Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them
which cause divisions and offenses contrary to
the doctrine which ye have learned;
and avoid them. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly;
and by good words and fair speeches deceive
the hearts of the simple.
Romans 16:17-18
My surgery went well and they removed a fat tumor about the size of a soft ball. Pain meds has helped as the pain form such a cut and the leaving of a void was a bit hard but I am getting better everyday. Thank our Lord for giving to man the ability to learn and make things better, especially is this so in medicine.
I need to help understand the Greek words for the English does not give us good understanding as to what the Greek people heard and understood. The word "doctrine" carries, unfortunately, several meanings, both good and bad so to learn the Greek word aids us. The Greek word actually means "teaching." The English word "doctrine" means a particular principle, a policy taught or advocated, a position, or a system that relates to a certain or particular subject. This then means this: we must come to understand who is teaching, or giving of their doctrine, or the doctrine of another so that we are not following after that which is contrary to Scripture. Another word used in the opening Scripture is "simple." The English definition is large for this word can mean something easy to understand, or a simple design, but it carries more as it can mean unlearned, or even ignorant, unmixed. The Greek word simply means "innocent" or "unsuspecting," those who could be easily deceived. The Greek understanding should be our understanding as it is what is written in Scripture. There is a requirement on men and that requirement is to come to know the truth and not be any man's doctrine, or teaching, rather the "real" truth that is found only in Scripture. Scripture may be taken out of context, or used to promote a particular teaching (we can see this with Jehovah Witnesses where they rewrite words and verses to meet their theological beliefs) and we can see this being done by many preachers. We see preachers using Scripture to glean money from the innocent, the unsuspecting. A person who has been accepted into the ranks of Christianity is not necessarily one who has changed into a friend just because he has come into the Church, or that he or she is an eloquent speaker.
One of the aspects of the Church today is that of not teaching or learning the creeds, not just any creed but the creeds set forth by men who were associated with Christianity from the beginning, those early Church Fathers. The early Church faced open persecution and many false teachers began to infiltrate the Church, those of Gnosticism, or Judaism, so that it became necessary to set forth a document that held to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles. There was the Roman Creed, the Gallican Creed, the Creed of Caesarea, and the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed, all setting forth the foundational teaching of Jesus Christ. Rufinus, priest of Aquileia after being exiled due to Arian influence (a teaching that Jesus was a created being) wrote:
1. I believe in God almighty
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord
3. Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
4. Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and was buried
5. And the third day rose from the dead
6. Who ascended into heaven
7. And sitteth on the right hand of the Father
8. Whence he cometh to judge the living and the dead
9. And in the Holy Ghost
10. The holy church
11. the remission of sins
12. the resurrection of the flesh
13. the life evelasting
This was written around 335 A.D. so then let us look at early creeds.
Ignatius (c.105, E),1.69
"Therefore, stop your ears when anyone speaks to you contrary to Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born and did eat and drink. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilagte. He was truly crucified and died--in the sight of beings in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. He was alos truly raised from the dead, His Father raising Him to life--in the same manner as His Father will also raise us up, we who believe in Him by Christ Jesus."
Tertullian, the one who gave us the word "trinity" wrote (c.180,E/W), 1.417:
"This rule of faith... is that there is only one God, and that he is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced all things out of nothing through His own Word, first of all sent of all sent forth. That this Word is called His Son, and, under the name of God, was seen 'in diverse manners' by the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, at last brought by the Spirit and Power of the Father sown into the virgin Mary. He was made flesh in her womb, and, being born of her, went forth as Jesus Christ. Thereafter He preached the new land and the new promise of the kingdom of heaven, and He worked miracles. Having been crucified, He rose again on the third day. Having ascended into the heavens, He sat at the right hand of the Father. He sent in place of Himself the power of the Holy Spirit to lead those who believe . He will come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of everlasting life and the heavenly promises, and to condemn the wicked to everlasting fire. This will take place after the resurrection of both these classes, together with the restoration of their flesh."
Tertullian wrote in (c213,W), 3.598:
WE...believe that there is only one God, but under the following dispensation or 'economy', as it is called: that this one only God also has a Son, His Word, who proceeded from Himself, by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made. We believe Him to have been sent by the Father into the virgin, and to have been born of her--being both man and God, the son of man and the Son of God, and to have been called by the name of Jesus Christ. He suffered, died, and was buried, according to the Scriptures. And after He had been raised again by the Father and taken back to heaven, He has been sitting on the right hand of the Father. We believe that He will come to judge the living and the dead. And He sent also form heaven from the Father, according to His own promise, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the sanctifier of the faith of those who believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This rule of faith has come down to us from the beginning of the gospel, even before any of the older heretics."
One of the largest problem in the Church is the lack of remembering, reciting, the creed set forth from of old. There is so much preaching about everything else that the foundational truth is being subverted by men who teach a false gospel. We all need to get back to reciting the creed, the Apostle Creed or the Nicene Creed that reflect the words that I recited above. We need constant reminding of our faith, a faith from the very beginning of the Church.
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD,
and the praises of the LORD, according to all
that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great
goodness toward the house of Israel, which
He hath bestowed on them according to His
mercies, and according to the multitude
of His lovingkindness. For He said, Surely they
are My people, children that will not lie:
so He was their Savior.
Isaiah 63:7-8
Take time today to read the Apostles Creed
Richard L. Crumb
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