#203 Comparing the Creeds

In my congregation, like in many other churches, we sometimes read/recite a brief summary of our faith called the Apostles' Creed. We most often use it during baptism services and funerals. I love the Apostles' Creed. I learned it as part of my faith formation. But I think that we have an even better creed that we should learn and use more often: the Nicene Creed. Before I explain why I think the Nicene Creed is clearly superior, let's look at both creeds side by side. The words of the Apostles' Creed are in italics below. The words of the Nicene Creed are in bold.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried.

The third day he rose again from the dead.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.

the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.

the forgiveness of sins,
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

In my opinion, here are the advantages of the Nicene Creed:

• The Nicene Creed is written in corporate or plural language. This isn't just what I believe (though it is important that I personally believe); this is what we believe together. We're partt of a body, the church.
• While the Apostles' Creed has a Trinitarian structure (I believe in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit), the Nicene Creed actually helps us understand the doctrine of the Trinity and the relationships between the three Persons. The Son is begotten of the Father. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. We worship one God who exists as three Persons. The Nicene Creed makes it clearer that the Son of God not less than the Father, nor is the Spirit less than the Father and/or the Son. All three are of the same essence. Their equality is seen in the statements that the Father made all things, that all things were made through the Son, and that the Spirit is the giver of life.
• The Nicene Creed clearly describes the purpose behind the life and ministry Jesus. Jesus's work is done for us and for our salvation.
• Along with its clearer explanation of the Trinity, the Nicene Creed is also clearer about the two natures of Jesus. Jesus is true God, and He became incarnate; He was made human. Jesus is both fully divine and fully human.
• The Nicene Creed points us to the Bible: Jesus was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets, the human authors of the Bible.
• The Nicene Creed mentions the kingdom of a God, an incredibly important theme in the preaching of Jesus and the Bible as a whole.
• Echoing some of what I said above, the Nicene Creed gives more details about the work of the Holy Spirit.
• The Nicene Creed is actually the more global creed, used by both the Western and Eastern church (though in slightly different forms). The Apostles' Creed is really only used by the Western church.
• The Nicene Creed has, in my opinion, a richer history. It was developed in response to false teaching that Jesus is less than God the Father. It was written as a statement of proper Christian faith. The Apostles' Creed has its own wonderful history of being a statement of faith used at baptisms, but the development of the Nicene Creed was a huge moment in the history of the church.

While I think the Apostles' Creed is great, and I certainly will continue to use its statement about the resurrection of the body at graveside services, I think the Nicene Creed is greater yet. What do you think?

Grace and peace,

BMH