Monday, February 2, 2009

Nicene Creed (325 CE)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

NB: This is one doctrinal affirmation Christians of all denominations accept. Many of the Baptists I was raised with do not know about this affirmation because of their lack of encounter with other denominations. There is a tendency to think that Baptist is the only valid denomination among many people who are not exposed to other denominations. As many students come out from Manipur and Nagaland to study in Delhi they seem to be at a loss which church they should attend. Sometimes they end up attending a cult group. One of the ways to test whether a congregation is a cult group or not is to ask whether the particular group accepts Nicene Creed.

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