Friday, April 4, 2014

Creed for the Churched and UnChurched


As a Catholic I have probably recited the Creeds (Nicene and Apostle) dozens of times.  I know as a Theology teacher that the creeds have been around since at least the Council of Nicea back some 1800 years ago.

 

Yes as a Catholic these creeds summarize my faith. They unify the beliefs of my Church, and yet as someone who lately is mostly un-churched I know they are only part of my belief.  I know that as a Christian Catholic my relationship with God is of utmost importance, and the creed summarizes some of what that relationship looks like.  I also know that my beliefs are effected by my life experience, my time in Church and out of it.  So here is my Creed:

 

I believe in God, Creator.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son, fully human and fully divine, our Savior, Messiah, Teacher and Friend.
I believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.
I believe that Mary’s Fiat (Lk. 1:38) is the model of perfect Christianity, and that Mary holds a special place in heaven and in Christianity.
I believe that Jesus humbled himself into human form, and shared in our humanity – the joy, struggle and pain of life.
I believe that Jesus was crucified, died, visited hell, and was resurrected into Heaven.
I believe that Jesus lives and reigns in Heaven along with God the Creator.
I believe that Jesus came to save all people, and that those who did not know him are not automatically damned.
I believe in a real heaven and a real hell, and that Jesus as judge will determine where we get to spend our time.
I believe in the Holy Spirit.
I believe in The Church.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins.
I believe that the Saints eternally present in heaven continue to pray for us, and that we can ask for their intercession.
I believe that the Sacraments of the Church improve our lives and bring us closer to Christ.

2 comments:

  1. If you are a catholic I don't believe you are truly saved because you believe in works salvation. I therefore encourage you to learn about Gods true biblical plan of salvation here: https://bible.org/article/gods-plan-salvation.

    Also for learning more about the biblical christian faith pls go to

    http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/
    http://www.sermonaudio.com/main.asp

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  2. Well I guess I will count myself lucky that in the endtimes God shall be choosing my salvation and not you, since you have already determined I have no chance to be saved. The quote you referenced from 1John is definitely an important one - it is true that we have live in Christ! That is mentioned many times in Scripture, my personal favorite is probably 2 Corinthians 5:17. I am definitely familiar with Biblical Christianity and have studied theology (Catholic primarily but not exclusively) and while I am far from an apologist or theologian I am quite comfortable with the knowledge that while man may judge, God is the final judge. I believe that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17) and that ".... now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefits you reap lead to holiness and the gift is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Our Lord."

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