Menu
Bible Gateway logo
account
  • read
    Read
    the Bible
    • Reading Plans
    • Advanced Search
    • Available Versions
    • Audio Bibles
  • study
    Study
    Tools
    • Scripture Engagement
    • More Resources
  • plus
    Bible Gateway
    Plus
  • explore
    Explore
    More
    • News & Knowledge
    • Newsletters
    • Devotionals
    • Bible Gateway App
    • Bible Audio App
    • Bible Gateway Blog
  • store
    Store
    • Bibles
    • Deals
    • More
Be encouraged by Max Lucado daily. Sign up today!
close
Access 60+ trusted study tools and understand what every verse means. Try Bible Gateway Plus FREE today!
close
account Log In/Sign Up show menu
Raamattu 1933/38 (R1933)
Version
Bible Book List Bible Book List
Font Size Font Size

◀Devotionals/Tabletalk Devotions with R.C. Sproul - Friday, November 29, 2024
Share Print
Prev Day Prev Day
Reading Completed Reading Completed | November 29, 2024 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan. close
Next Day Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

November 2024 Previous Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Return to today's reading

Log in to read this devotional and:

  • Have reminders sent directly to your email
  • Record your reading progress
  • Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace
Log In

Tabletalk Devotions with R.C. Sproul

Duration: 365 days

The Council of Nicea

John 1:1–18 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (vv. 1–2).

In the history of Christian doctrine, the cities of Antioch and Alexandria stand out as centers of theological development in the early church. Many of the major promoters of heresy hailed from these cities, but defenders of orthodoxy came from both cities as well. When it came to the debates over the deity of Christ, Antioch, which is located in modern Turkey, was a center of Monarchian thought. And of those Antiochenes known for their denial of Christ’s deity, none are more famous than Arius.

Arius wanted to preserve monotheism, and he believed that any attempt to equate Jesus with the Father destroys the biblical affirmation that there is but one, true God (see Deut. 6:4). According to Arius, God the Father alone is eternal and uncreated. Everything other than the Father is created, and this includes His Son, whom the Father made before anything else. The Son is a perfect creature, but He is a creature nonetheless — even if He was the agent through whom the Father created everything else.

During the early part of the fourth century, Arius came to Alexandria and began promulgating His views. He soon ran into difficulties because the Alexandrian theologians held to a more orthodox view of Christ’s deity. In the year 321, Bishop Alexander expelled Arius from the city. Yet Arius’ popularity grew while he was in exile and soon the entire Roman Empire became embroiled in the christological debate.

Even though he did most of his work after the Council of Nicea, which convened in 325, Athanasius remains the most familiar defender of orthodoxy associated with that gathering. At Nicea, the church officially recognized that the Father and the Son are homoousios, Greek for “of the same essence” (see John 1:1). Even though the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Father, both persons are fully God, having the same essence or being. The Father and the Son, along with the Holy Spirit, each perform different tasks in redemption, though there was never a time when any of the three did not exist. Anyone who says otherwise does not hold the faith once delivered to the saints.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

The deity of Christ is very important. As God He is able to bring us face to face with the Father and restore to us that which has been marred in the fall. Moreover, because Christ is God, there is no idolatry going on when we worship Him. Those who view Him as an exalted created being actually deny monotheism, for they are positing the existence of more than one god. Let us with full confidence confess and proclaim the full deity of our Savior.

For further study:

Micah 5:2

The Bible in a year:

Daniel 7–8

For the weekend:

Daniel 9–Hosea 2

INTO the WORD daily Bible studies from TableTalk Magazine, Matthew Studies. Copyright © 2008 by Ligonier Ministries.

Prev Day Prev Day
Top
Next Day Next Day

About

  • About
  • News & Knowledge
  • Statement of Faith
  • Mobile App
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Newsroom
  • Support Us

Help

  • FAQs
  • Tutorials
  • Use Bible Gateway on Your Site
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Site: Terms of use
  • Widget: Terms of use

Our Network

  • FaithGateway
  • StudyGateway
  • ChurchSource
  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Grupo Nelson
  • Editorial Vida
  • Thomas Nelson
  • WestBow Press
  • Zondervan
  • MasterLectures

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences
Sign Up for Bible Gateway: News & Knowledge
Get weekly Bible news, info, reflections, and deals in your inbox.

By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 501 Nelson Pl, Nashville, TN 37214 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateway’s emails at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com.

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences