What Is the Nicene Creed — Meaning Explained

The Nicene Creed is the most widely accepted formal statement of Christian faith in the world, adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It was composed in response to the Arian controversy, which denied the full deity of Jesus Christ. Arius taught that the Son was a created being, similar to the Father but not of the same essence. The Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine, brought together bishops from across the empire to address this challenge. The creed they produced was revolutionary in its precision. It affirms belief in 'one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.' It then declares that Jesus Christ is 'the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.' The phrase 'of one substance' (homoousios in Greek) was the crucial addition. It asserted that the Son shares the same divine essence as the Father, not merely a similar essence (homoiousios, the Arian position). This one word — homoousios — became the touchstone of orthodoxy. The creed continues with the full narrative of Christ's work: 'who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.' The third section affirms belief in the Holy Ghost, 'the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the prophets.' It also affirms belief in 'one holy catholic and apostolic Church,' one baptism, and the resurrection of the dead. The Nicene Creed has shaped Christian theology, worship, and unity for seventeen centuries. It is recited in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and many other Protestant churches every Sunday. Its Trinitarian structure and precise Christology have made it the foundation of orthodox Christian belief.