Whos Creed Do You Follow?
STUDIES & DOC
Dan L Baxley
I have been asked a few times, What do you believe? What is your Creed? Creed? What a weird word. And I would bet that many in the Evangelical branch of the multi-divided Christian orders would not even know what that meant or why it would even matter. There is, however, and underlying Credo among the Evangelicals, a much more liberal group of religiously driven people, than most. Of course, a Statement, or Creed, is one that declares a certain outline of beliefs that must be accepted, sworn to, before being accepted as a legitimate member of that particular order. Of course all of them, even those with differences, require you swear your allegiance to the Order and to the name of JESUS as your Savior, the very name you are required to be Baptized into. Their unity, since the creation of the King James, King of England's Government Authorized translation of the Christian Bible, is found in the NAME they all declare as the name all professing Christians must swear to and willingly be baptized into. Does this bring about any real unity? Not really. Witness a Christian group like the Jehovah's Witnesses -- the confess JESUS as their Savior, just like all of the other Protestant and Evangelical works do, and yet "all of the others" point a finger at the JW and scream, "CULT", some, "Evil Cult". And that is but one example. But, this but one small point. This article is about my Creed, that is, if I were to have one. I say "my" because, I would never ask another believer to accept anything more than the Doctrine of YaHshua -- His Birth Name, in case you do not know that already. I have bee asked this more than once -- what is your belief system, what is the Creed of your group? Admittedly, many could care less, but for those that do, this would be my answer. First, let's define what a Creed, or Credo is:
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The Free Dictionary:
Creed:
1. A formal statement of religious belief; a confession of faith.2. A system of belief, principles, or opinions: laws banning discrimination on the basis of race or creed; an architectural creed that demanded simple lines.
Credo:
a. The Apostles' Creed.b. The Nicene Creed, especially as the third item of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass.c. The musical setting of the Nicene Creed.
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We do not need to go into too much detail about this business of Church Creed -- you know, the list of Bible hits and other Oak take by various groups to allow a person to be a member, that is, by swearing or accepting as your belief system what is listed in their Creed. Not all of them are the same, even though all claim to be Christian, and hold the Hebrew/Christian Book, called the Holy Bible as their authority. As their authority? Well, that could be debated. But, it is not the purpose of this article to get into all of that. No, this is about my Credo, that is, if I have one it might look like this. But a few more comments.
To make sense of what is the Simplicity found in our Savior, as opposed to the long list of does and don't, in Creeds, and Doctrines, and customs that those who have hijacked the purity of the, once Honorable, Christian Religion. Understand, the Christian denominations, are visibly scattered into multiple house divisions, with each its own Creed. The Creed, of the Old Covenant, being set aside, is not good enough. For one thing, true Biblical Creeds do not allow for Pagan custom and traditions. These very same professing Bible followers, deny the word by twisting and grinding the word into the rejection of Biblical Law, while accepting other, outside sourced Pagan traditions, as part of the Christian Creed. Once a Creed is locked into place, it becomes the LAW for that order. And yet, those very same enforcers of THAT Law, will call others who would dare to support or attempt to follow the Civil and Health Laws of the Old Covenant people, as nasty legalist. To some, the Creed is what determines your belief, your membership in the House of God -- what arrogance.
There are other Creeds that new converts are virtually pressed into accepting at Baptism. Some require that you swear -- swearing or making oaths, something our Lord told us not to do, takes on many form. One form is to agree to, as in a covenant, the Creed Statement of the group or "church" that is baptizing you. The problem is -- once a Creed of belief is accepted as the Basic Tenets of a particular body, it is near impossible to change, even if it is discovered that one or more parts or points to the Creed are in error. What? When grievous error is discovered, will the leadership go back and dig up the dead to baptize again? Or at least call for all living members to make another "altar call" and change their confession to align with the new Creed? No. That never happens. Those who would call a Bible Believer and practitioner, a Legalist, would tie you and everyone else in their congregation up in the ropes of their Creed, usually established by their "fathers of the Church", as a way to set themselves apart from other Churches. And, of course, they are not being a legalist when they do this. Some go so far as to claim that you cannot be a true Believer, like they are, unless you swear the oath of loyalty to the Creed.
Mat 5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to YaHWeH your vows,'Mat 5:34 but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of the FATHER;Mat 5:35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem (YaHshalayim), for it is the city of the great King.Mat 5:36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.Mat 5:37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
Now we can understand what our Messiah meant when He said that those of His own people would travel wide and far to make one convert to Torah, only to make them twice the Child of Hell than they are themselves. What a thing to say. What a truth, a truth that just blows over the heads of those pressing people under water, holding the Book high above their heads, screaming -- I Baptize Thee into the Name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit -- The Trinity God of three faces. All of which is taken out of context, and even, the possibility, the verses used are actually based on biased scribal notes, added to the word. What are we to think? That our God has Three Names? This is why we are instructed to STUDY, so we are approved, TESTING every spirit, be it man or devil. However, the wolves and their cubs have invaded the Churches and bred and fed for nearly 2,000 years. Is it any wonder that the Devil himself appears as an Angel of Light?
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his (Satan's) ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
note & disclaimer: Please, try not to be insulted or offended. This is not my intention. But remember, possibly, not matter which groups of professing Bible Believers you may be a part of, at one time in past history, they or others accused one another, even fighting and killing each other, claiming the other to be fakes, ministers of "unrighteousness", and the like. I make not accusations about individual Church memebership. If I do anything, it is to call for an examination of all Pastors, Teachers, and ministers and what they are teaching to those who would come to the Christ -- that is the One Anointed out Savior, of the Holy Book.
Do you hear that? Satan can look to humans like an Angel of Light? And topping that off -- His ministers -- His ministers appearing as "righteous"? In credible. This is serious business. And that is not all, this revelation continues -- "... whose end shall b according to their works" . According to their works? Under the cover of appearing "righteous", what do you suppose their works are? Not what you see, but what is revealed in exposes, and then only the tip of the iceberg, as they say. "According to their works", is not a congratulatory slap on the back, no, it is a sarcastic statement of truth as these men, and woman, claiming leadership, working for profit, for attention, even in competition with one another, one work competing with the other, all measured material gifts, awarded them from their father, the Devil -- (not all, of course, for even some of those in various ministries are just as confused and blind as you once were) -- grand buildings, fancy cars, loose women and men, piles of money, adoration from the misguided, all while being made merchandise of --
2Peter 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.2Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned (moulded, shaped, designed) words make merchandise (for sale, for profit) of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
My God, my Father in Heaven is NOT a split personality -- maybe your's is, but mine is not.. He has called me to His First Born Son, making me part of the "adoption" process, that He is working out through YaHshua, the First Born from the flesh, by having given Him, YaHshua, all power and authority over all that is.
(Rom 8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Rom 8:15) For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The One we call The Father, He is a the First origin of all Spirits -- He is The HOLY Spirit -- Not "a" Holy Spirit, but THE HOLY SPIRIT. Notice, to be baptized into the Father's Name, and the Son's and His Spirit -- all the same Name. Is the Father named, JESUS, or IESVS, or ISIS or the Zeus, as some pronounce that pagan name? NO! Those questionable verses are being twisted to mean something else all because of careless reading. If we read what YaHshua our Savior said before, that you cannot have Him without the Father, nor the Father without Him, and no mention of a separate entity, a no name spirit.
Mat 11:27 "My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.Mat 11:28 "Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest (Sabbath). CJB
There is no Trinity god here. It is the Father and the Son. We cannot have one without the other. This is the problem with most professing Christians, they do not have the Father, and by accepting another messiah whom they confess as savior, they do not have the Son either. Notice -- no mention of a separate, no name, personality. And these are the words of our Savior.
So, what is the Creed of this believer? Do I really need to lay out my confession? Because that is the "creed", our confession -- in the ONE we confess as the First Born, sent to Save us from, not only the Devil, but from ourselves. Who do you confess? Buddha? Krishna? Moloch (the god of abortion)? Santa Clause? Or many of the Saints that people pray to? All of those false gods have names, don't they. Don't let anyone tell you that names do not matter, that it is what is in your Heart. Well, I will tell you what is in your Heart, by comparison to eternity -- nothing, only darkness, for the heart of mankind is wicked, and no one, that is -- NO ONE is worthy, or Good, or deserving, no not one. Remember, if you are a professing Christian, you were, most likely, Baptized into a NAME -- what was that Name? If Names do not matter, then why were you baptized into a particular name? It is hard to accept that the vast majority of professing are living in a deception so great as to deny their entry into the Kingdom that is coming, that is, at least in this life. I am not sharing all of this to win and argument, as the argument has already been won, whether you see it now or not. YaHshua is the winner, the Devil and his angels the losers, and the most wicked of mankind? All losers, and from what I have witness over the few decades I have been aware, they are not happy, not at all. What was it that King David notice? How the Heathen Rage?
Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of Your servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Anointed (The One they call The Christ).Act 4:27 For of a truth against Your holy child YaHshua, whom You have anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever Your hand and Your counsel determined before to be done.
Understand that last verse -- all of this was determined, all of it was planned, and it was easy for our Heavenly Father to see how mankind would react. He did not have to make Herod do what he did, nor Pontius Pilate, they would act like the flesh and allow self interest to guide their actions against the Holy One of Israel. And not them only, but the people of Israel too. Imagine, our Savior healed people, and was very popular among those seeking healing and even enlightenment, and yet, once our Lord was nailed to the "stake", or was it a tree, or maybe a Cross? No one rose up, no one, even His disciples ran for cover, hiding, fearful. And guess what, the Gentiles too. Peter quotes David, How the HEATHEN RAGE -- and apparently the Heathen are all those against our Creator, against the ONE our Heavenly Father has Anointed -- the Heathen are all those against the Son -- rulers of various stripe, those in government, those in religious orders and institution and Gentiles. What is a Gentile? Any and all non-Jew. Yes, those of Islam are gentiles too. And, those of Israel, those we call Jews, are still enemies of the Messiah, and they too are in this category of Heathen. How is it that they ALL Imagined a VAIN thing? Simple, they killed someone who came back to life. Their intent was a useless, vain exercise, just as it will be when our Lord and Savior returns. Mankind's efforts to stop the Coming of the Kingdom will all be in vain. At some point, those gathered against our Lord YaHshua, at His return, will stand, all full of themselves, and looking at those near, they will see their comrades igniting into flames -- the horror of this coming event will establish once and for all who has the power, the real power.
Isa 13:6 Wail, for the day of YaHweh is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.Isa 13:7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt.Isa 13:8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.Isa 13:9 See, the day of YaHWEH is coming --a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger-- to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
When our Lord returns, it is called, His Day -- His Wrath, cutting out the Sinners, whom ever they are, be they Jew, Gentile, Kings, Politicians, Religious leaders, Atheist -- everyone, no matter their class, who is in Opposition to His Coming -- these are those called, Heathens. So much for the CREEDS of men.
After our Confession in YaHshua as the Son of God the Father, and our acceptance of Him as our Savior, and the answer to all of mankind's problems, then what would be our Creed, if we were to have one? Well, here it is --
Exo 20:1 God spoke all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 "I am YaHWeH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
#1 -- Exo 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.
#2 -- Exo 20:4-6 "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, YaHWeH your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
#3 -- Exo 20:7 "You shall not take the name of YaHWeH your God in vain, for YaHWeH will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain. (Vain? To make useless. To discard. To hide)
#4 -- Exo 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9-11 You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YaHWeH your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days YaHWeH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore YaHWeH blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
#5 -- Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which YaHWeH your God gives you.
#6 -- Exo 20:13 "You shall not murder.
#7 -- Exo 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
#8 -- Exo 20:15 "You shall not steal.
#9 -- Exo 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
#10 -- Exo 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
(Exo 24:4) Moses then wrote down everything the LORD (YHWH) had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Exo 24:12) The LORD (YHWH) said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."
Enter the New Covenant -- made with the Jew First and the Gentile second
YaHshua, in His wisdom, and certainly by permission from the Father, reduced these 10 tenets into just TWO -
#1 -- Love the Lord your God with all your heart#2 -- Love your neighbor as yourself
Mat 22:37 YaHshua said to him, " 'You shall love God your FATHER with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. (Being the First Great Commandment, suggest that there are more)Mat 22:39 A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'Mat 22:40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
When we examine these instructions with the 10 commandments, or as some say, the 10 Words, we find that the First Four Commandments tell us how to Love our Creator. The last 6 of these 10, tell us how to love and respect other, other in the class of Mankind.
As for "doctrines"? There is but one --
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresses, and abides (lives) not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God (The Father). He that abids in the doctrine of Christ (The Anointed), he has both the Father and the Son. (No mention of a separate Spirit -- just as YaHshua states in Matthew 11:27)
John 15:9-10 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you: continue you in My Love. If ye keep My commandments, you shall abide (live in) in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His Love. (Not your love, but His. And yes, His Love is different from yours and mine, love that is of the flesh)
When we do anything, anything at all, we should be asking, What would YaHshua do? We all should be Walking With YaHshua, as a brother, a friend, a confidant.