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The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is a clear summary and confession of what we believe about the God of the Bible, who is three-in-one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It reminds us what the Bible teaches about who God is and what he has done for us.

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Four Things You Want to Know About the Nicene Creed

A creed is a statement that a group uses to explain and uphold its core beliefs.

There’s an old creed that you might find hidden in some dusty books if you wandered into a church, but you may be surprised to hear that it is still read aloud there, and in countless other churches of all sorts around the globe. We call it the Nicene Creed.

It’s a statement about God and what the Bible teaches about him. Here are four things to know about the Nicene Creed:

1. The Nicene Creed is also known as the “Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.”

2. The Nicene Creed is very similar to the Apostles’ Creed.

3. The Nicene Creed is a formal statement defending certain beliefs about God.

4. The Nicene Creed is world famous!

This creed is the most widely accepted and used formal statement of Christian beliefs in the world. It’s a unifying statement of our fundamental belief about God based on his own Word, the Bible, for many Christian denominations.

Many church traditions recite the Nicene Creed during Sunday worship services, special events (like baptisms), and special holidays (like Easter).

The original authors’ goal in writing the creed was to promote knowledge of the one, true, Triune God of the Bible. They wanted such knowledge to move their readers to worship him.

The Nicene Creed is anything but . . .

by Bibles.net

NICENE CREED
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The History of The Nicene Creed

Emperor Constantine
Constantine the Great became emperor of the Western half of the Roman Empire.
Edict of Milan
Emperor Constantine decreed freedom of religion in the Empire through the Edict of Milan.
Heresy
In Alexandria, Arius (256-336) began to teach the false belief that the Son of God was merely created by God the Father.
Government
Constantine, now a professing Christian, became emperor of the entire Roman Empire.
Earliest Form of the Creed
At Constantine’s direction, 318 Christian bishops met in Nicaea at the first ecumenical council and drafted the Nicene Creed in opposition to Arianism.
Support for the Creed
Athanasius (296-373) became bishop of Alexandria and key defender of Nicene Creed.
Persecution
Constantine died and successive pro-Arian emperors began to persecute Nicene supporters.
Athanasius Exiled
Athanasius was exiled for a fifth and final time for his support of Nicene Creed.
Fall of Rome
Emperor Valens killed at Battle of Adrianople, signaling the beginning of the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
The Final Form of the Creed
First Council of Constantinople: Nicene Creed edited into its present form, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
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History of the Nicene Creed
Article: 4 Min

What You Need to Know About the Nicene Creed

by Bibles.net
Article: 6 Min

Not One Iota

The Importance of One Letter for the Nicene Creed

by Rick Gamble at Ligonier Ministries

Message: 31 Min

We Believe

by Andrew Wilson

Verse
1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 NLT

But for us, there is one God, the Father,
by whom all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created,
and through whom we live.

Article: 7 Min

Who Was Athanasius and Why Was He Important?

by Ryan Reeves at The Gospel Coalition

Verse
HEBREWS 5:5 ESV

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

Quote

The Jesus
whom I know
as my Redeemer
cannot be less than God.

Article: 7 Min

The First Council of Nicaea

The first article in a series of seven on
the history of the first seven ecumenical
councils, which included the Councils of Nicaea
. 

by Tim Challies at his blog

Verse
1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

Article: 20 Min

The Nicene Creed: Where It Came From and Why It Still Matters

by Justin Holcomb at Zondervan

Image

I and the Father
are one.

JESUS, JOHN 10:30 ESV
What Does the Nicene Creed Say?
Quote

The Son of God
became man
so that men
might become sons of God.

Verse
JOHN 6:67-69 NIV

“You do not want to leave too, do you?”
Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him,
“Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and to know
that you are the holy one of God."

Verse
JOHN 3:18 ESV

Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Quote

What Do You Believe About God the Father?


Question: What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth”?

Answer: That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ the Son.

I trust God so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world.

God is able to do this because he is Almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.

Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A #26, Lord's Day 9 | Source
Verse
JOHN 1:14 NKJV

And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

Books
Books