The Cruciality of the Nicene Creed

In June of 325 AD the Roman emperor Constantine called 318 bishops of Christian churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire to convene at Nicaea (in present day Turkey). The purpose of their gathering was to discuss a thorny theological controversy regarding the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. After two months of careful discussion the bishops wrote the Nicene Creed, a short document of about 35 lines in careful and concise language describing the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the One God revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The majority of the Creed is given over to a delineation of the divinity and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, him being equal in all the divine attributes with the Father and the Holy Spirit. For 1,700 years this Creed has been the cornerstone of the Church's confession of the being of God, especially as regards the Lord Jesus Christ.