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-40-
The God Who Is
The Council Of Nicea (325 A.D.)
In order to bring order out of this religious chaos, Emperor Constantine summoned a church council to the imperial palace at Nicea in 325 A.D. Its significance lay in the fact that it resulted in the Nicene Creed, the first written creed of the church. This was the greatest of the Eastern Church councils.
We must not think the church council was a dictatorial council where truth is settled by decree. Instead, it was a council called to determine what Christians from various churches understood the Bible to teach regarding the doctrines of the Trinity and of the Deity of Christ.
The Council of Nicea affirmed that the Bible teaches "Jesus Christ is very God of very God; begotten, not created; consubstantial with the Father," i.e. that He was of the same substance as the Father. The Council of Nicea condemned Arianism as error. The doctrine of the Deity of Christ is the line of demarcation separating believers from unbelievers. It is not a matter of theological opinion. A person either believes or he does not believe.
Patrick, missionary to Ireland, said, "He (i.e. God) hath a Son co-eternal and co-equal with Himself. The Son is not younger than the Father, nor is the Father older than the Son. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are not divided." What a profound confession! Such knowledge and understanding had been preserved from the days of the apostles.
Semi-Arianism
Arianism with its denial of the Deity of Christ had been condemned at the Council of Nicea. Therefore, the Arians modified their position. Compromise is one of the most effective tools the Devil has. He does not usually present men with pure error. Most people will not swallow error until it has first been adulterated with truth. But how insidious and seductive is error that is so mixed! Who would take arsenic full strength? but if a small quantity is mixed with sugar, the victim cannot distinguish where health ends and death begins.
The Arians modified their position, and the result came to be known as "Semi-Arianism." It taught that Jesus Christ was of "like" substance with the Father (or in the Greek, "homoiousios") but that He was not the "same" substance (or, "homoousios") with the Father. The addition by the Arians of the letter "i" resulted in bloody persecutions.
Throughout history God has raised up great men to withstand great sinners and great error. This time He raised up Athanasius. Although greatly outnumbered, Athanasius defended the teaching of Scripture. It seemed as though the whole world had embraced Semi-Arianism. One day someone asked Athanasius, "Don't you know the world is against you?" To this the man of God replied, "Then I am against the world."
Truth must not be accepted or rejected on the basis of its popularity. The question to ask is, "Is it right?" If it is, then are we willing to die for it? If we are not willing to die for truth, then we are not willing to live for it. We are therefore not worthy of having it; and the Lord will take it from our understanding.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are Semi-Arians. In the Gospel of John chapter 1 we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Jehovah's Witnesses translate this simple sentence this way, "...and the Word was a god." Their New World Translation of the Bible is a corrupted translation, and in this text it allows for the existence of more than one God. Yet, they erroneously accuse Trinitarians of believing in three Gods.
The Jehovah's Witnesses argue that the Scripture does not say "...and the Word was the God," and that if the apostle wanted to identify the Word as God, he would have used the article. But first year Greek students learn that the article speaks of identity, and if the apostle John had said, `...and the Word was the God," he would in essence be saying, that "the Word" and "God" are "one and the same." This is not what he wanted to teach. Those who do so are guilty of the heresy known as "Sabellianism."
In John chapter 1, in verse 14, the apostle John identifies "The Word" as Christ, saying "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus is therefore not identical with the Father. For this reason, the apostle left out the article. Jesus Christ is distinct from the Father, although He is of the same substance.
The Jehovah's Witnesses affirm that Jesus Christ is "the son of God" but they refuse to acknowledge Him as "God the Son." This is the same argument the Jews used in John chapter 10. There beginning in verse 25, "Jesus answered them, `I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.'
"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, `Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?' The Jews answered him, saying, `For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God'" (John 10:25-33). This is the same argument used today.
In similar fashion, the Hindus and Buddhists reject Jesus Christ as the only God because they cannot conceive of God coming to die to give His life a ransom for many. They see Him in His death as a failure. But Jesus was born to die.