The Nicene Creed

Throughout history, creeds have served as one of the great instruments of Christian unity. Summaries of the faith, written by the ancients and recited down through the ages, have helped Christians to learn what they believe, share it with the world, and be connected to each other across time and culture.

But how far can the ‘unity’ of the creeds take us? What if we say the words but we’re not sure what they mean? Or what if different people use the same words to mean different things? Can believers from Catholic and evangelical backgrounds find genuine unity in the creeds?

In this book, written to mark the 1700th anniversary of the wonderful Nicene Creed, a team of experienced Bible teachers, pastors and scholars examine the creed afresh from an evangelical perspective. Together, they offer a compelling vision for the creed’s place in the Christian life—a vision driven by careful attention to detail, a deep desire for gospel unity, and a passion for proclaiming Jesus in all his glory.

Introduction (Leonardo De Chirico and Mark Gilbert, editors)

1. The history of the Nicene Creed (Rachel Ciano)

2. The Nicene Creed under the authority of Scripture (Alastair Dunlop)

3. The trinitarian framework of the Nicene Creed (Leonardo De Chirico)

4. The person of Jesus Christ (Matthew Johnston)

5. The work of Jesus Christ (Robbie Bellis)

6. The Holy Spirit (Gregg R. Allison)

7. The virgin Mary (Lauren J. Montenegro)

8. One holy catholic and apostolic church (Mark Gilbert)

9. One baptism (Clay Kannard)

10. The world to come (Reid Karr)

11. Is Nicaea enough? (Bradley G. Green)

Glossary

Contributors

Mark Gilbert works for Certainty4Eternity, an organization established to help churches share the gospel with people from a Roman Catholic background. Mark grew up as a committed Roman Catholic, but despite this did not hear the gospel until he started university. He trained as a doctor before retraining as a minister and has served in Anglican churches in Sydney since 2000. He currently works as an Evangelist on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and partners with churches to help them to reach more Roman Catholics with the gospel. Mark has published a number of books and articles to help including: The God Who Saves, The Road Once Travelled and Stepping Out in Faith. He has also spoken at conferences in Australia, the United States and Europe.

Leonardo De Chirico is pastor of the Church Breccia di Roma and lecturer in historical theology at the Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. He blogs on Vatican and Roman Catholic issues from an evangelical perspective at Vatican Files. He’s director of the Reformanda Initiative, cohost of the Reformanda Initiative podcast, and author of several books, including A Christian’s Pocket Guide to the Papacy and Engaging with Thomas Aquinas.