Trinity in The Nicene Creed; as Biblical Truth
The Nicene Creed relates to the Divine Revelation of the Triunity of God in the whole of The Bible. It is founded on Biblical truths grounded firmly in scripture from the Alpha to the Omega of the biblical narrative that culminates with the mysteries of God revealed in Christ. This what it means to read the Old Testament like a Christian, the Gospel and epistle writers cite the Old Testament consistently. I believe that the Nicene Creed does do this, it addresses the Trinitarian God, of which Jesus Christ the eternally begotten son of the Father “for us and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, was incarnate, and became truly human; and for our sake was crucified/suffered death/rose again/ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of The Father” (Nicene Creed).
Irenaeus, being influenced by Polycarp, a disciple of John, the writer of the Gospel of John, uses themes that are similar to the Gospel of John. This is unique to Athanasius and Origen, that the word of God, the Logos, Jesus Christ was God in the beginning, this maximalist and trinitarian theology binds the Old and New Testament together. These themes are supported by the epistle writers. The epistle and Gospel writers grounded their theology by the scripture of The Old Testament.
Paul states in Romans; “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood-to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” Romans 3:25-26 The blood of Christ satisfies the wrath of God, therefore by propitiation, Romans 3:25. Neither Israel or any other people or nation, regardless of culture, race, or religion; can be justified by their own actions or by the law, all remain in sin. The gift of grace in Jesus Christ is a gift to mankind to be redeemed of sin by Christ’s agency on the cross. All debt of sin are paid by the propitiation of Christ’s blood which preserves the holiness of God, the blood of Christ satisfies the wrath of God (Romans 3:23-25), Christ’s agency is God’s agency,
God’s righteousness is demonstrated in his provision for salvation and this provision is a call to action now to receive that forgiveness, salvation, and justification by faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:25b-26).
All three of the main branches of Christianity agree in unity in a common adherence to a Trinitarian God and a common affirmation to the Nicene Creed, (what “we believe” about the doctrine of the Trinity). Therefore, one’s thought must be set up the foundation of the sources of theology, such as the Nicene Creed, those sources are founded in scripture and the first apologists of the Patristic era. It seems crucially important to set our foundation on the “essentials of faith, hopefully and prayerfully drawing closer to the maturity of our faith in biblical truth and doctrine. The danger in not having a foundation set firmly on a deeper understanding of these essentials, creeds and biblical truth, is to have a faith/life built on rocky ground that will wither away (Mark 4:5-6).
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 54:6-7, ESV).
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