Councils 🌟

Facts about the Councils 

Acts 15 Jereusalem Council str.org

🌟Council of Nicaea 🌟 

Was this council held to determine what books are in the Bible?

No. 

No one especially those with any familiarity with church history would make that claim about Nicaea. That one always comes from the atheists and skeptics who haven't done the research.

NT books were not chosen at the council, that's mythology. That is not history. 

Nicaea purpose was "how to understand Jesus divinity in light of his humanity"

Just how early did believers realize Jesus was God? The New Testament is full of references to the deity of Christ. Certainly Paul (Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Phil. 2:5–8), Peter (2 Pet. 1:1), and John (John 1:1; 8:58; 20:28) believed that Jesus is God. 

Jesus’ words and actions led the disciples to believe Jesus is God. And this belief was passed down through church history.

It was always church teaching (since the OT, Jesus ministry and the Apostles era). 

Some today erroneously think or were mislead to believe that the Trinity wasn’t a Christian teaching until about 325 AD. 

The council was called by the Emperor. A debate had broke out about the nature of Jesus, so in 325 AD a council met to solve the dispute. Roman emperor Constantine, who was not a Christian at the time, summoned all 300 bishops to Nicaea. 

Constantine didn’t really care about the theological arguments, he just wanted a resolution of them in order to clarify what Christian beliefs really were. Because as a Roman he wanted things to be organized and official. Personally, he favored the Arians, but the verdict of the Council ruled against Arius, and he accepted that. Clearly then, he wasn't telling the Council what to say if their decision went against the side he preferred.

The historical fact was, Constantine favored Arianism, and Arianism which believed Jesus wasn't God. The Nicene Creed, which came out of the Council, clarified and stated the Jesus is God. Constantine accepted that outcome, and that was that. 

Let's remember, Christianity has mass numbers of writings and quotations from 1st and 2nd century early church fathers (including disciples of John, who were pastors over early churches), and we have the New Testament, and the Old; which cross reference each other; which has always revealed Jesus as God, of the Trinity. 

Research further:

Constantine did not give Christianity its place in History, Jesus did. 

9 early church fathers who taught Jesus is God 

We have historical records that show why the council was called and what was discussed. 

More about Jesus

About the Trinity

What is the Gospel

🌟Council of Trent 🌟

The 19th council called by religious leaders. This was a gathering of Roman Catholics, and purposely exckuded Christians [Protestants; during the Reformation era]

 COUNCIL OF TRENT (1545–1563) – was gathered to Condemned the teachings of Luther and the Reformers; and to do so they spent years working in it, eventually concluded to officially recognized the Apocrypha as canon.

*A study on the problems of the Apocrypha, and a look at "what is Scripture". 

* A summary of the reason for the catholic council of Trent & the shinanigans and lengths RCC went to to decieve their parishioners, and keep them in the Kingdom of Darkness. 

🌟Diet of Worms🌟

https://www.gotquestions.org/Diet-of-Worms.html

Brief Summary on other Councils 

The ecumenical councils were official gatherings of leaders from all over the world of "Christiandom" (the word ecumenical  meaning, “representing the whole of a body of churches”). It does not mean those groups are actually Christian, but that they claimed to be. 

The purpose of the councils was to discuss various issues of theology and church practice and make binding decisions for the church at large.

The early ecumenical councils were made up of Christians from throughout the Roman Empire. As Christianity spread, the leaders who attended the councils came from further parts abroad. The earlier councils pulled leaders from the entire church, but, as the church divided on various issues of theology and practice, the councils became less than truly ecumenical. 

The Roman Catholic religion recognizes twenty-one ecumenical councils. Some within the Eastern Orthodox religion accept nine councils; some Protestant Christian denominations recognize the first seven of the councils, [although biblical Christians do not hold their decrees in the same regard as the Catholic religion does]. Below are the names, dates, and issues addressed or a summary of what was done at each council.

The councils are named after the cities where they occurred:

1. FIRST COUNCIL OF NICAEA (325) – Affirmed the deity of Christ. 

The false doctrine of Arianism was rejected.

2. FIRST COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (381) – Clarified the nature of the Holy Spirit.

3. COUNCIL OF EPHESUS (431) – Clarified the nature of Christ’s personhood. 

The false teaching of Nestorianism was repudiated.

4. COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON (451) – Clarified the teaching concerning Christ’s nature and person, including the “hypostatic union.” 

The false doctrine of monophysitism was rejected.

5. SECOND COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (553) – Confirmed the conclusions of the first four councils.

6. THIRD COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (680–681) – Clarified the nature of Christ’s will.

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Prior to all of these, was the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)  It was called to determine how Christians interact with Jews, and discussed how someone gets saved and what Law they follow after they become Christians. 

Scripture tells us that everyone is saved the same way, thru repentance and faith in the Messiah to take away their sins. 

And Christians are to observe the Law of Christ; which they are able to do due to the new righteous nature. "Love God and Love others."

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