power of the ancient Church to expand and multiply rapidly can still be seen today around the world. God’s Kingdom is advancing powerfully through disciple-making and church-planting movements. Consistent spiritual reproduction requires beliefs and practices that are easily passed on from person to person and church to church. The Great Tradition provides a credible and substantive guide to what is worth reproducing everywhere. Embracing the Great Tradition frees the whole Church to empower faithful churches and movements!

S ection II: W hat I s the D eposit W e G uard ?

The good deposit is the scriptural witness to the person and work of the Triune God, focusing especially on Christ and his Kingdom, confessed in our theology, retold and reenacted in our worship, embodied in our spirituality, and continued in our witness.

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The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots What exactly is this good deposit that we are guarding? By ‘the good deposit’ we mean the scriptural witness to the person and work of the Triune God, focusing especially on Christ and his Kingdom, confessed in our theology, retold and reenacted in our worship, embodied in our spirituality, and continued in our witness. At its heart, the Great Tradition is simply the story of God infused into the whole life of the Church. This short book depends heavily on Sacred Roots by Dr. Don L. Davis. What follows here is a summary of his excellent guide to the Great Tradition. 1 Our faith is founded on the objective fact that God moves first. In grace and love he has acted in human history. As the Church, we are always in the position of responding to and participating in his story.

The Objective Foundation: The Triune God’s Unfolding Drama

Christianity can never be understood when we begin with ourselves. We must recognize that the God of the universe, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is acting in history to bring about his own purposes for his glory. “God is telling his own Story and acting in his own unfolding drama, a true tale which culminates in the person and work of Jesus Christ.” 2 The person and work of the Triune God as revealed in Scripture are the objective foundation of the story.

1 Davis, Sacred Roots , pp. 74-83.

2 Davis, Sacred Roots , p. 75.

Section II: What Is the Deposit We Guard? • 29

The Alpha and Omega: The Eternal God, Our Father The Great Tradition is rooted in the fact that there is one God, almighty and eternal, the true creator and ruler of all things. Even though human beings rebelled against his rule, he graciously covenanted to redeem humanity from the tyranny of sin, death, and Satan. In his great love, the Father determined to save through his Son a people that would bring him eternal glory. He has been working to redeem all things, and one day will re-create the heavens and earth, and dwell with his people forever. Christus Victor: Christ the Son, Our Lord The Great Tradition grows from the conviction that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord. In the fullness of time, God the Son took on flesh, born of a virgin, and became human. Jesus came as the Messiah, and through his perfect life, innocent suffering and sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father, he gained victory over sin, death, and Satan. He provided salvation for humanity and reasserted God’s kingdom rule in the world. Very soon he will return to destroy evil forever and make all things new.

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Come, Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Life, Our Helper

The Great Tradition depends entirely on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God lives in us, uniting us across space and time. Through the power of the indwelling Spirit, the Church is enabled to know God, experience his restoration, represent Christ, and proclaim his victory to all people everywhere.

Your Word Is Truth: The Holy Bible, Our Scripture

The Great Tradition makes clear that the Scriptures alone are God’s Word. Through the prophets and apostles, God has given a final record of his mighty saving acts in history, and the promise of his future kingdom work. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures, illumines them for the Church, revealing Jesus as their center, theme, and subject. Through them, he also gives the Church sustaining spiritual food.

Section II: What Is the Deposit We Guard? • 31

The Subjective Response: The Church’s Participation in God’s Unfolding Drama As Christians, you and I exist entirely as a response to and participation in the person and work of the Triune God. In grace and love God has invited us into his unfolding drama. We now live inside his story as participants through our theology, worship, spirituality, and witness.

The Great Confession: Our Theology To be a Christian is to confess that certain things are true. We believe and defend the truth revealed by God in Scripture. The Great Tradition summarizes our beliefs in a rule of faith, or a simple statement that serves as a standard and guide for our theology. For over 1,600 years, the Nicene Creed has served as the rule of faith for the Church. His Life in Us: Our Worship From the earliest days, Christians have gathered for the worship service of the Word and the Table. The gathered Church retells God’s story through the Scripture and reenacts the climax of God’s story through the Lord’s Supper. The Great Tradition provides us with the basic weekly worship service (or liturgy) of the Word and the Table.

Living in the Way: Our Spirituality We are conformed to the image of Jesus as we follow him. The early Church reformed the Jewish year around the life of Jesus. Through our celebration of the Church Year, we walk with Christ through his arrival, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and eventual return. The Great Tradition provides us with a basic calendar of the Christian Year and disciplines that key our whole spiritual life to the life of Jesus. Reborn to Serve: Our Witness Christ established a Kingdom that will never end. We are reborn as citizens of his Kingdom. We live in the world as ambassadors of his Kingdom, representing the Lord. Our churches are outposts of God’s Kingdom where people get a foretaste of the new creation. The Great Tradition challenges us to live as witnesses representing Christ and his Kingdom.

Maybe you are saying, “That sounds nice, but how do we actually do this?” The next section will answer your question by exploring each of these four responses.

S ection III: H ow D o W e G uard the G ood D eposit ?

As the Church, we are the people of this story! The Word of God saturates our whole lives. As the people of this story, we embrace our sacred roots in our theology (or beliefs), worship, spirituality, and witness.

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How Do We Guard the Good Deposit? We are the people of this story. We stand inside the unfolding drama of the Triune God. We live between Acts and Revelation as a part of the biblical narrative. What do we do? What part do we play? We respond to and participate in God’s person and work. Our goal is simply to help infuse the whole life of the Church with the story of God. The subjective side of the Story of God outlines four dimensions of our part in the story. Guarding the good deposit will mean rediscovering our sacred roots in our theology (or beliefs), worship, spirituality, and witness.

The Great Confession: Our Theology What do we Christians believe? It seems like a simple question, but when we view the whole Church, we find a great variety of beliefs with many important disagree­ ments. How do we know what has been believed everywhere, always, by all? For over 1,600 years, the Nicene Creed has served as the Church’s basic statement of our common beliefs, or the rule of faith.

The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

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We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father, through whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic 1 , and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin, and we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen. 2

1 This term means “universal” and refers to the one Church united in all places and all times. For more information on this word see Appendix 2, The Term ‘Catholic’ , p. 61.

2 For The Nicene Creed with Biblical Support see Appendix 1, p. 57.

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Why Do We Need the Nicene Creed?

We need the Nicene Creed to help us make sense of the Bible. Let’s all admit it; the Bible is long and confusing. Christians have been trying to work out its meaning for centuries. With so many different parts, how does it all work together? We believe the Bible does present a unified message about who God is and what he is doing in the world. The Nicene Creed helps us see clearly the one message concerning the person and work of God in Scripture. It does this first by providing us with a portrait of the Triune God, so we can recognize him in the Scriptures. A portrait is a picture of a person. It is flat, and it does not move or speak. It gives a good sense of what the person looks like. No one, however, would confuse a portrait for the actual living breathing human being. In the same way, the Nicene Creed gives a quick portrait of God. It gives a good look at who he is. We only meet the true and living God, however, as we encounter him in the Scriptures and as we walk with him as a part of his Church. The portrait in the Nicene Creed helps us to see him accurately in all of Scripture. The God of creation, promise, judgment, and wrath is the God who became incarnate to die for our sins, and the God who lives in us today. The Nicene Creed gives us a snapshot of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit so we can recognize God from start to end.

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The Creed also provides a map for the Story of the Bible, so we can see how the parts fit together. It puts the story of the Bible in a very small package that we can read quickly. If you think about a map, it is a bird’s-eye view of a place that helps you see where you are and where you are going. It gives you a view that you could never get from where you stand. A map, however, can only convey so much. It can tell you where a river is, but it cannot let you see its beauty or hear its roar. It can show where a forest is, but it can never help you smell the rich soil or feel the density of life. In the same way the Creed gives us a bird’s-eye view of the Bible. It cannot convey the majesty of Isaiah standing before God’s throne (Isa. 6), nor can it help us feel the agony of Jesus’ prayer before his arrest (Luke 22.39–46). It does give us the story of the God who created everything, who sent his Son to save the world and establish a never-ending Kingdom, and then sent his Spirit to lead his people into a new creation. While the Creed may appear to leave out much of the story, it clarifies that Christ is the subject of the Scriptures and their central theme. It is his life, death, and resurrection that sum up everything in the Bible. To make sense of the Bible, we must see it all as the story of Christ and his Kingdom!

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We need the Nicene Creed as a brief memorable outline of the faith. You don’t have to be a genius with lots of education to know good theology. The Nicene Creed delivers the core of Christian theology to us in one bite-size chunk. You should certainly memorize passages of Scripture so that the Word of God sinks deep into your heart and mind. You should also remember how all of Scripture fits together to tell one story of who God is and what he is doing. The Creed is a brief memorable outline of the faith for every Christian. Children can learn it, families can recite it, pastors can teach it, and scholars can study it. It works for babies in Christ and for the elders of the faith. No one outgrows these fundamental truths. We need the Nicene Creed to protect ourselves and others from false teachings. The devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8.44). He never stops assaulting the minds of Christians with falsehood. If we look at how he tempted Jesus, we see that sometimes he twists Scripture for his own purposes (Luke 4.10–11). His falsehoods can even appear biblical and he disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11.13–14). The Nicene Creed arms us with a simple first line of defense against the falsehood of the enemy. False teachings are everywhere. We listen to them on the radio, see them on TV, read them in books, and often hear them from our friends.

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Again, the Creed is not a substitute for memorizing Scripture. It simply arms us with the clear understanding of the big picture of what we believe.

How Do We Retrieve the Nicene Creed?

Use the Nicene Creed to make sense of the Bible. Personal Bible study is extremely important. However, you should never think that Christianity is simply what you discover in personal Bible study. We don’t need to reinvent the good deposit. The Nicene Creed helps put it all together for us. Here are three practical ways you can use the Creed to make sense of the Bible. 1. Keep the big picture in mind . God is the same God working the same purposes from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It can be easy to get lost in the laws of Leviticus or the stories of the Judges. While there is always more to learn about the Bible, never forget that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always working to destroy the works of the devil and redeem the world. 2. Christ is the central theme, subject, and character in the Bible. He is promised, hoped for, and pictured in the Old Testament. He is revealed and explained in the New. No matter what you are reading, he is always the final meaning of Scripture. Find him and you find the way, the truth, and the life (John 14.6). 3. Refuse the temptation to make the Bible about you and your life. The Bible is not a self-help book, an

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instruction manual, or a book of answers. The Bible is God’s story. Sure, it gives us instruction on how to respond to him, and how to live, but his person and work is always the focus. “God, the divine narrator, is saying: I have a purpose for humanity and a purpose for creation and history. I am not asking for permission to join your narrative (although I do). I am asking you to join my narrative of the world, of human existence, and of all history.” 3 We must learn to say with Jesus, “not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22.42). Master the Nicene Creed’s outline of the facts of the Gospel. The wonderful truth of the Gospel is too good to keep to ourselves! If we have experienced the grace and love of God, we must share it with others. As we said earlier, the Holy Spirit frees us to take the Gospel everywhere and to do what we must so that people can understand and embrace it. However, we must never tamper with the truth itself! The extreme freedom of the Gospel means that we must know the truth and we must have clear ways to pass on the truth. The saving facts of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and return are outlined perfectly in the Nicene Creed. It can serve as guide and a guardrail for us as we proclaim the Gospel with boldness.

3 Robert Webber, Who Gets to Narrate the World , IVP, 2008, p. 25.

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Deepen your understanding of the truth through the Nicene Creed and pass it on to others. You could study the statements of the Nicene Creed for the rest of your life and never exhaust their depths. We can use the Creed as a guide to deepen our understanding. It serves as a springboard into virtually every major truth of Scripture. There is endless material for study. If you think you have it all figured out, remember 1 Corinthians 8.2, “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” As we gain understanding, the Creed also continues to provide us with a simple way to share what we have learned. You should talk about your faith with your family and friends. The clear brief statements lend themselves to explanation and conversation.

The Nicene Creed is truly second to none as a way to guard the good deposit in our theology.

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His Life in Us: Our Worship We need to go to church. If the Great

Tradition is clear about anything, it is clear on this: the weekly service of the Word and Table is central the Christian life. Yes, it is true that the church is not a building but the people. It is also true that going to church does not make one a Christian; only faith in Christ can do that. None of this, however, changes the fact the Christians need to be in weekly worship with a church. We need the Word and Table to keep us centered on Christ and his Kingdom. The world, the flesh, the devil all team up to convince us that each of us is god. ‘My needs, my wants, my goals, these are where all my attention and energy should focus.’ It is precisely the lie Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden, “You will be like God . . .” (Gen. 3.5). We need worship at least every week to remind us that Jesus is Lord and that we are not. He is the only one worthy of all our attention and energy. His glory, his purposes, and his Kingdom should be our focus. Satan tries to blind our minds and distract our focus (2 Cor 4.4). The weekly worship service helps us see clearly by re-centering us on Christ and his Kingdom. Why Do We Need the Word and Table?

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We need Word and Table to retell and reenact the biblical witness concerning Christ. From very beginning the Church worship service has been centered on the Word of God and the Table of the Lord. In the Word we retell the story of Scripture. Through reading, preaching, teaching, and songs we soak ourselves in the Bible. At the Table we reenact the climax of the story. We join the disciples on the night when Jesus was betrayed, and he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor. 11.23–26). Worship recalls us to the basic facts of the Gospel. We never stop needing the cross. We have eternal life only through Christ’s death. We are saved and set free because he was taken captive and killed. We need to gather to remember this until he comes again. We need the Word and Table for worship that has life and variety. God is not boring. He is a creative warrior poet. He is a miracle-working mighty mystery. He is a gentle whisper, a flowing fountain, and a consuming fire. He is all this and more, but never boring.

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In the Bible he revealed himself with such amazing variety, in stories, poems, songs, prophecies, parables, letters, apocalyptic visions, and mighty works. We need worship that reflects all this life and variety. Sometimes that will mean loud, sweaty, active services. Sometimes, it may mean sermons that challenge our minds deeply. Other times we may meet the Lord in quiet stillness. The worship service of the church offers us an opportunity to encounter God in all his lively variety. Resolve to worship for the glory of God alone. I should never be the focus of my worship. Every act, every song, every word should be directed to the Lord (Ps. 115.1). We are invited to come and serve God with the church. Our feelings and our problems can never be the primary focus in worship. Worship is not a performance by leaders, and the church is not an audience at a show. Worship is the work of the people. All of us need to participate and give our worship for the glory of God alone. Commit yourself to worship and serve in the local church. We need a church. The local church is central to our ongoing spiritual life. We need a place where we can find friends to encourage us and stand by us. We need to be in a local body of

How Can We Retrieve the Word and Table?

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people who are gathering to worship, to fellowship, to challenge one another, and to serve the world. We need to stick with that local body, even when things get hard or uncomfortable. Being close to people and having real community will be difficult. Stick it out (see Eph. 4.1–3). We also need a place where we can explore, discover, and develop our spiritual gifts. The Lord expects us to contribute to the community and to help do the work of ministry. Submit yourself to Christ by receiving his Word and his Supper. Personal Bible reading and private devotions are good, but they cannot substitute for the Word and the Table received in the worship service. The Risen Lord revealed himself to his disciples in the explaining of the Word and the breaking of the bread [the Table] (Luke 24.27–31). Christ commanded his followers to teach the Word (Matt. 28.20) and to keep the Table (Luke 22.19). The earliest Church kept the Word and Table (Acts 2.42). Paul delivered as the matters of first importance the Word concerning Christ (1 Cor. 15.3) and the practice of the Table (1 Cor. 11.23). We need to hear the Word read and taught. We need to receive the supper of Christ’s body and blood. These are not add-ons to our personal spirituality. They are the very well-spring of our whole spiritual life.

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Living in the Way: Our Spirituality The goal of our spiritual life is to be more like Jesus (Rom. 8.29). God’s way of forming his people in the Old Testament was to outline a calendar that reminded them of his mighty saving acts (see Deut. 16.1–16). Based on Israel’s calendar the early Church formed the Church Year around God’s might saving acts in Jesus Christ.

The Church Year is “an ancient means by which the Church through the ages has identified itself with the Story of God in Christ. Through the rhythms and observances of the Church Year, believers through history have remembered, reflected upon, and participated in the life of Jesus Christ.” 4

Why Do We Need the Church Year?

We need the Church Year so we keep the main thing the main thing. One of the great challenges in the Christian life is to stay focused on Christ and his Kingdom. The Lord is at work in every area of our lives and our world. The Gospel has implications for how manage our time, how we parent, how we use money, how we work, how we speak, how we relate to society, and so on, until we list everything! It is easy to get side-tracked into one area or another and lose sight of the bigger picture. How do we stay focused? How, over the course months and years, do we keep the main thing the main thing?

4 Davis, Sacred Roots , p. 104.

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The Church Year exists to keep us firmly rooted in the Story of God in Christ. In broad outline we follow the life and ministry of Jesus and tread in his footsteps year after year. We remember the promise and hope of Messiah through the long ages past (Advent). We celebrate the arrival of Messiah, born of a Virgin, laid in a manger in Bethlehem (Christmas). We walk with Jesus of Nazareth as he teaches and shows the world that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Epiphany). We follow Jesus, God’s suffering servant, who humbly gives his life as a ransom for many (Lent). We share in the sufferings and death of Christ in order that we may be raised to new life in him (Holy Week). We shout for joy because Jesus is risen from the dead; Christ is the victor over sin, death, and Satan (Easter)! We remember Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit to fill and empower the church (Ascension and Pentecost). In these last days the Spirit-filled church submits to the headship of Christ our Lord, labors for the harvest of Christ our Savior, and prepares the way for the second coming of Christ our King (Kingdomtide). Year after year, the church patterns our life together on the story of Jesus in hopes that together we will be conformed to his image.