By Dr. Abraham B. Fisher
The word “creed” comes from the first word of the prayer in Latin, credo, meaning “I believe,” and that is a very good description. In simplest terms it is a statement, or profession, of what is believed by the Church and those who profess it.
Two forms of the creed are familiar to modern Catholics: The Apostles’ Creed which is said as part of the Rosary (and sometimes at Mass); and the Nicene Creed, which is said at most Sunday Masses and Solemnities. Tradition dates the Apostles’ Creed to the first century A. D. and holds that each Apostle contributed one of its 12 statements. The Nicene Creed was originally formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A. D. – 1700 years ago this year. It was expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 A. D., but remains commonly referred to as “The Nicene Creed.”
Over the years the creed has been given many names: Profession of faith, rule of faith, definition of faith, symbol of faith. Each of these emphasizes a particular aspect of the creed and its use in liturgical or individual prayer, but regardless of the specific nuance, it is always a statement of faith.
We employ the creed as a profession of faith when we stand and recite it at Mass. Just before bringing our needs and petitions to God in the prayers of the faithful, we reaffirm the content of our faith by reciting the creed in unison, and renew our commitment to it with the all-important “Amen.” Likewise, during a baptismal liturgy, we are called to “renew … the vows of [our] own baptism, reject sin, and profess [our] faith in Christ Jesus” by confirming our commitment to the tenets of the creed one by one: “Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty?” “I do,” “Do you believe in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord?” “I do,” and so on. Afterward the celebrant reminds us, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Secondly, the creed provides the Church and individual members with a rule of faith; a norm by which to test Christian faith, identity and life. The creed functions as a norm to ensure a proper reading and interpretation of Scripture, even while always being subject to Scripture as mutually interpretive and corrective. In the same way, the creed provides a norm for Christian life – to ensure pious practices and beliefs do not stray into error.
Thirdly, as the definition of faith, the creed provides and enforces boundaries of true belief and doctrine. The history of the creeds we now possess is long, messy, difficult, and at times violent. Every phrase that was included in the creed has a purpose and was, more often than not, fought over intensely. The result is that the creed emerged as a defender of true belief and teaching. Once accepted by an ecumenical council it was used to test all teaching, identify error and reject heresy. As a result, the creeds have come to play a vital role in creating identity for the community of faith. The creeds tell us who we are, what our story is, what we believe … and what we do not.
Finally, the creed is a symbol of faith. It is a sign of reception and membership in the People of God. One who professes and commits to all that is contained in the Creed believes rightly, accepts a common story and history, accepts a common set of obligations and belongs to the community. Calling the creed a symbol of faith emphasizes that it is not the same as faith, nor is it the entirety of the faith, but rather that it points us to the faith, recalls the entirety of the faith to mind and reinvigorates commitment to the faith.
When we stand at Mass and profess our faith by reciting the creed, and then say “Amen,” we are professing our agreement with and commitment to all that the creed says. That “Amen” can be thought of as the spiritual equivalent of a signature on a legal document – our agreement and acceptance of what has just been said. Most people wouldn’t sign a legal document without clearly understanding and agreeing to its terms; the same should apply here. Let’s look closely at those hard-fought phrases in the creed to understand clearly what we are professing, and make our “Amen” enlightened and enthusiastic!
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I believe in One God This is the creed’s “most radical and important profession.”1 Without this, nothing more can be said. In this one simple phrase, we declare first that God exists, emphasizing that we are neither atheists or agnostics — the strongest possible denial of all forms of idolatry. Secondly, we affirm that God is one: God is the One revealed to Israel. As Christians, we understand our story within the story of Israel, not apart from it, but as the fulfillment of it. Professing that God is one says two things: that we believe in only one God (we are not polytheists); and that there is only one God to believe in! We have not chosen one god from among many to worship. Rather, we affirm that there is only one. The God revealed in the Old Testament and the God revealed in the New Testament are the same — the one, true God.
The Father Just as the creed’s opening words leave no doubt that there is something in God that is one, so this phrase emphasizes that there is, at the same time, something that is multiple. If there is a father, there must be a child, in this case the Son. We are only seven words into the creed and already beginning to profess faith in God as triune. Furthermore, professing faith in God as Father affirms that God is our father, making us brothers and sisters of Christ and heirs of the heavenly kingdom. Knowing and relating to God as Father, even “abba” (“daddy”), is often underappreciated. It is not so in every religion. For Muslims, for example, God is not Father but Master. This radical statement emphasizes God’s unfathomable love for us.
Almighty This single word reminds us that all things are possible with God. God exercises power and authority over nature, demons, sickness, weather, sin, death — all things. In addition, this affirmation allows us to respond to the mystery of evil and human suffering, reminding us that, in His mightiness, God is also able to bring good out of all things.
Maker of heaven and earth This is a defining characteristic of God. God, the creator of all that is, is not Himself created. Whatever is created, whatever has a beginning, is not God. But this statement goes further: It also emphasizes that God created all that is, directly refuting heresies such as Gnosticism, which taught that the material world was evil and thus could not be directly created by God. They claimed God first created a demi-god or lesser god, who then created the earth and all that’s in it. This statement leaves no room for such teachings: There is only “God” (creator) and “not-God” (created). There is no third category. Finally, by this statement, we affirm that creation is ongoing; God is constantly creating all that is, here and now.
Of all things, visible and invisible Ancient peoples assumed that God created spiritual, invisible things. But some heretical sects, such as the Gnostics and Marcionites, believed the material world was evil and therefore could not have been created by an all-good God. This phrase of the creed makes it clear that God created all things, and therefore all things — both spiritual and material — are inherently good.
In contrast, most modern people give priority to the material world that can be discerned by the senses, measured and analyzed, but hold the invisible as suspect. Many assert that nothing exists that cannot be perceived by science or the senses. This phrase of the creed rebuts such ideas, insisting that, yes, there are elements of reality that are not perceptible to the senses but are nonetheless real and created by God.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ Jesus is called “Lord” here, which is highly significant. By the time the creed was composed, “Lord” had moved away from an earlier meaning akin to “sir” or “master” and had become widely used as the proper name of God. The name given to Moses at the burning bush was too holy to utter, so “Lord” (Adonai) was spoken instead. To name Jesus “Lord,” therefore, was to assert His equality with Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one true God. It is to claim a sharing of the same nature, power, authority, eternal existence and creativity. Furthermore, to name Him “Christ” (Greek Christos, “anointed”) is to assert He is the Messiah — the one foretold by the prophets, the Savior.
The only begotten Son of God “Only begotten” denies at least two heresies that had become widespread at the time of the early councils: Adoptionism and, especially, Arianism. Adoptionists claimed that Jesus was born a normal human person, but was adopted by God at some later point and became divine. The affirmation that Christ is “only begotten” leaves no room for such error. Jesus is not God’s Son by adoption; He is begotten by God, Who is eternally “Father,” which means Jesus is eternally Son; He is not created. Arianism, a particularly problematic heresy, claimed Jesus was the greatest and most perfect of all creatures — but still a creature. Arius claimed, “There was a time when Christ was not,” in other words, He has a beginning. The council fathers recognized this error as denying the full divinity of Christ.
Born of the Father before all ages The council fathers went to great lengths to be abundantly clear about the full and complete divinity of the Son and avoid any “loophole” that could be exploited by a heretical group to affirm the creed while continuing to teach error. With this phrase, the creed first affirms that the Son was born. Not physically, of course, as human children are. Rather, the Son originates from the Father, as the perfect self-expression of the Father. The Son shares the Father’s very self. This takes place within the life of God and thus entirely outside of time, before there were any ages — eternally. The Son does not have a beginning.
God from God, light from light, true God from true God While it is easy to read these three phrases as simply poetic repetition, they certainly are not — each contributes an important nuance to the point being made. Jesus is not a demi-god, an angel, a semi-divine being or an exceptionally powerful prophet. Jesus is God, and the divine nature of Jesus came directly from the God with whom the Jews and early Christians were already acquainted — the Father. Jesus received His nature from the Father, and just as a human child is “human from human,”so Jesus is “God from God:” fully God, truly God. True God from true God.
The middle phrase of this trio is particularly interesting. It affirms another fundamental and unique attribute of God. God is the one Who brings light into the world. God is Light itself and shines in the darkness to enable us to see things as they truly are. God brings order out of chaos, combats ignorance with knowledge and corrects error with truth. The creedal assertion that Jesus Christ is “Light from Light” is specific. He is not just any light: the Light that came into the world at the Incarnation of Christ is the same Light that was called forth in Genesis 1. It is the Light that is God.
Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father Aimed specifically at Arianism, this clarification affirms once more that Christ is not created (thus, has no beginning). He is eternally begotten and, therefore, divine. The second half of the phrase makes sure that He cannot be held to be of a lesser divinity, or in any way is subordinate or inferior to the Father: consubstantial is having the same substance or nature. The Father and the Son are distinct persons, but persons with the same divine nature.
Through Him all things were made Another shot at both Arians and Gnostics, the creed here affirms that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, created all that is. Not only is He not a created being, but, in fact, He is the creator of all that is not God. The Son cannot be created, for it is not possible for Him to create Himself. All things are from God the Father, and all things are equally through God the Son. The triune nature of God is, if unspoken, ever present.
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 When the creed is professed at Mass, we make a profound bow for this phrase, for this is the great mystery of our faith: God, became man yet without ceasing to be God. The Son took on our human nature, perfectly united yet without confusion. This deep theological mystery is not possible to truly comprehend; it is only to be accepted in faith because it has been revealed by God as true.
He came down “for us.” Some find it arrogant to claim that the creator of the universe would care so much for humanity. But this is not about us being important; it is a statement of God’s immeasurable love. He came down “for our salvation,” for there is no other reason for the Son to unite Himself to human nature than for the purpose of our salvation. And in order to save humanity, this is exactly what had to be done. He had to become part of the human race without ceasing to be God.
For our sake He was crucified Jesus’ crucifixion was a self-sacrifice. His life was not taken by force, but given, freely, out of love. The form of His death was not only intensely agonizing but also reserved for criminals and enemies of the state — in other words for the most egregious sinners. Christ did not commit sins Himself, but took on Himself the sins of all mankind, and so willingly suffered the death reserved for the worst of sinners.
Under PONTIUS Pilate This detail serves as a reminder that worldly authorities did, and always will, actively oppose the truth and the kingdom of God. The two sides of this power struggle are represented by the only two human persons mentioned in the creed: Mary and Pilate. Mary represents a humble response to God; Pilate, human status, power and prestige. It is also good to remember that, as Christians, we have been on both sides of this struggle: We have been persecuted, and we have been persecutors. We must always exercise vigilance against this.
He suffered death It is the suffering of Jesus, above all, that demonstrates God’s full embrace of our human condition. Jesus is “like us in all things, but sin.” (Heb 4:15) By His suffering and death, Jesus not only conquered sin and accomplished our salvation; He also transfigured suffering. Suffering is part of the human condition, but it need not only be destructive. Jesus offers us the opportunity to unite our suffering with His and make it meaningful, purposeful, and redemptive. As we share in His suffering, so also we will share in His eternal life.
And was buried The burial emphasizes the reality of Jesus’ death, the ultimate expression of sharing in the human condition, and sets the stage for the resurrection. This is the furthest Jesus can go from heaven and the Father.
And rose again on the third day Jesus rose — not “was raised.” While both phrases are used in the New Testament, and are important theologically, the creed emphasizes the agency of Christ to rise under His own power, as God, in fulfillment of His own prediction: “I have power to lay [My life] down, and power to take it up again.” (Jn 10:18)
In accordance with the Scriptures Looking back at the Scriptures from a post-resurrection life and faith, it is easy to see how the prophecies all point to Jesus. We can finally understand what God was trying to tell us through the prophets all along.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father Two important points are emphasized here: 1) Jesus is no longer among the dead; He is risen and alive; and 2) Jesus now dwells with God the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end It is yet another assertion of Jesus’ full divinity to say He is the one who is to judge. The authority to judge comes from sharing in the life of God. This phrase also affirms Jesus as the eternal king. The power of God has broken into humanity and inaugurated the kingdom on earth. This presents the Davidic kingdom, which Jesus now and forever rules, as the context for much of the Passion.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life Just as it was applied to Jesus, the proper name of God, “the Lord” is here applied to the Holy Spirit, emphasizing His full divinity and co-equality with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is also described as “the Giver of Life,” a gift (whether temporal or eternal) only God can give. The Spirit is understood as that which animates all life, as can be seen when Jesus dies on the cross: “Crying out in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit.” (Mt 27:50)
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified The triune nature of God is coming into focus, as the Spirit originates from both the Father and the Son. The Spirit is to be adored — a response due only to God. We do not adore anything other than God alone. The Spirit is also to be glorified. To glorify is to praise and recognize the greatness of God. The word glorify used here translates the Greek word doxa, which has an even stronger connotation: to recognize and acknowledge God’s presence, power and claim upon humans.
Who has spoken through the prophets This seemingly casual phrase is actually the basis of all that has gone before! This is how God has revealed Himself as a Trinity of persons, by speaking through the prophets. Everything stated in the creed relies on the truthfulness of the affirmation that it is the Holy Spirit Who has spoken. If not, the Scriptures are not the word of God, and we have no revelation at all. It is worth noting that the past tense of this phrase is not meant to be limiting. The Spirit has not stopped speaking. He continues to speak through the Church in various ways.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church These are known as the “four marks” of the Church. The Church is called to be one, and to be holy, and at the end of time when it is united with Jesus as His bride, it will be fully one and holy. Until that time, it continues to strive for unity and holiness in its earthly struggle. The Church is catholic (universal), both in its reach and its invitation; and apostolic, in both teachings and the offices it traces back to the apostles themselves.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins The Church, in its creed, recognizes only one baptism. It is administered by the Church and shared by all Christians. It is unifying. The creed affirms that this baptism is “for the forgiveness of sins,” which can be understood to have two meanings: 1) that it accomplishes the forgiveness of our sins (which it certainly does); and 2) that it is given so that we will forgive others who sin against us. It transforms us into persons who are both capable of, and willing to grant, such forgiveness.
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come It is fitting that we end here, in this Jubilee Year of Hope, as the creed ends with this great expression of hope. Hope indeed, but not mere hope — a hope that includes the certainty of faith. It acknowledges our sense of expectation and the joy that accompanies it. Our faith tells us the life of the world to come will have three elements, which we await in joyful hope: 1) a resurrected, glorified body; 2) a glorified, heavenly re-creation; and 3) a just kingdom of God.
Amen! “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church.” Now, armed with a little more insight into the deep truths of the faith contained in these few lines, the next time you’re at Mass be “proud to profess it in Christ Jesus, our Lord,” and let your “Amen” be heard!
Dr. Fisher holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Marquette University, specializing in ecclesiology, sacramental theology and fundamental theology. After teaching in Wisconsin for many years, he now lives with his wife, Jan, on a third-generation farm in McDonald.
1 Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters. Doubleday, 2005, p. 65.