Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Extra Notes:
TRINITY
There is one God and one only.
The Trinity is one God in three Divine Persons.
God the Father is God, God the Son is God, and God the Holy Spirit is God.
The Three are God, not in the oneness of a single person but in the Trinity of one substance: God, one Lord in glory and majesty.
Human understanding is not capable of grasping the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, it is called a Mystery.
The nature, attributes and works of the three Persons of the Trinity are common to all of them.
GOD
God is a self-existent being, infinite in His perfections, glory, and beatitude and the Creator and Ruler of the whole world. We cannot see God because God is a spirit.
God is eternal. God always was, God is, and God will always be.
God is every place. There is not a place where God is not present.
God is present in heaven, in the communion, and in the souls of the just.
God is unchangeable. God always remains the same, because He wants to be. God is all knowing. He knows the past, the present, and the future. He also knows our inmost thoughts.
God is supremely wise. He knows how to direct everything for the best in order to carry out His will.
God is almighty. He can do all that He wills by a mere act of His will. God is supremely good. He loves His creatures and all His creation.
God is patient beyond imagination. He gives the sinner time for repentance and a choice to accept a change of life. In His compassion for our weaknesses, God enables us through the Holy Spirit to make conversion possible for us.
God is full of mercy and compassion. He readily forgives our sins when we are sincerely remorseful and repentant.
God is infinitely holy. He loves good and hates evil.
God is infinitely and perfectly just. He rewards all good and punishes all evil deeds. Because of God’s perfect justice, we have good reason to fear Him. This fear of God keeps us back from sin, and leads us to perfection. The fear of God is a special grace He gives to those who love Him. By fear we mean a holy reverence and awe for God. We do not mean that God should terrify the Christian.
God is the God of perfect truth, and all that He reveals to man is true.
God is faithful. He keeps His promises.
God alone is the Creator of heaven and earth, and without God, nothing could be created.
God made the world out of nothing, simply because it pleased Him to make it.
God loves the human race and has a calling for each personal life that we can walk in if we choose to follow Jesus.
JESUS
He is the Messiah promised by God after the sinful fall of humanity. Many prophets of the Old Testament prophesied about his coming.
He is the Redeemer.
He is the Son of God, called so by God the Father on two occasions. Jesus also solemnly proclaimed Himself the Son of God while he stood before the high priest.
He was conceived of the Virgin Mary through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.
He proved His divine mission and the truth of His doctrine by His many miracles, His knowledge of all things, and the holiness of His life.
On the evening of the day we now celebrate as Holy Thursday Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples and during this meal instituted the Communion.
On the next day which we now call Good Friday, Jesus suffered torture and a cruel death by crucifixion. Pontius Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Immediately upon His death His Soul went down in triumph into the place of the dead.
Before sunrise on the day we celebrate as Easter Sunday Jesus Christ rose from the tomb by His own almighty power.
Through His resurrection Jesus has freed man from the evil consequences of sin.
Forty days after His resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives and now sits at the right Hand of God the Father.
At the end of the world Jesus Christ will come again to judge all mankind.
His Incarnation is a mystery which, while we cannot completely understand, we can accept on faith.
He is truly God and truly man. In Him are two natures, human and divine which despite their intimate union are quite distinct.
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is therefore God Himself.
The Holy Spirit came as tongues of fire upon the twelve apostles and the disciples on the fiftieth day after Jesus’ resurrection – the day we call Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the Church to equip the Church for ministry. These gifts include but are not limited to wisdom, knowledge, discernment, faith, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, administration, mercy, healings, tongues and interpretation of tongues, miracles, prophecy, and visions.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Holy Spirit is the vehicle through which we become new creations as we are transformed from our sinful ways.
The Holy Spirit is a physical manifestation of Grace. Grace is God’s hand empowering us to live as he has called us to.
HUMANITY
God is the Creator of everything both seen and unseen, and He loves His creation.
God preserves all His creatures in existence as long as He wills.
God made the body of man out of dust, and breathed into him a living soul.
Man’s soul is made in the image and likeness of God. Like God, man’s soul is a spirit, and is immortal.
The original sin of Adam and Eve their rejection of God – has passed on to all their descendants.
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can choose to receive his payment for our sins, transformation into new creations, and eternal life.
Because of the eternal nature of life in God we now have purpose for our lives here on earth, both individually and together as the body of Christ.
Through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives we are each given gifts to use to edify and encourage the Church.
On the last day Christ will raise the bodies of all mankind who have died and unite them with their soul forever.
ETERNITY
Heaven is life forever in the majestic presence of God.
Our hope as Christians is to dwell forever in the presence of God as promised by Jesus.
As humans we can never work our way into heaven. We are not deserving of heaven but if we accept Jesus, God will have mercy on us.
God desires his creation with him in heaven.