The Nicene Creed
By Rev. Kenneth E. Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
THE NICENE CREED (Text)
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Who is Jesus? That question led to the formulation of the Nicene Creed. In the third century A.D. in the city of
To deal with this false teaching, a council of the church was called in 325 A.D. This council is known as the Council of Nicea. It consisted of 318 church leaders and the emperor Constantine. The council used a phrase in the creed to counteract the heresy of the Arians. The phrase used in reference to Jesus is “being of one substance with the Father.” This phrase was meant to indicate that Jesus and the Father are so closely identified that they are “homoousion” (Greek word) “of one substance.” Jesus is also said to be “Very God of Very God, begotten not made.” Those words were used to destroy the Arian notion that Jesus was created being and not eternal.
The weakness of the Apostle’s Creed was that it only stated “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” with no further explanation of the identity of the Holy Spirit. But, the strength of the Nicene Creed is that is seeks to define the person and work of the Holy Spirit. This section of the Holy Spirit was added at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. It was added to deal with another heresy known as modalism, which denied the permanence of the three persons and maintained that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were only expressions or modes of God and not really persons. The section of the Holy Spirit was added to make it clear that the Holy Spirit was not subordinate or some type an expression or mode of God. Rather, the Spirit “proceedeth from the Father and the Son.” The Spirit is also fully divine and deserving our full worship.
If the theological and technical aspects of this creed seem confusing to you, just remember that this creed is all about first answering the question “Who is Jesus?” The church did not want any false notions and heresies about Jesus’ identity to prevail in the lives of Christians and in the church. In the modern world, we are also called upon to deal with protecting and preserving the truth revealed in the Scriptures. It is similar to putting two people in a room: a Jehovah Witness, and a Christian. Now ask the question: “Who is Jesus?” Both will quote the Bible. Who is right? The Jehovah Witness is someone who embraces the teaching or Arius. Hence, Jehovah Witnesses are Arians who deny the eternality and deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Modern day cults are nothing more than modern day expressions of ancient heresies and falsehoods.
One of the main functions of the Nicene creed, as well as other creeds, is to protect and defend truth, the truth which has been revealed to us in the Bible. The Presbyterian Church affirms the Nicene creed as an “authentic and reliable exposition of what scripture leads us to believe and do.”
