Nicene Creed - Resurrection of the Dead and the Afterlife

"We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen." Nicene Creed

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 15:20–28, 37-58

What do you look forward to? Christmas is just a few weeks away. School breaks, summer vacations, career change, buying a new car? So many things can fill our list of what we look forward to. 

What about your view of the future? Death? The afterlife? Do your thoughts about these topics lead to looking forward to what is next? The Nicene Creed (NC) says, “We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.” The NC does not just arrive at this statement on its own, it has been building toward this statement all along. Each statement of the NC is a brick that joins together for a strong foundation of faith that can say “yes and amen” to what it teaches. These are the building blocks of Christianity and understanding them leads us to trusting God and his plan for the future. 

The NC agrees with 1 Corinthians 15 that we can have confidence in our future resurrection because Jesus rose from the dead. If you believe the teachings about Jesus and his resurrection, then you have hope of your own bodily resurrection. Since Jesus rose again and ascended to heaven, we have this confidence that he will return and bring heaven with him, so that we can be with him for all eternity (John 14:1-3). 

This short blog post cannot hope to cover this topic adequately or enumerate all the passages from the Bible that speak to this issue. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament speak to the future hope believers have in our God making all things new, bringing justice to this world, and establishing his throne forever. Christians have debated what this will look like for two millennia. I have my own persuasion of which view of the end times is the most biblically accurate, but I also view that end times studies should be dealt with deep humility and brotherly love. Therefore, we want to major on the major and let our differences be friendly conversations on another day. 

The Bible teaches us that we will all die (Heb. 9:27) or we will be transformed (1 Cor. 15:51) into resurrected bodies. Believers who die before Christ return will be absent from their body but present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8) anticipating the day they return with Christ to be reunited with their body (1 Cor. 15:52). Those who are alive when Christ returns will be transformed into their glorified bodies.

What is a glorified body? There is a mystery to that answer that we only know in part. Jesus, in his resurrected body, was not immediately known by the disciples, appeared and disappeared, could be touched, and he ate food. Jesus is the “first fruit” of the resurrection, meaning that he set the pattern that we will follow. The resurrected body is human and spirit, earthly and spiritual. Our bodies will be resurrected to be what God intended them to be without the effects of sin. No more sin, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death, no more separation.

As we like to say in youth group, Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. The life after death for the believer is with Jesus, in his presence for all eternity. Our experience with heaven will be a human experience, not some ethereal cloud and harp image. The Bible describes a New City, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21-22). There will be responsibilities and human interactions. Exact details are not given, but enough for us to know that heaven will be a place where we belong in close proximity with the God we love and serve. 

The resurrection of the dead and the afterlife are good news for the believers, but they also carry a message for those who do not believe. This is from our Lakeside Statement of Faith:

WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the saved unto eternal life and the lost unto eternal damnation

(Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:34, 41, 46; John 3:17-18; Hebrews 9:27).

The Bible describes the day that Jesus will separate the believers from unbelievers for all eternity. Believers will enter into his rest, and unbelievers will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The truth is that the future is a scary thought for those who do not believe in Jesus. It is so important that our studies of the future encourage us to live for Jesus and share Jesus with others. After all, all of eternity is a stake.

Nicene Creed - Baptism

We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 4:4–6

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The language of the Creeds can be confusing at times. For instance, what does The Apostle’s Creed mean when it states that Jesus “descended into Hell”? Or the “Holy Catholic Church”? These difficulties are present because we are taking an ancient creed, written in a different language, and translating them with words that carried different meanings when originally penned. In our examples so far, the word used for “hell” could easily be translated “grave” or “earth” simply implying that Jesus died and was buried. “Catholic” means “Universal” and not the Roman Catholic Church. 

Keep this in mind as we talk about “one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Does baptism save you? If you are reading this sentence outside of its context it would appear that is what it is saying. However, when we understand the context and meaning of words, we can recite the Creed without feeling we are misleading others. 

Baptism is an outward sign of an inward decisions. It is an identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of sins. As John Piper states, “The note I want to strike immediately — the tone and the truth that I want to set first and foremost — is that baptism gets its meaning and its importance from the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in our place and for our sins, and from his triumph over death in the resurrection that guarantees our new and everlasting life” (What is Baptism? By John Piper). When you understand baptism as a profession of faith and an identification with Jesus, we understand that it is not the act of baptism that saves, but the faith in Jesus that does (Eph. 2:8-10). 

We will discuss briefly how there are different modes of baptism expressed in Christian churches, however I believe that believer’s baptism, or credobaptism, is the most appropriate and biblical mode. 

The Old Testament does include some references regarding ritual cleansings and purifications rites. However, the concept of baptism is mostly silent in the OT. From extra biblical sources, we have learned that ritual baths, mikvahs, came into practice for repentance and purification rites. The dessert community known as the Essenes emphasized the need for purification baths in “living”, or moving, water. This was significant since water was so scarce. It’s not until we see John the Baptist at the Jordan River calling people to repent and be baptized that we see a developed form of baptism like we practice today (Matt. 3). 

It is at the Jordan River that Jesus went to John to be baptized. If baptism was for the forgiveness of sins, then why did Jesus get baptized? Jesus said that he was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). Jesus’ words here shape the way we should perceive the act of baptism. Baptism is not repentance. Repentance should precede baptism as one acknowledges their sin and trusts Christ, by faith, to save them from their sins. Baptism is an act of righteousness, an obedient fulfillment of Jesus command. Jesus went down into the water and was immersed in the Jordan. As he came out, the Father declared that he was pleased in his Son, and the Spirit descended like a dove. This is one of the clearest passages where the Trinity is on display. 

Jesus’ example is the first point I would want to make on why believer’s baptism. Secondly, I would refer to Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:1–4:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Here we see that baptism is a picture of being buried with Christ in his death and raised with Christ in his resurrection. This is best pictured through being immersed under water representing death, and being raised back up out of the water, representing the resurrection of Christ. Paul further argues that baptism is a reminder that we have forsaken sin and have put on Christ, therefore we must continue in pursuing righteousness. 

Here is a brief summary of Believer’s Baptism I wrote for another study. 

What is Believer’s Baptism?

By Believer’s Baptism, we mean that baptism follows belief in Christ. Believer’s Baptism is a visible symbol of God’s saving work within a person. It is an outward sign (immersion) of an inward decision (repentance and belief in Christ). A believer who wants to be baptized at Lakeside Christian Church will be baptized by full immersion into water, reflecting the union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4). 

Believer’s Baptism is a public proclamation of identification with Jesus Christ, a visual reminder of one’s death to self and life in Christ, and it is an initiation into the Body of Christ, The Church. Being a public event, it provides an opportunity for a local church to witness and confirm the genuineness of faith and offers a visual depiction and proclamation of the Gospel to non-Christians in attendance. 

As a visible symbol, Baptism is not a means of salvation, nor is there anything magical or mystical about the water. Salvation is freely offered through faith in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). Baptism is a step of obedience that signifies one’s prior belief in Christ. Because Baptism is not a means of salvation, we do not regard it as a primary concern to divide over when encountering genuine believers who hold to differing interpretations and modes of baptism. 

Who Should be Baptized?

Anyone who wishes to follow Christ, has repented of their sins, trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and has not already been baptized as a believer, should be baptized.

Baptism is a beautiful picture of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Every time someone is baptized, it is a blessing to all those in attendance. Baptism is about Jesus and his amazing love for his people.