Catholic belief is succinctly expressed in the profession of faith or credo called the Nicene Creed:
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
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.
I 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 adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
It was not Always Catholic Belief:
Who is Jesus?
It is an important question. And what is the truth? At some point every Christian or aspiring Christian needs to answer this question for himself. Maybe you think it doesn’t matter? Read on.
The teaching of most Protestant Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church is that Jesus is God, one aspect of the Trinity. Albeit, there is a slightly nuanced difference with the Eastern Church in that they believe the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (or so I am told). However, there are groups, most notably the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that Jesus is the Son of God but not God. Generally, those groups are referred to as “cults” by Trinitarians. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only non-trinitarian groups. Modern nontrinitarian groups or denominations include Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Friends General Conference, Iglesia ni Cristo, La Luz del Mundo, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Unitarian Universalist Christians and the United Church of God to name a few.
My own searching over the years has caused me to question and wonder about this and investigate the matter (and I do not belong to any of the above groups).
In the beginning of my own investigation into Christianity, I came across “tracts” that referred to Jesus as a “God Man”. I believe they were Roman Catholic tracts. Frankly, I was bothered by the idea of a man being God. Intuitively bothered. It didn’t sit well with me.
At that particular time, I attended a Victory Outreach Church briefly. I was bothered enough by the idea that I went to one of Senior Pastor’s with the question, “Is Jesus God?” I don’t recall the exact conversation but I did bring up many of the verses where Jesus is called the Son of God. I can’t recall the exact scriptures now (30 years later) but I do recall the gist of the conversation. The minister told me he had gone to the “Greek” to get his position. It was like pulling rank on an ignorant peasant. When I persisted in my questions, I was met with almost seeming hostility and told, “This Church believes in the Trinity!” The counseling session was abruptly ended.
I was bothered enough that I consulted another minister at another Church. I was told that Jesus was God’s messenger. It was told me with a certainty, and, frankly, I felt a certain inner relief.
Over the years, I have learned a few things about Christianity and the Trinity which I would like to share with you. Things I didn’t understand when the first minister pulled rank on me by saying he had gone to the “Greek”.
First of all, it has not always been the accepted teaching of the established Christian Church that Jesus is God, something that many Christians do not realize. It was only in the 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicea that it became accepted Church Doctrine. The Nicean Creed was voted in and is repeated in Catholic Churches at Mass to this day. But repetition by itself does not make it true.
At the time of the Council of Nicea, there was a raging controversy between those who believed that Jesus was God and those that believed Jesus was less than the Father. The latter were called Arians. An honest person has to admit it was nearly three centuries after the death of Jesus that the “official” position of the Church became that Jesus is God. That is something that most Christians don’t know today. Three centuries is a long time, longer even than the length of modern day America. It was only after all the early followers of Jesus had died out that the Doctrine of the Trinity became accepted.
And even after the Council of Nicea voted that Jesus is God, there were subsequent Church Councils that resulted in a decision to the contrary when there was a pro-Arian Roman Emperor .It is no exaggeration to say the success or failure of the Trinitarian idea much depended on what the Roman Emperor at the time believed.
Trinitarianism was finally established by law when the Emperor Theodosius issued a decree which said ,” Heretics are to be driven from cities, villages, and communities. They are not able to hold public meetings or secret gatherings.”
What could not be enforced by Church Councils was enforced by the power of the Roman state.
So what does scripture have to say about all this?
Peter’s Confession of Christ
The book of Matthew recounts the Apostle Peter’s Confession of Christ:
Reading the Text
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you,” He asked; “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
*******************************
There can be no doubt Peter said Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus said he is right! Jesus is also saying “Upon this rock (Upon this type of man-someone who realizes the truth for himself)—he will build his Church”.
John 1:1
The scripture John 1:1 is the one most commonly used to “prove” that Jesus is God:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God , and the Word was God” .
Does that settle the matter?
No. Wikipedia has this to say regarding John 1:1 : The proper rendering into English from the original Koine Greek text continues to be a source of vigorous debate among Bible translators.
For example:
1970, 1989 The Revised English Bible reads: “...and what God was, the Word was”
You can read the entire Wikipedia article if you wish.
The point I am trying to make is that not all translations say that Jesus is God concerning John 1:1.
To base your entire Christian belief, theology, and Salvation on one verse would be a grave error. Of course, there may be some of you who are thinking “But Trinitarian Theology is the historical doctrine of the Christian Church.”
Well, not exactly. It has been the Doctrine of the Church only since 325 A.D. Almost 300 years elapsed before it became creed or dogma that Jesus is God. 300 years is a long time. America has not even been in existence 300 years.
One highly relevant scripture in John is cited below. It says what the purpose of
the book of John is:
John 20:30-31
“30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that you might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might
have life through his name. “
It is an internal contradiction within the Book of John to use it to “prove” that Jesus is God, since the book clearly states that is not its purpose. Those that use the Book of John to “prove” Jesus is God are not using it for its intended purpose. Something to reflect upon.
Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus
Let us turn briefly to the Apostle Paul and his conversion on the road to Damascus, and what the Scripture has to say regarding it. As you may recall, Paul had a mystical encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and was blind for three days. The Disciple Ananais went to the stricken Paul and laid hands on him. Paul received his sight and was baptized with the Spirit.
“And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul (Paul) certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the Synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”
There can be no doubt that after his conversion that Scripture says Paul preached that Jesus is the Son of God!
It was not Always Catholic Belief:
Who is Jesus?
It is an important question. And what is the truth? At some point every Christian or aspiring Christian needs to answer this question for himself. Maybe you think it doesn’t matter? Read on.
The teaching of most Protestant Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church is that Jesus is God, one aspect of the Trinity. Albeit, there is a slightly nuanced difference with the Eastern Church in that they believe the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (or so I am told). However, there are groups, most notably the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that Jesus is the Son of God but not God. Generally, those groups are referred to as “cults” by Trinitarians. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only non-trinitarian groups. Modern nontrinitarian groups or denominations include Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Friends General Conference, Iglesia ni Cristo, La Luz del Mundo, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Unitarian Universalist Christians and the United Church of God to name a few.
My own searching over the years has caused me to question and wonder about this and investigate the matter (and I do not belong to any of the above groups).
In the beginning of my own investigation into Christianity, I came across “tracts” that referred to Jesus as a “God Man”. I believe they were Roman Catholic tracts. Frankly, I was bothered by the idea of a man being God. Intuitively bothered. It didn’t sit well with me.
At that particular time, I attended a Victory Outreach Church briefly. I was bothered enough by the idea that I went to one of Senior Pastor’s with the question, “Is Jesus God?” I don’t recall the exact conversation but I did bring up many of the verses where Jesus is called the Son of God. I can’t recall the exact scriptures now (30 years later) but I do recall the gist of the conversation. The minister told me he had gone to the “Greek” to get his position. It was like pulling rank on an ignorant peasant. When I persisted in my questions, I was met with almost seeming hostility and told, “This Church believes in the Trinity!” The counseling session was abruptly ended.
I was bothered enough that I consulted another minister at another Church. I was told that Jesus was God’s messenger. It was told me with a certainty, and, frankly, I felt a certain inner relief.
Over the years, I have learned a few things about Christianity and the Trinity which I would like to share with you. Things I didn’t understand when the first minister pulled rank on me by saying he had gone to the “Greek”.
First of all, it has not always been the accepted teaching of the established Christian Church that Jesus is God, something that many Christians do not realize. It was only in the 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicea that it became accepted Church Doctrine. The Nicean Creed was voted in and is repeated in Catholic Churches at Mass to this day. But repetition by itself does not make it true.
At the time of the Council of Nicea, there was a raging controversy between those who believed that Jesus was God and those that believed Jesus was less than the Father. The latter were called Arians. An honest person has to admit it was nearly three centuries after the death of Jesus that the “official” position of the Church became that Jesus is God. That is something that most Christians don’t know today. Three centuries is a long time, longer even than the length of modern day America. It was only after all the early followers of Jesus had died out that the Doctrine of the Trinity became accepted.
And even after the Council of Nicea voted that Jesus is God, there were subsequent Church Councils that resulted in a decision to the contrary when there was a pro-Arian Roman Emperor .It is no exaggeration to say the success or failure of the Trinitarian idea much depended on what the Roman Emperor at the time believed.
Trinitarianism was finally established by law when the Emperor Theodosius issued a decree which said ,” Heretics are to be driven from cities, villages, and communities. They are not able to hold public meetings or secret gatherings.”
What could not be enforced by Church Councils was enforced by the power of the Roman state.
So what does scripture have to say about all this?
Peter’s Confession of Christ
The book of Matthew recounts the Apostle Peter’s Confession of Christ:
Reading the Text
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you,” He asked; “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
*******************************
There can be no doubt Peter said Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus said he is right! Jesus is also saying “Upon this rock (Upon this type of man-someone who realizes the truth for himself)—he will build his Church”.
John 1:1
The scripture John 1:1 is the one most commonly used to “prove” that Jesus is God:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God , and the Word was God” .
Does that settle the matter?
No. Wikipedia has this to say regarding John 1:1 : The proper rendering into English from the original Koine Greek text continues to be a source of vigorous debate among Bible translators.
For example:
1970, 1989 The Revised English Bible reads: “...and what God was, the Word was”
You can read the entire Wikipedia article if you wish.
The point I am trying to make is that not all translations say that Jesus is God concerning John 1:1.
To base your entire Christian belief, theology, and Salvation on one verse would be a grave error. Of course, there may be some of you who are thinking “But Trinitarian Theology is the historical doctrine of the Christian Church.”
Well, not exactly. It has been the Doctrine of the Church only since 325 A.D. Almost 300 years elapsed before it became creed or dogma that Jesus is God. 300 years is a long time. America has not even been in existence 300 years.
One highly relevant scripture in John is cited below. It says what the purpose of
the book of John is:
John 20:30-31
“30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that you might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might
have life through his name. “
It is an internal contradiction within the Book of John to use it to “prove” that Jesus is God, since the book clearly states that is not its purpose. Those that use the Book of John to “prove” Jesus is God are not using it for its intended purpose. Something to reflect upon.
Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus
Let us turn briefly to the Apostle Paul and his conversion on the road to Damascus, and what the Scripture has to say regarding it. As you may recall, Paul had a mystical encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and was blind for three days. The Disciple Ananais went to the stricken Paul and laid hands on him. Paul received his sight and was baptized with the Spirit.
“And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul (Paul) certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the Synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”
There can be no doubt that after his conversion that Scripture says Paul preached that Jesus is the Son of God!