The Meaning Behind the Christian Nicene Creed and the Nature of Belief Generally

The glory of the Common Man who by his belief in the 21st Century Death Penalty in England & Wales may alter the course of our English speaking peoples history.

The Nicene Creed

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

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before time began, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God: begotten, not made, one in substance with the Father: and through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was made man. For our sake, too, under Pontius Pilate, he was crucified, suffered death and was buried. The third day he rose from the dead, as the scriptures had foretold. He ascended to heaven, where he is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Together with the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified: he it was who spoke through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. I profess one baptism for the remission of sins. And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

This Creed was formulated at the Council of Nicea

1. Introduction

Even the criminal lawyers will not permit a criminal conviction without the intent to commit that crime, as well as the criminal act itself. Thus, with the crime of murder there must be an unlawful and pre-meditated killing involving the intent to murder. This is the most heinous crime in the criminal calendar such is the irreplaceable value of human life. I now wish to examine the nature of charitable goodness which is the exact opposite to murder - they are poles apart.

2. The Nicene Creed and Christian Actions.

This Creed is the bedrock of Christianity and accepted as so understood by all proper Christian Churches worldwide. It has been in use since before the Reformation, which it antedates by hundreds of years. Even the Protestant Churches consider this Creed part of their Faith.

What effect does this Nicene Creed have on the sincere and zealous believer? With this Creed it becomes part of his psyche upon each time he utters it. He does not mumble or mouth this series of articles of belief. They are not mere prayer book prayers. They are the proclamation of his Christian belief. These words of this creed will never be erased from his soul, whether he be alive or dead. From the moment of his confirmation sacrament, which used to be at 12 years but is now 15 years, his speech, polemic and actions will be governed by the words and spirit of the Nicene Creed. It will be his raison d’etre and his very essence of Christianity.

3. Further Thoughts on This Creed.

I argue every believer should ponder this Creed in his heart. Non-Christians will not readily come across it, but even they may have their eyes opened to its extraordinary impact on occasion. This Creed enunciates the creation of the World: seen and unseen by God the Father and His relationship to His only Son, of one being with His Father, before everything. It goes on to pronounce the conception, birth and death of Christ and His Resurrection from the dead, then His ascending into Heaven and the foretelling of the Second Coming. Furthermore, the faithful declare their belief in the Holy Ghost who is adored and glorified with the Father and the Son. Then they state their belief in the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and the life of the World to come. This Creed is a little abbreviated by me.

4. How Does This Creed Transform Believers?

The momentous unstoppable power of these clauses of faith, spoken one after another without hesitation or interruption, is one long rising crescendo. I say you become an instrument: living of the Holy Trinity by the recitation of the Nicene Creed.

5. The Creed and Christian Life.

Everyone should ponder this quandary, even non-believers. There can be no snap or rushed decisions. The leaders in Christianity may not all be Bishops, Priests, Academics and the well known. We are all expected to do our duty. No one can tell another what religious act to say, believe or do, but Christian Charity is built on supporting each other openly and as equals. There can be no liberte without egalite and fraternite. God Himself sent His only Son into the World as a mere carpenter’s son. What supreme generosity! His Son would become equal to mankind in His human shape yet He would be truly human and truly divine. Moreover, the Father gave up His Son to suffer and die on Calvary. Why did He send His only Son? The rhythm is to give not to take. Fundamentally He gave His Son to the World because He loved the World: man, woman, child and beasts. For us the heirs of Christ we have the great duty to love the Father and each other. This binding obligation never ends not even with the Second Coming of Christ to judge the living and dead. If we fall below the standard required of those first two commandments of Moses personified in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we as declared Christians have failed abysmally. I quote from this Nicene Creed:

“For our sake, too, under Pontius Pilate, he was crucified, suffered death and was buried.”

It does not take much intelligence to know Christ is being held up here as the ultimate example of unselfishness to His believers. This is built on His understanding of His relationship to His Father who would never abandon Him. These words are seminal. The Son will always do the Father’s will.

6. Non-Believers

Christ dwells in all hearts regardless of the particular person’s Church going practice. Yes the believer should set a good example, but demand no rigid religious observance by his neighbour. Change within the man and change in our society will take years I believe. The hard grind is essential yet the tiny mustard seed will become the tree in which the birds make their nests.

7. Conclusion

The opening words of this Nicene Creed are the dynamic, namely; “I Believe” - so constructive and affirmative. All the articles of this Creed flow from those two words - one word in Latin: Credo. I submit to articulate this Creed is an act of submission to God the Father, His only Son and the Holy Ghost. I claim to tie your colours to the mast and affirm a particular belief is capable of being a charitable act if founded on Christian Charity. I quote what I wrote in my Second Coming essay on 17th March 2015:

“To believe in the death penalty for murder in the modern age is, I submit, the ultimate act of Christian Charity as it has fallen into disuse.”

This requires explanation: Firstly, I strongly believe the restoration of a discretionary Death Sentence for murder and its associated crimes is essential to the recovery of England and Wales socially, in her influence abroad, and her veritable moral backbone. My several essays in 2013, 2014 and 2015 are pertinent. Secondly, support for this stand of mine which I have made through Temon Estate is based on the belief in this ultimate penalty by individual members of the public most unknown to us. I aver many persons were mailed with our Death Sentence short standard letter between 1st July and 31st October 2014 (22,500 names in all in the South East). Many more were not sent this letter throughout England and Wales.

Please note you do not have to be an avowed Christian to demonstrate Christian virtues such as the greatest: namely charity in the human heart for your fellow men and women. Just look around you! Furthermore, the Nicene Creed is not in any sense a justification for my Death Sentence Campaign - I fully concede that proposition against my case. Nevertheless, I abide by all I have written in this essay and my previous Second Coming essay of 17th March 2015, and my other essays relating to the Death Penalty. I argue this silent and invisible phalanx of persons mailed and not mailed may contain our core support for our cause for the Death Penalty restoration. A few have replied positively to our standard death penalty letter. Those persons in this phalanx whom we don’t know by name, but they still believe in the Death Sentence, offer us invaluable and intangible moral backing. It has become a matter of belief in the Final Penalty not slavish obedience to that policy. As I have said before, practising Christians are unlikely to support the death sentence, but a small segment may be prepared to declare for this change in our law. That Capital Punishment belief by non-Christians, in all likelihood, is the great Christian Charitable act I write of at the end of my 17th March 2015 Second Coming essay. It offers such appreciated and powerful support to our death sentence campaign. May the status quo Christians take note or they will be left behind whilst others take the matter forward in the Name of Christ, Himself and His Saints.

Temon Estate and R.M. Lamb Esq. need all the support we can get. We are not blasé. As Christ said in his parable if those invited refuse to come to the wedding banquet the host will send his servants to the cross roads and bye-ways to invite all they find. There will be a capacity crowd as we call it. Again I say: take note Christians.

The dreadful moral crisis faced by our Country of England and Wales now: and this fierce theoretical spearhead for the Death Sentence return in our land, leading to sympathy for leaving the EU, and widespread support for Repeal of the Human Rights edifice enshrined in the ECHR by our law has one consequence: - Each individual’s belief in our Death Sentence campaign is transformed into a supreme act of charity man to man, woman to woman, man to woman, and woman to man, not just to our Temon Estate Death Penalty Campaign. That is true charity. The silent majority will come to the rescue of early 21st Century England and Wales as it always had done.

What does this silent majority believe in respect of modern Westminster politics? Do they support our campaign or scorn it? Are they ambivalent and reluctant to declare support? Give them the confidence to speak out I say. Let them be heard!