Nicene Creed

The beliefs of the Holy Orthodox Church are expressed in the Nicene Creed. The Creed was formulated at the first ecumenical council held in the city of Nicaea in 325AD and confirmed in 381 AD at the second ecumenical council in Constantinople. It is based on the beliefs that were handed down by the apostles in written and in oral form. (II Thes 2:15 )

Nicene Creed

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 Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The explanation of our Creed is as follows:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

Orthodox Christians are monotheists.("Mono" means one and "theist" means belief in God.) That is, they believe that there is one God who is called Father. He created the entire universe both the visible and that which is invisible out of nothing.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.

This one God revealed himself as described in the Bible as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of these persons, the Son, became a human being by miraculously being born of a virgin named Mary. He was born over 2,000 years ago in the small village of Bethlehem close to Jerusalem. He grew up in a town in the north of Israel called Nazareth. His name was Jesus the Christ. ("Jesus" means savior; "Christ" means the anointed one.)

At the age of 30 he started traveling from one town to another preaching and teaching about God, revealing what God is like. He performed many miracles and as a result, the people saw that He had the love and power of God. Many people believed him; others thought He was not from God and was faking miracles. His enemies plotted against him and manipulated the Roman government to have Him condemned to death for no other reason than He claimed to be God.

He was nailed to a cross, a Roman form of capital punishment, and died by suffocation. Those who believed in Him had him buried in an underground tomb.

And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end.

Three days later He came back to life in a transformed body. He appeared to those who believed him and taught them many things that are recorded in the New Testament. Among these teachings, He told them that He was forming a community, which he called an ecclesia, a church.

He gave them instructions on how to gather for prayer and remember Him. He instructed them that they were to tell others about Him and invite them to be immersed in water (baptized) in His name so that they could be joined to the church.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

He promised that He would send an invisible helper who would accompany them wherever they would go. This helper whom he called the Holy Spirit was also from God. The Holy Spirit would guide them so that they would always know what to do. After appearing and instructing the believers for 40 days, He returned to God the Father. But before He left, He told them that he would return sometime in the future to judge the world.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

This God in whom Christians believe, loves His creation so much that He made it possible for anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is from God, can be joined to His church through baptism and be saved from eternal death. This is possible because Jesus sacrificed Himself so that everyone could have his or her sins forgiven. Forgiveness of sins is necessary to become a member of God's family. If a believer lives a life according to Christ's teachings, after death he will come back to life in a transformed body. With this new body, he will live with God forever in a new creation called paradise.

If you are willing to accept these beliefs, be baptized and confirmed in the Holy Orthodox Church, and live according to Christ teachings, then you ,too, can receive eternal life.