The Creed of Faith
Also known as the Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible
and invisible;
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:
Who for us men 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 also 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 sit at the right
hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead,
Whose
kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and
Giver of Life, Who proceed from the Father, Who with the Father and the
Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;
And we believe in One, Holy, (Orthodox) Catholic
and Apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of
sins.
We look for the Resurrection of the dead,
And the Life of the age to come. Amen.
Where did we get this creed and what does it mean?
Latin “credo”
which means "I believe”
For Orthodox, it is called
“The Symbol of Faith”
which means literally the "bringing together" and
the "expression" or "confession" of the faith.
In the fourth century a great
controversy developed in Christendom about the nature of the Son of God.
Some said that the Son of God is a creature like everything else made by
God. Others contended that the Son of God is eternal, divine, and
uncreated.
The Emperor Constantine called the 1st Ecumenical
Council in the city of Nicaea (325) to bring unity to the Church by
writing what was ultimately accepted at the second Ecumenical Council
(381) in Constantinople by the Orthodox Church as the proper
“Symbol of
Faith”.
“The
Doctrine of the Trinity”:
In the 4th Century, Arias, who taught that
the Son of God was inferior to the Father, was called before the 1st
Ecumenical Council. It was held in Nicaea, and the Fathers of the Church
began writing the Nicene Creed to unify the Church and to firmly
solidify the Trinitarian Doctrine. Only if Christ is truly God, can He
unite us to God, for none but God Himself can open to man the way of
union. Christ is "one in essence
(
“Homoousios”
)
with the Father. He is no demigod or superior
creature, but God in the same sense that the Father is God: "true God
from true God," "begotten not made, one in essence with the
Father" Consubstantial with the Father. The Holy Spirit is also
addressed as God who is worshiped with the Father and the Son, three
persons; one God.; the Holy Trinity
“Historical
acts of Christ confirmed”
The creed next lists major doctrines lived out in
history.: Christ came down from heaven born of the Holy Spirit and
Virgin Mary. This is the incarnation. It was for our salvation that He
was made man, was crucified by Pilate,. Buried, He rose from the dead,
ascended to heaven and with the Father awaits the second and Glorious
coming as Judge of the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no
end.
“The
visible organization of the Church”
Just
as the Scripture says there is "One Lord, one Faith, one baptism", so
too is there One Holy catholic and Apostolic Church whose doctrine and
practices have been passed down unchanged through two thousand years of
history. This Church today is the Orthodox Church which represents the
fullest and most correct expression of the original Faith taught by our
Lord Jesus Christ and inaugurated by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
“Hope
and Promise of Life Everlasting”
As Christ rose from the dead, so we believe
and are promised this same Resurrection. A life of a new age to come,
worshiping the God of the ages.