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Apostles Creed 17: The Holy Catholic Church

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What we now know as the Apostles Creed descended from an earlier form of the creed, known as the Old Roman Symbol. The beginning of the creed dates from as early as the second century. We do not have any direct evidence that it was penned by any of the apostles, but it is an admirable summary of the apostolic teaching.

Introduction

So as we approach the 500th anniversary of the commencement of the Protestant Reformation, it is fitting that we have now come to this phrase in the Creed — why do we, stout Protestants that we are, confess that we believe in the holy Catholic Church. Maybe in addition to being stout Protestants, we are also confused Protestants?

The Text

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord.  He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin, Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into Hades. On the third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Summary of the Text

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25–27).

Husbands are told to love their wives in the way that Christ loves His wife. He loved His Church, and a result of that love was that He gave Himself for her. Giving-love is not a special sort of love; giving love is love. Not only did He give Himself, He gave Himself with a particular end in view. He had the future glory of His bride in mind, loving her with the full intention that the end of the process would be altogether lovely. That ragamuffin street girl would marry the Prince of Heaven.

Now the basic truth in all this is not complicated. The Lord Jesus is a monogamist. He has one bride, and He is going to love her throughout all the course of human history, and will love her efficaciously such that every spot, wrinkle, and blemish is removed. That one bride is the holy catholic church. If you want to know where this catholic church is located, simply look for the Spirit of Christ. As Cyprian once put it, where the Spirit is, there is the church.

A Few Comments About Terms

The word catholic simply means universal. In fact some of you may have been in churches that, when they said the Creed, footnoted this word to make sure you knew that. “Yes, we are a catholic church, but not catholic catholic.”

Our modern use of Protestant and Catholic is somewhat misleading. When the controversy that resulted in the Reformation began, there were two parties to the conflict. There was the papal party and there was the reforming party, both functioning within the Church. Without injustice, we may think of the terms this way. There was the Roman Catholic faction and there was the Protesting Catholic faction. Both claimed to be representing the one, true, catholic and apostolic faith. Both still claim that. But think for a moment. Roman Catholic is oxymoronic—Rome is a city in Italy and catholic means universal.

But Are Protestants Negative?

It would be easy to think that Protestants are defined by what they are against. We hear the word protest in Protestant, loud and clear. But it would be better to link it to another way of breaking the word down—think of pro-testimony. This is a confession of what we believe—and to the extent we are against something, it is merely that we are against the renewal of lunatic persecutions on the basis of faith. This was the origin of the term Protestant (at the second Diet of Speyer). They weren’t picketing; they were testifying.

The Church through History

But what would you say if an intelligent Roman Catholic asked you this (quite reasonable) question? “Where was your church before the Reformation?” There are two faithful Protestant ways to answer this question, and both have a great deal of merit. The baptistic answer points to what is called the “trail of blood.” “Where were we before the Reformation? Hiding from you guys, mostly. In mountainous valleys, caves, and deep forests.” The other answer comes from what are called the magisterial Protestants, and it runs like this: “Well, where was your face before you washed it?”

What we do not want to do is pretend that our church came into existence in 1517 in Germany, or in 1799 on the Kentucky frontier. We are not restorationists. If your church cannot be traced back to the faith and martyrdom of Abel, then it is far too young. For those who want to argue on the basis of antiquity alone, they need to remember that Cain was older.

But in the meantime, we should not feel ashamed to own, as our brothers in Christ, men like Boniface, Chrysostom, Augustine, or Anselm. The entire history of redemption belongs to us, and this includes the declensions as well as the reformations and revivals.

Defined by Word and Sacrament

We believe that the gospel is prior to the church, and is the foundation for it. We believe that the gospel is prior to apostles, bishops, pastors, evangelists, not to mention mountebanks and frauds. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). The Church is the plant that grows from the seed, and the seed is the gospel. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:23). Wherever the gospel comes, life follows after it. And when life follows, and you have two or three born again by the Spirit of God, there you have the church. If you had five infidels washed up on a desert island, and a Bible with them, could they repent and start worshiping God? Absolutely.

The Boundaries of True Faith

John Calvin taught that when you want to recognize someone, you look at their face. You don’t try to define where a man “leaves off” by trying to calculate the precise end of his tie, or the tips of his shoelaces.

You can say confidently that all of Nebraska is in the United States. And you shouldn’t be worried about which atoms of ocean water are in our territorial waters and which ones are outside. That’s not how you tell where the United States might be.

Taking it a step further, when you want to find the true church, look for Jesus. Where is He honored and worshiped? Where is He proclaimed? Where is His bread broken, and His wine poured? Look for Jesus and you will find His bride. That is because He never leaves her side.

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A New Wedding and a New Temple

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The Text

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there . . . “ (John 2:1-22)

Introduction

The ministry of Jesus begins at a wedding celebration in John and will climax in Revelation with the another wedding celebration––the marriage of the Lamb and his Bride (Rev. 19:6-8). And so, Jesus begins making preparations for the future wedding and starts with the transformation of water into a lot of wine. The Bride in Revelation is described as being pure so Jesus sees to her purification as well. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, goes to the temple on Passover and foreshadows his own death. Jesus gives a taste of the celebration at the future wedding that will come through those purified by his new temple.

A Wedding without Wine (vs. 1-5)

The days continue to be eventful in the first week of Jesus’ ministry in John. On the first day, John identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God. The next day, Jesus rallies his first disciples. And now, there’s a wedding celebration in the town of Cana of Galilee. Perhaps Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, James and John were already on the wedding invite list, or maybe they were the last minute invites who showed up at the party with Jesus. The inevitable happens when the wine runs out. Mary realizes the looking embarrassment for the groom as well as the end of the festivity and scrambles to find a solution, “They have no more wine.”

Empty Purification Jars (vs. 6-8)

John states that “there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons” (vs. 6). These jars have a specific function––used for the Jewish rites of purification. Mark further explains their purpose when the Pharisees ragged on Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands in Mark 7:3-4. But this washing goes beyond good hygiene with the intention to cleanse the inside as well as the outside of a person. The water pots are empty and Jesus instructs the servants to fill them up––and they are filled to the brim, between 120-180 gallons total.

The Good Wine until Now (vs. 9-11)

The master of the feast sips the water made wine and his eyes light up and the cockles of his heart are warmed, “Where did this come from?” The master calls the bridegroom and relays the party proverb, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This would have been good news for the wedding celebration. We have a bathtub of wine, the best wine! The wine would have been drunk and thoroughly enjoyed. But that wasn’t the only result––glory manifested and discipled believed. This should return us to Jesus’ purpose, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And from his fulness, we have all received grace upon grace” (Jn. 1:14-17). Water to wine filled up to the brim is grace upon grace.

The Lamb of God at Passover (vs. 13)

“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand…” (vs. 13). Passover was the annual feast that memorialized the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. In Exodus 11 and 12, the Lord tells Moses of the final and awful tenth plague against Egypt––the death sentence of all the male first born sons. But the LORD provides protection for the people of Israel. Each family should take a male lamb without blemish and kill the pure lamb. They are to smear the lamb’s blood on the wooden doorframe of the home and the LORD will pass over because of the blood (Ex. 12:5-13). The Passover of the Jews was at hand and so the Lamb of God makes his way to the temple altar and prophecies his destruction.

Clearing my Father’s House (vs. 14-17)

Jesus enters the temple which looks like the county fair had come into the sanctuary––buying and selling animals, exchanging money. Jesus turns a whip against the animal sellers and their animals and herds them out of the temple. “Take these away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (vs. 16) In all the pandemonium of baa-ing sheep and irate bearded men and little kids pocketing scattered joins, Jesus says two profound things in a simple phrase––my Father’s house. God is “my Father” (and so Jesus is his Son), and the temple is the Father’s house (and so the Son lives there and has the right to kick out the salesmen).

Temple Raised in Three Days (vs. 18-22)

Jesus delivers a challenge to the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus again manifests his glory by pointing to the future sign of how his own death, his own blood, will be the final, decisive, ultimate purification for sins. It’s not through the sacrifice of a lamb or a ox or a pigeon in the temple. It’s certainly not through commercial profit around the temple. But it’s through Jesus death and resurrection. 1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son purifies us from all sin.” The wedding feast is prepared in the Father’s house. The Lamb has purified his Bride. Grace, like the wine, is abundant. And so come.

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Spiritual Child Rearing 2: Father in Heaven

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The Text

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:1)

Premise

God is intent on revealing Himself to His creatures. And, in this passage in Matthew 7 and its parallel Luke 12, we are challenged to look for guidance (for metaphors) at our own parenting and then ratchet that up a thousand fold to get some glimpse as MacDonald states of the “Himalayas from our sand hills.” To help our finitude absorb some portion of the infinite, we are given our own parenting (evil as it is acknowledged) as a telescope to increase our eyesight and advance our understanding of our Father in Heaven.

The Early Years

This message examines the experience of parenting young children from both the perspective of the parents and the children to better understand the metaphor offered by Jesus. Babies/young toddlers are characterized by utter helplessness. They must be constantly tended, fed, cleaned and kept out of trouble. Even evil parents do a reasonable job nurturing feeding and caring for little ones with expectations limited to the little one eating, sleeping, thriving and growing. From the perspective of the children, they are largely ignorant of the quantity of loving care that is being showered on them. They simply connect the expression of their discomfort with the supply of good things from familiar big people that look for the most part lovingly toward them.

Nature of God’s Parenting of Us

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15-18 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:14-17

Our Responsibility As His Babes

God’s stated expectation of His children is to thrive through receiving the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-19) and not quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:19). And to grow, God’s commands us to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and for the pure spiritual milk of His Word (1 Peter 2:1-3), the Word made flesh (John 6:35,40).

The Confirmation of His Presence

The passage in Luke adds that the source and nadir of God’s giving is the Holy Spirit. That gift is the guarantee of everything that follows. And, that gift of the Holy Spirit is manifest in our lives, in the examples daily set before us and the gifts He has given to His body, the church (Ephesians 4:11).

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Apostles Creed 16: I Believe in the Holy Ghost

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What we now know as the Apostles Creed descended from an earlier form of the creed, known as the Old Roman Symbol. The beginning of the creed dates from as early as the second century. We do not have any direct evidence that it was penned by any of the apostles, but it is an admirable summary of the apostolic teaching.

Introduction

The fact that the Holy Spirit is mentioned by name late in the Creed does not make Him an afterthought. He is not present here as a postscript. When we begin the Creed with the words I believe, this is only possible because the Holy Spirit has been at work. He is the one who quickens us into new life, and who is therefore the one who consequently enables us to believe any aspect of the gospel.

The Text

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin, Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hades. On the third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Summary of the Text

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). We see here in our text that the Spirit and the Word accompany one another. The word of truth, the gospel, the message of salvation, is the thing anointed, and the Spirit is the one who anoints it with Himself. He anoints the message by anointing the believing ears that hear the message. This is how we are sealed. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of promise. He is the one who was promised through the prophets, and the one who fulfills the promise, as well as the present comforter who renews the promise.

Not A Blind Force

Because the work of the Spirit is to testify to Jesus (Rev. 19:10), and the work of Jesus is to bring us to the Father (John 14:6), it is sometimes easy for us to start taking the Spirit’s “behind the scenes” identity for granted. But we must understand Him, and this begins with understanding that He is a Him. He is not an impersonal force, like electricity or something.

Throughout the New Testament, we consistently find the Holy Spirit referred to by the masculine personal pronoun, despite the fact that the word spirit is grammatically neuter. As a Person, the Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). It is possible to lie to Him, as Ananias and Sapphira did (Acts 5:3).

The Holy Spirit speaks commands and can be obeyed (Acts 10:19-21). The presence of the Spirit is a comforting presence (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit has a will (1 Cor. 12:11). There are many other such passages. Included in the Trinity, the Spirit is not an impersonal addition to the other two persons.

In God to God

Remember that there is only one God, and this God exists in three eternal persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We need to consider this triune God in two different ways. Note that we are considering Him in two ways; we are not considering two Gods. Theologians distinguish God as He is within Himself (the ontological Trinity) and God as He works in our midst (the economic Trinity). The following illustration is an illustration of His economic working.

“For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph. 2:18). The Father is the city we are driving to, the Son is the road we travel, and the Holy Spirit is the car. The Father is the harbor we are sailing toward, the Son is the ocean, and the Holy Spirit is the wind behind us in our sails. The triune God brings us to Himself along Himself by Himself.

The Earnest of Our Inheritance

Our text says that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit. This is said a number of times. “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22). The word for earnest is arrabon, meaning down payment or earnest money. It means pledge, deposit, or guarantee. God gives us Himself as an earnest payment on our final inheritance, our final salvation. Someone might say that this does not prevent someone so sealed from going to Hell. Well, all right, but that means that if a sealed believer goes to Hell, the Spirit goes there with Him.

What good is a guarantee that guarantees nothing? God is not like a dishonest merchant who gives out lifetime guarantees, where the guarantee is only for the lifetime of the product. “It is guaranteed to work until it doesn’t.” “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 5:5). The verse after our text says the same thing. “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:14).

The Spirit Glorifies Christ

We believe in the Holy Spirit, and He is the one who enables us to believe everything that we should, in gladness rejoicing.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18–20).

What produces the same effect in the parallel book of Colossians? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). Put these two passages together. The Spirit is not the “fluid” that fills us. Rather, He is the agent who fills us with something else, the word of Christ. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly by means of the Holy Spirit . . .” We believe in the Holy Spirit, most certainly, but we believe from within Him.

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Seeing Glory, Receiving Grace

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The Text

“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!…” John 1:35-51

Why Disciples?

In this passage, Jesus gathers men as disciples, and we must ask, “Why disciples?” Jesus’ work on earth begins with his incarnation and ends in his crucifixion and resurrection. So why not go right to the cross? Why gather disciples? John gives the answer in 1:14-16. Jesus came, not only to take away sin, but in order for the world to see the glory of Son and the Father and for us to receive grace upon grace from this fullness. Removal of sin is not the end, but the means to life with God––life as children of God, life as followers of Jesus, life as his disciples. Jesus has come on a glorious and gracious mission. He has come for people to see the glory of God and to graciously share in that glory as children of God. And so he starts with four men named in this passage––Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. Each of these see Jesus as glorious, full of truth and grace.

Following the Lamb of God (vs. 35-39)

John again identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God (vs. 36). Two disciples hear John say this and follow Jesus. “What are you seeking?” Jesus asked. They’re seeking to have their sins taken away! Discipleship is first and foremost the expressed need for a savior from our sins. The beginning of following Jesus is not for the strong, but the weak, not for the healthy, but the sick, not for the righteous, but the sinners (Mk. 2:17). They discover the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God and follow in order to receive grace.

We Found the Messiah (vs. 40-42)

They were seeking Jesus and they find the Christ. Andrew, one of the two first disciples, becomes an evangelist and tracks down “his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’” (vs. 41) This is the one like Moses who would deliver God’s people from slavery. This is the one like David who would restore God’s kingdom. This is the one like Solomon who would build God’s temple. This is a glorious declaration that leads Simon to receive grace.

After Andrew brings Simon, Jesus looks Simon over, possibly whistles and then gives him his new life long nickname “Rocky.” Or more accurately Peter, the Rock. Jesus named him Peter, and Peter became his new name (Mt. 16:17). Jesus has authority to give a new name, new identity, new life. This is more grace because there is no better identity that what Jesus gives his disciple.

Follow Me and Found Him (vs. 43-46)

The next day, Jesus decides to travel to Galilee and he found Philip and said, “Follow me.” Philip then found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” There’s a lot of finding here in these few verses. But who found who first? Jesus’s finding Philip was prior to Philip finding Jesus. Every disciple must find Jesus, just like Philip found Jesus. But then you will know that Jesus has found you first.

Nathanael responds, “Out of Nazareth! What? Can anything good come?” This could simply be Nathanael’s rural town rivalry as a Bethsaida boy with Nazareth. But he also knew there was no mention of Nazareth in the messianic prophecies. As a recent follower (that day), Philip didn’t have all the answers and so gave a simple invitation, “Come and see.”

The King of Israel, the Son of God (vs. 47-49)

Even as Nathanael comes to see Jesus, Jesus sees Nathanael and knows him inside and out. “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (vs. 47). Nathanael responds, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael realizes that he is so thoroughly known and seen by this stranger that Jesus must be more than a man. And so he uttered these life-changing words, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!”

The Son of Man Lifted Up (vs. 50-51)

Jesus responds by describing the greater things Nathanael will see, “You shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus combines two seemingly strange Old Testament dreams. The first is Isaac’s dream in Genesis 28 of the angels climbing up and down the ladder to heaven and the second is in Daniel’s dream in Daniel 7 of the Son of Man receiving a kingdom from the Ancient of Days. So what’s going on? I believe that Jesus is affirming what Nathanael says about Jesus––He is the Son of God, and He is the King of Israel. Jesus will be seen as the Son of God and the King of Israel as he is lifted up on the cross as the Son of Man (Jn. 3:13-15).

While hanging on the cross, Jesus is ingloriously mocked as the King of the Jews and the Son of God. And yet, Jesus says these are the greater things that will been seen. You will see the glory of the Son of Man, who is the King of Israel, who is the Messiah, who is the Lamb of God, who is God’s own Son, lifted up on a cross to die for sinners, for his disciples.

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