Fix Your Eyes on the Exalted Jesus
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The Athanasian Creed
is named for Athanasius, a fourth-century bishop and prominent defender of Trinitarianism. The creed, which has Latin origins, declares key beliefs about the Trinity, specifically, the equal nature of the three persons. It is one of three creeds accepted by the Reformed Church in America.
https://www.rca.org/resources/athanasian-creed
https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/ccc/Athanasian_Creed.cfm
Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Christian faith. For unless a person keeps this faith whole and entire, he will undoubtedly be lost forever. This is what the Christian faith teaches:
We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit. But the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, and coeternal majesty.
What the Father is, the Son is, and the Holy Spirit is. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is boundless, the Son is boundless, and the Holy Spirit is boundless. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal.
Nevertheless, there are not three eternal beings, but one eternal being. So there are not three uncreated beings, nor three boundless beings, but one uncreated being and one boundless being. Likewise, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent.
Yet there are not three omnipotent beings, but one omnipotent being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. However, there are not three gods, but one God. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord.
However, there are not three lords, but one Lord.
For as we are obliged by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person singly to be God and Lord, so too are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
The Father was not made, nor created, nor generated by anyone. The Son is not made, nor created, but begotten by the Father alone. The Holy Spirit is not made, nor created, nor generated, but proceeds from the Father and the Son. There is, then, one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
In this Trinity, there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less. The entire three Persons are coeternal and coequal with one another. So that in all things, as is has been said above, the Unity is to be worshipped in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity.
He, therefore, who wishes to be saved, must believe thus about the Trinity. It is also necessary for eternal salvation that he believes steadfastly in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man.
As God, He was begotten of the substance of the Father before time; as man, He was born in time of the substance of His Mother. He is perfect God; and He is perfect man, with a rational soul and human flesh. He is equal to the Father in His divinity, but inferior to the Father in His humanity.
Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ. And He is one, not because His divinity was changed into flesh, but because His humanity was assumed unto God. He is one, not by a mingling of substances, but by unity of person. As a rational soul and flesh are one man: so God and man are one Christ. He died for our salvation, descended into hell, and rose from the dead on the third day.
He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. At His coming, all men are to arise with their own bodies; and they are to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good deeds will go into eternal life; those who have done evil will go into the everlasting fire. This is the Christian faith. Everyone must believe it, firmly and steadfastly; otherwise He cannot be saved. Amen.
In a world of sinful evil we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 68.2 ἀρχηγός, οῦ
68.2 ἀρχηγόςa, οῦ m: one who causes something to begin—‘initiator, founder, originator.’ τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ‘the founder of salvation’ or ‘the one who institutes salvation’ He 2:10. For another interpretation of ἀρχηγός in He 2:10, see 36.6.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 36.6 ἀρχηγός, οῦ
36.6 ἀρχηγόςb, οῦ m: a person who as originator or founder of a movement continues as the leader—‘pioneer leader, founding leader.’ τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ‘their pioneer leader to salvation’ He 2:10. In order to indicate clearly the significance of ἀρχηγός in He 2:10, it may be important to employ a translation such as ‘who established a way of salvation and leads people to it.’ But it is also possible to understand ἀρχηγός in He 2:10 as meaning only the ‘initiator’ or ‘founder’ (see 68.2).
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 747 ἀρχηγός
747 ἀρχηγός [archegos /ar·khay·gos/] adj. From 746 and 71; TDNT 1:487; TDNTA 81; GK 795; Four occurrences; AV translates as “prince” twice, “captain” once, and “author” once. 1 the chief leader, prince. 1A of Christ. 2 one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer. 3 the author.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Jesus has all the attributes, all the qualities, all the characteristics of God
Moses was an author - Jesus was the author and perfecter - Jesus gave Moses the law - there is no comparison between Jesus and Moses.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
(1) Jesus became obedient to the Father
(1) Jesus became obedient to the Father
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
(2) Jesus became the Christ
(2) Jesus became the Christ
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
(3) Jesus became a high priest
(3) Jesus became a high priest
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
(4) Jesus was exalted
(4) Jesus was exalted
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
How was Jesus exalted?
How was Jesus exalted?
John 17
- the glorious glory of the Son.
(1) The prayer concerning himself (17:1-5)
(2) The prayer concerning the disciples (17:6-19)
(3) The prayer concerning (17:20-26)
Felix Just Outline
A) 1-3: Jesus' hour of glory has come; he gives eternal life and knowledge to believers
B) 4-8: Jesus' work of glorifying and revealing the Father is complete
C) 9-12: Jesus prays that God protect the believers who are in the world
D) 13: Jesus' return to the Father makes the JOY of the believers complete
C') 14-19: Jesus prays that God sanctify the believers who are not of the world
B') 20-23: Jesus' unity with the Father completes the unity of all believers
A') 24-26: Jesus' glory reveals the Father; believers have the knowledge and love of God
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Before the foundation of the world Jesus was equal in glory, equal in every way with the Father. But because of the love of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit there was decreed a plan of salvation.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Because of his love for you he humbled himself.