Bible Study #1, Christianity 101 - The Apostle's Creed- "I Believe In God"

Bible Study #1, Christianity 101 - The Apostle's Creed- "I Believe In God"
CHRISTIANITY 101

Teacher: Dr. Fletcher Law, Fletcher LAW and GRACE Ministries
Redeemer Bible Studies
Redeemer Bible Fellowship

A Bible study on The main Topics Of The Apostles' Creed
(as usually recited today)

The basic creed of churches, as most familiarly known, is called the Apostles' Creed.
We view it as a concise declaration or affirmation of orthodox or solid Christian historical teaching. It is under the authority and not equal to Scripture. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; it dates from very early times in the Church, a half century or so from the last writings of the New Testament.

THE APOSTLE"S CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only 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 arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed.html

Lesson #1

I Believe in God!
This is a bold statement in today's world.


Two things have changed in our generation to change our society's view of God
1. Atheist are very outspoken.
http://www.rationalresponders.com/

2.Eastern religions and religious plurality have changed our view in America about one God.

Julia Roberts is Hindu: Is America ready for a Hindu sweetheart?
By Elizabeth Tenety
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2010/08/julia_roberts_is_hindu_is_america_ready_for_a_hindu_sweetheart.html


Monotheism was a bold declaration in the days of the ancient Hebrews relating to the other ancient world's religions.
Here is the "Shema" as Jews reference Deuteronomy 6:4.
Deuteronomy 6:4
English Standard Version (ESV)
4"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

Unbelievers are not "The problem" with Christianity.
"The" Problem is our very high view of man
and our very weak and biblically inaccurate view of the "Creator of Heaven and Earth".

Who is God?
Exodus 3:14 (ESV) "14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you."

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) "26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."


(In Revelation both God and Jesus Christ are the Alpha and Omega -The First and Last- thus the Word confirms the Trinity.)
Revelation 1:8 (ESV) 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord ***God***, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Revelation 22:12-16 (ESV) 12"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. "14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 "I, ***Jesus***, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

TRINITY VERSES CONCERN GOD THE FATHER> GOD THE SON> GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 14:9 (ESV) "9Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"

Psalm 139:7-8 (ESV)
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

Joshua24:19 (ESV) "But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins."

What is His character?
1 John 4:8 (ESV) "8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Do not go to some guru or philosopher when He is very glad to tell you Himself who he, God, is.

1 Samuel 2:2 (ESV)
"2 "There is none holy like the LORD;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God."

Deuteronomy 4:24 (ESV) "24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Hebrews 12:29 (ESV) 29for our God is a consuming fire.

He answers clearly in the Word about Himself these things -
1. Who He is
Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)
28Have you not known? Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

2. What he is to be called, (Here is a website with most names of God in the Bible.)
http://www.aboundingjoy.com/Bible%20studies/Names%20Of%20God.htm

3. How he is to be treated and approached and worshiped. This is where Jesus sat by the Samaritan women at a well. She was ethnically, religiously and morally opposite to the norms of worship. There was real hope for her.

John 4:23-25(ESV) "23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things."

4. God tells us what His character is and His attributes-
Exodus 34:5-8(ESV) "5The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.6The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation." 8And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped."

5. How He has dealt with humanity.
John 3:16 (ESV)
16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

6. How humanity has disappointed Him.
Romans 3:23-24(ESV) "23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift,through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

7. How He has made our reconciliation possible.

Romans 3:24 (ESV) "24 and are justified by his grace as a gift,through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

8. How He loves us.
Psalm 136:2 (ESV)
2Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

9. How He will judge us.
Romans 2:15-16(ESV) "15They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."

10. His plans for us.
1 John 3:2 (ESV)
2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Romans 8:16 (ESV)
"16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,"

Galatians 4:5-7 (ESV)
"5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."

11. There is no one , thing or god like Him. King David marveled at this simple but yet complex fact.


1 Chronicles 17:20 (ESV)
20There is none like you, O LORD, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

So we have a loving Holy God who is jealous of His name.
His standards are high. We must be holy.
We cannot be holy and obey the law. We, his children have rebelled.
Through His great love, he sent his only Son. Through whose perfect life, and his sacrificial death, for our benefit, He, Jesus Christ, paid the price for our sins. The wrath of God intended for sinners was placed on Christ at the cross. Jesus Christ received the sin of believer's on the cross. Believer's though sinners receive the righteousness of Christ in the eyes of God.
We then can be saved. We can have peace with God. We can fellowship with God forever.
We are saved by God, from the wrath God.
This is a God you need.

In Christ Alone!


Fletcher Law