The Importance of the Nicene Creed
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater Podcast - where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace Churches with our executive director, Mark.
This is the first podcast of 2026. So, a happy new year.
MARK PRATER:
Happy new year to you too.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
And happy new year to everybody checking out the podcast. But as we were discussing what to cover in this first episode of 2026, it became apparent that there was an epic miss on this podcast last year. A miss that perhaps the more historically minded pastors among us were gnashing their teeth about. But we missed the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed in order to remedy our failure to note this historic event and important historic event— you have a resource on the Nicene Creed that you want to recommend for our benefit.
MARK PRATER:
I do want to recommend it and devote an episode to the Nicene Creed in hopes that we don't get cancelled. Because that was an epic miss on our part. The Nicene Creed is so important for a number of reasons I'll mention during this episode, but I do want to commend a short little book written by Kevin DeYoung, right here, called The Nicene Creed. It's in the Foundational Tools for our Faith series published by Crossway.
This is a short read and it's written in an accessible way, so it's not just for pastors but members of our churches. Kevin wrote this book in light of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. The first ecumenical council met in Nicaea in AD 325, which was 1700 years ago. We're talking about a creed that has endured for 1700 years. That's pretty significant.
And this is what DeYoung says in his preface, which is a strong statement.
He says this:
“After the Bible, the Nicene Creed may be the most important Christian text ever written. Since the 4th century, the Nicene Creed has served as the most influential, most ecumenical, and arguably the most widely used statement of faith in the history of the church.”
And I don't think that's an overstatement. I think that is accurate. So it's appropriate that we recognize that creed. And really, it's a highly significant creed overall, but this one in particular has endured for 1700 years.
So what Kevin does in his book is note the creed, include some history in the introduction, and then devote chapters to certain phrases from the actual creed.
We believe; Only begotten; One substance; For us and for our salvation—chapter five is "Who proceeds from the Father and the Son," we'll talk about that.
Chapter six, "One holy Catholic and apostolic church," and seven, "One baptism for the remission of sins," and he goes on to then just talk about a conclusion. So it's a wonderful book and if you haven't read it, as a pastor I would encourage you to read it—I've benefited from it—and if you're a member I think you would benefit from it as well.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Well, thanks for the recommendation. Kevin DeYoung continues to serve so many of us effectively. I haven't read that but I'm looking forward to picking it up.
You know, the Nicene Creed is so important because while Christians have and still do differ on a lot of different points of doctrine, it has created a sort of boundary for us to identify what faithful Orthodox Christianity really is, even in our differences at the foundation.
But that being said, for anyone who's not familiar with the Nicene Creed, what is the Nicene Creed?
MARK PRATER:
Yeah, and actually, before I read the creed, just to your point -- Kevin points this out to us, as arguably the most important doctrinal statement in the history of the church.
The Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and every branch of Protestant Christianity recognize the Nicene Creed.
So that's the wide acceptance of the creed. And if you're not familiar with the creed, let me just read it because it's important.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Wonderful.
And one that, I mean, it couldn't even be calculated how many times that Creed has been read in unison in churches over 1700 years across the world.
So Mark, talk to us about the reason why the Nicene Creed was developed in the first place.
MARK PRATER:
The reason that it was developed really goes back in history where there was a man by the name of Arius, who was in Egypt, who began teaching really false doctrine.
He didn't believe in the full deity of Christ because of this language, "begotten of the Father."
He was saying that he was created essentially, or begotten means that he never existed for all time, is not equal in deity with the Father. That's kind of what he was saying. And it caused quite a stir. And so the Roman Emperor Constantine—who had converted to Christianity a few years before, called for the Council of Nicaea and called all the bishops to gather, really to have this argument. And Arius argued for his point. Actually, somebody else argued for him. Arius was not allowed to speak? Well, he was allowed to present the argument. He was allowed to speak. And then Athanasius argued for the deity of Christ.
That's essentially what happened in Nicaea. And why the Creed was written in AD 325—the creed that we just read was the first one established. It affirmed the full deity of the Son of God. And that is so important in so many different ways, but it's important fundamentally to the gospel itself, which is why that theological debate was key. And we stand on their shoulders today. We have to remember that. These debates that happened so long ago, we think can be irrelevant to us.
We stand on their shoulders because much of what we're able to do and preach in the gospel as pastors is because we preach the full deity of Christ, fully God and fully man who died on that cross for our sins.
But Kevin makes this wonderful observation about the theological debate in Nicaea at the time and the theological precision that is necessary—not for that time, but for us today.
And I just wanted to read this because I thought his observation was really good. He said, when the bishops arrived in Nicaea, there were more or less three parties already in place.
One party was already strongly opposed to Arius. In other words, that party didn't agree with Arius. They believed in the full deity of the Son. Now listen, this group was actually in the minority. But they had key bishops in their ranks. Then he says there was a second party that was sympathetic to Arius.
That group was led by the influential Eusebius of Nicomedia and also a friend of the Emperor, a friend of Constantine. And then there was a middle party, as is often the case initially in theological disputes. This was the majority party. The key in theological controversy is to get to people in the middle, the people who want to do the right thing, to see that right thing and then have the courage to do it.
Philip Schaff, the 19th-century American historian, said this of the middle party:
"Many of them had an orthodox instinct but little discernment."
And so the point he's really making there is that in any theological debate, theological precision is so important. And if the middle party is just trying to find some common ground in a way that just solves the problem, but lacks theological precision, that lacks actually theological discernment. And I think that's just an important lesson for us today, that as we—there, we don't know in 2026 what new theological debates or controversies might come our way, but we've got to hold fast to sound doctrine and use our theological discernment, not to give ground but to hang on to what we know Scripture teaches.
So I just thought that was great from Kevin and one I wanted to point out from the first ecumenical council in Nicaea.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Excellent.
You know, we just got through the Christmas season, so I just can't help but mention as well—
My favorite Christmas meme, which is based on a legend of something that happened at the Council of Nicaea, where reportedly St. Nicholas was there and slapped Arius in the face.
Which led to the meme that shows an old picture of St. Nicholas, saying, "I came to bring presents and punch heretics, and I'm all out of presents."
But well said by Kevin, we want to be precisionist. And their example is compelling.
And in the name of that kind of theological discernment and precision, actually, the Nicene Creed was enhanced into its final form a bit later at a second ecumenical council.
Talk to us about that.
MARK PRATER:
Yes, the second ecumenical council was gathered in Constantinople in 381.
The first ecumenical council in Nicaea affirmed the full deity of the Son of God. What really happened in—the major thing that happened in the second ecumenical council was it affirmed the full deity of the Holy Spirit.
So obviously, in these early councils, what was being worked out was really doctrine of the Trinity in many ways. Again, we stand on their shoulders and we must be very grateful for the hard work that went in. And what really happened there, you heard it in the creed that I read, is that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
And there was debate about that—it's called the filioque, that Latin term that really split the church at that time.
So in the West, the creed that I just read speaks about the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son. In the East—Eastern Orthodox, for example—they would just have the Spirit proceeding from the Father. And so that caused a schism during that time and the church separated East and West.
But the point being is that those two councils, those two ecumenical councils, gave us a creed that gives us a solid, trinitarian doctrine that we must appreciate today.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Yes, and we thank God for those efforts that continue to serve us millennia later.
And so before we conclude here, share with us some thoughts about why this ancient creed continues to be relevant and important for us today.
MARK PRATER:
It's relevant. It's important. I hope it continues to be read 1700 years from now.
May we celebrate that 3400th if the lord does not back before.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
And if we’re still doing a podcast, we'll note that one. We won't miss it!
MARK PRATER:
We won't! I think the best way is to really give the summary statements that Kevin gives in his book.
I think he wrote them so well. So why is this relevant to us today? Why is this important?
He gives—he gives six of them.
Here's the first:
The Nicene Creed stresses the importance of believing the right thing. Sadly, we often hear Christian leaders and churches today downplay the importance of doctrinal fidelity. They may not deny essential articles of the faith, but they can talk about doctrinal precision as if it were alien to the Christian faith or something that gets in the way of authentic discipleship.
Such a spirit of doctrinal latitude and platitudinism is antithetical to the spirit of Nicaea.
So again, he’s making a case for theological precision and doctrinal fidelity.
Number two, the history of the Nicene Creed teaches us that new statements and modified statements are often necessary to combat new errors. So we must be mindful of new errors in our day. Hopefully, there's not one in 2026, but we have to be aware of that. But then he goes on to say this: the Nicene Creed is a creedal floor, not a creedal ceiling. In other words, it's foundational. But that doesn't mean there might not be a need for other statements or creeds in the future.
Number three, the Nicene Creed models for us the central importance of the Trinity. And I just so agree with him there. He says the doctrine of the Trinity is not a math problem to avoid or a largely irrelevant doctrine that we can tuck away in the attic of our minds. To be a Christian is to be baptized in the triune name and to worship the God who subsists as three persons sharing one undivided essence. Again, the importance of the Trinity.
Number four, the Nicene Creed underscores the importance of religion for Christian life and worship. We often hear of that, so-and-so person—they're spiritual, but not religious. And Kevin goes on and makes this comment: usually when people talk about being spiritual, but not religious, they mean that they want a faith that is unencumbered by doctrinal boundaries, sacred rites, and the institution of the church with its authority structures and obligations. The Nicene Creed emphasizes the importance of these religious elements. So I just thought that's a wonderful observation on his part.
Number five, the Nicene Creed is not embarrassed to view Christianity with a soteriological focus. At the heart of the Creed's confession is the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven for us and for our salvation.
Sometimes you hear people say that modern evangelicals invented this salvation-focused gospel or that we Westerners corrupted the gospel by making it so individualistic. And the medieval people were saved into believing in a God of judgment because the church wanted to control them.
But we see right here in the fourth century that the church conceived of the Christian faith as irreducibly about sin and salvation, about judgment and forgiveness, about how we can be saved from the human problem that is sin and death. That's well written.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Yes.
MARK PRATER:
That one preaches.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
That one preaches.
MARK PRATER:
And then number six, the Nicene Creed points us to the future. Part of what we respect and honor in the Nicene Creed is its age. It's ancient. It was the first official, ecumenical church creed, and Christians all around the world still use it 1700 years later.
But we would miss the point of the creed if we just admitted it's a relic of history or as a connection with the past. The Nicene Creed itself ends by sending us into the future. The last line begins with the verb: we look, we look forward, we desire, we anticipate, we hope for the resurrection of our bodies and eternal life in the world to come. So I think those reasons are why the Creed is quite relevant for us today, and I think it also sort of demonstrates why this Creed has endured for 1700 years and I believe will continue to endure.
So get to know this Nicene Creed is sort of my point.
BENJAMIN KREPS:
Excellent.
Well, thank you for the recommendation, Mark, and hopefully we've somewhat remedied our blunder in missing last year's anniversary.
And as we look to the future in Sovereign Grace and our tiny little corner of Christianity, may the beauty of the biblical doctrine, the gospel that is so wonderfully present in the Nicene Creed, continue to inform us in the years ahead.
So thank you, Mark, for the recommendation. Thank you for checking out the podcast. Happy New Year. We'll see you next week, Lord willing.