Have you ever heard of Peter Waldo? He is the founder of the Waldensians. Born around 1140 AD in Lyons, France, he was a wealthy merchant who became disgusted with the corruption in the Roman Catholic church. He became convinced that the Scriptures, not the Pope or Catholic tradition, are the sole authority for Christians. The Catholics used the Latin Vulgate, which few could understand, and claimed that ordinary Christians would be corrupted if they read the Bible for themselves. He paid to have the Bible translated into the current French language. After reading what Jesus told the rich ruler to do, “to sell what he had and give to the poor”, he sold what he had and lived as a beggar preacher. His followers sold or gave away what they had: they came to be called the “Poor of Lyons”. He believed that the Bible should be preached, even by lay preachers, which was also condemned by the Catholic church. Waldo’s followers, the Waldensians, were persecuted by the Catholic church. The infamous Roman Catholic Inquisition was a special church court established in the 1200’s to inquire about and judge matters of “heresy”. The inquisition lead to fierce persecution of the Waldensians. They lost their property and many were burned at the stake. The Waldensians were numerous in Italy, France, and Switzerland, and then spread throughout Europe.

Here is a list of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church that Waldo and the Waldensians rejected?

• They rejected all claims to authority besides Scripture.
• They rejected all mediators between God and man, except the man Christ Jesus (though Mary was venerated for quite a while).
• They rejected the doctrine that only a priest could hear confession, and argued that all believers were qualified.
• They rejected purgatory, and thus rejected indulgences and prayers for the dead.
• They believed the only Scripture-sanctioned sacraments were baptism and communion.
• They rejected the Church’s emphasis on fast and feast days and eating restrictions.
• They rejected the priestly and monastic caste system.
• They rejected the veneration of relics, pilgrimages, and the use of holy water.
• They rejected the pope’s claim to authority over earthly rulers.
• They eventually rejected the apostolic succession of the pope.

You can see why Peter Waldo was considered one of the forerunners of the Protestan Reformation movement of the 1600’s. That list of objection to Catholic doctrine was the same as that of the Protestant Reformation movement. Any Waldensians in the 1600’s eventually joined the Protestant Reformation.

So what do we learn from the story of Peter Waldo? We see how corrupt the Catholic church was. The church tortured and burned heretics. They wouldn’t let common people read the Bible in their language. It is hard for us to imagine that religious environment. We have had freedom of religion so long that we take it for granted. What if you lived back in the 12th century under the tyrannical power of the Catholci church? Would you have the courage to stand up to the church even if it cost you your life?

So, what do you believe? At our Christian school the board came up with a “statement of faith” that the school believed in and practices. It is basic Christian doctrines, similar to those of Peter Waldo. Such a statement of basic beliefs became even more needed as issues like homosexual marriages and gender identity arose in the current culture. In a way, the anti-Christian culture of today is something that we Christians have to stand up to just as Waldo stood up to the Catholic church.. If you proclaim basic fundamentalist Christian teaching on marriage, homosexuality, and. gender you will be mocked. If you stand up for the Bible as the sole authority for doctrines, you will be mocked. Maybe not tortured or burned at the stake, but you will be persecuted and mocked. I hope the example of Peter Waldo will inspired you to have the courage to stand up to today’s anti-Christian culture.

Wouldn’t it be great to talk to Peter Waldo? Maybe one day we can.

What is a religious “creed”? (AI) “A religious creed is a concise statement summarizing the core beliefs and doctrines of a particular faith, essentially a formal declaration of what a religious community believes in, often recited as part of a worship service or used for initiation rites; the word “creed” comes from the Latin “credere” meaning “to believe.” Some say that the earliest creed of the church was simply “Jesus is Lord”, or the confession “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. There are 3 main creeds of the early church. This site has the words of the 3 creeds. https://www.gci.org/articles/three-historic-christian-creeds/

1) The Apostolic Creed (probably 2nd, 3rd century AD). The title “Apostles’ Creed” was first mentioned in a letter from the Synod of Milan in 390 AD. The letter referred to the belief that each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the creed. This is the Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” Pretty basic. Notice that there is no statement on the divinity of Jesus, just the Father’s “only Son, our Lord”. This means that probably the Apostles’ Creed was a long time (probably 2nd or 3rd century) before the Nicene Creed which focused on the divinity of Jesus question. I can’t imagine a creed like the Apostles’ Creed being written after the Nicene Creed that did not discuss the divinity of Jesus question.

2) The Nicene Creed (381 AD: the Council of Nicea had met in 325 AD to discuss the question of the divinity of Jesus as a result of the Arian “heresy” that taught that Jesus was a created being and not fully divine. The key phrase in the creed would be “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.” (Thus declaring the full divinity of Jesus, that he was of the same essence as the Father, that he was eternal and not created). The Arians were declared heretics. But the original Nicene Creed stated: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father”. From https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/nicene-creed

 “Both the Greek (Eastern) and the Latin (Western) church held this creed in honor, though with one important difference: the Western church insisted on the inclusion of the phrase “and the Son” (known as the “filioque”) in the article on the procession of the Holy Spirit; this phrase still is repudiated by the Eastern Orthodox church. In its present form this creed goes back partially to the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) with additions by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). It was accepted in its present form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but the “filioque” phrase was not added until 589 (when it would read “the Holy Spirit …. proceeds from the Father and the Son”).” (From AI) “The filioque clause has been a source of controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. The Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches do not include the filioque clause in their Nicene Creed. Some Orthodox Christians believe that the filioque clause violates Canon VII of the Council of Ephesus. The filioque clause was a contributing factor to the split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches in 1054.”  

3) The Chalcedonian Creed (451 AD). Why was this creed written? It doesn’t seem to be a response to the filoque debate b/c it doesn’t even mention the Holy Spirit. “The Chalcedonian Creed was written to address and clarify controversies surrounding the nature of Jesus Christ, particularly to refute the “one-nature” heresy of Eutyches (378-456 AD), which claimed that Jesus’ divine and human natures merged into a single nature, by affirming that Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures, fully divine and fully human, united without confusion or separation; this was done at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.” It was mainly directed at the heresy of Eutyches in the early 400’s AD.

But was there a creed in the New Testament itself?  Many believe that Paul stated the fundamental beliefs of the church in one verse (verse 16): 1 Timothy 3:¹⁴ I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; ¹⁵ but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. ¹⁶ Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: The Greek word for mystery is musterion, something hidden. The mystery of how God was going to save sinners was hidden all through the old testament for centuries. “Paul’s point then is not that godliness is mysterious, but that our godliness, our piety, our devotion, our living of the Christian life is based on a great mystery (meaning something that was once concealed, but now revealed): God’s saving revelation of his redemptive plan in Christ.

Then Paul, in one verse, gives the basis of faith, or our devotion, and our living of the Christian life:

1. He who was revealed in the flesh, (the incarnation of Jesus, God become flesh John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.) ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2. Was vindicated (dikaioó: To justify, to declare righteous, to acquit) in the Spirit; Confirmation that Jesus was the Son of God by miraculous Holy Spirit signs, wonders, and miracles (Acts 2:²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know”) and being raised from the dead by the Spirit (Romans 1:⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 8:¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…”
3. Seen by angels, I quote Francis Dixon on this: “The angels were the first to see Him rise from the grave, and T.A. Gurney says that the words “seen by angels” have special reference to the post-resurrection of our Lord – to the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, “for”, he points out, “the word ‘seen’ implies self-exhibition”. Our Lord showed Himself alive to the angels (Ephesians 3:10 and 1 Peter 1:12).”
4. Proclaimed among the nations, Jesus told the apostles Mark 16:¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Also Matthew 28:¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The apostles did preach the gospel to the whole Roman Empire by 70 AD.
5. Believed on in the world, That would begin with the 3,000 who heard the first gospel believed and were baptized on the Day of Pentecost in 30 AD (Acts 2:41). Those saved by grace through faith became the church, i.e. the spiritual body of Jesus, the saved. The book of Acts records thousands of others who believed, were baptized, and were forgiven of sins and added to the church.
6. Taken up in glory. 40 days after his resurrection he ascended into heaven to take his seat at the right hand of God on the spiritual throne of David, to reign forever over the spiritual kingdom, the church, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In conclusion, notice that the whole creed centres on the Person and the Work of Christ. Christianity is Christ! In one verse, Paul gives the core beliefs, or creed, upon which Christianity is built. It is simple. He does not get into the debates about the specific nature of Jesus that occupied the church in the first several centuries. It is enough to believe that Jesus was “revealed in the flesh”, i.e. God became flesh, the incarnation. It is sad that the church was embroiled in so much controvesy over the exact nature of Jesus. Some Christological heresies include: Sabellianism: The belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three. Docetism: The belief that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body, and never fully took on human flesh. The term comes from the Greek word dokeō, which means “seem” or “appear”.  Nestorianism: The belief that Jesus was two distinct persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God.  Apollinarianism: The belief that Jesus had a human body and lower soul, but a divine mind.  Monothelitism: The belief that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will.  Patripassianism: The belief that the Father and Son are not two distinct persons, and that God the Father suffered on the cross as Jesus.  Eutychianism: The belief that Jesus Christ has only one nature, which is a combination of his human and divine natures.

Peter made the great confession of faith: Matthew 16:¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Martha made the great confession of faith: John 11:²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[d] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.

”Paul referred to that great confession in 1 Timothy 6:¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When did Jesus make the good confession referred to here? Mark 14:⁶⁰ And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^[g] 61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴ You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. ⁶⁵ And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.”

Did the Ethipoan eunuch make the great confession? Acts 8:37 is not in the best early manuscripts, like the Sinatic, and most venerable versions of the New Testament. It seems to have been added from the formularies for baptism which came into current use. In the early church candidates for baptism had to repeat the great confession. 8:37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Most modern translations leave out Acts 8:37 but include it as a footnote, saying that it is not in the best oldest manuscripts. It is possible that he did make the great confession, however.

Isn’t it enough to “believe that Jesus is the Christi, the Son of God”? I think so. Don’t worry if you don’t even understand all the nuances of the debates about the nature of Jesus. Now, if you can’t say that He is the Son of God, that is a problem. 1 John 2:¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. ²² Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” 2 John ⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

Thomas made the confession: John 20:²⁷ Then He *said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.” ²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” We must believe that He is God even if we don’t understand how he could be both fully God and fully man. Paul makes a statement in Philippians 2: ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. ” Paul says that Jesus did not keep his equality with God but emptied Himself. But John 5:18 says, ¹⁸ For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” So John is saying that Jesus was making Himself equal with God. So maybe in Philippians 2:6-7 Paul is just saying that Jesus gave up being in the same spirit form as the Father, i.e. he gave us some of the qualities of God like God’s omnipresence (God is a spirit who exists everywhere in the universe).

Notice again what Paul said in Timothy 3:¹⁴ I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; ¹⁵ but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. ¹⁶ Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness”. The church should be the “pillar and support of the truth”. This “truth” is found in the creed of the 6 points in vs 16. We must defend the Deity of Jesus and all the 6 points in the creed. There are so many cults that deny the Deity of Jesus, such as Christian Science and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet, but they do not believe that He is the Son of God. Muhammed in the Koran said that God did not have a Son. Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17), Verse 111 which reads, “And say, ‘Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification.'”. Musliims also do not believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins nor that he arose from the dead. Unitarians believe that the Father is the sole deity and the Savior was not God. Any many more less well known cults. Deists believe in a Supreme Being who created the universe and watches over the world, but they deny that Jesus is the Son of God or divine. Deists also reject the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, and the inspiration of the Bible. Deists believe that miracles cannot happen b/c they contradict natural law. Many liberal Christians in modern denominations deny the miracles and the Deity of Jesus based on the Deist beliefs.

I should point out that the early creeds did not specifically use the term “trinity”, nor did they claim that the Spirit was equal to God. The Apostles’ Creed was used by the early church and taught the existence of God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, the first creed to explicitly state the equality of the three hypostases of the Trinity was the Athanasian Creed. The Athanasian Creed was likely written in the 5th or 6th century AD in southern Gaul, which is modern-day France. The creed’s earliest known appearance was in 633 at the fourth council of Toledo.  The creed is named after Athanasius, the archbishop of Alexandria in the 4th century who was instrumental in writing the Nicene Creed. However, scholars generally agree that Athanasius did not write the Athanasian Creed, which was written at least 100 years after he died. The creed’s author remains unknown. The creed focuses on the trinity: “Thus the Father is God the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. It attributes all the qualities of God the Father and Son to the Spirit also, such as being eternal, all powerful, etc. The last part of the creed defends the Deity of Jesus the Son.

I personally no believe in the trinity concept. Here is a site that looks at the 19 verses typically used to try to prove that the Spirit is God and thus part of the trinity. https://www.franknelte.net/article.php?article_id=190 I think he shows that those proof texts do not really prove that the Spirit is God. I agree with his conclusion. “Clearly the Holy Spirit is not “God”. It is THE POWER which God the Father and Jesus Christ both use, and which power flows out from them.” Frank W. Nelte

Humans have a human spirit but it is not separate in any way from us. The human spirit is the nonphysical part of a person that includes their character, feelings, and other aspects of life. God’s spirit is the power and energy that comes from him to reveal HIs will to men and to confirm His word through miracles. The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is ruakh, which is often translated as “wind” or “breath” in the Old Testament. This word is a metaphor for an invisible, animating energy that is present in the world. Psalm 104:30 You send forth Your Spirit (ruach: Spirit, wind, breath), they (the animals God created) are created; And You renew the face of the ground.” “Ruach” is often associated with God’s creative and sustaining power, as well as His presence and influence in the world and in individuals. πνεῦμα (pneuma): Often used in the New Testament to denote spirit, wind, or breath, similar to “ruach” in the Old Testament. Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath (ruach: Spirit, wind, breath) of His mouth all their lights.” Nowhere in the Bible is the Spirit represented as a separate personage of God. The Spirit will be described as having the same qualities of God b/c the Spirit comes from God. If God the father is eternal, then the Spirit has to be eternal. If God the Father is omnipresent, then the Spirit has to be ominpresent. But that doesn’t make the Spirit another personage of God. Nowhere in the Bible is the Spirit worshipped as God. John 5:²² For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” The Son is to be honored with the same honor as the Father. The Spirit inspired John to write this statement. But nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Spirit is to be honored with the same honor as the Father and the Son.

I hope this is valuable research for you to look at and form your own opinion. For sure, we must affirm and defend the 6 points of the creed of 1 Timothy 3:16. Here is a grea site that looks at that creed in further detail.

https://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-8-the-creed-of-the-early-church/