Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Home Church Langley is a Christian congregation which affirms the authority, or divine authorship, of the Holy Scriptures (the 66 books of the Bible). The Bible contains the words of God and is essential and sufficient in providing us with the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. These words of God are eternal and unchanging, reflecting the eternal and unchanging nature of our God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Although there are some things in the Bible that are “subject to interpretation,” by virtue of the fact that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, much of what the Bible says, particularly when it comes to the central tenets of the Christian faith, is quite clear. These “central tenets,” or doctrines, of the Christian faith have been under attack since the beginning of Christianity- especially those doctrines which pertain to the state of the divinity of Christ Jesus and the 3 in 1 nature of the Trinity.
Therefore, in the 4th century AD, two crucial councils were formed (the council of Nicea in AD 325 and the council of Constantinople in AD 381) in order to codify the necessary and essential beliefs about God, derived from the Holy Scriptures, which would provide the anchor for the Christian faith to which the Universal Christian Church would strictly adhere- The Nicene Creed.
The importance of a unifying creed in the time of Roman polytheism cannot be overstated. In that culture, the idea that Christianity had three gods instead of one or that Jesus was considered a “lesser god” could have become widespread and infiltrated the early church like a pestilent blight. Therefore, hundreds of years later, we rejoice at the work of the Holy Spirit in guiding the leaders of the Church to codify these central Christian doctrines, thus illuminating the truth of the Scriptures at a time of rampant paganism, which continues to stand firm even today in a time of abstract deconstruction and moral fluidity.
The Nicene Creed is still considered the universal standard of Christian belief and is recited weekly or even daily by millions of believers in churches around the world.
This creed is shown below, with each line being amplified by Bible verses (not an exhaustive list) which confirm the truth of each belief statement.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
(Mark 12:29, Mark 12:32, Ephesians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Isaiah 44:6)
the Father almighty,
(Ephesians 4:6, Malachi 2:10, 2 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 8:6)
maker of heaven and earth,
(Genesis 1:1, Revelation 4:11, Isaiah 44:24)
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
(1 Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 4:5, Acts 2:36, Romans 14:9, John 13:13)
the only Son of God begotten from the Father before all ages,
(John 3:16, Matthew 14:33, Colossians 1:15, Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:5, John 1:14)
God from God,
(John 1:1-2, John 6:68-69, Philippians 2:6)
Light from Light,
(John 1:4, John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Hebrews 1:3, John 8:12)
true God from true God,
(John 20:28, 1 John 5:20, John 14:9)
begotten, not made;
(John 1:18, John 1:14, John 17:5, Colossians 1:17, Luke 1:35)
of the same essence as the Father.
(John 1:1, John 10:30, Philippians 2:6, John 10:38, Colossians 2:9)
Through him all things were made.
(Hebrews 1:2, John 1:3, John 1:10, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-17, Romans 11:36, Hebrews 1:10)
For us and for our salvation,
(1 Thessalonians 5:9, Acts 4:12, Matthew 1:18, Colossians 1:13-14)
he came down from heaven;
(John 3:13, John 6:51, John 6:38, Romans 1:3, Philippians 2:6-7)
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and was made human.
(John 1:14, Hebrews 2:14, Philippians 2:7)
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
(Matthew 27:50, Matthew 27:59-60, Mark 15:46, Matthew 16:21, Luke 24:5-7
The third day he rose again,
(Luke 24:5-7, Acts 10:40, Matthew 16:21, Mark 9:31, Mark 16:9)
according to the Scriptures.
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Luke 24:45-46, Isaiah 53:3-12)
He ascended to heaven
(Acts 1:9-11, John 20:17, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 3:22, Mark 16:19)
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
(1 Peter 3:22, Luke 22:69, Mark 16:19)
He will come again with glory
(Acts 1:11, Mark 13:26, John 14:3, Revelation 1:7, Matthew 16:27)
to judge the living and the dead.
(2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5, John 5:22, Acts 10:42, Matthew 16:27, 2 Corinthians 5:10, John 5:22)
His kingdom will never end.
(Luke 1:33, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:11, Revelation 11:15)
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
(Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 2 Corinthians 3:17, John 14:16-17, John 15:26, Luke 11:13, Matthew 28:19)
the Lord, the giver of life.
(John 6:63, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 2 Corinthians 3:17, John 3:5, Titus 3:5)
He proceeds from the Father
and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
(Ephesians 3:5, 1 Peter 1:10-11)
We believe in one holy
catholic [or, universal]**
and apostolic [or, of the apostles]
(Ephesians 2:19-21, Acts 2:42)
church.
(Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 10:17, 1 Timothy 3:15, Colossians 1:18, Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:4-5)
We affirm one baptism [or: Spiritual re-birth] for the forgiveness of sins.
(Galatians 3:27, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, Ephesians 4:4-5, Matthew 28:18-19, Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Colossians 2:12-13, Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5, John 3:5)
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
(Romans 6:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
(Hebrews 12:22-23, John 3:16, John 14:2-3, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-2)
**In this context the word “catholic” does not refer to the
Roman Catholic Church, but rather to all of the born-again saints
across the globe, who make up the Church of Jesus Christ.
For more info on the Nicene Creed: https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/the-nicene-creed-where-it-came-from-and-why-it-still-matters