Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)
Jeremiah had a word of caution for the Israelites as impending judgement was at their door. Israel had rebelled against God and forgotten the good things that He had done for them. God, being a holy God, had to bring punishment on their unfaithfulness, but sent a prophet to call His people back in repentance. Jeremiah spoke to them about looking to the “ancient paths,” back to the Scriptures and the traditions of the fathers who walked faithfully with God. The ancient paths contained the “good way” and guidance for how to live. The ancient path also provided the way to find “rest for your souls.”
As I think about these words and consider the current culture we live in, these words resonate with me. Today there is so many who claim to be Christian but have no idea what that even means. Some churches have forgotten the ancient paths in their pursuit of being culturally relevant. In our postmodern era, people have rejected absolute truth for moral relativism and these philosophies have crept into Christian churches. What does it mean to be a Christian? The Church was never intended to be a “place” that we go to, rather it is supposed to be a “people called out” from culture. Christians are to be “aliens” in a foreign land.
We need to look back to the ancient paths, to the ancient roots of the Christian faith, and remember who we are, who we believe in, and what we believe. Jeremiah’s promise to the people is that when they follow the ancient path in faithfulness to God, they will find rest for their soul. I find it interesting that this phrase is only used once again the Bible when Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). The longing of our soul will continue to grow restless in our rebellion and unbelief, but it will find rest and peace in knowing Christ and following Him faithfully.
This new series will be looking at the ancient beginnings to the Christian faith by looking at the early creeds and confessions that were established to provide a guide to the right beliefs (orthodoxy). This week we will read through the three creeds: The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient summary of the Apostles’ writings, or the New Testament teachings. It has been accepted and used in the Western tradition of the church. We will recite the Apostles’ Creed each week as part of our worship.
The Nicene Creed is the only creed that has been officially accepted by both the Eastern and Western church traditions in the ecumenical councils throughout church history. We will be unpacking the Nicene Creed in our lesson time each week. The Nicene Creed is like the Apostles’ Creed but has expanded on a few areas that we will discuss.
The Athanasian Creed is a different approach to the creeds as it was written to defend the Trinitarian concept of God. This week we will read it and highlight its historical significance.
The Creeds are written to define “who we believe in.” The word Creed comes from the word Credo which means “I believe in…” As we walk through the Creeds, the first question is “do you believe in this God?” As each of us individually believes, then together we can affirm “we believe in…” The Creeds add some clarifications to who God is, so that we can know which God they are affirming. This is because there was and still is false teaching about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Church, baptism, and the resurrection. For this reason, we will walk through each of these affirmations. Understanding this, we must acknowledge that the Christian faith is first a personal faith and also a community faith. It is to be a private affirmation that is also shared with others.
Will you join me on this journey to the ancient paths? Will you look to the ancient roots of the faith and walk in them? I pray that as we look back, that we see Jesus in a clearer way, and that we follow him with more faithfulness. He is the only one who can provide rest for our weary souls.
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