We believe in one God, The Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
God the Son
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.
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 was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
God the Holy Spirit
And we believe in The Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son[1],
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic[2] and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Credimus in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et
invisibilium,
et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
Filium Dei unicum,
de Patre natum ante omnia saecula;
Deum verum de Deo vero;
natum, non factum;
ejusdemque substantiae qua Pater est;
per quem omnia facta sunt;
qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem
descendit,
incarnatus est de Spiritu sancto, in Maria virgine homo
factus,
crucifixus pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, sepultus,
resurrexit tertia die,
ascendit ad coelos,
sedet ad dexteram Patris;
inde venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos ac mortuos,
cujus regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum sanctum, Dominum ac vivificatorem
a Patre procedentem,
qui cum Patre et Filio adoratur et glorificatur,
qui locutus est per Prophetas;
in unam catholicam atque apostolicam Ecclesiam.
Confitemur unum baptismum in remissionem
peccatorum;
speramus resurrectionem mortuorum,
vitam futuri saeculi. Amen.
History
What we call the Nicene Creed today is actually the 2nd version. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. What we call the Nicene Creed today was adopted in 381 at the First Council of Constantinople and is an amendment of the original Nicene Creed.
Like a human father and son, Jesus, the Son, is begotten by the Father. However, unlike humans, He is begotten before all ages, in other words, before time began. From this we learn that while there are many similarities, the relationship between the heavenly Father and the heavenly Son are utterly different from the relationship between human fathers and human sons. The Son is certainly begotten by the Father, but this does not make the Son any less than the Father. It doesn't make His than the Father. It doesn't make Him less God
God from God,
Some translations will render this as God of God. I'm not certain if there is a significant difference in meaning here between from and of.
This phrase was not in the original Greek version from the Councile of Constantinople in 381. It was added to the Latin version used in the western church. Mos western Christians are familiar with it, while Eastern Orthodox Christians are not.
Hebrews 1.3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Colossians 1:12-15 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Christianity through the doctrine of the resurrection is the only religion which solves the problem of Death.
2 Timothy 1.10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News.
Hebrews 2.14 Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Christ has conquered death and through Him, we also may have our death conquered.
The resurrection also teaches us that Christ is alive today. He is the head of the Church today.
Acts 17.31 because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."
Revelation 1.18 and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
The skeptic and sinner loves to point out hypocrisy in the church and the preacher, but on judgment day they will not face the church. They will face Jesus Himself.
John 15.26 "When the Counselor [The Holy Spirit] has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Footnotes
The Eastern Orthodox church teaches He proceeds from the Father and does not include the Son. (This is called the Filioque clause.) ↩︎
Here, catholic does not mean Roman Catholic. It means universal, meaning God's church, anywhere in the world. ↩︎