Example Of Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What It Is And Why It Matters Essay

Luke Johnson Timothy was an American religious researcher who concentrated mostly on Christian, literary and moral teachings of the New Testament. He was a former monk of the Catholic Church and did so many scholarly articles that have continued to be used in religious studies throughout the world. He was well known for expressing his opinion about The Creed as taught in the Bible. In his book, The Creed: What It Is and Why It Matters, he vehemently expresses his personal understanding of this subject and supports his arguments with biblical texts. This makes his opinion about this subject an interesting piece of reading for religious students. Added to his philosophical and moral orientations, Dr. Luke Johnson’s article was not only informative but also decisive about the topic of the creed. This review, therefore, attempts to highlight some of the major points from Dr. Luke Johnson Timothy about the creed, what it is and why it matters.
There were different types of creed that were in existence. There existed the Apostles Creed in the Bible. There also existed the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Creed. The Creed as it was known was one of the most important prayers of the Catholic Church. One needed to know this prayer along with others and be able to recite it when it was necessary. It reaffirmed one’s belief in one God and commitment to the faith of the Catholic Church. It also summarized the beliefs of the church in as far as worldview was concerned. The creed had basic components that it reaffirmed among the church and Christian faithful. Luke Johnson as a religious scholar combined his knowledge and experience and talked about these different creeds from one viewpoint. His holistic view was what the creed basically entailed and why it mattered to modern day Christians.
The first decree of the creed of the Apostles was the belief in God to be only one and that He was the maker of the universe and all that was in it. This was intended to implore on the faithful to be true and faithful in the service of God the father. It emphasized that as the maker of the universe, God personally took care of his creations out of His mercy, fatherly care and good will and that nobody had done anything to warrant such exceptional care from God. It was, therefore, the duty of man to wholly worship and thank God for everything. From the Christian viewpoint, this was particularly true and every practicing Christian ought to take this seriously and put it in practice.
The second article that was emphasized by the creed of the Apostles was the story of redemption. Dr. Luke Johnson emphasized the importance of this story of redemption. In its original text, this decree recited the belief that Jesus Christ was the only true son of God and that he descended on earth to come and save mankind from their sinful ways. It further stated that Jesus Christ was crucified and arose from the dead on the third day, arose and thereafter, ascended to heaven and sat on the right hand of God the Father.
It added that He, Jesus will come back a second time and pass judgment on both the dead and the living. This decree was of importance to modern Christians as it gave a message of hope to every true believer in Christ. The affirmation that even though mankind had sinned and rebelled against God, Jesus Christ came down to redeem man neither by silver nor gold, but through his precious blood that he shed while he was crucified.
As a catholic monk, Johnson must have particular been impressed by the third decree of the creed of apostles. It recited ones belief in the Holy Ghost, the Catholic Church, the worship of saints and the Holy Communion. It also restated the belief in forgiveness of sins and the promise of an everlasting life for Christians. This was particular an important matter for Christians. The promise of an everlasting life was an issue that brought much hope amidst all the sufferings on earth.
What was unbelievable was the realization that though mankind continued to sin against God, He was willing to forgive man if we repented our sins. What was more promising in this creed was the promise of an everlasting life. The imagination that on the very last day, God will raise the dead from their graves and reward faithful Christians with everlasting life was very promising.
Johnson in all his views tried to express the matters of Christianity and modern day faith as things that were dynamic. Christianity and faith he observed continued to evolve and that Christians needed to change their perceptions and stand by what was true according to their faith. Though he, Johnson admitted that the creed was an ancient recitation that could not withstand the test of time and science, he tried to prove to the modern Christians why this recitation was still relevant in modern times.
He attempted to carefully convince the church faithful that even though the creed in any form it was presented was too ancient, modern day Christians needed to continue with its recitation. He took his readers through the history of the creed, from its origins to its present day model. It would, therefore, be foolhardy according to Johnson to ignore the spiritual nourishment that was associated with the creed.
The creed according to Johnson was central to the main duties of Jesus Christ. And as His followers are called Christians, their identity should be manifested in how they handle themselves while trying to follow their leader. He urged the confused modern day Christians to either believe in what the gospels preach or to altogether decide that the whole Christianity issue was a lie. He added that the creed challenged everyone who called themselves Christians and put demands on them to conform to the values of Christianity as a religion. To him, the creed was a better expression of what the church valued most, better than its leaders. In addition, the creed was in itself a set of moral values that of faith with clear intent as to what Christians were expected to follow and observe.
Johnson did not only extol the goodness of the creed in this book. He went further to criticize modern day critics who painted matters of faith as lacking credence. He went further and urged contemporary Christians to take a stand on spiritual matters and stop sitting on the fence when it mattered the most.
In the modern world though, belief in the creed was regarded as a nonsensical matter. This was because, the creed made references to matters of faith, and faith as it was understood, could not be tested in real time. Philosophically, creed was considered to be a fantasy. It was argued that one could not be a critical thinker and a believer at the same time. It was, therefore, argued that for creed to have credence there was need for its teachings to be authenticated. How and when it ought to be authenticated was a disturbing issue.
Modern day thinkers also believed that the creed negated the need for individuals to seek the truth in spiritual matters. They, therefore, despised Christians as a people who lived under blanket faith rather than evidence. They also argued that the faith that Christians profess had been overtaken by circumstantial evidence that proved otherwise.
His emphasis on the relevance of the creed puts much hope on the contemporary church that he depicted as lacking identity. His argument was based on the understanding that the rules governing the church were not also static but could also move with time and the dynamics of the contemporary society.
In the book, Johnson did not only criticize previous publications that he thought portrayed Christianity as a baseless idea but also offered the readers Biblical based thoughts why he believed in Christianity and what the readers ought to do to remain steadfast in this faith. He provided his readers a lot of optimism and what it would take them to remain genuine and true contemporary believers in the living God and Jesus Christ the son.
Through Biblical quotes, Johnson convinced his readers that indeed, Jesus was the Christ and that in Biblical terms; the father and the son were one. That was to mean that Jesus and God always acted in unison. There was nothing that God did without the knowledge of Jesus and vice versa.
It is without a doubt that the creed from its origins and whatever model it was presented in was ancient. The traditional church leadership though had their reasons for clinging on to the creed. The message that was contained in it was very encouraging and promising. It was not doubtable that it was chosen as one of the key recitations of the Orthodox churches and in particular the Catholic Church. In its unaltered form, the creed served to reaffirm the Christian faith in one God as the maker and creator of the universe and all that was in it.
There could be nothing more to be added on to that statement to make the contemporary church as well to believe in the existence of God. The creed, therefore, even in modern times serves to restate the belief in this God and that contemporary Christians should look no further in terms of praise and worship. The creed still reminds the church that God is still in existence even today and deserves to be worshipped and praised.
The promise that just like Jesus came on earth, he would come a second time could not make the creed even livelier for the contemporary church. The added phrase that when he comes a second time, Jesus would not just be coming to save mankind but also to judge and carry the righteous with him to heaven even adds more value to the creed. It makes justification for morality on earth so that when Jesus comes a second time, no one would be found in sin. It makes believers hopeful of wanting to go to heaven with him and just like Jesus, sit with Him on the right hand of God.
The belief in the Holy Ghost and the holy church, the worship of saints and the forgiveness of sins is even more enticing. What makes it more exciting is the promise of an everlasting life. Christians, therefore, find more to think about as they recite the creed every Sunday in churches around the world. The creed in its original text gives them hope of everlasting life with God the creator and maker of the universe.
The message of forgiveness of sins makes recitation of the creed an important document of the Catholic Church. The creed, therefore, reaffirms the Christian faith and belief in God. It is also necessary in the life of the modern Christians as it gives them hope that after the worldly struggles, there is the promise of an everlasting life in heaven where Jesus and God would be with them.