Begotten, Not Made

They give various answers.

But then the other shoe drops. Jesus asks, ‘and what about you? Who do you say that I am?’
Peter, in a moment of Holy Spirit-given clarity speaks something more true than he could’ve known - "you are the Son of God, the Christ.” (Matthew 16).

This is the bedrock of Christianity. A Christian is someone who pledges allegiance to Jesus Only. “Jesus is Lord” was the gospel shorthand in Paul’s day.

But, this is where the rubber meets the road, as they say. What do we mean that Jesus is Lord?
The controversy the Nicene Creed is sorting out has to do with the question of Jesus - is he God?
The New Testament seems to insist he is.
But the Father is God.
And God is one.

So.... how is Jesus to be worshipped if God is one and the Father is God?

Apparently reading the scriptures wasn’t enough. Because the early church fathers were reading them...and getting different answers.
Some said Jesus is like God, but a creature and therefore less in glory.
Others said Jesus was chosen by God, but isn’t God.
Some said the Father & the Son were modes, or faces of God.

Apparently, it’s not enough to just read the bible. Because the bible has to be interpreted. And that means you need to read it with a tradition & with other people who can help us read it well...or not so well, in the case of Arius, who has the distinction of having given his name to a heresy (Arianism).

Join us Sunday as we try to understand what it means to say Jesus is Lord.