Nicene Creed
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
2:28 PM
A creed drawn up at a meeting of bishops in 325 AD in the city of Nicea. 

"The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical (worldwide) council."
From <[link]> 
The council, called by emperor Constantine focused on correct teachings about Jesus, His nature, and unique relationship with His Father. The Nicene Creed was longer and more complex than the previous Apostle's Creed (140 AD).
The largest section by far is the section on Jesus and is used to draw a line of orthodoxy around the deity of Jesus. The council is largely remembered for its debate around this subject. Arius of Alexandria proposed that Christ was not divine and  was a created (not eternal) son. Arius' proposal was condemned and his teaching known as Arianism labeled heresy. (Arius was later exiled by emperor Constantine.
 The Council incorporated into its creed the non-scriptural word homoousios, meaning consubstantial/of one substance to describe the equality of the Son with the Father within the Godhead. This language inserted within the creed was instrumental in the formation/acceptance of the Trinity doctrine and became a criterion of orthodoxy.
[link]
In the quest for orthodoxy came a good deal of persection of Christ followers at the hands of Christ followers. A notable example is John Calvin having modalist Michael Servetus arrested, put on trial, and burnt at the stake in the 1500s. Although the creation of the creed was meant to affirm the faith, it did in some ways further divide brothers and led to persecution.  
Within the Disciples of Christ we do not recite the Nicene Creed like some other mainline denominations do. We have from our Stone-Campbell founding distanced ourselves from credal codes and other divisive (Westminster) confessions of faith. 
The creed has 4 sections with particular focus on affirming the Godhead.
#1 God the Father
#2 Jesus the Son
#3 Holy Spirit
#4 The Holy, Catholic (universal), and Apostolic Church
The Text:

I(we) believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I(we) believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I(we) believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I(we) believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
From <[link]> 