Sigh* Phil. I don't follow the creeds because I don't follow any man as a definitive authority. Creeds are problematic because they are assigned as much authority as the scriptures. People like yourself are certain that they are infallible. If they only said what scripture clearly says, why would we need them? Instead, creeds represent interpretations encoded in memorable phrases and used to indoctrinate the generations that follow.
The men who met to settle matters of doctrine clearly were not infallible. Almost all of them were in the minority on at least some of the foundational issues of christianity, whether the two natures of Christ, the eternality of Christ, the nature of the godhead, or many others. A large number of the church fathers believed you had to be baptized to be saved. I doubt you agree.
A large number of these same men were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy. Some were even philosophers before knowing Christ. Many of them still did not have all of the texts that now make up our NT. Many more used other books that were later determined not to be canonical. Do you think their doctrine was not influenced by these other texts?
The earliest councils were under significant pressure from Rome to be unified and produce unified doctrine, and many compromised in order to reach a consensus.
At one point Arius himself was declared a heretic, then later declared not to be a heretic, and still later again declared a heretic. On the same issues.
Your point about councils being a response to the reality of there being more than one "Christianity" is well taken. You seem to have a lot of faith that the "right Christianity" always prevailed. When I compare the prevailing Christianity with scripture, I tend to disagree.
In fact, among other things I tend to disagree with prevailing Christianity about:
The nature of God (not a trinity)
The nature of Christ (not a second person of a Godhead)
The way of salvation (not based on beliefs, but faith that is active)
The nature of man (not possessing an immortal soul)
The final destination and purpose of the righteous and the unrighteous (a new earth with God's living presence and destruction, respectively)
All in all I believe what I do because my Christianity and theology is much more connected to the Hebrew roots of our faith. What God is doing in the world today is not a parenthesis to His work with Israel (per dispensationalism) nor a new work loosely connected to but displacing the first (per covenantalism). I embrace the OT as my history even though I am not a Jew. I embrace Y'shua as a Torah-observant Jew who instructed His followers in the true way of Torah, the one promised in the New Covenant- written on our hearts rather than tablets of stone. I embrace the great commandments as the way of life, on which the Law and the prophets are based.
With a foundation as deep and rich and wide as the whole history of God's people, I have no need of man made creeds and statements. I need only the fellowship of those who love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and who love their neighbors in a vital way as themselves. The fellowship of those who embrace the Word of God, who delight in it day and night, who meditate on it and find Life in it. The fellowship of those who view God's commands not as a burden but a joy and a peace.
Yes, I am grafted into the olive tree, the roots of which are the patriarchs, the Law and the prophets. Y'shua is my Messiah and my salvation. He is my God come in the flesh to redeem me, though it was I who had enmity toward Him. He is the God who made everlasting covenants and who is faithful to every one of them.
Help me Lord by Your spirit to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to find Life in You. Amen!
The men who met to settle matters of doctrine clearly were not infallible. Almost all of them were in the minority on at least some of the foundational issues of christianity, whether the two natures of Christ, the eternality of Christ, the nature of the godhead, or many others. A large number of the church fathers believed you had to be baptized to be saved. I doubt you agree.
A large number of these same men were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy. Some were even philosophers before knowing Christ. Many of them still did not have all of the texts that now make up our NT. Many more used other books that were later determined not to be canonical. Do you think their doctrine was not influenced by these other texts?
The earliest councils were under significant pressure from Rome to be unified and produce unified doctrine, and many compromised in order to reach a consensus.
At one point Arius himself was declared a heretic, then later declared not to be a heretic, and still later again declared a heretic. On the same issues.
Your point about councils being a response to the reality of there being more than one "Christianity" is well taken. You seem to have a lot of faith that the "right Christianity" always prevailed. When I compare the prevailing Christianity with scripture, I tend to disagree.
In fact, among other things I tend to disagree with prevailing Christianity about:
The nature of God (not a trinity)
The nature of Christ (not a second person of a Godhead)
The way of salvation (not based on beliefs, but faith that is active)
The nature of man (not possessing an immortal soul)
The final destination and purpose of the righteous and the unrighteous (a new earth with God's living presence and destruction, respectively)
All in all I believe what I do because my Christianity and theology is much more connected to the Hebrew roots of our faith. What God is doing in the world today is not a parenthesis to His work with Israel (per dispensationalism) nor a new work loosely connected to but displacing the first (per covenantalism). I embrace the OT as my history even though I am not a Jew. I embrace Y'shua as a Torah-observant Jew who instructed His followers in the true way of Torah, the one promised in the New Covenant- written on our hearts rather than tablets of stone. I embrace the great commandments as the way of life, on which the Law and the prophets are based.
With a foundation as deep and rich and wide as the whole history of God's people, I have no need of man made creeds and statements. I need only the fellowship of those who love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and who love their neighbors in a vital way as themselves. The fellowship of those who embrace the Word of God, who delight in it day and night, who meditate on it and find Life in it. The fellowship of those who view God's commands not as a burden but a joy and a peace.
Yes, I am grafted into the olive tree, the roots of which are the patriarchs, the Law and the prophets. Y'shua is my Messiah and my salvation. He is my God come in the flesh to redeem me, though it was I who had enmity toward Him. He is the God who made everlasting covenants and who is faithful to every one of them.
Help me Lord by Your spirit to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to find Life in You. Amen!
