The Nicene Creed: What You Need to Know about the Most Important Creed Ever Written

by Kevin DeYoung

Bestselling Author Kevin DeYoung Explores the History, Meaning, and Importance of the Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is a fundamental text that Christians have memorized and recited in church services and personal prayers for centuries. Despite its deep roots, many believers today recite the creed as a routine, often without fully understanding its meaning and significance.

Part of the Foundational Tools for Our Faith series, this book delves into the origins, theological meaning, and modern relevance of the Nicene Creed. Each chapter provides insightful analysis of key terms and phrases within the creed. By examining the truths the creed affirms and the errors it opposes, bestselling author Kevin DeYoung aims to help readers recite this essential statement of faith with understanding and clarity. 

 Explores the historical, theological, and devotional significance of the Nicene Creed In-Depth  Each of this book’s 7 chapters examines a specific term or phrase in the Nicene Creed Accessible Resource for  A great guide for laypeople and students as well as for pastors, church leaders, and ministry leaders Part of the Foundational Tools for Our Faith  A trilogy by Kevin DeYoung dedicated to exploring 3 important historical texts in the Christian faith

Genres: Theology, History, Christianity, Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Church History

96 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

Kevin DeYoung is the Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church (RCA) in East Lansing, Michigan, right across the street from Michigan State University.

Reviews

[Michael Newhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I’ve come to genuinely appreciate about Kevin DeYoung’s writing is his balance of readability and reverence. His style is engaging without being too casual, and thoughtful without being dry. He writes as someone who honors doctrine but still wants to be understood by ordinary Christians seeking to grow in their faith.

I love how the Trinity shines through the both the Creed itself and Kevin's presentation.

"The Nicene Creed is not embarrassed to view Christianity with a soteriological focus. At the heart of the creed's confession is the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven
"for us and for our salvation.""

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

“After the Bible, the Nicene Creed may be the most important Christian text ever written.” So writes Kevin DeYoung in his book, The Nicene Creed. The author sets the stage by supplying the historical background behind this ancient document. A dispute arose in Alexandria, Egypt in AD 318 when Arius began to fan the heretical flame which eventually led to the Council of Nicaea.

The beauty of DeYoung’s book is that he walks through the Nicene Creed, line by line, giving readers ample time to digest the statements and compare them with Scripture. The statements from the Nicene Creed may also be set in contrast to the heretical musings of Arius, not to mention modern day cults like the Watch Tower Society and The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.

The Nicene Creed is the perfect place to begin for anyone who is seeking a greater knowledge of church history and the importance of orthodoxy. The combination of clear writing and passion for biblical truth make this book an essential tool in every Christian’s library.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Isaac Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is not enough to exhort people to live like Jesus. To be sure, the apostolic message exhorted people to live godly lives but only in conjunction with a robust message about sin, salvation, incarnation, resurrection, atonement, reconciliation, and eternal life...The Christian faith is more than a doctrine to be believed, but it is never less." (33)

[Johnny Zacchio jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The history of the Nicene Creed teaches us that new statements (and modified statements) are often necessary to combat new errors. The Nicene Creed doesn't tell us everything we need to know and believe. If the 318 bishops from the Council of Nicaea were alive today, undoubtedly they would see the Christian faith threatened in new and different ways. The Nicene Creed is a creedal floor, not a creedal ceiling.” - Kevin DeYoung

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway from Sola Media. Great short book on the history and theology of the Nicene Creed and why it matters.

[Jack Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding introduction to the creed

[Jennifer Spiegel]

Book #8 in My Project! I A Faith-oriented book/month. My personal self-help thing. I'm anti-cheese, Bono-esque in my beliefs, sometimes terribly old-fashioned, oft-repugnant to my fellow religious folk. Here's book 8/12 (I don't count it on BB).
I guess I'm even slightly ahead.

Kevin DeYoung's THE NICENE CREED.

I had to. I had to figure it out since there's a debate among Protestants, Catholics, and Eastern O (Catholics and Protestants strangely united!). It's a good book. I learned a lot, coming at it as a plebeian.

Not to drive my secular friends cra-cra, but I found the book's summary statements strong:
a. "Sadly, we often hear Christian leaders and churches today downplay the importance of doctrinal fidelity. . . Such a spirit of doctrinal latitudinarianism is antithetical to the spirt of Nicea."
b. "The history of the Nicene Creed teaches us that new statements (and modified statements) are often necessary to combat new errors"
c. "The Nicene Creed models for us the central importance of the Trinity."
d. "We often hear that so-and-so is 'spiritual but not religious.' . . . But they . . mean that they want a faith that is unencumbered by doctrinal boundaries, sacred rites, and the institution of the church with its authority structure and obligations. The Nicene Creed emphasizes the importance of each of these 'religious' elements.
e. "The Nicene Creed is not embarrassed to view Christianity with a soteriological [salvation, good news] focus."
f. "The Nicene Creed deliberately ends on a note of expectation and hope."

Whew.

There were also good points made against racism in the Church, re-baptism as divisive, and this very good line: ". . . heresy almost always involves denying one truth in an attempt to safeguard another truth."

You know, I thought about going to get my M.Div degree for fun (online, of course), and then I thought, "Nawwwww. I can only handle my twelve books a year." I like it. I really do. But I'm just a writer girl who wants to read novels, obsess over TV shows, and see the Bob Dylan movie.

[Noah R Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10.

This is a succinct and helpful primer for those interested in personal or ecclesial retrieval of Nicene orthodoxy for faith and practice.

The work as a whole was irenic and ecumenical as each Christian tradition was recognized in their respective affirmations of the Nicene Creed (NC); this is to me, one of the most beautiful facets of the creed’s impact. The essential elements of the creed were covered as well as relevant theological/historical background which is helpful in understanding the nuance and purpose behind the specific choice of words, which is admittedly confusing at face value.

Personally, I especially appreciated DeYoung providing a compelling case to evangelicals who are either vaguely familiar with (like myself) or have completely abandoned the NC on why it is worth studying and using regularly in worship.

[John Boyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little booklet by Kevin DeYoung on the Nicene Creed. Christianity's oldest creed celebrated an anniversary and DeYoung wanted to give his readers a refresher on the creed and its importance on biblical Christianity. DeYoung takes seven key words and phrases from the creed and gives short, concise, yet informative, explanations on their importance for the church and the Christian life. He does an excellent job of place the creed directly on the lap of the reader and shows us that we should cherish this creed. Great intro book about the Nicene Creed and I hope it sparks more in-depth study of other creeds and confessions in the church.

[Michael Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book as I pursue a sharpening in my understanding of Orthodox, Classical Trinitarian theology. My goal is to help shephard and minister to those at my local Church well in this area.

This little booklet is an incredible tool. it explains the essential (complex and deep) realities of what the Nicene Creed affirms. But DeYoung does it in a way that is so accessible.

I learned a good deal, walked away, encouraged, and confident I could recommend this book to lay people.

Praise God for His self-revelation to us.

[Ethan Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second audio book, was really good and informative. As Christians we need to be thankful God placed these early Church fathers to protect the Trinity and the Gospel against rising threats such as Arianism. The book itself is filled with a lot of information so I’ll definitely need to listen to it again, however it is filled with great information that explains the wording, history, and theological basis for the issues presented at Nicaea.

[Sarah Drew-Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to memorize The Nicene Creed for what seems like forever! Reading this book helped me understand the Creed and I was able to memorize it in no time. Super, helpful and clear teaching.

[Joshua Bremerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book! He chooses phrases out of the creed, so some elements are left glossed over or untouched, but he covers the essence of the creed excellently. Very helpful companion for a lay-level theology class or into-level discussion group.

[Hayden Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding introduction. I would recommend this to church members who might be ignorant about the Nicene Creed, or who are uncomfortable with it (for various reasons). DeYoung, as he always does, writes with an easy style and gets to the point. Well done, Kevin!

[Kelton Zacharias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin DeYoung is probably my favorite modern author - simple and helpful summary of the Nicene faith.

[Sandy Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Excellent concise exposition of the Nicene Creed’s key teachings in scriptural context with helpful historical setting. A suitable primer for keen church members and for theology students. Recommended highly in the year of the 1700th anniversary of the Creed of Nicaea from which the Nicene Creed emerged.

[Brittany Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

On this day 1700 years ago The Nicene Creed was first adopted.

This is a very short (less than 100 pages) book taking you through the Nicene Creed— what the Council was all about, what the creed says, what it means, and why it matters.

DeYoung wrote a similarly short book on The Lord’s Prayer and these also remind me of Jen Wilkin’s book, Ten Words to Live By, about the ten commandments. All three books take specific ‘statements’ that the church practices or believes and fleshes them out in deeper ways than an average church-goer may even know about.

Just because something is tradition and been taught for years and years doesn’t mean it’s to be discarded, but you should know what it means and why you memorize it and quote it. These books help your understanding.


I was interested in The Nicene Creed book because I realized I had never memorized it and knew only a little about the creed and the Council of Nicaea.

When I heard people making claims about the council and the creed saying that it was where people of power got to decide what books would be in the Bible or claiming that the council was evidence that the church has never agreed about anything, I knew that I needed to learn a little more about what actually went on there.

To the first argument, THIS is also a good, succinct explanation about how the Council of Nicaea was not a council to pick the books of the Bible (Kruger is a New Testament scholar and an expert in how the Bible was canonized). The Council was about articulating what the Church believed about the divinity of Jesus.


Historical Context

I thought Kevin DeYoung did a really good job of explaining the history and context of the Council and acknowledging the intentions behind the differing views.

“We learn something about heresy by examining Arius’s logic: heresy almost always involves denying one truth in an attempt to safeguard another truth.”

In Egypt, 318 AD, Arius publicly declared his theological views on the divinity of Christ.

“The issue in Arius’s mind was not how a man could be God but how God could become a man. Arius wanted to protect monotheism and the unity of God. He saw himself as defending the majesty and sovereignty of God the Father.”

“The issue was how to understand the Son’s begottenness. Arius argued that begetting implies a beginning…. Arius’s famous phrase was ‘there was a time when he was not.’”

So the Council met to better articulate what we believe about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the end, Arianism was condemned and the divinity of Jesus upheld.

One of the key words in the creed is homoousios which was the term they landed on to describe how the Son was of the ‘same essence’ as the Father.


It should be noted that the original creed was overwritten in 381, but the theology remained the same:

“The Council of Constantinople (381) didn’t simply repeat or revise the Creed of Nicaea (325). In fact, Nicaea’s creed is largely forgotten. In one sense, Constantinople established a “new” creed, probably taken from a liturgical formula that had developed since the original council. At the same time, it is important to recognize that the bishops at Constantinople did not see themselves as writing a new creed but merely expanding and reestablishing the orthodox truth affirmed in 325… Even though the words didn’t come directly from Nicaea, the theology did.”


I will say that I think it could have been helpful to have some sort of diagrams or maps to help visualize what groups were located where, etc.



Solid Doctrine or Right Living?

If you’re wondering about creeds in general, I thought it was interesting that DeYoung reminds us how different Roman religion was in the ancient world compared to what Jesus taught. Roman religion cared far less about doctrines and focused more on cultic rituals of sacrifices, experiences, civic virtue, and the practices done in temples.

It can’t be overstated that for Christians— what we believe (our doctrines) are of utmost importance. Right doctrine (orthodoxy) should lead to right living (orthopraxy) but we can’t have one without the other.

“To be sure, the apostolic message exhorted people to live godly lives but only in conjunction with a robust message about sin, salvation, incarnation, resurrection, atonement, reconciliation, and eternal life. Any gospel that denies these essentials or ignores them or skips over them to get to something else or leads people to doubt them or does not deal straightforwardly with them is, in effect, a different gospel. The Christian faith is more than a doctrine to be believed, but it is never less.”

This is forefront in my mind because having read Alisa Childer’s book, Another Gospel?, and watching a video from The New Evangelicals (linked in previous linked review), it is clear that Progressive Christianity has chosen leniency and ‘freedom’ in doctrine and it truly changes the gospel message and everything about what Jesus taught.


Here are just a few verses that remind us that right doctrine is not just a modern convention or a tactic invented for control or power, it was understood by Jesus’s disciples as essential to the faith:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

“but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…” (Eph 2:19-20)

“so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.” (1 Tim 1:3)

“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.” (1 Tim 6:20)

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it… This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” (Titus 1:9, 13)

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” (Rom 16:17)

“‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” (John 14:15)


Having established the importance of the creed (the first of its kind), DeYoung spends the next chapters taking specific phrases from the creed, explaining why it was included or the principle of truth that it was articulating:

Only Begotten; One Substance; For Us and for Our Salvation; Who Proceeds from the Father and the Son; One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; One Baptism for the Remission of Sins


[If you are interested in the doctrine of the Trinity and how we can believe this doctrine, I would recommend this narrative, logic-focused book called Monothreeism that explores how believing the Trinity makes as much sense as believing in our own existence.]


Church Unity and False Teachers

I won’t go into all of them, but one that stuck out to me was the one holy catholic and apostolic church. Again, because of the claims of Progressive Christianity.

Progressives often condemn conservative Christians for sacrificing unity in the church by holding to traditional doctrine. Conservatives are being the divisive ones, not progressives, they say.

But DeYoung rightly states

“The oneness of the church is not a call to discount doctrine and to foster institutional unity at all costs… Paul celebrated unity in the midst of diversity, but that diversity was not theological.”

Ephesians 4:1-16 describes the unity of the church including that it is called to “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”.

As the verses earlier stated— sound doctrine is important and at the center of what binds Christians together in Christ because it is about Christ and his work on the cross.

We don’t have councils to make up new doctrine, “new threats to the faith merit new efforts to delineate truth from error” and The Nicene Creed, which has stood the test of time, is an example of when better articulating the doctrine taught in Scripture keeps the Church unified in what matters most.

We are warned about false teachers. And I think a lot of Christians get false teachers mixed up with pagans. Those who practice other religions are not the false teachers, those are just pagans. The false teachers are in the church, twisting God’s words. They are masquerading as light; they are often subtle and hard to detect.

This helpful article delineates the patterns of false teachers: question what God says, defy or reject what God says, and offer a ‘better’ alternative that appeals to natural appetites.

The way we protect against false teachers is by guarding the deposit of sound doctrine that Jesus taught and entrusted the apostles to uphold. Jesus told them he would send the Holy Spirit to help them understand everything he had already been teaching them so we can trust what they say.

That is why ‘apostolic’ is important and the basis for which the New Testament books had authority.



I can’t help but also think of Gavin Ortlund’s book— Finding the Right Hills to Die On— which is a book about theological triage. He seeks to consider a gradation system on issues that are top tier, nonnegotiable doctrines (i.e. what is stated in the Nicene Creed), down to the lowest tier issues that are matter of opinion (i.e. what worship musical instrumentation should be).

He writes to give a good reminder not to let your passion for truth and upholding solid doctrine cause you to lose humility or care for others’ hearts. These things are not opposed to one another. To be upholding truth and following Jesus’s teachings and example should also look like humility and love. Humility and love, when practiced, should not be void of truth and the light of salvation as taught by Jesus.

To be a unified, global church does not require our worship services to look the same or even our baptism practices to be identical, but it does require theological unity in salvific doctrines.


Summary Statements

I really liked that he included six statements of summary— our takeaways from looking at the Nicene Creed. I’m including them simplified here, but he gives a little bit more explanation in the book

1. The Nicene Creed stresses the importance of believing the right thing

2. The history of the Nicene Creed teaches us that new statements (and modified statements) are often necessary to combat new errors

“The Nicene Creed is a creedal floor, not a creedal ceiling…”

3. The Nicene Creed models for us the central importance of the Trinity

4. The Nicene Creed underscores the importance of “religion” for Christian life and worship

“Christians have gotten into a bad habit of making ‘religion’ the bad guy opposite the good guy of the gospel. If religion means man-made worship or man’s attempt to earn God’s favor on his own, then Christianity has no place for religion. But usually when people talk about being ‘spiritual but not religious,’ they mean that they want a faith that is unencumbered by doctrinal boundaries, sacred rites, and the institution of the church with its authority structure and obligations.”

5. The Nicene Creed is not embarrassed to view Christianity with a soteriological focus

“Sometimes you hear people say that modern evangelicals invented this salvation-focused gospel… or that medieval people were scared into believing in a God of judgment because the church wanted to control them… but we see right here in the fourth century that the church conceived of the Christian faith as irreducibly about sin and salvation, about judgment and forgiveness, about how we can be saved from the human problem that is sin and death.”

6. The Nicene Creed points us to the future… it deliberately ends on a note of expectation and hope


Recommendation

I definitely recommend this book. You can probably read it in one or two sittings and it will bring clarity and transparency to some of the doctrines you may have started wondering why you adhere to or recite.

It’s not meant to be exhaustive, but the ancient creeds the Church has upheld has not done so for no apparent reason or for nefarious purposes. We have creeds that affirm what God’s Word already revealed and if you haven’t been taught the ‘why’ then you should read the book.

And definitely, if you think the Council of Nicaea was a power struggle about choosing the books of the Bible, you should do some more research about that, including reading this book.

This is a low commitment, high reward kind of read.

I hope DeYoung continues to put out these short books that help the average church-goer to see the foundation of the church as it pertains to Scripture instead of a set of traditions with no real meaning.


**Received a copy via Crossway Publishers in exchange for an honest review**

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[Joshua Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who had little understanding of the Nicene Creed, this book educated me on the historical context, the theological doctrines, and the devotional applications of the creed and why I should care about it. This book was certainly an introduction, but I am much more prepared to defend the importance of why we, as Christian’s, ought to concern ourselves with this creed: it is the authoritative and concise summary of Christian orthodoxy.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent explanation of some key phrases in the Creed, especially the more difficult ones for modern ears (eternal generation, eternal procession, baptism). Unfortunately not a comprehensive line-by-line exposition, but still very helpful for pastors and Christians.

[Connor Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, solid, and engaging introduction to the rich history and theology of one of the church’s most important creeds. Has a nice devotional bent to it too.

[C.S. Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book, though at times the language felt academic but really any attempt at explaining the divine mysteries of the Trinity can get mind boggling. Not sure if I would hand this to a believer that didn’t have at least a basic understanding of theology and its language.

[John Tilinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible and easily digestible, yet also contains depth. I think DeYoung did a great job drawing our attention to contemporary implications and applications.

[Colby Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for a sermon I’m preaching on the Nicene Creed. Deyoung is a good conversation partner and guide for thinking about the creed. I would recommend this as the first book for a church member to read about where the creed comes from, what it means, and why it matters.

[Zach Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful (and dense!) primer on an important topic. Really appreciate KDY's way of writing.

[Tristany Corgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Christian faith is more than a doctrine to be believed, but it is never less.” -Kevin DeYoung

If you’re looking for a Christian nonfiction book that you can read in one sitting, you should pick up a copy of Kevin DeYoung’s latest release, The Nicene Creed. In this book, DeYoung covers the history of the Nicene Creed, examines some of its key components, and explains what this creed means for believers today. At under 100 pages, this book could easily be read in an afternoon, and it’s a very accessible resource on this important Christian creed.🧡

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to Crossway for sending me a copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

[Michael P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful little book that’s a good introduction if you’re wanting to study the Nicene Creed more in depth.

[Tim Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin DeYoung’s The Nicene Creed is a theological triumph—clear, rich, and deeply rooted in the historic Christian faith. With pastoral warmth and scholarly precision, DeYoung guides readers through one of the most foundational texts in church history, rightly declaring, “After the Bible, the Nicene Creed may be the most important Christian text ever written” (p. 9). This book is not just informative—it’s transformative.
From the outset, DeYoung reminds us that Christianity is not vague spirituality but a faith grounded in historical events and their divine interpretation: “To be a Christian was to affirm specific facts about history (‘Christ died …’) and a divinely inspired interpretation of those facts (‘… for our sins’)” (p. 29). He dismantles the myth that ancient faith was doctrinally fuzzy, noting, “Buttoning up your beliefs, carefully defining your beliefs…was not how faith typically worked in the ancient world” (p. 30). The Nicene Creed changed that forever.

One of the book’s most illuminating sections is DeYoung’s treatment of eternal generation, a doctrine often misunderstood or ignored. He writes, “Eternal generation is hyperphysical…infinite…and ineffable…By eternal generation we do not mean that the Father created the Son’s essence, but rather that the Father communicates the essence he shares with the Son” (p. 40). This is theology at its most reverent and precise.

DeYoung also draws attention to the structure of the creed itself: “At the heart of the creed is this confession related to the person of Christ. But the longest section…is actually related not to the person of Christ but to his work” (p. 53). He beautifully summarizes, “If ‘one substance with the Father’ is the heart of the creed, then ‘who for us and for our salvation’ is the beating of that heart” (ibid). This Christ-centered focus is what makes the creed—and this book—so vital.

In discussing Christ’s humiliation, DeYoung offers a sobering reminder: “We can’t skip the pain of humiliation and go right to the reward of exaltation. That was true for Christ, and it is true for us” (p. 55). This is not just doctrine—it’s discipleship.

The book closes with a powerful call to ecclesial fidelity: “Unless the church is anchored in the apostolic gospel, holiness will not be possible” (p. 78). And in a culture obsessed with being “spiritual but not religious,” DeYoung exposes the real motive: “They want a faith that is unencumbered by doctrinal boundaries, sacred rites, and the institution of the church…” (p. 84). This is a timely word for a drifting generation.

In short, The Nicene Creed is a must-read for pastors, teachers, and any believer who wants to understand the faith once delivered to the saints. DeYoung has given the church a gift—one that deserves to be read, taught, and treasured.

[Patrick Lacson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In typical Kevin De Young fashion, The Nicene Creed book is clearly written distilling the essentials of the historic creed of Nicea of 325 and how it later came to be known as the Nicene Creed of 381.

Here are the strengths of this book
- Provides excellent background and introduction to the creed of Nicea in 325
- Very short at less than 100 pages yet dense with theological and technical explanations
- Majors on the 7 of the 12 articles of the Nicene creed
- One of the clearest brief explanations of why the filoque clause matters
- Offers a historical defense of homoousios
- He explains the significance of "only begotten" as a good translation of the Greek word: monogenes used in the Johanine corrpus, though I wish he would have mentioned Charles Lee Irons work that concludes monogenes should be translated as "only begotten" and not "only Son."

Here are the weaknesses of this book
- While striving for clarity, De Young, could not help insert his presbyterian convictions on the last article on "one baptism for the remissions of sins."
- He muddies the waters by making it an opportunity to air out his covenantal convictions going so far as to say the he accepts the infant baptism of Roman Catholics.

Despite that major distraction regarding the 7th article of "one baptism for the remission of sins" the other articles are superb explanations. To his credit he does explain that the baptism for the remissions of sins in Acts 2:38 is not teaching baptismal regeneration but a sign of faith in Christ who forgives us of our sins. Unfortunately he uses the language that baptism is a sign that "points to" rather than "unites us to." As a covenantal theologian he has to insert his system to make infant baptism work so he forces the potential faith in Christ - how infant baptism can point to (future, infant baptism) instead of a sign of our union with (present, believers baptism) Christ by faith now.

Overall I do recommend this book for its stellar introduction to the Nicene creed, compact size, densely theological explanations with a stunning economy of words, and worshipful application for the Christian.

[Kaleb Essink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one afternoon as it checks in at just short of 100 pages. I think this book is a must read because it expounds not just the history of the Nicene Creed but the theology of Nicaea. If you've never deeply studied the Trinity before, this book may leave you having more questions than answers. However, I think it is useful because it gets people thinking in the right Trinitarian categories to explore at a deeper level. This book is highly readable and what little technical language is used is clearly explained by the author, even including a helpful chart of terms towards the middle of the book. On the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, it is my prayer that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ will take up works like this and embrace a fuller and complete Trinitarian worship. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, who was in the beginning and now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

[Zach Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deliciously brief and accessible introduction to the three coequal persons in the Trinity (who share a same essence), DeYoung’s The Nicene Creed arrives at the 1700th anniversary of the first Nicean Council to explain the technical, historical, philosophical, and the Eastern/Western church divide over the filioque clause with precision while reminding the church why doctrine—especially Trinitarian doctrine—must remain essential to our Christianity.

If read carefully, no mature Christian will ever again read the word “homoousia”, shrug, and say ‘it’s all Greek to me.’ DeYoung properly reflects,“many of us have been reciting Nicene theology since before we could read or write. We know it to be true. We know it to be glorious. We know it to be beautiful. And so we sing.” (42) Amen.