Primary Passage: The Nicene Creed
Related Passages: Genesis 1:1; John 1:1–3, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Ephesians 4:4–6; Acts 2:38; Revelation 21:1–4
Topic: The scriptural faith confessed in the Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed and the Scriptural Faith It Confesses
The Nicene Creed is not a second Bible, nor a substitute for Scripture. It is the Church’s brief confession of the Father who creates, the Son who saves, and t
For this revision, all Scrhe Holy Spirit who gives life. When we say the Creed, we confess the saving work of the Holy Trinity and the hope into which we have been baptized.
One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.”
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
—Genesis 1:1
Israel’s confession begins with the one God: “Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). To call God Maker is to confess that all reality depends on Him. The visible world is good because it is His creation, and the invisible world is also His.
One Lord Jesus Christ
“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by whom all things were made.”
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2This one was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him there was not one thing made that has been made.
—John 1:1–3
The Creed guards the Gospel’s witness that the Son is not a creature among creatures. “Begotten, not made” distinguishes the Son’s eternal relation to the Father from the created order.
For Us and for Our Salvation
“Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.”
14The Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his glory, glory as of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.
—1 Corinthians 15:3–4
Our salvation is not an escape from bodily life, but the healing of human life through the incarnate Son.
He Shall Come Again with Glory
“And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.”
Christ’s return promises that evil, deceit, and death will not have the final word, and that the King who gave Himself for the world will set all things right.
The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life
“And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.”
20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever brought by the will of man, but men spoke from God when they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
—2 Peter 1:20–21
The Spirit is not an impersonal influence. He gives life, unites believers to Christ, and speaks in the Scriptures through the prophets.
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
“And I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one certain hope of your calling. 5And there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
—Ephesians 4:4–6
“Catholic” means universal: the Church is sent to all peoples and cannot be reduced to a nation, language, class, or private preference. She is apostolic because she remains founded on the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
One Baptism, the Resurrection, and the Life of the World to Come
“I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
38Then Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
—Acts 2:38
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 3I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Look! The dwelling place of God is with human beings, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and he will be their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or grieving, or crying, or pain. The former things have passed away.”
—Revelation 21:1, 3–4
The Creed ends where Scripture’s story ends: not with the abandonment of creation, but with its renewal in God’s presence. Christians look for the resurrection of the dead because Jesus Christ is risen.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Unlocked English Bible (UEB), 2018 edition.