Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- as we
begin this morning, I would like to invite you to recite with me the Nicene
Creed, which is found on page 880 of your hymnal or you can follow along on the
printed handout I gave you
The Nicene
Creed
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,
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.
-- this
morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on the Nicene Creed, the statement
of faith that all Christians everywhere affirm from east to west – from
Catholic to Protestant – even those who claim to be noncreedal churches
-- last
week, we talked about the first statement of faith proclaimed in the creed –
our belief in one God, the Father Almighty – this morning, we’re moving forward
to the second great statement of faith in the creed, which addresses the second
person of the Trinity – the Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God
-- if you
remember what we talked about in the introduction to this series, creeds and
statements of faith are written for a purpose – they define who we are and what
we believe – they give us a list of standards, by which we live our lives – and
they unite us together as one church and one body on earth, whether we are
Protestant, Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox
-- the
Nicene Creed is no different – and this morning, we are going to look at the
main reason why the early bishops in the New Testament Church met to formulate
this particular statement of faith
-- it all
began in 325 AD, seventeen-hundred years ago, when the ecumenical Council of
Nicaea met under Emperor Constantine to discuss the preparation of a unifying
statement of faith to counter the various heresies and false teachings that
were being spread throughout the empire
-- in the
days of the Apostles, the main heresy the church had to combat was Gnosticism –
the teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh, but only came in a spiritual
form – and that all matter, including the physical body, was evil and corrupt
-- you’ll
see reference to that throughout the New Testament epistles, especially in the
letters of John – 1, 2, and 3 John
-- now, in
325 AD, the issue is not Gnosticism, but a new heresy put forth by the priest
Arius and widely taught and accepted by some in the church
-- Arius
taught that Jesus was not God – He was not deity, but He was a created, divine being
who came to earth to show us the way to the Father – so, according to Arius,
Jesus had not always existed and Jesus was always subservient to the Father –
they were not equal – they were not one
--
controversy about this teaching raged throughout the Roman Empire – so, Emperor
Constantine called together the council of bishops in Nicaea in 325 to address
this question – now understand, Constantine’s interest was not theological – he
was simply trying to unify his empire so there would be no division, even
religious division – but for the Bishops who gathered under Constantine to
discuss this issue, this was a fundamental threat to their understanding of
salvation and who Jesus was
-- so, the
council met to discuss two main questions raised by Arius’ teaching:
-- Has the Son always existed
eternally with the Father, or was the Son begotten at a certain time in the
past?
-- Is the Son equal to the Father
or subordinate to the Father?
-- remember those questions –
remember the main points that the bishops were discussing in the meeting –
because you can see how the Nicene Creed was carefully worded to affirm the
traditional orthodox view of Jesus as the second person of the Trinity
-- with that said, let’s turn in
our Bibles to John 1:1-3 and read that passage together
John 1:1 In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in
the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made.
II. Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God
-- in the
opening words of John’s gospel, he gives us several theological statements that
are the basis for our understanding of who Jesus is and when Jesus came into
being
-- in verse
1, John opens with the statement, “In the beginning” – the same words that our
Bibles open with in Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth”
-- what
does John mean by “the beginning?” – he means the beginning of time and
creation as we understand it – that is the moment that our brains can
comprehend and understand – that, at some point in eternity and infinity, God
brought about His creation and time began
-- but the
thing that both John and the writer of Genesis point out here is that before
the beginning – before anything else existed – there was God
– God has always been here – He was
here before the beginning – He was here in the beginning -- because He is the
One who brought about the beginning of all creation and time – as it says in
Genesis 1:1, “in the beginning, God…”
-- and John
begins his gospel by echoing Genesis 1:1 and telling us, “In the beginning was
the Word” – what do we learn there about the Word? – since the Word was there
in the beginning, that tells us that the Word was present before the beginning
of creation, just like God the Father – this means that the Word has always
existed and has always been present – throughout all eternity
-- and,
beyond that, John goes on to tell us that not only was the Word present in the
beginning, but that the Word was God Himself – “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
-- plain as
day – the Word has always existed – He was not created -- the Word was with God
throughout eternity and infinity and was there at the creation of the world – not
only that, but the Word was God – that makes Him co-equal with God the Father
-- and who
is this mysterious Word that John speaks of here? – look at verse 14
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-- the Word
is the One who became flesh and made His dwelling among us – who is that? – who
does the Bible say became flesh – God incarnate – God with us?
-- it’s Jesus – Jesus is the Word
who was there in the beginning – who was with God – and who was God
-- John describes the Word here as
the “one and only Son” of the Father – or, as the KJV puts it, “the only
begotten of the Father” -- who came to us full of grace and truth and as the
only source of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation to the Father
-- I know
this is basic – Christianity 101 – but this is foundational and non-debatable –
men and women have died over this truth – empires and countries have risen and
fallen over this truth – and it is vital that we don’t just dismiss it out of
hand
-- we need
to know and to believe with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength that
Jesus was the Word – He was with God in the beginning – and He was God
-- that’s
the very thing that the Council of Nicaea met to discuss and to affirm in the
face of Arius’ heresy
-- like I
said, Arius taught that Jesus was not eternal – He was not coequal with God –
but that He was a created being – that there was a moment before time began
that Jesus did not exist – that there was a time when Jesus was not present
-- so,
that’s why the wording in this section of the Nicene Creed was so carefully put
together
-- look at
the Nicene Creed with me now, beginning with the words, “We believe in one
Lord, Jesus Christ” – look at what it says – it says Jesus is the only Son of
God – “eternally begotten of the Father” – eternally – that means Jesus was
always present with the Father – He was there eternally – throughout eternity –
throughout infinity
-- the
creed goes on to declare that Jesus is “God from God – Light from Light – true
God from true God – begotten, not made”
-- do you
see the foundational truth that the Council was trying to put across here? –
contrary to what Arius taught, Jesus was not a created being – He was
“begotten, not made” – He was with God eternally – and He was God
– as John puts it here in verses 1
and 2 -- Jesus was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God – He
was with God in the beginning
-- you’d think this would be plain
as day, but even now, in our community, we have people and groups that do not
agree with the clear teaching of Scripture but who still hold firm to the
teaching of Arius – the Jehovah Witnesses, for instance, do not believe that
Jesus was God and that Jesus has always existed with the Father, even before
the beginning of time and all creation
-- the Jehovah Witnesses teach that
Jesus was a created being – in fact, they teach that Jesus was the archangel
Michael, who God sent to earth to assume the form and person that we know as
Jesus – they believe him to be a lesser, although mighty, god – but not God and
not equal with God the Father
-- and the Mormons – the Latter Day
Saints – while they do not teach that Jesus is a created being, they teach that
he is the literal son of God through procreation – that there was a time when
Jesus did not exist – and that he is the offspring of the eternal Father and
the eternal Mother – and that God the Father was a human who became exalted and
became God by following the Law
-- so, this is important – it is
vitally important for us to get into our heads who Jesus is and who the Bible
says He is – He is the eternal Word – the begotten Son of the Father – who was
and is and always will be -- God from God – Light from Light – true God from
true God
-- and it’s important for us to
know that when other people and other groups talk about Jesus, they may not be
referring to the Jesus that we know – the Jesus the Bible proclaims – and the
Jesus that the Nicene Creed affirms as the one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of
God
-- remember – it was because of
false teachings such as this that the Council of Nicaea was called and the
reason for the writing of the Nicene Creed as the church’s unifying statement
of faith
-- so, when the Jehovah Witnesses
knock on your door, pull out your Bible, turn to John 1, and keep the Nicene
Creed in your thoughts
-- please don’t follow the example
of Santa Claus – St. Nicholas – who was there at the Council of Nicaea in 325
AD – when the Council allowed Arius to stand and present his teachings before
the group and the Emperor, Nicholas listened and got more and more agitated at
the heresy that Arius was putting forth
-- he got up from his seat – went
and stood right in front of Arius as he was teaching – and, all of sudden,
hauled off and whacked Arius in the head – the emperor had to have Nicholas
taken from the hall by the guards
-- so, when people show up at your
door and try to spread false teachings about Jesus to you, don’t hit them in
the head – instead, use your words and the Scriptures to share the truth of the
gospel and the truth of who Jesus is to them
-- look back at verse 3
John 1:3 Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
-- not to belabor the point, but
notice what John tells us here about Jesus as the Word, who was with God in the
beginning – John says that all things were made through Him – all things were
made through Jesus – without Him, nothing was made that has been made
-- in other words, Jesus – as the
Word of God – present with God and present as God in the beginning – was the
source of creation and the Creator
-- going back to Genesis 1, we see
the repeated phrase, “And God said” – God spoke, and creation was brought into
existence – God spoke, and His Word went forth, creating all things
-- so, as John says here, all
things were made through the proclaimed Word of God – and without the Word,
nothing was made that has been made
-- that is why Jesus Himself
declares in Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and
the end”
-- the Word is the source of our
Creation – and all creation springs from Him
-- the reason this is brought out
in Scripture and the reason the writers of the Nicene Creed made sure and
included this truth in their statement, “through Him all things were made,” was
to counter the false claim that Jesus Himself was created
-- if Jesus was created, then all
things were not created through Him – if Jesus was created, then there would be
something that was made that He did not create – Himself
-- that is what Arius was teaching
– that is what the Jehovah Witnesses teach – that Jesus was created by the
Father – but the word of God is clear, and the Nicene Creed affirms that truth
for us, as well
-- there’s another major point in
the creed that was affirmed in opposition to Arius’ teaching that Jesus was a
created being – and that is His relationship to God, the Father Almighty
-- the Bible tells us that Jesus is
the only begotten Son of God – what does that mean?
-- the key word here is “begotten”
– it’s a word that we don’t use in our normal, everyday conversations – but it
is an important word
-- thinking about our use of
“begotten” reminds me of what President Trump said about the word, “groceries,”
in an interview -- “It is an old word – an old-fashioned sound – but a pretty
accurate term”
-- the same is true for begotten –
it’s an old word – an old-fashioned sound – but it’s a pretty accurate term for
what the Holy Spirit was impressing on the writers of Scripture and what the
authors of the Nicene Creed were trying to get across
-- in the KJV, John 1:14, we read,
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”
-- in John 1:18 it says, “No man
hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom
of the Father, He hath declared Him”
-- and, of course, in John 3:16, “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
-- what does the Bible mean by “begotten”
and what point is the Nicene Creed trying to make when it affirms that Jesus
was “begotten, not made?”
-- the term literally means “to
bring into existence,” and when we use it to describe parents bringing forth
children, we mean that they were begotten or made or brought into existence by
the parents
-- think for a moment about
children – today is Father’s day – so, when children are born to a father, what
is their relationship – what exactly is going on in regards to their being and
existence? – in a very real literal sense, children are created in the essence
and substance of their fathers and mothers – in other words, a child’s DNA and
being comes from their parents – so, their essence – their substance – comes
from their parents – everybody understanding that?
-- that’s why we can say when we
see a baby, “they’ve got the mother’s eyes” – or “they’ve got their father’s
smile” – it’s because the DNA – the essence – the substance – of the parents is
passed on to the children and they are one with the parents in that way
-- the Bible uses the term begotten
in a similar way – in this case, the Bible uses the term to speak of who Jesus
is in relation to the Father – as the only begotten Son of the Father, Jesus is
of the same substance or essence of the Father – are you with me?
-- Jesus has the same divine nature
of the Father – that is why He could tell Philip in John 14:9, “Don’t you know
Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? – Anyone who has
seen Me has seen the Father.”
-- Jesus and the Father are one and
the same – Jesus and the Father are of the same divine essence – of the same
divine substance – that is why John told us in John 1:1 that the Word was with
God and the Word was God – Jesus and the Father share the same substance
because they are both God – they just exist in two separate persons, as part of
the trinity and the Godhead
-- the technical term for this is
consubstantial – it means that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is of the same
substance, essence, or nature as God the Father -- He is not a lesser deity or
a different kind of being, but shares in the same divine essence as the Father
-- so, the Father is God – Jesus is
God – and, as we’ll talk about in a couple of weeks, the Holy Spirit is God –
they are all God and all share the same divine essence, nature, and substance
-- for that reason, the Bible says
that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God to make it clear that Jesus is God
-- now, that truth flies in the
face of Arius’ teaching that Jesus was a created being and was not God – this
is the main critique of his heresy and the main critique of those cults like
the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons who exist around us
-- Arius claimed Jesus was created
and was not God – but the Bible clearly says that Jesus is the only begotten
Son of God – the Word made flesh
-- it is critical for us to know
this and to understand this and to not get blown away by false teachings that
say otherwise
-- that’s why the wording in the
Nicene Creed is so specific here – this section of the creed says, “We believe
in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the
Father”
-- it goes on to say what
“begotten” means – “God from God – Light from Light – true God from true God –
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father”
-- do you see what the authors of
the creed were trying to say?
-- Jesus is begotten because He is
of the same divine substance as the Father – that makes Him one with the Father
– and that makes Him God
-- this is foundational – this is
non-debatable – this is critical that we get this and understand this
-- Jesus is God – no if’s, and’s,
or but’s – God in the flesh – God incarnate – Emmanuel – God with us
-- next
week, we’ll go on to discuss the theological understanding of Jesus as fully
man and fully God – and what that means for us – the heart of the gospel and of
the truth of God’s word and salvation for us today
III. Closing
-- on
January 12, 2007, the world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell was visiting
Washington, D.C. and riding on the D.C. Metro – when his train stopped, Bell
got off and positioned himself against a wall next to a trash can – most of the
people there saw him, and didn’t give him another glance – by most measures,
Bell was nondescript – a young white man wearing jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt,
and a Washington Nationals baseball cap
-- he
opened his case and removed his violin – he put the open case at his feet,
threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, and began to play – for
the next 45 minutes, people streamed past Bell as he expertly played classical
music, such as Mozart and Schubert – a few stopped to listen – a few added a
little cash to his case – but most just walked on by without sparing a glance
-- if they
had paid attention, they might have recognized Bell as the world-renowned
violinist he is – they might have noticed that the violin he was playing wasn’t
just an ordinary violin, but a rare Stradivarius, worth over $3 million dollars
-- just a few days earlier, Bell had sold out
the Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100 – but today,
people passed by without stopping – they heard him – they looked at him – but
they didn’t recognize him [Modified from Gene Weingarten, "Pearls
Before Breakfast," The Washington Post (4-10-07)]
-- the same
was true for Jesus – even His own disciples did not fully recognize Jesus as
God or know Him for who He was until after His death and resurrection – they
missed God in their midst because they were not looking for Him
-- Arius
did the same thing – he missed who Jesus was and assumed that Jesus was a
created being who was sent to earth by the Father
-- but the
Bible makes it clear to us just who this Jesus is – He is the Word made flesh –
the only begotten Son of God – God from God – Light from Light – true God from
true God – of one being with the Father
-- and, so,
if we have seen Jesus – if we have known Jesus – we have known the Father – for
they are One
-- as we
close this morning, let us remember who Jesus is – and let us affirm with the
universal church the deity of Christ – and let us share the good news that
Jesus is God and Jesus has come with all that we meet this week
-- let us
pray
