Return from the Nicene Creed to the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit! (I)

Preface

First, I would like to briefly clarify the terminology used in this book. Historically, the creed was first established at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. It was later supplemented and expanded at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, completing the form that the church today generally calls the ‘Nicene Creed.’ Strictly speaking, this AD 381 version should be called the ‘Creed of Constantinople’ or the ‘Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.’ However, because this book focuses on the Nicene Creed of 325, which served as its starting point, and its subsequent changes, the expression ‘Nicene Creed’ is used consistently throughout the main text to avoid confusion for the reader. We ask our readers that when the name ‘Nicene Creed’ appears in this book, you keep in mind the historical background that this creed was subsequently revised and finalized in Constantinople to become the creed of today. https://www.bjnewlife.org/ [https://www.bjnewlife.org/] https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission [https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission] https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35 [https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35]

1. The Church That Lost the Gospel of Water and the Spirit (Galatians 1:6–9)

Today, countless churches are established throughout the world, and numerous sermons are proclaimed within them every Sunday. However, sadly, not all churches preach the Gospel of Water and the Spirit. People gather in the chapel, praise God, read the Bible, and offer prayers, but it is very common that the very core, the ‘Gospel of Water and the Spirit—the Word about Jesus being baptized by John, dying on the cross, and resurrecting’—is not proclaimed. Apostle Paul said to the Galatian church, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,” Since even the early church saints were easily seduced by a different gospel, so it is not strange that in this present age churches have lost the gospel and are bound by traditions and doctrines. Today, we must look back at the state of the church that has lost the Gospel of Water and the Spirit, and together examine why a reformation of faith is necessary again. https://www.bjnewlife.org/ [https://www.bjnewlife.org/] https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission [https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission] https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35 [https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35]

2. What is the faith that Watchman Nee, the Catholic Church, and Paul C. Jong believe in? (John 20:19–23)

How does Watchman Nee believe in John 20:22–23? Today, there are countless churches established throughout the whole world, and in them, countless sermons are being proclaimed every Sunday. However, unfortunately, not all churches are preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit. They gather in sanctuaries to praise God, read the Bible, and offer prayers, but in reality, at the very center, the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that Jesus was baptized by John, died on the Cross, and rose again—is mostly not proclaimed. Regarding John 20:22, where the resurrected Jesus told His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, Watchman Nee interprets this as the event in which the Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples as life. He explains that the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus breathed into them, was an inner and essential work — namely, the ministry of the Spirit who supplies life. In contrast, he distinguishes the event of Pentecost as an external and dispensational work — the work of power coming from above. In this way, Watchman Nee explains the Holy Spirit in two aspects, as ‘breath’ and ‘wind,’ and emphasizes the order in which the church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, publicly declares evangelical discernment. https://www.bjnewlife.org/ [https://www.bjnewlife.org/] https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission [https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission] https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35 [https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35]

3. Jesus’ baptism by John was in order to receive the transference of the sins of the world (Matthew 3:13–17)

How much do we know about the universe? The range of the universe that we currently know is extremely vast. Scientists estimate that there exists an observable universe with a diameter of about 93 billion light-years. This is a value calculated by considering the maximum distance light could have traveled since the Big Bang — that is, the age of about 13.8 billion years — together with the expansion rate of the universe. Within this, it is reported that there exist about 2 trillion or more galaxies and far more stars than that. According to the current standard model, the universe is composed of about 5% ordinary matter, 27% dark matter, and 68% dark energy. However, dark matter and dark energy have not been directly observed, and they are only estimated through indirect evidence such as gravity and the rate of expansion of the universe. By observing the cosmic microwave background radiation that formed about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, we can calculate backward the state of the early universe, but the Planck epoch immediately after the Big Bang still remains an unknown realm. https://www.bjnewlife.org/ [https://www.bjnewlife.org/] https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission [https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission] https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35 [https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35]

4. In this age, who are the ones who will receive the Holy Spirit of God as a gift? (Acts 8:14-24)

Simon (the magician) who appears in Acts chapter 8 is evaluated as an important negative figure in the history of the Early Church. His influence can be understood in three major aspects. The Appearance of Simon and the Challenge to the Early Church According to Acts 8:9–24, Simon was a man who practiced magic in Samaria and was highly respected by the people. Through the preaching of Deacon Philip, he came to believe in Jesus Christ and was even baptized. However, when he saw the Holy Spirit being bestowed, he offered money and said, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19). This was a misguided attitude that viewed the gift of the Holy Spirit not as a ‘holy gift from God’ but as a power that could be bartered for with human authority and money. https://www.bjnewlife.org/ [https://www.bjnewlife.org/] https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission [https://youtube.com/@TheNewLifeMission] https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35 [https://www.facebook.com/shin.john.35]