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Ray Reveals His Creed Recently at ( http://www.ukapologetics.net/lraysmith.html ), I read in a critique of my site by Pastor Robin A. Bruce, a minister in the UK, the following comment: "I was also disappointed to find (as with too many other Christian websites) that I could find no Statement of Faith on Mr. Smith's site!" THE PROBLEM WITH CREEDS Since Mr. Bruce's critique of my site was 90 percent accurate and fair, and since I have been criticized for twelve years now for not posting a creed or statement of faith, I have decided that maybe I should post my statement of faith. However, I do not see the value in listing a number of precepts that are believed by nearly 100 percent of all Christians. To say that one believes in God, and in Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, and that the Bible is the Word of God, and that we should keep the commandments of God, and maybe be baptized, etc., seems to be of little value to Christians coming to a Christian web site. And who but Christians come? What is the value of telling Christians what they already hold as doctrinal truths? How many Christian web sites do we suppose would have for a statement of faith something like this: "I do not believe that there is a God or that Jesus is His only Son, or that the Bible is really the infallible Word of God?" Most statements of faith and creeds contains some truthful statements, but here's the real problem: most also contain statements that are not true. I have yet to read a creed or a statement of faith which does not contain some gross unscriptural fallacy. Take for example the famous and ancient "Apostle's Creed," which begins with:
Problem #1: What Christian does NOT believe in the above statements? And so since every Christian on earth believes the above statements, of what value is it to tell others that this is also what you believe? So repeating something straight out of the Bible that every Christian already knows and believes is of little value. Problem #2: Contradicting statements and unscriptural assertions. Let's read the next statement in the Apostle's Creed:
That statement contradicts itself. Jesus could not be dead for three days, and yet "descend into hell" during that same period. Then we are told that He will "rise again from the DEAD." If He was visiting in hell, then He was not dead! Where in the Bible do we read that Jesus died, went to hell, and then rose from the dead? Nowhere. The Scriptures are clear on this matter. When Jesus died they put Him in a tomb. He did not go on a visit to hell. They not only placed the body of Jesus in a tomb, but Scripture tells us that they put "JESUS" in a tomb:
They laid the dead Jesus Himself in a tomb! How could Jesus rise from the dead if He wasn't really dead, but rather visiting hell? And how is it possible to call the returning from consciousness in hell, "rising again from the DEAD?" Can you not see the unscriptural blunder in this creed that has been believed and repeated millions of times through the centuries? Just how important is this creedal error? Listen: if Jesus never "died" then He is not the Saviour of the world. The best we could conclude is that the Saviour of the world is a DEAD CADAVAR! Do you believe that the Father of Jesus is pleased with such a deduction from His Son's offering for the sins of mankind? I think not. Shame on such creeds. The truth of Christ's suffering sacrifice and offering is not difficult to understand:
Not just the body of Christ, but Jesus Christ Himself died for our sins! Let's look at one more statement in this famous Creed regarding death, bodies and the resurrection: " I believe in the resurrection of the body." Well I don't believe in the resurrection of the Body. And why is that? Because it is un-scriptural and anti-scriptural. Nowhere in the entirety of the Bible does it say there is coming a resurrection of "the body." What it does say is this: Acts 17:32, "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead..." Acts 23:6 , "....of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question" Matt. 22:31, "But as touching the resurrection of the dead...." Acts 24:15, "...that there shall be a resurrection of the dead...." Acts 24:21, "Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question..." I Cor. 15:12, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" I Cor. 15:13, "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. (See also: Heb. 6:2; I Cor. 15:21; I Cor. 15:42; Phil. 3:11. There will be no resurrection of our dead bodies because God will raise us from the dead and give us a new and spiritual body: I Cor. 15:37, "...that which thou sow, thou sow not that body that shall be." Yes, our old body that has decayed away is gone forever and will never be resurrected. It is not our dead, decayed, non-existing bodies that God brings back to life, but it is we ourselves that God gives life to and a new, different, SPIRITUAL body (See: I Cor. 15:42-44. I hope you are beginning to see the problems with creeds. Even those formulated by some of the best theological minds in the world, and then repeated by millions and millions for thousands of years, have major problems that few can see. I can do the same with Mr. Bruce's statement of faith as I did with the Apostle's Creed. There is a problem in his first line and another in his second line, etc. First line: " There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct persons; the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit." The problem with this first statement is that the Holy Spirit of God is surely not a "distinct person." Second line: "He [Jesus] was conceived by the Holy Spirit..." There is nothing wrong with the second line, as it is a verse from the Bible. But without knowing it that second line verse contradicts his first line statement, that the Holy Spirit is a "distinct person." Here's the truth of the Holy Spirit: Even a little school boy in the street knows that whoever conceives a baby in a mother's womb is the father of that baby, not some other man. So if the Holy Spirit were a man, then Jesus would be called "The Son of the Holy Spirit," but nowhere is He called that. Here's the Scriptural answer to Who is the real Father of Jesus: "And from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the FATHER, in truth and love (II John 1:3). Ah yes, there it is: Jesus is the Son of God the Father, not some fictitious person named the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, if God is a trinity of three EQUAL persons, why is it that Jesus has a God (II Cor.. 11:31), but God the Father doesn't have a God? Why is the Holy Spirit the Spirit "of" God, but the Father is not the Father "of" the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit belongs to the Father, but the Father does not belong to his own spirit. This trinity business is all incongruent, unscriptural nonsense, which I hope to clarify in my upcoming paper: "Solving the Enigma of God." CONDENSING MY CREED In the past when someone asked what my statement of faith is, I told them to buy a Bible and they would have my expanded statement of faith. That explanation of my statement of faith has not changed it is still contained in my creed below. However, I have greatly condensed my statement of faith. A good friend from College is presently formulating a premise for a doctoral degree on the subject of worldview and C. S. Lewis, it has prompted me also to meditate on the subject of worldview. A worldview consists of the way one views the world. It consists of one's formal beliefs regarding the problems and dreams of mankind, and the possible solutions to those problems. One's worldview would consist of how he thinks about religion, science, government, and philosophy. I personally have many views of the world, and many statements that express my views, and I could write many pages covering those views and philosophies. But I have no desire to write out all the major points of my beliefs, as they are clearly expressed in the thousands of pages on my site. I have a worldview, creed, statement of faith that is more for me than for those who read my material. I need a creed that will always be my guiding light. It must be something that if followed, it will always keep me on the straight and narrow. And so, my Statement of Faith is totally different from all others. It is simple, very short and concise, yet extremely profound. This creed of mine is the foundation of everything I believe regarding the nature and destiny of the human race, and the goal and purpose of our Creator God. Everything I write about must adhere to the truths of my Creed. My statement of faith brings together the visible and the invisible. The past, present, and future. It bridges the gap between the cosmos and the unseen spirit world which scientists have been searching for since time immemorial. What is the cosmos? Who made it? When? What is its purpose? Why is there war and wickedness in the earth? Why does mankind sin? Is there a God? How do we know? Does He care for His Children? Has He communicated with humanity? Is God good? Will there ever be an end to pain and suffering? How will regeneration come about? Does God know how difficult it is to be a man or woman? Has God ever suffered as mankind has suffered? Can God feel pain, heartache, rejection, fear, poverty, hunger, disease, torture, and even DEATH? What is true love? Is mankind capable of true love. Has God given us an example of how to live and love? In fact, God has Authorized the preservation of that knowledge necessary to understand the world in its past, present, and future state; the reasons for why the world was as it was, is as it is, and will be in the future and eternity; and God Himself has Authorized that knowledge that explains how it is that God really does understand what it is like to be a man, to live as a man, and to die as a man. You say, "Impossible." No, it is not impossible. The answers and solutions to all of these questions are contained in an expanded understanding of my Statement of Faith. It is the second part of my statement that contains the highest possible wisdom regarding the reason for the cosmos, the creation, the human race, and God's personal purpose for creating humanity. Are you ready for this? Okay, here it is:
That's it. It's all in there. It'll come to you. Just meditate on it a few years! In the Love of God, L. Ray Smith |