At the 2025 Annual Meeting of the SBC, Dr. Malcolm Yarnell, Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, made a motion, asking the SBC to formally adopt the Nicene Creed. His motion failed to garner enough votes to pass, but Dr. Yarnell intends to make the same motion at this year’s meeting. When I read about his motion, a question came to mind. I thought—Our SBC Statement of Faith and Message rests on the ancient creeds of the church and several historic Baptist statements of faith. Why does the SBC need to do this?
My inquiring mind prompted me to write Dr. Yarnell to pose this (and other) questions to him. So, I intend to write two posts on this issue. In this post, I’ll explain what the Nicene Creed is and how it came to be written. In the second post, I’ll share the questions I asked and Dr. Yarnell’s answers.
The Controversy
Around 320 A.D., Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, Egypt, condemned the teachings of Arius, a pastor in Alexandria. Arius sought to avoid the accusation that Christians believed in three Gods (polytheism)—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He taught that Jesus Christ was a created being, less than God, but greater than humans. The dispute between Alexander and Arius became so intense that Bishop Alexander had a synod condemn Arius as a heretic. Arius fled to Asia Minor to stay with his friend and classmate, Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia. From the safety of Nicomedia, Arius wrote letters, essays, and hymns promoting his views. The controversy grew to the point that Emperor Constantine became concerned. He wanted Christianity to be the glue that held his empire together, but now the Church was riven by an acrimonious theological dispute.
The Council of Nicea
To quell the controversy, Emperor Constantine called for a council of bishops to meet to resolve the controversy. He called the council, financed the council, and presided over the first session. The council met in Nicaea in Asia Minor, and 318 bishops attended. Most of them represented the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The council conducted its meetings in Greek. At the council, Arius presented his view—that Jesus Christ was a created being who had a different nature than God the Father. Athanasius, a young pastor from Alexandria, opposed Arius. Athanasius insisted that Jesus Christ was coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial with God the Father. He held that Christ was of the same nature as God the Father. In the end, the bishops voted to affirm Alexander’s condemnation of Arius, and they approved a creed. By means of the creed, they hoped to define correct doctrine in regard to the Trinity and the nature of Christ.
The Creed of Nicea
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
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.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
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.
Conclusion
In the next post, Dr. Yarnell will answer several questions that I asked him about his effort. Stay tuned.
