Recently I received the following comment after a sermon series on the Nicene Creed:
The Nicene Creed is like a favourite old horse that has died. No matter how you flog it—no matter how well you groom it—it needs to be buried and a new horse bought. It was good, but now it’s dead!
Here is my reply: thank you for the colourful (but anonymous) expression of your opinion. However that’s all it was: an expression of opinion without any reasons why the opinion was valid! I would have been helped by less certainty about your conclusion and more evidence for why you consider the Nicene Creed to be obsolete.
Before turning to possible pitfalls, let me suggest some reasons why the Nicene Creed (and, for that matter, the Apostles’ Creed) still have considerable value today. How would you answer these questions?
- Do you think biblical truth matters?
- Do you think Christian unity matters?
- Do you think expressing the Trinitarian nature of God matters?
- Do you think confessing our faith matters?
- Do you think there’s value in congregational participation in church services?
If you answered yes to any of these, then I would argue there’s a continuing role for things like the Nicene Creed.
Strengths
In regards to biblical truth and the Trinity
The Nicene Creed affirms as central important truths about the character and nature of God. In particular, it summarizes his Trinitarian nature as one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (e.g. Matt 28:19; Rom 8:9-11; 1 Cor 8:4-6, 12:3-6; 2 Cor 13:14; Eph 2:17-22).
It also expresses that Jesus is fully God and fully man (see John 1:1-18, 20:28; Col 1:15-20). After carefully explaining who Jesus is, it also helpfully summarizes what he has done in his pre-existence as creator; in his incarnation (his becoming a man); in his suffering and death; and in his resurrection, ascension to heaven, current reign with the Father and his final return as judge.
The Bible also reminds us that we must point out false teaching—in particular, teaching that dishonours Jesus (see 1 John 2:22-26, 4:2-3; 5:2, 10-12; 2 John 7-11). The Bible teaches that eternal life is at stake when mistakes are made on such a matter, and so the Nicene Creed makes it clear that people like the Jehovah’s Witnesses (just like the old Arians) are false teachers as they believe that Jesus is not God, but actually only a created being.
The creed also reminds us helpfully that the Holy Spirit is truly God, and not just an impersonal force: it describes several of the benefits he brings to us—God’s self-revelation through the Scriptures (“the prophets”), forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead and life eternal. In a day when people sometimes say we ignore the Holy Spirit, we are reminded helpfully of his work every time we recite the creed.
These issues regarding proper expression of the biblical teaching of the Trinity and the person of Jesus and the Spirit were very carefully worked out over the early centuries of the Christian church, and carefully discussed and expressed at church councils like Nicea and Constantinople. We should not ignore casually the wisdom of previous generations.
In regards to unity
Reciting our belief in the Nicene Creed unites us with millions and millions of Christians across the globe and down through the centuries since Christ walked the earth. It unites us with them in an orthodox view of who God is and what he has done. They include not only Anglicans, but Presbyterians, Reformed Churches, Lutherans, Uniting Churches, Roman Catholics and, with slight variation, the Eastern Orthodox Churches (e.g. Greek, Russian, Assyrian, Coptic, etc.).
We certainly have differences on some other matters—both greater (e.g. the supreme authority of Scripture and whether salvation is by faith alone without works) and lesser (e.g. methods of church government; baptism). But the Nicene Creed expresses that we are united on who God is!
I have also noticed interdenominational groups sometimes using the Nicene Creed as a helpful common basis of faith when they call for united action from different churches. For example, GenR8—the umbrella body providing services to many school chaplaincies and high school Scripture boards—uses the Nicene Creed as a standard of belief. You see Anglicans, Baptists, Congregationalists, pentecostals, Presbyterians, Salvation Army and more involved this way.
In regards to confessing our faith and participating in church meetings
While on long service leave, I attended churches of several different denominations: Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, independent evangelical. Praise God that the gospel of Jesus was preached at all of these churches! However, one of the things I noticed was that in all of their services except the Anglican ones, the only time I opened my mouth for the entire 60-90 minutes was during the songs, and perhaps to say “Amen” at the end of the prayer time, which was led by the single prayer leader. As far as I can recall, there was not one other time when I was invited to participate in the service. These were quite passive experiences. It would have been easy just to be an observer—an audience member!
On the other hands, the Bible encourages verbal participation and mutual encouragement among congregation members (e.g. Col 3:16-17; 1 Cor 14:26) . It also places considerable value on confessing openly or proclaiming your faith (e.g. Rom 10:9-10; 1 Tim 6:12-13; Heb 13:15), although never without the obedience that should flow from faith (2 Tim 2:19).
From an educational standpoint, it is also often observed that participating in an activity is far more powerful than merely observing passively. Furthermore, repetition can have an important role in reminding us of what we have learned (e.g. Rom 15:15; 2 Pet 1:12). There are passages in the New Testament that appear to have performed something of a creedal function in reminding early Christians of key facts (e.g. 1 Cor 15:1-8).
Once again, I suggest that saying the Nicene or Apostles’ Creeds together meet both of these aims. Saying creeds is one way of confessing our faith together publicly. In fact, the Apostles’ Creed has traditionally been associated with a baptism service, and the Nicene Creed with Holy Communion for such reasons. It is also one way of reinforcing our faith by repetition.
These are some of the strengths of creeds. I’ll talk about some of the pitfalls in my next post.
I can sympathise with the comment you received, Sandy. While the person didn’t provide any reasons, I think we can easily think of some, and should state clearly the case “against” the creeds, if I can put it like that. For example, the creeds don’t major on the atonement and are instead focused on early church debates about the nature of the Godhead and the person of Christ. If the creeds are a product of their time (which is fine) perhaps we need new creeds which incorporate truth about God and his purposes in the context of our 21st century mission. These would continue to include biblical statements about the Trinity and Christ’s persons, but also include clear statements about the saving work of Christ, apart from works, for example.
Having said all that, I now work in a heavily Muslim context, and I’ve discovered a new love of the creeds, particularly the Nicene creed which we say every week at church (we use the prayer book). I appreciate it in a way I never did before, for all the reasons you state, especially the clear statements about the person of Christ, and the connection to historical Christianity. I’ve even considered using the creed (and perhaps the prayer book!) in my evangelism with a particular Muslim friend. Haven’t done it thus far, though.
Another way to confess your faith as a congregation is to say the Lord’s Prayer together.
We do this weekly. Put the text up on the screen.
We also occasionally do responsive readings of scripture. I.e. leader reads one verse, congregation reads one verse. It doesn’t always work smoothly – but it’s something to train people in so that aren’t just an audience.
Being raised as a Catholic and then spending the best part of 25 years in an Independent Fundamentalist Church I was strongly against the use of the Lord’s Prayer and Creed recitation. However, in my new/current pastorate have come to appreciate it as a great way to express our faith and unity and provide a succinct summary of beliefs. When preaching I will frequently refer to sections to emphasise application points. This re-enforces the validity of the experience and helps the congregation affirm and recite them with greater confidence and conviction.
Al