Introduction

This year marks 1,700 years since the writing of the Nicene Creed in 325 AD! This confession was written by a council of Christian bishops (pastors) and church fathers in what is now modern-day Turkey to defend the deity of Jesus Christ. At that time, a man named Arius had spread the heretical belief that Jesus was not truly God, (Arianism). In response, the church, standing firmly on God’s Word, crafted this creed to affirm the biblical truth that Jesus is indeed God. Also, it may or may not have happened, I like to think it did, Santa punched Arius right in his Christ-denying face.

In light of this 1,700th year of biblical fidelity and Christology in the Nicene Creed, I want to focus on what the implications of these truths are. If Jesus truly is God, as we see in Scripture, yet there is only one God, what gives? Why does it matter?

So, who is Jesus?

Many groups today use the names “Jesus” and “God,” but does that automatically make them Christian? Not necessarily.

Take Mormons, for example. They speak of Jesus, Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit, and their church is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Surely, they are Christians, right? It’s right there in the name! But if you examine their doctrine, you’ll find they believe:

  • God the Father was once a man from another planet, who became a god by good works.
  • They, too, can become gods of their own planets if they perform enough good works.
  • Jesus, in Mormon theology, is the spirit brother of Satan, as are we all.
  • The Holy Spirit is merely another spirit child of God, not a distinct person who is also God.

Does that sound like the true God of the Bible?

Similarly, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in “Jesus”, but when examined, we find that this is not the Jesus of Scripture. According to Jehovah’s Witness theology:

  • Jesus Christ is actually Michael the Archangel, a created being.
  • Jesus did not raise bodily from the dead.
  • Jesus is a god (little g), but not the true God.
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash

If I point to a tree and call it Jesus, does that mean I’m truly referring to the actual, historical person, Jesus Christ of Nazareth?

Jay Harrod

The Importance of Knowing God Through Scripture

Why is it so critical, as the church fathers at the council of Nicaea 17 centuries ago recognized, to ensure that our beliefs about Jesus truly align with who He has revealed Himself to be? Are we just nitpicking here?

Jesus gives a sobering warning in Matthew 7:22-24:

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

This passage shows that many will think they know Jesus, but He will say He never knew them. They may have done good works and attended church, but they did not believe in the true Jesus as revealed in Scripture.

Consider John 8:24:

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Jesus is speaking to a group of Jews and Pharisees who intimately know the writings of Moses. When Jesus says “I AM,” He is referring back to Exodus 3:14:

“I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Jesus is identifying Himself as the I AM, the very God who spoke to Moses. The Jews understood this, in John 5, they picked up stones to stone Him, believing He was blaspheming by making Himself equal with God. So Christ is saying here: unless you believe He is God, you will die in your sins.

The very first commandment God gives to Moses on the mountain is;

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me“

God has given us His word and told us who He is. If the God we believe in does not align with this revelation, we cannot truly say we know God, or better stated in the words of Christ, He never knew us.

If we create a “Jesus” in our minds, maybe even one who lets us have our sin while soothing our conscience with his name, we have created an idol, broken the first commandment, and will hear those terrifying words from the true Messiah on that day.

The Trinity in the Nicene Creed

We believe the Nicene Creed, not because it is tradition, or because the guys who wrote it were really smart, but because it is substantiated by God’s Word. Let us compare the God we see in Scripture to the God we see in this confession.

Key Affirmations in the Creed:

  • One God: The Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
  • One Lord, Jesus Christ: True God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.
  • The Holy Spirit: The Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son) and is worshiped and glorified with them.

The Trinity in Scripture

The Bible clearly teaches that there is one God, yet He exists in three distinct persons:

One God
  • Isaiah 44:8: “Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
  • Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
God the Father
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist.”
God the Son
  • Hebrews 1:8: “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.’”
God the Holy Spirit
  • Acts 5:3-4: Peter tells Ananias that he has lied to the Holy Spirit and equates it to lying to God.

Conclusion

God, in His mercy and grace, has given us His Word so that we may know Him. While we all fall short in our understanding, God has revealed Himself clearly in Scripture.

The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the Christian faith because it upholds who God truly is. To deny the Trinity is to deny God as He has revealed Himself.

If you walk around your church on Sunday and ask the people in the pews to define the Trinity for you, you will probably find, unfortunately, that most people would likely give you a heretical understanding of the doctrine.

We must acknowledge that there is a stark difference between misunderstanding, or not knowing how to explain who God is, rather than flatly rejecting Him.

Praise be to God, who has graciously pardoned our sin through Jesus Christ! Christ came into the world, lived a sinless life, died in our place, and rose on the third day, proving His sacrifice was accepted.

Even in light of our misunderstanding Him, His promises hold true because of who He truly is.

“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

This is a promise from the one, true, Triune God who cannot lie. Amen!

Let us take time to meditate on who our God is, and give thanks to Him for His people who have gone before us, giving their blood, sweat and tears, even their very lives, so we can hold His word in our hands today.