The Nicene Creed

At Church on the Living Edge, we believe in being a modern expression of ancient faith. The Nicene Creed gives language to that ancient faith in a way that is concise, communal, and Christ-centered. In our gatherings, we do not simply affirm “what we believe” as individuals; we confess the faith that has claimed us as a people.

As Acts 2:42–47 reminds us, the early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer — a Spirit-filled community formed around shared truth and practice. In the same spirit, our reciting of the Creed is not a passive tradition but an active declaration of devotion to that same gospel.

The Creed is not meant to be a substitute for Scripture but a trustworthy summary of its essential teaching. It guides us away from self-made religion and toward the historic and apostolic faith once for all delivered (Jude 1:3).

When we say it, we are not reciting dead words — we are participating in a living tradition, joining a confession that resists reductionism, relativism, and rootlessness. We speak not as isolated voices but as a choir echoing through centuries, confessing the mystery of faith: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”

The Nicene Creed proclaims belief in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in one Lord Jesus Christ — eternally begotten, not made, true God from true God, who for our salvation became incarnate, was crucified, died, and rose again.

It proclaims belief in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified; in one Church, holy, catholic, and apostolic; in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; and in the resurrection and the life to come — ending with the hope of Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead.

The Nicene Creed was born out of crisis. In the early fourth century, the unity of the Church was threatened by the rise of a theological movement called Arianism, named after a priest named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not eternal and divine in the same way as the Father — that the Son was a created being, higher than humans but not equal to God.

This caused widespread confusion, prompting Emperor Constantine to convene the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The bishops gathered to articulate clearly what Scripture teaches about the nature of Jesus Christ, affirming that the Son is “begotten, not made, of the same essence (homoousios) as the Father.” A second council in Constantinople in 381 AD expanded and finalized the Creed, particularly by clarifying the Church’s belief about the Holy Spirit. This expanded Creed is the version most Christians use today.

The Creed is theologically precise — a carefully constructed summary of the core doctrines of the faith: the Trinity, the incarnation, the resurrection, and the Church. Its wording is not accidental; it protects the faith from distortion and error.

It is historically rooted, linking us to the early Church and to Christians who endured persecution, wrestled with heresy, and passed on the faith with clarity and courage. It is communally unifying: when we say it together, we declare that the Church is one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic. And it is formational — it shapes how we think about God and ourselves, teaching us to prioritize what matters most.