THE CREEDS
The Apostles’ Creed
& Nicene Creed
The Apostles’ Creed (in circulation by at least AD 180) and the Nicene Creed (AD 325) help us summarise what we hold in common as believers. As they centre on the Godhead, they demonstrate that we have more in common with other believers than what we don’t, and what we have in common has far greater substance than what doesn’t.
While the creeds do not hold the authority and weight of Scripture, they help clarify what is essential in terms of doctrine. In short, our common faith is centred on the Godhead.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again;
He ascended into heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
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 men 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 worshipped 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. Amen.
SOURCE
The Nicene Creed was originally adopted in AD 325 and then revised in AD 381. The version used above is the 1975 International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) version. Today several versions exist and while they differ slightly in the words they use to translate the original creed, they do not differ substantially in any way. The reader can do a Google search to read the various versions available.
One and only one clarifying comment is probably necessary. The word “catholic” in the final paragraph of the Nicene Creed does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church; rather, the word means, “universal”.