The Nicene Creed as we now have it was the product of several meetings that helped Christians and churches guard against the spread of false teaching. The first of those false teachings came about as the result of a monk named Arius (250-336 A.D.) who was teaching that Jesus was not God. In fact, he taught and had a rather popular song in his day that declared, “There was a time when Jesus was not.” Songs are usually helpful teaching tools, unfortunately, even when wrong things are being taught.
Arius (i.e. Arianism) proposed that Jesus had been created by God the Father, making Jesus just ahead of the angels in the order of creation. Arianism found broad appeal. Its distortion of biblical truth is still around today in the doctrinal likes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Even among professing evangelicals such false teaching has taken root. According to the 2022 State of Theology, a poll conducted by Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries, only 54% of professing evangelicals strongly agreed to the following statement: “There is one God eternally existing in three Persons.” Other outcomes of the poll include that 16% stated that Christ had been created and 22% affirmed that the Father was more God than Jesus was God. The leaven of Arius still permeates evangelical Christianity.
The council of Nicaea examined Arius’s claims against biblical evidence and determined that Arius’ position was in contrast to sound biblical teaching. As Mark Noll points out, “The doctrinal issue at Nicaea was absolutely critical because it centered not only on who Jesus was in his person but also on who Jesus was in his work as Savior.” (We will take up Noll’s second point in due time.)
From Nicaea flowed a succinct statement declaring Jesus to be the second person of the Trinity—one God in three persons—and equal with the Father in every way. The Council of Nicaea defined in short form the biblical teaching that one God eternally exists in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Such doctrinal precision helps us understand the Bible’s teaching. Fortunately, we do not sing Arius’ little diddy any longer. We do, however, continue to sing and learn biblical doctrine through song. Most of us can complete the following hymn without being given the words: “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee. Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty!” Since you are already singing along, how does it end? It concludes with the words, “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!”
Do you know the name of the tune to which we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy”? The name of the tune is Nicaea. What a helpful tool we have to teach and remember how this meeting of church men defended the biblical doctrine of the Triune God.
- 50 World Changing Events In Christian History. Earl M. Blackburn. Christian Focus, 2016. p. 63.
- Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Mark A Noll. IVP, 1997. p. 52.