The Nicene Creed & Its Significance to Today
“On May 20, 325, the Christian church entered a new era. On that day about 230 bishops gathered at Nicea, then a major city in Bithynia (now small-town Iznik in Turkey). The occasion marked the first “ecumenical,” or worldwide, council of the church.”[1] These leaders came together to put a stake in the ground regarding how the church universal would view Christ’s divinity. Much was riding on this council and its subsequent decision. Really, “What made the council such an extraordinarily important turning point was not just the doctrinal question at stake but the way in which political and social forces combined with the critical theological issue.”[2] Circulating during this time and building steam—bringing together these religious shepherds from various regions—was a belief that Christ was made and did not exist with the Father eternally. In other words, this religious system was promulgating a theory that Christ’s essence and person was not eternal. The main teacher, Arius, was adept at Scripture and used it to promote his argument.
What was needed was exactly what happened. These bishops came together, used Scripture to deal with the matter at hand and finally agreed on what would become one of the most historically significant and theologically robust perspectives on understanding Christ’s divine nature. This creed would be passed down throughout the centuries, being reaffirmed at another council, and ultimately carry weight even until today.
Thus, the Nicene Creed begins by affirming:
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.
Many principles can be derived from the Council of Nicea’s process relating to dealing with disagreements within the Christian circles, not the least of which is the thoughtful, Scriptural, and clear articulation of truth that provides insight into confusion, light into darkness, and order from chaos.
What the Nicene Creed set out to accomplish it did through a clear, biblical, and methodical foundation. Every person desires this type of leadership. Everyone desires to be this type of leader. And we are here today looking behind us at this next generation rising up, and we are striving to affirm the same truth following the same process of arriving at truth. The self-reflecting question of utmost importance that we as adults seeking to disciple these young men and women coming of age is:
“Are we giving this next generation a clear, biblical, and ordered foundation of truth upon which to build their lives?”
To answer this question, our aim will be to assume the same process as the leaders of Nicea. This is a process that agrees with the Psalmist in saying, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). We begin also by agreeing with Robert Robinson in his famous hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Recognizing also we are just as susceptible as anyone to accumulate for ourselves teachers in accordance with our own desires (2 Tim. 4:3), we reject the notion of not finishing what we start. Thus, we set out on this journey in agreement with the author of Ecclesiastes by affirming, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” This next generation hungers for the same vision. But are we stopping before we reach the destination with them? Are we pressing on to end, as the leaders of Nicea did, and as many countless others have done?
A Half-Traveled Trip
When you set out on a journey there is usually a destination in mind. While there may be perils to overcome, there it is the end-in-sight that gives purpose and thus motivation to persevere. For instance, my family and I love to travel to Colorado in the fall. There is the cold weather, changing leaves, and snow-capped mountains to greet us when we arrive. It is because of this destination that we press on through the heat of Texas, the long roads of New Mexico, and the mess in the floor when we arrive that would rival any cinema floor after a 3-hour movie. We push through because we know what awaits us. To be sure, we could stop half-way, turn around, and have some enjoyment during the journey. But that journey would pale in comparison to arriving and enjoying what we set out to experience.
Half-Traveled Scripture
In some ways, we can do this with Scripture. One instance is found in the book of Proverbs. There is a verse tucked away in chapter 29 of the book whose first half is quoted more often than the last. In verse 18 of Proverbs 29, the first half reads:
“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained…”
It would be interesting to know how many churches and religious organizations have used the first half of this verse to justify their need for vision. I’m certainly supportive of having a vision. It is vision that often provides a unified purpose. It is vision that distinguishes core values. And it is vision that aligns hearts and minds. And so, my rub is not with having a vision. I think vision is critical. My issue has more to do with traveling half-way, then turning around, and calling it a trip with Scripture. This is not only unhelpful, but unbiblical. Priscilla and Aquila had to help Apollos in this matter (Acts 18:18-28), and we need others to help us.
That said, is using the first half of the verse to justify having a vision actually capturing the fullness of the verse?
To ask it another way, can this first half of Proverbs 29:18 really give a church, a person, or a religious organization the biblical grounds for preparing and otherwise creating a vision that the author was intending it to give? Was the writer of this verse hoping the reader would–from the first half of this verse–put together a catchy, memorable, and understandable vision so that his readers and potential readers would be aligned and heading in the same direction?
I don’t think so. Often, I believe the reality is that when we take the first half of this verse, stop, and build a vision, we are often mixing intuition, experience, and/or instincts to the mix. This concoction never comes out the way we intend.
…this chapter to continue next week…
[1] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 48.
[2] Noll, 48.
— August 12, 2021