Advent II- Scriptural Authority- Romans 15: 4

(This week's post is a revision of a post first published in 2011.)

This Second Sunday in Advent has often been called "Bible Sunday" among Anglicans and other English-speaking Christians. The collect and lessons for the day were developed by Archbishop Cranmer for the 1549 BCP. They all refer in differing ways to the importance of Scripture and reflect the Reformation's influence on Anglican foundations.

We also see this theme in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. Article VI is titled Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation, and it says: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

Thus, authentic Anglicanism believes in the supremacy of the Holy Scriptures. There may be other things in life that are good, useful, or beautiful, but Scripture reigns supreme in matters of  doctrine and in matters of salvation. Church tradition and human logic and experience guided by the Holy Spirit have their places in Christian life and thought, but they must always be in harmony with God's revelation contained in the long-accepted canon of Holy Scripture. There is no surer foundation in this world, and consciences must not be burdened by those who would impose other standards.

Some people claim that the Scriptures are not clear, but the general teachings of the Bible are clear and have been agreed upon by sensible and honest Christian readers for two millennia. Although there are legitimate debates about how to understand some particular passages, there are clear teachings about the basics. These basics are the kinds of things that have been summarized in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, in the Ten Commandments, in the Two Great Commandments, and in the Catechism. Such clear teachings permeate the whole canon of Scripture, and any verses that seem obscure should be understood in ways that are consistent with the clearer passages.

Accepting the principle of divine revelation as recorded in the ancient canon of Holy Scripture is a basic Christian supposition.  Like other basic points (such as the existence of God or the centrality of Jesus Christ), either we accept Holy Scripture as a basic foundation of Christianity or we refuse to accept the Christian message.

Christians believe that God's Spirit inspired human beings to write down various stories, histories, poems, and prophecies, that the same Holy Spirit has guided the community of faith to accept these writings rather than some others and that God continues to speak to believers through the words of Scripture applied through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If we accept Christianity and its Scriptures as given by God, then we see the purposes of Scripture. The Bible was "written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). Apart from Scripture, we know very little about God. We might philosophize about a creator. We might even theorize about some sort of moral order in the universe. Yet, such philosophy is rather vague and does not do much to satisfy human souls. And apart from Scripture, we would not know about Jesus Christ. From general history, we might believe that there was some Jewish teacher by that name from Galilee who impressed some ancient people. However, apart from the canonical Scriptures, we would not know much about His person, teachings, or deeds. And apart from Scripture, we certainly would not know Him as the living Word and Son of God who laid down His life and took it up again to save our very souls.

The Bible also helps us deal with real life, with our situation as imperfect believers within an imperfect world. And despite our own frailties and the corruptions we see in the world around us, Christians are characterized by hope. We have true and lasting hope. We have hope for the grace to be faithful in this world and hope to dwell with God eternally after our time in this world.

Advent is a season characterized by hope, but Christian hope must not be nebulous. From ancient Israel, through the New Testament period and down through Christian history, true hope depends upon divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures. In particular, our hope depends upon Jesus Christ, the living Word to whom all Scripture bears witness. He is the One who was to come, who has come, who keeps coming into our lives, and who will come again. "O come, O come, Emmanuel."

A Short Exposition of the Apostles' Creed

 A study group recently asked to review the Apostles' Creed, which is always a useful undertaking for Christians.  I reviewed several sources ancient and modern, especially Martin Luther's Small Catechism from 1529. We used the traditional English text of the Creed which says:

 I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic (universal or Christian) Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Throughout the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, there are summaries of things that God’s people should believe. In the Acts of the Apostles, there are several notable summaries of beliefs about Christ in sermons and at Baptisms. There are also passages such as I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

During the second and third centuries, various local baptismal creeds developed. They were usually in three parts (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Although local versions were slightly different, they covered the same basic points. One of these summaries of basic Christian belief developed at Rome in Latin and became known as the Apostles' Creed. Although not literally composed by the Apostles in the first century, it summarizes their preaching and teaching contained in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles.

In the year 325, the bishops at the First Council of Nicea took a similar Eastern baptismal creed (maybe from Jerusalem) and added words to be clear about Christ’s divinity. In 381, the bishops at the Council of Constantinople added details about the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. With these modifications, the creed we know as the Nicene Creed developed. Later, the Western church added that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Son.” 

The Apostles' Creed like many Christian statements of faith and acts of worship has a three-part form, a Trinitarian structure. The first part of the Creed is about God the Father, the Creator. All of Scripture and much in nature teaches us about Him.  Luther’s Small Catechism applies this article nicely as follows, I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

God’s creation is basically good because He is good. One good part of His creation is freedom for higher creatures such as angels and human beings. Unfortunately, a heavenly creature, Lucifer or Satan, rebelled, was cast out of heaven, and pursued his rebellion on earth. And the first human creatures succumbed to temptation and also rebelled against the holy Creator. This Fall into sin disrupted the relationship between God and His creation but did not destroy the Creator’s love. So God reached out with a series of promises and demands called covenants. An important example was the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The early covenants are recorded in the Scriptures we call the Old Testament, and they were designed to prepare human beings for the great new and final covenant through Jesus the Christ.

Although nature and Scripture teach us much about the Creator, this part of the Creed is short. It seems to assume that most human beings acknowledge a Creator and a moral law, and it moves quickly to the beliefs that are more uniquely Christian.

The second part of the Creed is about God the Son, Jesus Christ. Our beliefs about Jesus are what characterize us as Christians. This part of the Creed summarizes the Gospels and many other parts of the New Testament. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only and unique Son of God, of one essence with the Father; He was conceived by the Spirit of God and born of the Virgin Mary.  Thus, He is true man and true God. He came to earth to reveal God in the Incarnation, to redeem or save us from our sins, and to offer us eternal life in God's presence.

Among the many things that He did during His life on earth, the Creed stresses the central events which are His death on the Cross for our sins, and His resurrection to offer us new life. He was a real man who, at a particular moment in history (under the Roman governor Pilate), truly suffered, died, and descended to the dead. He freely gave Himself and paid the debt that a fallen humanity was incapable of paying.  Because He was an innocent man and true God, death could not hold Him, and He rose from the dead in bodily form. This is the source of Christian hope; without it, His story would be meaningless and our hope futile. He appeared forty days to His disciples, and then He ascended into to heaven to pray for us and to watch over us. And at the end of earthly history, He will come again to take up the role of judge of all.

The third part of the Creed is about God the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. Not only did God create the universe and come to earth in the man Jesus, He has also continued to reach out and work in the world in invisible but powerful spiritual ways. As He works in the world, He sanctifies or makes holy. He works through each individual believer. There are several aspects of this spiritual work in individual lives.

It is the divine Spirit that reaches out through Baptism and proclamation of the Gospel to redeem fallen human beings. When the Spirit starts this process of redemption, it is called regeneration. When the individual responds by faith in Christ, we speak of justification, and when the Spirit helps one grow in holiness, we speak of sanctification.

As is shown in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit also works in a special way through the fellowship or communion of believers, the Christian Church.  Although there are various human organizations involved, there is only one Church. Despite human failings, this Church is holy because it belongs to God. It is also catholic or universal. It extends across languages, races, cultures, political boundaries, and time. It holds to the same basic beliefs and moral standards everywhere- in this world and beyond. The Church is apostolic because it is based on the teaching and ministry of the Apostles. The Spirit makes the Church a communion of saints, a fellowship of those made holy by the grace of God in Christ.

The basic visible foundation of the Church is Christian Baptism. Wherever there are baptized persons who profess the faith into which they have been baptized, the Church exists. Into the Church and the lives of its members, the Holy Spirit brings blessings such as the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is related to Baptism, the proclamation of the Gospel, and in various ways to all the rites of the Church. The Holy Spirit will also be active in the future resurrection of the body for judgment and in eternal life for the faithful in God's presence. We end with “Amen,” which implies both "it is true" and “so be it”

Second Sunday in Advent- Scripture

The Second Sunday in Advent has often been called "Bible Sunday," and the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for this Sunday all stress the importance of Holy Scripture. As Anglicans, we should always remember that God’s revelation is basic. All that is necessary for salvation is found in Scripture. Yet, Scripture is closely connected with Christ's Church. Scripture and the Church have always been intertwined. Scripture reveals divine truth. It is the foundation of faith. It guides and corrects the Church, but the Church also serves as God’s instrument to preserve and interpret Scripture.

Personal acceptance and applications of Scripture are necessary, and individual opinions about Scripture can be valuable, but corporate understandings of Scripture are a safeguard. While 1 Peter 2:9 assures us that all believers are priests in a general sense, 2 Peter 1:20 warns, “no prophecy of scripture is of a private interpretation.” Properly understanding Scripture depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit within the Body of Christ, the universal Church. Great thinkers and even pious believers can make mistakes about some biblical ideas and texts. Even large Christian organizations and denominations have erred on some points. At times in history, many Christians have accepted poor explanations on some points of faith or morals.

Yet, God's Word remains forever (1 Peter 1:25), and Christ promises that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His universal Church (Matt. 16:18). Divine truth and faithful believers will continue till the end. So we look to the understanding of Scripture that has survived in the Church through the centuries. We look to the catholic or universal faith of the ancient Church, “what has been believed everywhere, always, by all” (St. Vincent of Lerins). These are the beliefs reflected in the church fathers and summarized in the ancient creeds. They are found among the Reformers and in the Prayer Book Catechism. They are expressed in the historic liturgies. There may be differences about interpreting some details, but the core of Scripture is clear. And that core of Scripture centered on Christ the eternal Word of God calls for our faithful response. May Advent be a time for us to renew our commitment to an orthodox Christian understanding of Scripture!