Two manners of belief

Join us in this episode of "In All Our Doings" as we consider Cranmer's fourth homily, which explores the distinction between living faith and idle belief.

It is short and simple - just confession, Cranmer, a creed and collects.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hello and Welcome to “In All Our Doings”

Simply confession, Cranmer, a creed and collects. brought to you daily by Anglican Futures. 

Thank you for joining us and we hope these timeless truths will strengthen you for whatever you face in the coming day.

And so we begin with Confession

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Today we begin Cranmer’s fourth homily, where we read

We first come under God, good Christian people, through faith, by which, as it is declared in the last sermon, we will be justified before God. Unless any man should be deceived for lack of right understanding, it is diligently to be noted that faith is taken in the Scripture in two manner of ways. There is one faith, which in Scripture is called a dead faith, which brings forth no good works, but is idle, barren and unfruitful.  The holy Apostle St. James compares this faith to the faith of devils - who believe God to be true and just, and tremble for fear, yet they do nothing well but all evil. And such a manner of faith have the wicked and naughty Christian people - who confess God, as St Paul says in their mouth, but deny Him in their deeds, being abominable and without the right faith, and unfit for doing anything good. And this faith is a persuasion and belief in a man's heart - he knows that there is a God and agrees about the truth of God's most Holy Word contained in the Holy Scriptures. Yet it consists only in believing that the word of God is true, and this is not properly called faith.

Thus, today’s bible reading is from Titus chapter 1, beginning at verse 13

Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, ¹⁴ not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. ¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

This is the word of the Lord

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Let us pray

Our Father in Heaven

Hallowed be your name

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us today our daily bread

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from the evil one

For the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever Amen

 

Collect for today

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Go before us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favour, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, through your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Final Words

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Bible readings are taken from the English Standard Version with permission from Crossway.  The liturgy comes from the ACNA Book of Common Prayer 2019.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language