This post is a follow-up question to “Not Nice Nicene” – AYP)

Thank you so much for answering my question in a timely manner.  Every Sunday during our worship service at church, we recite the Apostles’ Creed, and I cannot see anything in it that goes against the Bible.  Am I missing something important?   When we recite, "I believe in the holy catholic church...", I am under the impression it means I believe in the universal church.  I am of the Methodist faith, and I really want to do what is right in keeping with the Bible.  Am I correct re: the Apostles’ Creed?  Thank you so much for helping me. Sincerely, Creed Control

Dear Creed Control, There are several things unscriptural about reciting the Apostles’ Creed.  First of all – it really isn’t the apostles’ creed at all.  Paul said that the only thing he preached was the message of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 2:1-2).  He also said that if anyone preached anything other than that message, they were wrong (Gal 1:6-8).  So a creed named the Apostles’ Creed is already hypocritical – the only creed the apostles had was the Word of God. Furthermore, there are several phrases within the Apostles’ Creed that are vague at best – and at least one sentence that directly contradicts the Scripture.  We have highlighted it below in bold:

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
 the Maker of heaven and earth,
 and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
 born of the virgin Mary,
 suffered under Pontius Pilate,
 was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven,
 and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
 from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost;
 the holy catholic church;
 the communion of saints;
 the forgiveness of sins;
 the resurrection of the body;
 and the life everlasting.  Amen.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, He told the thief next to Him, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43).  Jesus clearly said that He was going to be in Paradise after dying on the cross… not in hell.  The Apostles’ Creed is a direct contradiction of Scripture. This just goes to highlight the problem with human creeds – at very best, they say the exact same thing as Scripture (in which case… they are redundant and unnecessary), and more likely, they say things that are wrong.  The best thing mankind can do is throw off all creeds and accept nothing but the Bible.

Should women become pastors?

 

Sincerely,
No Girls Allowed?

Dear No Girls Allowed,

Pastors, also known as overseers, elders, and bishops (Tit 1:7, Jas 5:14), guide the local church.  The qualifications for pastors are laid out in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  It is made very clear in those verses that only men are supposed to be pastors.

This is a great example of how important it is for a church to consult the Scriptures in all of its decisions.  The church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15).  Everything the church does needs to have Scriptural backing.  The leadership structure of the church is no exception.

Can a pastor who is married to a divorced woman still lead the church of God?

Sincerely,
Protecting The Office

Dear Protecting The Office,

It depends.  For the sake of clarity, we will assume that the man is biblically and appropriately married to this woman (there are many details involved with marriage after a divorce that go far beyond the scope of this question) and that the man has always been a faithful husband.  The Scriptures require the elder to be a “one-woman-man” (1 Tim 3:2).  A congregation would have to make a decision whether or not the man was properly fulfilling that requirement.

Secondly, an elder’s wife must be “grave, not a slanderer, temperate, and faithful in all things” (1 Tim 3:11).  Depending on the circumstances surrounding the woman’s divorce and her current behavior and conduct, this divorced woman may or may not disqualify her husband from serving as a pastor.

Recently the pastor’s wife asked me to call her ‘pastor’, too.  She said it shows respect to her because she was also called.  Should you call the pastor's wife ‘pastor’ because she told you, or should it be because GOD puts it in your heart?

Sincerely,
Name Tag

Dear Name Tag,

Regardless of how anyone (including the pastor’s wife) feels, she should never be called ‘pastor’.  Pastors, also known as ‘elders’ and ‘overseers’, are always men.  1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9 outline the requirements for becoming a pastor.  One of those requirements is that he be a husband of one wife (Tit 1:6, 1 Tim 3:2).  That would naturally exclude all women from ever being pastors.

Considering that the verses we’ve just highlighted are exceptionally easy to find and very clearly outline the rules for leadership, we here at AYP would like you to consider the real possibility that your current congregation doesn’t pay attention to the Scriptures.  God clearly condemns those who replace the Bible with the traditions of men (Col 2:8).  We recommend that you read “Finding The Church” and “Preacher Interrogation” to help you as you take a serious look at the faithfulness of your current church.  After talking to the pastor’s wife and asking her about those verses, we would love to hear back from you to know what she said.

I was baptized in a Baptist Christian church; currently I am converting to Catholicism.  I was wondering, the nun that runs the program said my baptism in the Baptist church should be fine as long as it was with water and the spirit.  I was wondering if you could tell me if that is the way I was baptized, or am I going to have to be re-baptized into the Catholic church?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Between Faiths

Dear Between Faiths,

If we understand you correctly, you want to know if your baptism in a false religion will qualify you for conversion to another false religion.  We really couldn’t say; we try and provide Bible answers here.  Neither Catholic nor Baptist doctrine is our specialty.  You’ll notice the Bible never refers to God’s people as Baptists or Catholics – God’s people are known as christians (Acts 11:26).  God doesn’t teach that all denominations are acceptable.  In fact, God hates denominationalism.  There is only one church pattern (Eph 4:4)… one church pattern that follows the New Testament’s teachings.  Many say that they serve God, but saying that you serve God is not the same as being a christian (Matt 7:21-23).  Christianity rejects the traditions of men (Mk 7:8).  If you want to serve God and go to heaven, you have to reject Baptist creeds and Catholic catechisms – no more listening to those who forbid marriage and tell you to abstain from certain foods (1 Tim 4:2-3).  Seek God through the purity of His Word and His Word only (Jhn 14:15).  Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to see what the Bible requires of us for salvation.  Don’t accept groups that pick and choose what verses they want to hear and avoid the rest – they pervert the gospel (Gal 1:6-7).  The sum of God’s Word is truth (Ps 119:160).  Accept no substitute.