Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene CreedSample

Focus of the Month: Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Eliminate Sin with Extreme Prejudice

What is sin? ANYTHING that separates us from God. Knowing this, we must approach sin with extreme prejudice and ruthlessly eliminate it. This starts with a choice. There's always a choice. We must decide whose understanding we will lean on to define our sin. Our own? Our friends and family? The world and all of its media? Or God's through His Word and right relationship with His Son and Holy Spirit?

To see sin in our lives, we must first have an accurate view of ourselves through the eyes of our Creator. Returning to the basics of being a “child,” we depend on a higher power to define our reality. This allows Jesus Christ to restrain our flesh through self-control while simultaneously releasing our eternal identity into the freedom only found in Him. When we walk in our flesh, we stumble and sin and cause others to stumble. But we become heavenly conduits when we walk in our eternal identity tucked within Him. Watching Him reach out to the lost through our surrendered obedience, no matter the “cost.” I place quotations around cost because Jesus has already paid the highest debt. Anything we lose or suffer due to our obedience becomes His responsibility. A friend told me the other day, “Jesus doesn't shortchange us. He gives, He takes away, but He never cheats us.”

Without adequately aligned obedience, there can be no true and lasting life. I heard a story once of how the shepherd dealt with the little lamb that kept wandering off, getting hurt, and making itself vulnerable to predators. The kind and loving shepherd knew the lamb had to stay by his side to survive, learn his voice, and obey his call. So the shepherd broke the little lamb's leg. Mending the bone and anointing the wound, the shepherd wrapped the broken leg and carried the little lamb on his shoulders. The shepherd provided, cared for, protected, and loved the little lamb throughout the healing process. When the little lamb's leg was finally healed, the lamb knew the shepherd, his smell, his steps, and his voice. The little lamb trusted the shepherd because the shepherd was trustworthy. The lamb followed its master faithfully, never again leaving the love and protection that the Good Shepherd provided. Seeing to the lamb's every need, it lived a long and fruitful life by the shepherd's side under the shepherd’s watchful eye.

How many of us keep squirming from The Good Shepherd's arms, running toward death and destruction in our ignorance? Sin equates to death because it separates us from the One who grants Life. Therefore, we must approach OUR sin with extreme prejudice. There is no such thing as “little sin” or “safe sin”, it all leads down one road, the road of death, destruction and eternal separation from God.

Ask Jesus to search your heart and give you His wisdom and knowledge of anything separating you from knowing Him more deeply. It only takes one choice to know Him more deeply, more intimately. This type of relationship will usher in a deeper understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. Jesus is the key that unlocks every chain that binds us to sin; He is the key to living in freedom.

What will you choose?

* Primer contributed by Ardena Hamill, Celebrate Recovery encourager, Cornerstone Church of Chowchilla.