Liturgical Moment of the Week: The Nicene Creed

By Father Brian+

I remember as a young Christian in my 20’s thinking that most of church tradition was hogwash. I conveniently picked and chose what was cool and what was not cool, ignoring the fact that Christianity itself was nearly 2000 years old.

Enter the creeds of the church.

J.I. Packer, perhaps the foremost Anglican theologian, and one of the most respected by the wider Church, wrote of tradition:

“Tradition is the fruit of the Spirit’s teaching activity from the ages as God’s people have sought understanding of Scripture. It is not infallible, but neither is it negligible, and we impoverish ourselves if we disregard it” (Know the Creeds and Councils, Justin Holcomb, p. 9).

If you call yourself a Christian, you are adhering to a tradition - an ancient one at that.

If a friend asked you what you believe as a Christian, what would you tell them?

Enter the Nicene Creed.

The creed came about amidst the struggle to define the Church’s understanding of God in the 4th Century. Our own Bishop Justin Holcomb put it this way:

“The Nicene Creed is perhaps the most famous and influential creed in the history of the church, because it settles the question of how

Christians can worship one God and also claim that this God is three persons” (Creeds, Holcomb, p. 33).

A priest named Arius viewed Jesus as a created being, not eternal. He did not think it was possible for a divine, holy God to mingle with a created, earthly individual, and so viewed Jesus as a lesser god. Athanasius, another priest in Alexandria, Egypt, took on Arius’ positions and said the Scriptures taught that Jesus was both human and divine. 

The wider Church leadership community in the form of bishops came together in a city named Nicae and later in the capital Constantinople to make a determination. A biblical understanding prevailed and the early Church won a victory for truth in a secular society. The Nicene Creed was the result.

The Nicene Creed has become short form for what a Christian believes, and so we say it every service (almost), as a reminder and profession of our understanding of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Creed comes from the Latin word credo meaning I believe.

The Creed challenges us to live and share our faith as a fresh expression of the Living God, while honoring our faith system as an ancient tradition.