Regarding the Gospel of John in the New
Testament of the Bible, Bruce Milne had this to say.
Testament of the Bible, Bruce Milne had this to say.
“The mystery of Jesus Christ is the theme
of this gospel; always beyond us, yet always summoning us to explore it more
fully. . . . the Godhead will be our endless, though blissful task in the world
to come; but we can begin it now.”[1]
of this gospel; always beyond us, yet always summoning us to explore it more
fully. . . . the Godhead will be our endless, though blissful task in the world
to come; but we can begin it now.”[1]
An “endless but blissful task in the world
to come;” here and now, we struggle to understand who Jesus is, the place of
God the Father, and the person of the Holy Spirit. Many times we are challenged
by new religious movements like Oneness Pentecostalism, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Jehovah’s Witnesses as they seek to explain
the Godhead in other than orthodox and traditional ways. Yet, most of us have,
at one time or another considered the conclusions to which they have been
drawn. The mystery of Jesus is “always beyond us.” None of us can say that we
have this mystery worked out perfectly in our mind, none of us have completed
the blissful or difficult task of exploring the mystery fully. Perhaps a good
place for us to start would be to study and meditate upon the simple, yet
sublime, words of the Nicene Creed from around 325 CE.
to come;” here and now, we struggle to understand who Jesus is, the place of
God the Father, and the person of the Holy Spirit. Many times we are challenged
by new religious movements like Oneness Pentecostalism, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Jehovah’s Witnesses as they seek to explain
the Godhead in other than orthodox and traditional ways. Yet, most of us have,
at one time or another considered the conclusions to which they have been
drawn. The mystery of Jesus is “always beyond us.” None of us can say that we
have this mystery worked out perfectly in our mind, none of us have completed
the blissful or difficult task of exploring the mystery fully. Perhaps a good
place for us to start would be to study and meditate upon the simple, yet
sublime, words of the Nicene Creed from around 325 CE.
Nicene
Creed[2]
Creed[2]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one
Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he 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.
Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he 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, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
(Hear more on October
2, 2016 as this will be the theme for the sermon at Bow Valley Christian
Church, Calgary.)
2, 2016 as this will be the theme for the sermon at Bow Valley Christian
Church, Calgary.)
Works Cited
Milne, Bruce. The Message of
John: Here is Your King. Downers Grove, 1993.
John: Here is Your King. Downers Grove, 1993.
Wikipedia. “Nicene Creed.” Wikipedia.
September 16, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed (accessed
September 23, 2016).
September 16, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed (accessed
September 23, 2016).
[1] (Milne 1993)
[2] (Wikipedia 2016)