Jesus - God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God
Thursday’s Verses:
From John 1:1-2 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Today in our Bible Class, we begin a discussion on the Nicene Creed.
When we confess the Nicene Creed, we join the Church throughout the ages in declaring our faith in Jesus Christ as true God in human flesh. For nearly seventeen centuries, these words have witnessed to the truth that Jesus is not a created being or mere messenger, but God Himself come among us.
In the early Church, some teachers led people to believe that Jesus was less than God. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the faithful held firmly to Scripture: in Christ “the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Creed makes this clear, saying Jesus is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.”
As Lutherans, we treasure this confession as a living act of worship. Every time we say the Creed, we publicly proclaim the foundation of our faith: the eternal Son of God became man for us and our salvation, died and rose again, and reigns forever.
Confessing faith in the eternal Son of God connects us with believers from the past and gives us strength in a world full of questions. When we affirm the Nicene Creed, we do more than state doctrine; we bear witness to the living Word who remains God forever.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Eternal Father, we thank You for revealing Yourself to us in Your Son Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Keep us steadfast in the faith once delivered to the saints. May our confession of the Nicene Creed never be empty words, but a joyful proclamation of Your saving truth. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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