Evangelicals and the Nicene Creed

[rcwitness]

because Judas was not part of the ekklesia
newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm

As signifying the Church, the word Ecclesia is used by Christian writers, sometimes in a wider, sometimes in a more restricted sense.

I can find dozens of websites that say basically the same thing:
feel free to double check
“what is the ekkleisa?”
or “what does ekklesia mean?”

so now with the correct understanding of ekklesia I ask again:

in the context the of how ekklesia is used in the NT:
Are there any believers that are not part of the ekklesia?

in the context of how ekklesia is used in the NT:
are there any unbelievers included in the ekklesia?

It is believers, and their children. Whether or not they persevere in faith is sometimes evident and sometimes not to us. Was Simon Magnus part of the Church? Was Diotrephes, from 3rd John? Sometimes the Ekklesia has members who believed, but did not add to their faith virtues that produce fruit. Not all members of the Church will be saved. Who they are, is sometimes only known to God. How do you know Judas did not believe, in the “alone” sense?

 

[Peter_J]

in the context as ekklesia is used in the NT:
Are there any believers that are not part of the ekklesia?

But note that I’m not talking about Protestants saying that the CC is “part of the church” (or “in the church”) but Protestants saying that the CC is “the church” (or “his church”).

 

[Peter_J]

Hi Rc, I have been enjoying this dialogue. I think you both have presented your understandings as plain as can be. Considering how much is centered around water baptism in the Catholic Church ie baptism is for the forgiveness of sins…baptism saves you etc a thought occurs to me…wouldn’t it have been appropriate to name and identify the early church as the First Baptist Church?

There are some Catholics who won’t say “John the Baptist”, changing his name instead to “John the Baptizer”.

 

[Wannano]

… or the First and Last Baptist Church. But I do want to start a thread about a Sacrament Alone concept.

Actually, I think the best name is The Church of God, which I do like to use.

I know there is a denomination named this. I loved an article from them about “Porneia and the Meaning of Divorce”. I used it is a thread.

There are numerous denominations using the name Church of God. Would you pronounce yours Thee Church of God or the Church of God?

It is and has been confusing to call your church the Catholic Church when the word catholic means universal, hence, difficulty with distinguishing meanings at times.

I have an idea. Why not incorporate all who profess the Apostles Creed as a unified core group of believers who will stand up for God in a fallen and evil world.as the Church of God. Then to allow for differing ideas of how to do church we could establish branches which would be called Church of God, Catholic…Church of God, Lutheran…Church of God, Baptist etc.

 

[ltwin]

What do Evangelicals believe, in regard to the Nicene Creed? In several discussions, recently, I have used this Creed to represent what Christians must accept, but do Evangelical (non-denominational) believers accept it all?

I’m late to this thread, but I would say that Evangelicalism is deeply creedal even though we don’t tend to recite it publicly. Most evangelical churches would see themselves as being within the tradition of Nicene Christianity.This is explained by Evan Howard in . He states that evangelical spirituality is orthodox, specifically defining “orthodox” as “the committment of evangelicals to basic historic (Nicene) Christian belief.” See Four Views on Christian Spirituality published by Zondervan.

How the creeds function in evangelical faith was thought through in an article at the Gospel Coalition, “What to Do with Creeds and Councils?”:

So the question, then, is this: If the creeds and councils are less authoritative than the Bible, but more authoritative than, say, me, what about compared to my pastor or, even, someone like John Calvin?

Oliver Crisp has a quick and helpful explanation in a dense and difficult book on “weighting authority.” His hierarchy looks this way:

“1. Holy Scripture—It is normative for all matters of faith and practice.
2. Creeds and confessions—They are authoritative but derivative and dependent on Scripture.
3. Christian theologians—While individual theologians can be authoritative and have an enduring significance, they can only offer a perspective or represent a school of thought. On the other hand, creeds and confessions offer a “collective” conclusion of what the universal church believes as it relates to biblical doctrine.”

So evangelicals who stand on the full authority of the Bible and hold to God’s providence and faithful presence with his church should take seriously the creeds and councils. Our impulse should be to assume their truthfulness as we continue to test their biblical fidelity. If this generation takes seriously its value of community, then we won’t neglect this great community of saints spanning 2,000 years.

The role of the Nicene Creed in evangelical faith is also discussed in books such as Evangelicals and Nicene Faith: Reclaiming the Apostolic Witness,

 

[7_Sorrows]

In my experience, most Baptists wouldn’t give the creed a second thought. There’s very little consciousness of historical continuity with the early Church (post-Acts anyway).

Thanks.

 

[rcwitness]

There are some Catholics who won’t say “John the Baptist”, changing his name instead to “John the Baptizer”.