Introduction
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same substance with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and was 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. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
What a beautiful declaration of our Faith.
The prayer above formally recognized as the Nicene Creed or Creed of Constantinople was adopted as a statement of faith that combats all heretical teachings of that day as well as today and recognizes the doctrine of the Trinity. This Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (a more accurate term), is also the only ecumenical creed because it is accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. The word catholic (with a small c) refers to the universal church and not the Roman Catholic church exclusively.
We must make this declaration the beginning of all things affecting our body, soul, and Spirit – our life as we know it.
Then, What Must We Do
We alone are responsible for:
- Personal growth.
- Sensitivity to Social Relationships
- Not being drawn away by our desires.
- Walking our way to heaven, not talking our way.
Personal Growth
When I talk about personal growth I am not just talking about our Faith. Of course, we must study to become worthy of our inheritance not just the Bible. We must become educated and aware of our worldly surroundings. This, along with our Faith, is a continuing process. It may begin with our schooling when we were young and in grade school and high school but, it should never end there. We can only gain Wisdom when we have Knowledge to apply. Knowledge and Wisdom are keys to personal growth. Remember, however, as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 1:18 ESV says:
“For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
Don’t flinch at this Scripture because these vexations and sorrows are the trials that strengthen us in our Faith.
When we hear the saying, “Ignorance is bliss”, this is true only for the ignorant and comes with grave consequences. It is not meant for the Body of Christ, the Church, to be ignorant.
It is easy for us, who are knowledgeable, to blame others for our poor educational system and the apathy of our children which has extended to our adulthood today. However, through our (Christian) apathy, ignorance, and “feel good” preaching we have become responsible for all disasters in society. Christians must put action to our beliefs.
“My dear brothers and sisters, what good is it if someone claims to have faith but demonstrates no good works to prove it? How could this kind of faith save anyone? For example, if a brother or sister in the faith is poorly clothed and hungry and you leave them saying, “Good-bye. I hope you stay warm and have plenty to eat,” but you don’t provide them with a coat or even a cup of soup, what good is your faith? So then faith that doesn’t involve action is phony. But someone might object and say, “One person has faith and another person has works.” Go ahead then and prove to me that you have faith without works and I will show you faith by my works as proof that I believe.” (James 2:12-18 TPT)
If you profess to be a Christian and say you never want to get involved in Politics or otherworldly endeavors, fine. Prepare to live with the status quo and understand it’s going to get worse.
Sensitivity to Social Relationships
This fits right in with Personal Growth. I have often said that “I hate watching the news because it is so, evil, negative, and full of lies. I don’t know what to believe”. I confess that engaging in these pursuits is a very blind way of approaching life and Christianity if we do it exclusively. However, we must know what people are doing if we are going to minister to them. We must know what is happening in the world. We can see and know what people believe in if we read and watch the news. How? Because the news is what people believe even though it may be a lie. That is the trend of the world social order. Use the gifts that God has given us. Use discernment and our Gospel knowledge of right and wrong to guide people to the truth. Become informed never just sit back and accept.
How can we lend counsel to our neighbor and voice Godly opinions if we are happy being ignorant? We can’t!
Do Not Be Drawn Away By Our Desires
We all feel the pull of our desires. Some of these may be God-given and righteous but others often lean to the “feels good” mentality. You know what that is – “If it feels good do it”. Beware, when some of these desires are conceived they become sin and sin brings death. When a Christian does or says something that may not be just right, other Christians and non-Christians will say, “It must be OK, so-n-so just did it or said it.” A good example: a Christian may not say the “F” word but may say “F…ken” thinking its OK because they did not say “F” word exactly. That is a total lie, however, when addressed I have heard many Christians say “It’s OK because…” and “What you’re saying is not true”, trying to defend themselves, not realizing that their words represent their character and their character should always represent their Christ. This may be a small example but look at all the excuses you hear, from Christians” about abortion, euthanasia, marriage, living together, and other “socially acceptable” sins. They often say, “I’m not hurting anyone, so who cares”? I’m willing to chance you can think of many other examples. Always remember there are no shades of gray, only black and white. I have often been accused of being very close-minded. I am. There’s only one way to live your life. “In beginning God…” Always
“…But just let your words ring true. A simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ will suffice. Anything beyond this springs from a deceiver.” (Matthew 5:36-37 TPT)
Walk Your Way to Heaven
Have you ever met people who lead you to believe that they just have their “Fire Insurance”? I’ve met many and seems they surround me. They claim Salvation and that they are “Saved” but they just don’t live the life. I recently read a book called The Didache. It supposedly is a discipleship manual that the Apostles used to mentor new converts. Initially, new converts were baptized immediately after conversion, as we do today. However, when gentiles became followers of Jesus they were required to demonstrate a change in their lives before baptism and acceptance into the Church. Thus, they had to go through a rigorous discipleship program, with a mentor, that may have lasted as long as a year. The new “recruit” had to demonstrate a change in their lives. Before Baptism. No change, no Salvation, no Baptism.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 TPT)
The point is, that we must walk the talk, not just talk the talk. This is an element of conversion that is not emphasized enough in our churches today. When someone tells me that they are “Saved”, I often ask them “How do you know?” If all they can give me is a date and the fact that they prayed “the sinner’s prayer”, I will then ask them emphatically, “Has there been a change in your life?” If they cannot convince me of a change I question their Salvation. Discipleship is paramount and we seldom do it correctly. We have become too soft as Christians in America. In third world countries that is true. Many who give their lives to Jesus are often under threat of being executed for their beliefs. They know this before conversion. Would we do the same?
This is a condition that can not be delegated to anyone else. No priest, minister, teacher, evangelist, prophet, or evangelist can do it for you. You must study to show yourself approved. There must be a change. This change requires sacrifice, maybe your life. This is most often demonstrated in the valleys of our lives. When troubles beset you, how do you behave?
Conclusion
What must we do to be saved? How should we behave? Has there been a change since we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord? Are we continuously pressing in for knowledge and wisdom? God must be at the forefront of everything we do. As I stated above “… in beginning (everything) God…” comes first.
Enough Said
“Thy Words were found, and I did eat them, and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)
