Wk 8 - the Church, baptism, & resurrection
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joseph
Apr 10, 2008, 2:57:43 PM4/10/08
to Anglican Christian Basics
This week we have three teachers for the three points made in this
final section.
Week 8 - 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.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church - By Jonathan
Linebaugh
This statement seems a bit out of place. Up to this point the creed
has confessed the Christian belief in who God is (Father, Son, and
Spirit) and what he has done (created and redeemed). What does it
mean therefore to say "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic
Church?"
It is important to remember that the purpose of the entire creed is to
articulate what Christians believe about God's person and God's
action. This means that somehow our belief in the Church is an
expression of God's saving personality and activity. In other words,
faith in the Church is faith in God who creates and sustains the
Church, not faith in the people who are part of the Church. But
again, how does this work?
When Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, one of the effects was the
fracturing of human relationships. This plays out in the next 8
chapters of Genesis as a Cain murders his brother, as Noah's sons
dishonor him, and climatically as the arrogant people of Babel have
their rebellious relationships broken by the confusion of languages.
As we have noted in an earlier post, the call of Abraham in Genesis
12 is all about God's promises to overcome the sin of Adam and Eve and
restore his good creation. Because sin destroyed both the divine-
human relationship and human-to-human relationships, God's redemptive
action must included the restoration of relationship. To this end God
promises Abraham a world-wide family (human-to-human) who will be made
up of people who have had their sins forgiven (divine-human).
This promise, which comes true in Jesus' life, death and resurrection,
finds expression in the existence of the Church. The Church is not a
collection of particularly good people. Far from it. The Church is a
world-wide family of people who realize they are sinful and have found
forgiveness in the cross of Jesus. In other words, the Church is the
fulfillment of God's promise to restore the relational part of
creation. As such, when we say "We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church," we are confessing our faith in the God who made the
world and cares about it too much to let it be spoiled by sin. The
Church is about God's action to redeem, restore, and recreate his good
world. We believe in the Church because we believe in God.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins - by Kathy
Walzer
"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one
hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in
all." (Eph. 4:4-6) - with these words we begin each service where
someone is about to be baptized and received into Christ's one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church. Because there is one body (the
Church) and one Holy Spirit indwelling us all, and one Lord Jesus
Christ in whom we are united, so we acknowledge one baptism for the
forgiveness of sins. As Jesus death on the Cross was a once for all
people and once for all time event, so also baptism is a once for all
acknowledgement that we are cleansed from our sins by His blood, that
we die to ourselves and are buried with Him in our baptism, and are
now new creatures in Christ, no longer subject to the judgment that
our sins deserve because we are justified in Him. Whether we receive
baptism as a baby or child, as an adult, or on our deathbed, the
forgiveness of our sins, all our sins, is acknowledged as taken care
of by the Cross and we are washed from our sins when we in faith trust
in Christ's promise made to us in our baptism. We have a new nature -
a spiritual life that will remain when this body of sin is gone and we
are clothed in our resurrection body.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to
come. Amen
By Joseph Martin
What a way to end the Creed and this study with the hope of the
Resurrection and the life of the world to come. After all, it is the
Resurrection of Christ, bodily from the dead, as an historical fact,
that validates everything that has been said by God, Jesus, the
Church, and all Christians, past, present, and future. As the apostle
Paul so clearly states, "And if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have
fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope
in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Cor 15:17-19).
"Lost" and "Pitied" - This is not an understatement. If the Church is
not looking for the resurrection of the dead, as verified by the first
one to be raised from the dead, Jesus, then we literally should close
the doors and go home. The hideous idea that the church is still a
good place for raising families, teaching morals, or building
relationships as a "faith community" without a firm stance on the
resurrection is not only nonsensical, it's embarrassing, and pitiful.
Faith, in the Christian sense, is only faith when it is focused on
Christ, the risen Son of God. Other than that, it is not the Church,
it's a Moose Lodge.
On the other hand, as Martin Luther says, "in the resurrection, the
heart finds its supreme joy and lasting possession." What comfort and
hope we find in the resurrection of Christ and the hope of eternal
life with Him, even if we can't get our minds around it completely.
Nothing satisfies the longing of the human heart like the hope of
Christ that comes through faith to those who believe. May we all be
granted such faith to say with heartfelt conviction when we say the
Creed, "We believe."
Hope you guys enjoyed the study. Your feedback and comments are
welcome. Thanks so much to Jono and Kathy for their wonderful
teachings and for those who participated.
final section.
Week 8 - 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.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church - By Jonathan
Linebaugh
This statement seems a bit out of place. Up to this point the creed
has confessed the Christian belief in who God is (Father, Son, and
Spirit) and what he has done (created and redeemed). What does it
mean therefore to say "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic
Church?"
It is important to remember that the purpose of the entire creed is to
articulate what Christians believe about God's person and God's
action. This means that somehow our belief in the Church is an
expression of God's saving personality and activity. In other words,
faith in the Church is faith in God who creates and sustains the
Church, not faith in the people who are part of the Church. But
again, how does this work?
When Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, one of the effects was the
fracturing of human relationships. This plays out in the next 8
chapters of Genesis as a Cain murders his brother, as Noah's sons
dishonor him, and climatically as the arrogant people of Babel have
their rebellious relationships broken by the confusion of languages.
As we have noted in an earlier post, the call of Abraham in Genesis
12 is all about God's promises to overcome the sin of Adam and Eve and
restore his good creation. Because sin destroyed both the divine-
human relationship and human-to-human relationships, God's redemptive
action must included the restoration of relationship. To this end God
promises Abraham a world-wide family (human-to-human) who will be made
up of people who have had their sins forgiven (divine-human).
This promise, which comes true in Jesus' life, death and resurrection,
finds expression in the existence of the Church. The Church is not a
collection of particularly good people. Far from it. The Church is a
world-wide family of people who realize they are sinful and have found
forgiveness in the cross of Jesus. In other words, the Church is the
fulfillment of God's promise to restore the relational part of
creation. As such, when we say "We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church," we are confessing our faith in the God who made the
world and cares about it too much to let it be spoiled by sin. The
Church is about God's action to redeem, restore, and recreate his good
world. We believe in the Church because we believe in God.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins - by Kathy
Walzer
"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one
hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in
all." (Eph. 4:4-6) - with these words we begin each service where
someone is about to be baptized and received into Christ's one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church. Because there is one body (the
Church) and one Holy Spirit indwelling us all, and one Lord Jesus
Christ in whom we are united, so we acknowledge one baptism for the
forgiveness of sins. As Jesus death on the Cross was a once for all
people and once for all time event, so also baptism is a once for all
acknowledgement that we are cleansed from our sins by His blood, that
we die to ourselves and are buried with Him in our baptism, and are
now new creatures in Christ, no longer subject to the judgment that
our sins deserve because we are justified in Him. Whether we receive
baptism as a baby or child, as an adult, or on our deathbed, the
forgiveness of our sins, all our sins, is acknowledged as taken care
of by the Cross and we are washed from our sins when we in faith trust
in Christ's promise made to us in our baptism. We have a new nature -
a spiritual life that will remain when this body of sin is gone and we
are clothed in our resurrection body.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to
come. Amen
By Joseph Martin
What a way to end the Creed and this study with the hope of the
Resurrection and the life of the world to come. After all, it is the
Resurrection of Christ, bodily from the dead, as an historical fact,
that validates everything that has been said by God, Jesus, the
Church, and all Christians, past, present, and future. As the apostle
Paul so clearly states, "And if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have
fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope
in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Cor 15:17-19).
"Lost" and "Pitied" - This is not an understatement. If the Church is
not looking for the resurrection of the dead, as verified by the first
one to be raised from the dead, Jesus, then we literally should close
the doors and go home. The hideous idea that the church is still a
good place for raising families, teaching morals, or building
relationships as a "faith community" without a firm stance on the
resurrection is not only nonsensical, it's embarrassing, and pitiful.
Faith, in the Christian sense, is only faith when it is focused on
Christ, the risen Son of God. Other than that, it is not the Church,
it's a Moose Lodge.
On the other hand, as Martin Luther says, "in the resurrection, the
heart finds its supreme joy and lasting possession." What comfort and
hope we find in the resurrection of Christ and the hope of eternal
life with Him, even if we can't get our minds around it completely.
Nothing satisfies the longing of the human heart like the hope of
Christ that comes through faith to those who believe. May we all be
granted such faith to say with heartfelt conviction when we say the
Creed, "We believe."
Hope you guys enjoyed the study. Your feedback and comments are
welcome. Thanks so much to Jono and Kathy for their wonderful
teachings and for those who participated.
Sarah Perry
Apr 10, 2008, 4:23:21 PM4/10/08
to anglicanchr...@googlegroups.com
To all:
We really studied that this week, about Christ's coming again in bible study.
Only God the Father knows the day and time.
I feel like the more that I read the bible, the more I am just ready for him
to come again, but I guess it won't be in our lifetime.
And do you believe that Christ will reign for 1,000 years on earth. I need to think about that again. I do believe it though.
Once you lose a parent, your mind is set on the eternal and when will he come again. That's what happened to me anyway.
Shelby and I talked about that today, because I let them all have a day off of school today.
(They aren't getting any days off from the school schedule because of the strike).
I was laying there realizing how much we all needed a day off. And Shelby was talking about if she'll be one of the ones taken or will she be left to keep working in the fields (Matthew 24).
So, I said let's pray and be sure and at least be sure today that we will be taken up with the Lord and not left behind. So, I'm glad we talked about it and prayed and I'm glad they all stayed home today. It was worth it!
And I really love this verse, Matthew 26:34 (The Living Bible): Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
That is an unbelievable thought.
Sarah
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