Our Need for Clarity

I Believe …
Our Need for Clarity

I. Introduction

A. Creed (Latin “credo” – I )

B. Purpose of early creeds:

1. A of faith

2. A tool for and essential elements of the Christian faith.

3. Correcting theology

a. As faith moves through culture, much as a ship moves through water, over time, faith picks up cultural accretions that attach to the hull of faith, distorting its form, structure, purpose and intent. Belief barnacles, preference and cultural barnacles, false teaching barnacles that fuse to the Christian faith, slowing its forward movement, knocking it off course, changing its structure, until it becomes an awkward, clumsy, errant representation of its original form and purpose.

C. The Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

1. the narrative of culture

2. Identifying their

II. Our Need for Clarity

A. Gnosticism (Greek “gnosis” – )

1. Colossians 2:8 (NIV) See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

B. Docetism (Greek “dokeo” – to seem)

1. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV) ¹⁴Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by this death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil – ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

2. I Corinthians 15:14, 17 (NIV) ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

C. Marcionism

D. Sabellianism/Modalism

1. the Trinity

E. Ebionites

1. Ephesians 4:14 (NIV) Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

III. Anchor

A. Modern heresy:

1. Jediism/Pantheism

2. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

a. Moralistic – We equate faith with being a good, moral person.

b. Therapeutic – Faith becomes a means of feeling better.

c. Deism – God exists but is not involved in human affairs with any regularity.

B. Ephesians 2:10a (NIV) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus ….

IV. Conclusion