I Believe —The Nicene Creed for Noncreedal Christians—Post 7

                With 2025 marking the 1700^th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, I decided to join in the anniversary efforts by blogging through the creed that in its present form was affirmed at the Council of Constantinople in 381 CE —The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. In previous postings, I have reflected on ways in which people who come from noncreedal faith communities might understand confessions of faith, including the creeds. With this post, I begin working through the creed, giving my own interpretation of its meaning. I begin today with the opening words “I Believe,” words that are repeated throughout the creed.  To get started, I am posting the entire Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as a point of reference, with my opening reflection following.

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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.

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                This confession of faith, known as the Nicene Creed, is recited in churches across the globe. Because it was written for an ecumenical council, it is considered an ecumenical creed that summarizes foundational beliefs held by most Christians, even many who are part of communities that do not recite the creeds.

                The words “I believe” are found throughout the creed. So, what do they mean? At one level, they take on the meaning of “I affirm.” Note that we use the word “I,” not “we.” The assumption is that this is a personal confession. However, the version found in the Chalice Hymnal, the hymnal of my denomination, does use the word “we.” In many ways, it is both a personal confession and a corporate one.

                The second word is “believe,” which I noted takes on the meaning of affirm. In other words, as this word is used throughout the creed, the assumption is that the persons reciting the creed affirm that what is recited is true. In making this statement, I am giving my assent to the validity of these statements. In that sense, belief has an intellectual dimension. So, I affirm that God is one, is the Father, is almighty, and the creator of all things. I will break these down later, but I use them as an example. I can give assent to these doctrinal premises without this assent requiring much of me.

                It has been suggested in recent years that this word belief might best be understood in terms of trust. Thus, I entrust myself, by making this confession, to the God who is one, making me a monotheist, who is the Father and is the creator. In this sense, I am making a pledge of allegiance. I am committing myself to this God described by the Creed. Is there more to the story? Yes. Might I need to further define my terms? Yes. But, in making this confession, I am not only giving assent to doctrinal statements by declaring myself to be part of the community that is making the same confession.

                Now, as I have noted in earlier postings and will do so time and again in the forthcoming posts, this creed that Christians have embraced through the centuries has a point of origin. It was developed in response to particular questions that may be different from the ones we are asking today. Nevertheless, perhaps these ancient words can speak to our current reality. That is, if we understand that by reciting these words, we recognize that they require something of us.

                Here is where I, as part of a “noncreedal” denomination, can embrace this confession. We are living in a time when authoritarianism is on the rise. Christian nationalism has captured the hearts and minds of many Christians, who have merged nationalistic political commitments with the Christian faith. In doing so, they have (in my estimation) damaged the witness of the Christian community. In making this confession of faith in the God described in the creed, we give our allegiance to the one God who is the Father almighty and creator of all things. Thus, this God we embrace is not limited to a particular national entity. This is an important point to understand if we are to truly confess the faith described here.