Bible study is held on Sunday mornings from 9:00–9:45 am. If you would like to receive a Zoom link, please email us. Handouts are posted below for each session.
Bible study
nicene creed: 1700th Anniversary
The year 2025 marks the 1700th year of the Council of Nicaea of 325 A.D. and the Nicene Creed. Although Christians say this creed in church frequently, they don't always know what it's about or why it has become a part of our worship. This Bible study looks at the key figures involved in formulation of the Nicene Creed and the doctrine formulated therein. Through it all, we'll see how and why the Nicene Creed is important and vital for the church today.
September 14: early church unity
Today we ask the question how many Christians even know what the Nicene Creed is all about. We'll overview the history of the early Christian church and show how creeds had this way of unifying Christians who were often persecuted in the Roman empire. We briefly see how ecclesiastical structure developed and how baptismal creeds developed, such as the Apostles' Creed. All this will set up the time period of the Nicene Creed, when conflicting understandings of Christ's person and work began to develop. Our goal for today is to respond to the "deeds, not creeds" viewpoint by establishing why we still need creeds today.
Download the study guide here: L1_Early_Church_Unity.pdf
september 21: constantine
Today we introduce the person of Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor who arranged for the Council of Nicaea. We'll read some of his writings about calling the council of Nicaea and discuss why he would be interested in it in the first place. We'll gain familiarity with the secular claim that Constantine created the doctrine of Christ's divinity and suppressed all the other divergent views. Our goal for today is to answer this objection: because of Constantine's power play, Jesus became viewed as the Christ.
Download the study guide here: L2_Constantine.pdf
SEPTEMBER 28: arius
Today we introduce the person of Arius, a Christian bishop in Alexandria, Egypt, whose teaching was the biggest impetuous for the Council of Nicaea. We'll read some of his writings about how he understood the divinity of Jesus, particularly his relationship with God the Father. We'll assess his contention that since Jesus is God the Son, begotten from God the Father, he must have existed at a time after God the Father. Our goal for today is to answer why this debate is worth our time and effort today.
Download the study guide here: L3_Arius.pdf