THE
NICENE CREED
EXPLAINED

As a mainstream, orthodox Christian church, our beliefs are determined by the Bible and expressed in the Nicene Creed. All Christian traditions - Catholic, Orthodox and Free Church – have agreed upon this statement of faith since 325AD*:

WE BELIEVE in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

*The agreement on the Nicene Creed pre-dates the addition of the Filioque clause ("and the Son") regarding the Holy Spirit - a simple phrase which sadly caused a rift between Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman etc) Christians. Prior to the addition of this phrase the Nicene Creed in its original form (325AD) certainly did have universal support, successfully articulating the faith of Christians around the world.