Spiritual Wellness

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) is the shared confession of faith that unites all true Christians.  In the creed, use of the word “catholic” refers to the universal Christian church and not the Roman Catholic church.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.  We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.  With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.  We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

The Bible & Hearing God

In both the Old and New Testament, Jesus Christ is the main character of the Bible.  The Bible, properly read and understood, leads us to Jesus. The Bible is God’s word without error.  As such, it serves as a filter for the many messages we receive from culture, religious authority, church and even in solitary meditation.  From preaching to prayer, there are many ways to hear God, all of which must align with the Bible.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the (person) of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16

Scriptural Inspiration

The scriptural inspiration for Spiritual Wellness is derived from Paul’s sermon to the people of Athens.  The Athenians were defined by their zeal for knowledge and their interest in spirituality.  In short, they were quite like our present culture.  Here’s what Paul had to say:

People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ^‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” -Acts 17:22-31

For more, read the 8 Spiritual Wellness Beliefs