The Son (The Creed)

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

The only Begotten Son of God,

Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

True God from true God,

Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father;

Through Him all things were made.

 

 

When Jesus explained the Mystery of His passion and the Eucharist after the multiplication of the loaves, His disciples complained. "This teaching is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60) Though they were talking about transfiguration, they could have just as easily been speaking of the doctrine of the Son.

 

Belief in the Son is indeed "hard." It is what separates Christians from Jews and Gentiles alike. Christ is a definitive truth. He is a decisive truth. In the book of Revelation, we read of the "stamped image" of the Beast that identifies servants of the apostate (Revelation 13:16.) The Teaching of Christ is so decisive that a mark "on their right hand or their foreheads" separates unbelievers from the believers. This Truth divides the "wheat" from the "chaff" (Matthew 3:12.) The "wise" from the "foolish" (Matthew 25:2.)

 

It is believed that the revelation of the Son caused the Fall of Lucifer and his rebel angels. The Devil could not accept the hypostasis of God and man because of his damning pride. Instead, he said "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:2.) Satan rejected God's reign because of the difficulty of this doctrine. How much more decisive will it be among men?

 

Perhaps one way to measure the importance of a truth is to see how many errors try to pervert it. And indeed there are many heresies that spread lies about the Son.

 

That is why we need the Creed, to separate truth from untruth.

 

Jesus is "the only Begotten Son of God." Through adoption, because of the Passion, we are all "children of God" (Galatians 3:26.) But we are also the creation of God's hands. A father does not mold his child out of clay or paint him into existence. But this is part of our relationship with God, Maker and Made. Not so with the Son. He was "begotten, not made." The child is the fruit of his parent's love. The Son is the fruit of the Father's love.

 

Furthermore, it is important to understand that the union of the Father and the Son is timeless. The idea that the Father exist4ed before the Son is heretical. "In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God" (John 1:1.) This eternal relationship and unity of the paternal and filial persons of the Trinity is so important that John begins his Gospel by expounding it.

 

The Catechism tells us that "Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names." (CCC 233)

 

This "teaching" is indeed "hard." Our mortal and limited intelligences cannot comprehend this transcendental metaphysical reality. How can One Being be Father and Son at the same time? Relying purely on human intelligence will only lead us astray.

 

We accept this teaching as an article of faith. Faith is believing in that which the senses cannot perceive. It does not take faith to believe that the sky is blue or that the sun will rise in the morning. These things we have physical evidence of. It takes faith to believe in the Holy Trinity, One God. Augustine tells us that "faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."

 

Brothers and sisters, believe in the Son. It is not enough to simply profess a vague spiritual Being in the sky that might possibly judge the things that we do. Have faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. Have faith and you will receive "the reward of this faith," everlasting life.

 

One of the disputes between Catholics and Protestants is over the respective necessities of faith and works. The Protestants claim that faith alone is necessary for salvation. They look to St. Paul when he writes "a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." (Romans 3:28) But they are arguing a moot point. St. Paul was not inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about a faith that is impotent and inactive. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20.) St. Paul wrote about a living, expressed faith.

 

Believing in the Son is more than checking off a list of doctrines that you profess with your lips because you have to. You must profess the Truth with your life. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, your life will be changed. You will not be content with living in sin. You will not be able to see a fellow man suffering without seeing the suffering of Christ mirrored within them.

 

All too often we see examples of dead faith! People who thank God with their lips while doing the Devil's work with their hands. Abortionists who pray for the fruit of their professions. Clergy who support same-sex marriage. Politicians who "make wicked laws" that "oppress the poor in judgement and do violence to the cause of the humble" (Isaiah 10:1-2.) Faith in the Son is incompatible faith.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ does not tolerate sin.

 

So be like the Saints who lived their faith in the world, in persecution, in martyrdom.

 

May your faith be alive and well. May it bear great fruit.

 

DEUS VULT!