In our time, where it’s possible to view multiple Bible translations with the touch of a screen, it becomes easy to take the accessibility of the Scriptures for granted. For most of church history, the Scriptures were heard rather than read, and theology was proclaimed rather than researched.
Some of the simplest ways to summarise the Christian faith are the early credal statements of the Church. The one to which all orthodox Christian traditions refer is the Nicene Creed, written in the fourth century.
Prompted by debates about the divine identity of Jesus – a church leader named Arius argued that Jesus was not co-eternal with the Father – the Nicene Creed instead develops a fully trinitarian theology. It insists that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, always has been and always will be fully equal with the Father and the Spirit, so that when we talk about what Jesus has done, we are talking about the work of God.
The Nicene Creed is a trinitarian statement of faith, structured in three sections which in turn focus on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
In an age where few had access to the written word, this was an easily memorised summary of Christian belief.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
The Creed begins by identifying God as Father, rather than as Creator. Although not mentioned by name here, Jesus is still in the picture, for it is only through the Son of God that we are able to know God as our Father.1
God is the eternal Father before he is Creator – we have to understand what God does in the light of who God is. He has always been the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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.
These words affirm the divine identity of Jesus, who together with the Father and Son is to be worshipped. He is the only Son, and always has been. This is what the early Church Fathers tried to capture when they use the phrase “begotten, not made.” Jesus Christ is of one being with the Father – he is God in the same sense that the Father is God and the Spirit is God.
We speak about God as “one being, three persons”, but the language of “persons” does not mean that God is three separate individuals. There is no separation between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know them together, not separately.
It might be useful to notice the parallel between the Father, who is also Creator, and the statement that all things were made through Jesus. We see this link in Scripture, in the way that John 1 clearly evokes the creation language of Genesis 1, further highlighting that the work of the Father, Son and Spirit, is a work done in union.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became fully 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.
These words describe the historical events of Jesus’ incarnate saving work. The Son of God becomes human, born to the virgin Mary. He is fully human – like us, he grows tired, he is hungry, he is able to be tempted… but despite this, he lives a life which is constantly oriented towards God, always walking in obedience and trust.
Ultimately, Jesus is crucified. He really dies and he is buried. But three days later, he comes back to life. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed for God.
After time with his followers, Jesus ascends to heaven where he sits even now with the Father, interceding for us.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
These words are future-oriented. When Jesus ascends to the Father, he promises his disciples that he will return. In Christ, we receive new life now, and also anticipate the promise of an embodied new life in the age to come.
Christian life now is shaped by this anticipation of the future. While we long for the day when Jesus will establish his kingdom, outworking righteousness and justice in all things for all people, Christians are called to “live into” this reality now – what might that look like for you?
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who in unity with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
and has spoken through the prophets.
With these words, Christians focusing on the presence of God with us now as the Holy Spirit, once again, affirming the equality of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The language of creation is once again evoked, with the Spirit described as the giver of life.
The Holy Spirit is poured out on the people of God after Jesus’ ascension, empowering us for faithful witness. The Spirit spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament, and continues to work together with the Father and the Son in all things, calling each of us from death to life, and bringing forth that life in all its fullness
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.
These final words link belief in the Church with the Holy Spirit, for the formation of God’s people into the body of Christ is the work of God himself. The Church is one (there’s only one Church, not many), holy (because it is set apart in Christ), catholic (here meaning “universal”: everyone who has faith in God is part of it) and apostolic (it is faithful to Christ’s teaching).
The Creed also acknowledges one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. That baptism is Christ’s baptism which he undertakes in identification with humanity, enabling us in turn to participate through the Spirit in Christ’s saving work. Salvation is entirely God’s work!
Finally, the Creed finishes longing for the resurrection and re-creation of all things, and “the life of the world to come”. The acknowledgement that this world is not all that there is represents significant hope for believers, allowing us to trust that God will outwork his good plans in the end, for the flourishing of all creation.
1Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith, 76.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
In our time, where it’s possible to view multiple Bible translations with the touch of a screen, it becomes easy to take the accessibility of the Scriptures for granted. For most of church history, the Scriptures were heard rather than read, and theology was proclaimed rather than researched.
Some of the simplest ways to summarise the Christian faith are the early credal statements of the Church. The one to which all orthodox Christian traditions refer is the Nicene Creed, written in the fourth century.
Prompted by debates about the divine identity of Jesus – a church leader named Arius argued that Jesus was not co-eternal with the Father – the Nicene Creed instead develops a fully trinitarian theology. It insists that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, always has been and always will be fully equal with the Father and the Spirit, so that when we talk about what Jesus has done, we are talking about the work of God.
The Nicene Creed is a trinitarian statement of faith, structured in three sections which in turn focus on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
In an age where few had access to the written word, this was an easily memorised summary of Christian belief.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
The Creed begins by identifying God as Father, rather than as Creator. Although not mentioned by name here, Jesus is still in the picture, for it is only through the Son of God that we are able to know God as our Father.1
God is the eternal Father before he is Creator – we have to understand what God does in the light of who God is. He has always been the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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.
These words affirm the divine identity of Jesus, who together with the Father and Son is to be worshipped. He is the only Son, and always has been. This is what the early Church Fathers tried to capture when they use the phrase “begotten, not made.” Jesus Christ is of one being with the Father – he is God in the same sense that the Father is God and the Spirit is God.
We speak about God as “one being, three persons”, but the language of “persons” does not mean that God is three separate individuals. There is no separation between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know them together, not separately.
It might be useful to notice the parallel between the Father, who is also Creator, and the statement that all things were made through Jesus. We see this link in Scripture, in the way that John 1 clearly evokes the creation language of Genesis 1, further highlighting that the work of the Father, Son and Spirit, is a work done in union.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became fully 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.
These words describe the historical events of Jesus’ incarnate saving work. The Son of God becomes human, born to the virgin Mary. He is fully human – like us, he grows tired, he is hungry, he is able to be tempted… but despite this, he lives a life which is constantly oriented towards God, always walking in obedience and trust.
Ultimately, Jesus is crucified. He really dies and he is buried. But three days later, he comes back to life. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed for God.
After time with his followers, Jesus ascends to heaven where he sits even now with the Father, interceding for us.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
These words are future-oriented. When Jesus ascends to the Father, he promises his disciples that he will return. In Christ, we receive new life now, and also anticipate the promise of an embodied new life in the age to come.
Christian life now is shaped by this anticipation of the future. While we long for the day when Jesus will establish his kingdom, outworking righteousness and justice in all things for all people, Christians are called to “live into” this reality now – what might that look like for you?
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who in unity with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
and has spoken through the prophets.
With these words, Christians focusing on the presence of God with us now as the Holy Spirit, once again, affirming the equality of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The language of creation is once again evoked, with the Spirit described as the giver of life.
The Holy Spirit is poured out on the people of God after Jesus’ ascension, empowering us for faithful witness. The Spirit spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament, and continues to work together with the Father and the Son in all things, calling each of us from death to life, and bringing forth that life in all its fullness
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.
These final words link belief in the Church with the Holy Spirit, for the formation of God’s people into the body of Christ is the work of God himself. The Church is one (there’s only one Church, not many), holy (because it is set apart in Christ), catholic (here meaning “universal”: everyone who has faith in God is part of it) and apostolic (it is faithful to Christ’s teaching).
The Creed also acknowledges one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. That baptism is Christ’s baptism which he undertakes in identification with humanity, enabling us in turn to participate through the Spirit in Christ’s saving work. Salvation is entirely God’s work!
Finally, the Creed finishes longing for the resurrection and re-creation of all things, and “the life of the world to come”. The acknowledgement that this world is not all that there is represents significant hope for believers, allowing us to trust that God will outwork his good plans in the end, for the flourishing of all creation.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
