Dr Paul Allen

The Latin word credo means simply "I believe." It represents the first word of the Apostles' Creed . Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to distinguish true content from error and false representations of the faith. Such creeds are distinguished from Scripture in that Scripture is norma normans ("the rule that rules"), while the creeds are norma normata ("a rule that is ruled"). Historically, Christian creeds have included everything from brief affirmations to comprehensive statements. The earliest Christian creed is found in the New Testament , which declares, " Jesus is Lord ." The New Testament makes a somewhat cryptic statement about this affirmation, namely, that no one can make the statement except by the Holy Spirit . What are we to understand by this? On the one hand, the New Testament tells us that people can honor God with thei...

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by billions of people. It’s a statement of faith in one of the great pop cultural myths of the Western world ; a gospel proclaimed in many of our stories, movies, and songs. Essentially, it’s a belief that your heart is a compass inside of you that will direct you to your own true north if you just have the courage to follow it. It says that your heart is a true guide that will lead you to true happiness if you just have the courage to listen to it. The creed says that you are lost and your heart will save you.  This creed can sound so simple and beautiful and liberating. For lost people it’s a tempting gospel to believe. Is This the Leader You Want to Follow? Until you consider that your heart has sociopathic tendencies. Think about it for a moment. What does your heart tell you? Please don’t answer. Your heart has likely said things today that you would not wi...

Pastors and theologians are often asked many questions about life in heaven. How old will we be? If I died at age 85, will I still appear to be an octogenarian? Will I recognize my family and friends in heaven? Will my dead dog or cat greet me when I enter that realm? These questions arise largely because Scripture does not us give all that much information about the intermediate state — that place where the souls of men and women go between their death and Jesus ’ return. For Christians, the intermediate state is heaven, and we are told life there is better than life in this fallen world ( Phil. 1:21–23). But the apostles give few specific details about this place. The dwelling of our souls in heaven is called the intermediate state because such existence is not the final destiny God has for His people. Christianity does not believe the physical realm is inherently evil; it is only presently suffering God’s curse due to our sin (Gen. 3:17–19). Jesus died not only to reconcile u...

Hillsong Church London logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Ephesians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God , To the saints who are in Ephesus , and are faithful in Christ Jesus” ( v. 1 ). The biblical doctrine of the church can be found summarized in the Nicene Creed , which confesses belief in “ one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church .” Hillsong Australia released a new DVD entitled: No Other Name with one particular song entitled: The Creed. This song put the words of the creed to an amzing tune.  The church cannot be truly one unless it is united in the truth. Though it is regrettable that the church as a visible body is currently far from unified, we do recognize that Christians share a profound, invisible unity in Christ when they hold to the faith once delivered to the saints ( John 17 ; Gal.3:28 ). All who believe the Gospel are one in Christ Jesus the Lord. Hillsong seeks to break that divide. Holiness is the second attribute of the church d...

Nicene Creed, P.Oxy.XVII 2067 Русский: Никейский символ, P.Oxy.XVII 2067 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (v. 6)   —  Galatians 4:6–7 When we recite creeds and confessions, we usually read things like the Westminster Confession and the Nicene Creed , statements that have defined the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy in the post-apostolic age. Yet it should be noted that creeds and confessions were also central to worship and discipleship during the time of the apostles, and the New Testament apparently records many creedal statements from the first-century church. Philippians 2:5–11, for example, is probably a confessional hymn that Paul incorporated into his epistle. Galatians 4:4–5 and its succinct presentation of the roles of the Father and the Son in redemption is likely an early Christian creed as well. Appending verse 6 to this confession gives us an expression o...

Image via Wikipedia For hundreds of years Christians believed that the twelve apostles were the authors of the widely known creed that bears their name. According to an ancient theory, the twelve composed the creed with each apostle adding a clause to form the whole.  Today practically all scholars understand this theory of apostolic composition to be legendary. Nevertheless, many continue to think of the creed as apostolic in nature because its basic teachings are agreeable to the theological formulations of the apostolic age. The full form in which the creed now appears stems from about A.D. 700:   I believe in GOD THE FATHER almighty ; Maker of heaven and earth. And in JESUS CHRIST his only begotten Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ; suffered under Pontius Pilate , was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven; and sitteth at the right hand of God the...