Read 2 Tim 2:1-2
Reformed smokers are the worst kind, aren’t they? But what about reformed church historians?!! Throughout my Bible College years I dreaded church history subjects! More dates. More councils. More dates and even more dates. But when I started parish ministry I soon realized how relevant and valuable church history was. How I wished I’d paid more attention! Doh!
So many people who sat in the pews week after week disclosed to me, often privately, that they struggled with the very issues we had studied in Church History. So many struggled with issues related to the Trinity and to the persons of the Godhead that I was sorely tempted to simply preach through the first 400 years of the church!
The early church struggled and wrestled with many issues. Two errors that crept into the church were modalism and adoptionism. Modalism taught that God is one and all three persons operate or behave in different modes at different times. God the Father created the world then became God the Redeemer and then at Pentecost became God the Spirit. Adoptionism argued that God created the Word as the first of His works and through the Word created all things. The Logos was only one with the Father in mission and goal. He was not deity. He came to be called the Son of God because He was adopted by the Father due to His willing and perfect obedience!
As the church wrestled with these questions it called many councils and debated and argued and came to an orthodox understanding of the Truth.
The Council of Nicaea met in 325AD and dealt with the issue of Christ’s deity. It declared.
We believe in one God, 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: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and 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. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He 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.
Note: The word "catholic" with a lower case 'c' does not mean the Roman Catholic Church, but the universal Christian Church as a whole.
The Council of Chalcedon met in 451AD to deal with the issue of the human and divine nature of Christ. It declared
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards His Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards His manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards His Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards His manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of Him, and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.
The history of the church is not a boring litany of dates and names. It is the narrative of how godly men and women have fought, often with their very lives, to preserve the truth and to pass it down to future generations. Since we live in an age of relativism and individualism the result is a ’who cares?’ mentality where each person has his/her beliefs in total isolation to others. The modern day believer would do well to read the battles and struggles of bygone eras to protect the truth. The modern day believer would do well to take on such a spirit as well.
Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
ª Ask the Lord to bless your church gathering tomorrow and that He’d be powerfully present among you. Pray that the Word would be faithfully proclaimed and that the children would be faithfully taught as well. Pray for a growth in godliness in everyone.
ª Pray that each person in your congregation would have a passionate desire to know the truth and to speak it out in all situations. Pray that everyone who loves Jesus would share that love with non-believers and that you’d see your church grow 30,60 even 100 fold.
Witness Moment – We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit when we are witnessing. He will give us wise words to use, the right approach and the right heart. But He will never contradict the Scriptures and He will never seek to bring someone to God except through faith in Christ!
1. How can you tell if a prompting or inner voice is from the Holy Spirit or not?
2. Some people say that the Bible doesn’t say ‘The Holy Spirit is God’ so we aren’t called to believe it. How do you respond?
3. What is the role of the Holy Spirit throughout Scripture?
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