The Nicene Creed.

If you consider yourself an authentic orthodox Christian, you should be able to read the following creed, and easily agree with it 100 percent. If not… well, you gotta work on that.

I believe in one God:

The Father, the almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things, visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord, Christ Jesus,

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of the Father before all ages.

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;

by the Holy Spirit was incarnate from the virgin Mary.

He was made man.

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.

He’s seated at the right hand of the Father.

He’ll come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

His kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life.

He proceeds from the Father [and the Son].

He, with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified.

He’s spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

I recognize one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

When we Christians define orthodoxy—the doctrines Christians oughta hold to, as opposed to heretic beliefs which lead us away from God—we often do it subjectively. We presume we get to define what’s orthodox and what’s not; we have bibles and the Holy Spirit, so shouldn’t we easily able to do this? We fix the standard.

I know; loads of us are gonna claim it’s not really us who fix the standard; the bible does. Which sounds humble enough, but it’s tommyrot: Our interpretation of the bible sets the standard, and since its ours, it ultimately comes back to us. Still subjective.

Others point to their denomination or individual church’s faith statement. Sounds slightly less subjective, ’cause most of the time they had nothing to do with the writing of these faith statements; they started going to their churches, and later agreed to the churches’ faith statements. Thing is, unless we live in a Christian nationalist country (say, Russia) where there’s an official state church in which we’re automatically enrolled, and we’re obligated to abide by that church’s beliefs whether we ever attend that church or not… we get to choose our churches. We get to accept, or reject, those churches’ faith statements. We can pick a church based on its faith statements; we can decide, “I don’t like what that church believes; I’m going to this one, which believes as I do.” Still subjective.

So this is why I point to creedal Christianity. They define Christian orthodoxy. The ancient Christians hammered ’em out in the first seven centuries of Christianity, way back before Christianity split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism and all the other denominations. They predate me by about 1,650 years, so I can’t claim I define them.

And the very first formal faith statement is this one, written in Níkea, Asia Minor, Roman Empire (today’s Iznik, Türkiye) in the year 325, and updated in 381. We call it the Nicene Creed, although the Orthodox and Catholic churches call it the Symbol of Nicene Faith (Greek Σύμβολο της Πίστεως της Νίκαιας/Sýmbolo tis Písteos tis Níkeas) or Nicene Symbol (Latin Symbolum Nicaenum), or Faith Symbol. Nearly every other creed is based on it.

Where’d the Nicene Creed come from?

Blame Áreios (usually spelled Arius), a Christian elder in charge of the Baucalis district of Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 200s. We don’t know a lot about him, ’cause orthodox Christians burned his writings. What we do know is his bishop had disciplined him for being too strict. Apparently he came up with his beliefs as a backlash against ideas which he considered too pagan.

Áreios believed Jesus is God… but not the same God as the Father. Instead, he believed the Father created Jesus. Not at his birth, but before creation, which is why Paul called him “firstborn of creation.” Cl 1.15 John called him μονογενὴς/monogenís, “only-begotten,” Jn 1.18 and since begotten can imply made, Áreios claimed the Father made the Son.

Jesus did say the Father was greater than he, Jn 14.28 and his earthly submission to and dependence upon the Father certainly makes him appear a subject of God, instead of God incarnate. So Áreios claimed Jesus is a lesser god than the Father. Áreios’s followers taught similar ideas: The Father sits behind the scenes in high heaven, while Jesus is the creator-god whom we regularly interact with. That, or the Father appointed Jesus to run creation for him. Still, if Jesus is a secondary god, is he still almighty? Can he still save people?

Áreios’s followers, the Arians (and don’t confuse ’em with Aryans), adopted his beliefs and spread them throughout Egypt and the rest of the Roman Empire. Áreios’s catchy worship songs definitely helped spread his ideas. Particularly the lines “There was a time when he wasn’t,” and “Before he was made, he wasn’t.”

The Arians created a huge controversy in the church: Christians were kicking one another out of church over it, declaring one another heretics. After all, there was no official Christian doctrine yet! Just various local bishops–some Arian, some not, picking a side for their individual churches, driving out any dissidents.

Co-emperors Gaius Licinius and Flavius Constantinus legalized Christianity in 313. After Constantinus became the sole emperor in 324, as a Christian (a lousy Christian, but still the most powerful Christian in the Roman Empire) he wanted this issue sorted out before it destabilized Christianity further, so he called for a council of bishops to pick an official side. There was precedent for this; the Council of Jerusalem, remember? They had a theological issue; they got together and sorted it out. So Constantinus simply called for another one.

The bishops met in Níkea (often spelled “Nicæa” or “Nicea”) in 325 to form a consensus. Not vote, as some historians describe it. The bishops all figured the Holy Spirit would lead them to the same conclusion—and if he didn’t, they surely weren’t gonna make it for him. And it took the bishops very little time to reject Áreios’s teachings. Really, all they had to do was read them aloud.

Arianism is not at all consistent with the scriptures. There’s only one God, the LORD, Dt 6.4 who made it abundantly clear there isn’t another. Dt 4.39, Is 45.21 If you recall, he smited Israel repeatedly for believing otherwise. Jesus likewise made it clear he subscribes to that view, calling Deuteronomy 6.4-5 the most important command. Mk 12.29-30 As far as both testaments are concerned, there’s one God. And if Jesus isn’t that God, he’s no god. But he is God. Jn 1.1 So he’s that God.

Therefore we can’t say Jesus was created; he’s the Creator. Jn 1.3 “Begotten” may be the word the scriptures used, but it can’t mean created when used to describe Jesus. That’s why the council put “Begotten not made” into their creed. Jesus became human, Jn 1.14 and suffered and died for us, and went to heaven and is coming back. But he was never made; he always existed. As God.

What about the scriptures which indicate Jesus and the Father are One God, yet distinct from one another? Well obviously it’s a paradox. We don’t know precisely how the Father and Son (and don’t forget the Holy Spirit) are the One God. The bible never spells it out. All we can do is guess, and probably guess wrong. But we’re not going to err on the side of polytheism. God made it crystal clear he’s One. This creed wasn’t written to define the trinity; just say what the trinity isn’t. And he isn’t three gods. Or two. Jesus is God, not a separate creation. That’s that.

It took the bishops another month to sort out the details, and here’s the creed they came up with. Translation, as usual, mine.

We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of everything visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus the Christ, the son of God, begotten by the Father, only-begotten, meaning “from the Father’s being,” truly God from God, begotten not made, the same being as the Father. By him everything was made—the things of heaven and the things of earth. For us people, and for our salvation, he came down and was in a body and became human. He suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended into the heavens, and will come from there to judge the living and the dead.

And also the Holy Spirit.

For those saying, “There was a time when he wasn’t,” and “Before he was made, he wasn’t,” and “He was made out of nothing” or “He is of another substance” or “He is called another being [or founder], turned or altered into the son of God”—these people are anathematized from the universal [and apostolic] church.

All but two of the bishops signed off on it, and Constantinus exiled everyone who refused to say it. Arian works were ordered burned.

Did it work? Largely. Took a few centuries, ’cause Arianism was really popular. But the Arians gradually shrunk to nothing… although from time to time, new Christian heretics crop up and bring Arianism back. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, fr’instance.

The creed was updated in 381 by the first Council of Constantinople. That’s the version at the beginning of this article. Some folks refer to it as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. But I’ll stick with custom and just call it the Nicene Creed. Saves me the time of typing.

The creed’s ideas.

Briefly, all the ideas in the creed. Yes, sometimes I have whole articles about these ideas; feel free to click on them.

• ONE GOD. Christians are monotheists: We believe in one God. Ex 20.3 There might be other many beings which call themselves gods, but we only recognize the One. 1Co 8.4-6 We recognize he’s a trinity, and that does not mean he’s three gods; still One. If you’re gonna make mistakes (and try not to), make ’em in the direction of God’s oneness.
• THE FATHER. Jesus identified the One God as Father, and said he’s our Father as well. Mt 6.9
• MAKER OF ALL THINGS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE. As Genesis has it. Ge 1.1 He created everything we can and can’t see; Cl 1.16-17 the spirits aren’t a separate pre-existing category, as pagans believe. And all things were created through Christ; he comes up next in the creed.
• ONE LORD, CHRIST JESUS. Paul stated there’s only one God, the Father, the creator, and only one Lord, Christ Jesus, through whom God made everything. 1Co 8.6 The Father made Jesus both our Lord and Messiah/Christ/King, Ac 2.36 by virtue of him meriting those titles.
• ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. John used monogenís, “only-begotten,” to describe Jesus. Jn 1.14 It’s found elsewhere in Greek literature to describe only children, like Jairus’s daughter. Lk 8.42 This indicates Jesus is the Father’s only biological child. The rest of us “children of God” are created beings whom he adopted as his kids, but we’re not the same species. Jesus (though also human) is. So’s the Holy Spirit.
• BEGOTTEN BEFORE ALL AGES; NOT MADE. The word exists with God in the beginning, Jn 1.2 before creation, before the Big Bang, before spacetime. (If not even time existed, how could there even be a time when Jesus wasn’t?)
• GOD FROM GOD, LIGHT FROM LIGHT, TRUE GOD FROM TRUE GOD, OF ONE BEING WITH THE FATHER. All these terms—“God” and “light” and “true God”—are used in the scriptures to describe the Father as well as the Son. They’re meant to make it clear Jesus is no lesser god nor subordinate god. Nor does he consist of different stuff than the Father. He’s consubstantialis/“of the same stuff” as the Father.
• THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE. As John has it. Jn 1.3
• CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. Jesus described himself this way many times. Jn 6.38 On one of those occasions, he described himself as the true bread from heaven—and anyone who eats this bread lives forever. Jn 6.51 We therefore conclude he came down for our sake—so we can be his people, and he our God, Lv 26.12 just as he’s always wanted.
• INCARNATE FROM THE VIRGIN MARY. Though Jesus always existed, he was born on earth to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. Even though Mary and Joseph hadn’t yet consummated their relationship. Lk 1.34-35
• WAS MADE MAN. Jesus wasn’t originally human, but he became human and lived with us. Jn 1.14
• CRUCIFIED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE. Pontius is in the creed to ground Jesus’s death in human history. He didn’t die “once upon a time,” or “long ago and far away”: He died on Friday, 3 April 33, at about 3 in the afternoon, just outside Jerusalem. Christianity is a historical religion, not mythology.
• SUFFERED DEATH AND WAS BURIED. Muslims claim Jesus only appeared to die, but didn’t really. We teach otherwise: Jesus really died. The leaders of that day, representing humanity everywhere, killed the author of life. Ac 3.15
• ROSE AGAIN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES. As Paul put it. 1Co 15.4 As was prophesied, Jesus died, but didn’t stay dead, and lives forever.
• ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN. As witnessed by his followers. Ac 1.9
• SEATED AT THE FATHER’S RIGHT HAND. As Simon Peter said, Ac 2.33 and Stephen witnessed in a vision. Ac 7.55
• WILL COME AGAIN IN GLORY. At some point Jesus is returning to raise those who have died, and to collect those who are still here. We will invade the world with him. 1Th 4.15-17
• TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. As Paul put it. 2Ti 4.1 Jesus will sort out his followers from everyone else, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats; Mt 25.31-32 some to eternal punishment and some to eternal life. Mt 25.46
• HIS KINGDOM WILL HAVE NO END. As Gabriel put it. Lk 1.33
• THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE LORD. The Holy Spirit is God, same as the Father and Son. This wasn’t a controversy at the time—of course the Spirit is God, duh—but every so often you’ll find someone who thinks the Spirit is a force or spiritual instrument. Usually pagans and heretics.
• GIVER OF LIFE. As Paul put it. 2Co 3.6 Whether the Spirit put life into us when we were born, Jb 33.4 or spiritual life into us when we turned to Jesus, Jn 3.6 all life comes from the Holy Spirit.
• PROCEEDS FROM THE FATHER. As John wrote. Jn 15.26 As God, the Spirit doesn’t act independently of God. He’s sent by God, just as Jesus is sent by God. There’s no dividing God up into components and pitting them against one another. God is One.
• [AND THE SON.] This is a controversial clause, called the filioque 'fi.li.oʊk.weɪ, Latin for “and from the Son.” You won’t find it in eastern versions of the Nicene Creed; just western versions, namely Protestant and Roman Catholic versions. It split the church.
• HE, WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON, IS ADORED AND GLORIFIED. Since the Spirit is God, we worship and honor him same as the Father and Son.
• SPOKEN THROUGH THE PROPHETS. As Paul stated, Ep 3.5 as was demonstrated various times in the Old Testament when the Spirit came upon various people and got ’em to prophesy. 1Sa 19.20
• ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH. Okay yes, there are multiple individual churches—groups of Christians meeting to worship and follow God. But God sees all these churches as one people, Jesus’s church. Holy ’cause it’s God’s; apostolic ’cause it sticks to what the apostles taught in the New Testament.
• ONE BAPTISM. Certain churches claim that when you join them, you gotta get re-baptized. Others claim every time you repent in a significant way, you should probably get baptized again. All hogwash. The baptism which counts is the one God recognizes, not us. We only need to be baptized in Christ’s name once and for all. If you wanna go through the ritual more than once, that’s fine, but Jesus doesn’t require them, and neither should we.
• THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. Pagans believe when we die, we stay dead. If there’s any coming back, it’s only as ghosts, or spirit-beings like angels. That’s not resurrection. Christians believe we’re getting resurrected—exactly like Jesus was. 1Co 15.12-57 We won’t stay dead, or stay in the afterlife. When Jesus said “eternal life,” he meant it.
• THE LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME. This’d be the new heavens and new earth, Rv 21.1-4 where Jesus is gonna reign, and we’re gonna live, forever. Yep, we believe in that too.

So there’s the Nicene Creed. Everything in it is consistent with the scriptures, with the teachings of other Christians throughout history, with human experience, and with reason. It’s solid theology.

If you can say it, and mean it, you’re an orthodox Christian. If you can’t… well you might be Christian, but your orthodoxy needs a lot of work! So work on it.