The Nicene Creed Revisited

It should be no surprise that I’m a bit of a church history buff and I love how our worship connects us to ancestors in faith across centuries. Perhaps one of the most powerful ways we do this is by reciting the Nicene Creed—a summary of the core beliefs of our faith, spoken by millions of voices in thousands of languages, week after week.

But where did this Creed come from? Why do we say it, especially during the more penitential seasons like Advent and Lent? And what’s the story behind that little phrase “and the Son”—the Filioque—that’s caused so much conversation (and even division) among Christians?  

The Nicene Creed didn’t fall magically from the sky one sunny afternoon. It was hammered out in 325, when the early church was facing a crisis known as the Arian Controversy that questioned who Jesus really was. Was he truly God, or just a special creation? Bishops, with the support of Emperor Constantine, gathered in the city of Nicaea (modern-day Ìznik, Turkey) to debate the topic.

The bishops’ answer to the question was precise and bold: Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” Only later, in 381, did the church expand the Creed to say more about the Holy Spirit, definitely honoring the wholeness of the Trinity.

In our Lutheran worship, we typically pray the Creed on special feast days and during the seasons of Advent and Lent. These penitential seasons invite us slow down to reflect and prepare our hearts. The Nicene Creed then grounds us and serves as a reminder that even as we wait and repent, we stand on the firm foundation of God’s love, the incarnation of Christ, and the life of the Holy Spirit.

There’s always something powerful about saying these words together, out loud. The Creed connects us not just to each other, but to Christians in every place and every age.

If we took a close look at the Creed, we would notice a difference between churches. The original version says the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.” But the Western church (including most Lutheran denominations), it’s become common to say “from the Father and the Son”—that known as the Filioque.

Why the change? To make a long story short, the Western church added “and the Son” a few centuries after the Creed was written, mainly emphasize that Jesus and God are equal. The Eastern Orthodox churches rejected this addition believing it changed the balance of the Trinity and, perhaps more importantly, were upset the Creed was changed without universal consensus.

This disagreement over a few words fueled in part the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Eastern and Western churches. For almost a thousand years, Christinas have been divided over this and other issues of theology.

In recent years, there have been elements working hard to heal old wounds. Theologians from the Eastern and Western churches have agreed that, while the Filioque is important, it doesn’t have to be a point of division. Both versions honor the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) permits the dropping of the Filioque from the Creed during worship, especially when praying with our Orthodox siblings or as a sign of hope for church unity. Other Lutheran denominations, Anglicans, and some within the Roman Catholic Church are having similar conversations. The goal? To focus on what unites us, not just what divides us.

This year brought an even more beautiful sign of hope. Pope Leo XIV and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, along with other faith leaders, met at the ancient site of Nicaea. During this ecumenical gathering, they prayed together, remembered the Creed that unites us, and even talked about celebrating Easter on the same day—a small step with significant meaning for Christian unity.

Why does all this matter? Next time you pray the Nicene Creed—whether you say “and the Son or not—remember: these words are a bridge. They connect us to the early church, to Christians around the world, and to a future where, by God’s grace, we might all be one. We’re all on a journey together, seeking God’s truth, God’s peace, and God’s unity. And the Nicene Creed is a signpost, pointing us toward Christ, who holds us all together.