What I Believe

So what does this Mike McMillan character believe anyway?

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us humans and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets. And I believe one catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Let me unpack that just a little. (You may have recognised the so-called Nicene Creed, an ancient summary of the Christian faith which includes the most important points of my own belief.)

God the Father: so called by Jesus, who was perfectly capable of saying "Father and Mother" or "Parent" if that was what he meant. Yes, of course it would have shocked his hearers. Have you ever read the Gospels? That wouldn't have stopped him. (Having said which, there are a number of references to God as having mother-like qualities in the Scriptures, and if emphasising this side of God is more helpful to you, go to it.)

Maker of heaven and earth: not a part of creation, but the eternal Creator, preceding and responsible for creation and separate from it.

one Lord: only one ultimate ruler to whom allegiance is owed.

only-begotten: "begotten" is a somewhat misleading term. The Greek words which lie behind this are also used to refer to Isaac, the son of Abraham - not Abraham's only male offspring, but the unique, special son promised by God. The emphasis is on a unique, special relationship with the Father rather than being a reference to any conception process, and the Creed explicitly makes the point that Christ is not a created being but is of "one substance" with the Father and truly God as the Father is truly God.

came down from heaven: not "fell out of the sky" but left a transcendent state and became immanent, living among us in a human body. Yes, through a virgin birth. He made the universe, he can tinker with it if he wants to.

under Pontius Pilate: as a real, historical event, locatable in time and space. This is not a myth, however mythic some of its elements seem to be.

rose again: yes, physically. I believe he was really dead and then really alive again, because no other explanation fits the evidence as well (there are several apologetics sites which will go into more detail, a very fine one being the Christian Think Tank). Also, this is theologically very important: see the book of Romans, chapter 8.

ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father: this is imagery, referring to a return to a transcendent state and a position of acceptance and authority, with all sacrifice having been completed (see Hebrews).

judge both the living and the dead: evaluate their lives by his standard. Of course he has the right to do that. Think about it.

kingdom: the kingdom of God is the direct rule of God over the world, when everything is done his way. This is (evidently) not happening yet.

Holy Spirit: the third person of the Trinity. I don't understand the Trinity either. If I understood it, I'd be more inclined to suspect that it was a human invention.

spoke through the prophets: in this context, all the writers of Scripture. For more detail on my view of the Bible, see Symposium 3.

catholic and apostolic Church: not the Roman Catholic Church or the Apostolic Church, but the universal (catholic) Church which includes all Christians of all times and places, whatever their label, and which stems from the apostles and is in line with their teaching. For more on the Church see 'The Church: A Sketch'.

baptism for the remission of sins: the identification with Christ of which physical baptism is a symbol (and an important one). It is by being identified with Christ and his nature that we are freed from sin, and this comes when we trust in his sacrifice on the Cross to free us from what we could not escape by ourselves.

resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come: not a ghostly existence as idealised spirits, and certainly not absorption into God like water droplets into the ocean, but a real life like our real life now, only repaired so that it runs properly.

That was for the intellectuals, in an attempt to make it slightly harder for them to dismiss me as naive and simplistic. Now, I'll give what is in many ways a much better summary of my faith, which isn't a set of complex, abstract philosophical concepts (though, because I'm who I am, it has to involve that), but a relationship with a person. Here goes.

Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to him belong,
They are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me;
Yes, Jesus loves me;
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me, he who died
Heaven's gate to open wide,
He who took away my sin,
Let his little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me;
Yes, Jesus loves me;
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.

To find out more about what it means to become a Christian: a summary of the Gospel.