The Nicene Creed Primary 6/7 RERC June

By the end of our lesson… ALL of us must know what is meant by the Trinity and what a creed is for. MOST of us should be able to explain the main points of the Nicene Creed. SOME of us could evaluate some of the difficulties in writing a creed.

What do Christians mean by the Trinity? What are the roles of the parts of the Trinity, for Christians?

Challenge: Could you eat just the chocolate or the caramel or the nougat from your Mars bar without touching the other bits.

The Nicene Creed A creed is a statement of what Christians believe. The Catholic Church uses two main creeds: – Apostles’ Creed – Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed The first Christian emperor, Constantine, called together a worldwide Council to decide the main teachings of the Church. These were mainly about Jesus: “Is Jesus truly God?” “Is He both?” “Is He merely man?” The bishops finally agreed a statement and this is now called the Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again 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. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Nicene Creed

Why might a creed be important? Why might it be difficult to write a creed?

Using the Creed, in your jotter write statements on what Catholics believe about… God Creation Why Jesus was born What happened after Jesus died What will happen when Jesus comes again The Holy Spirit The Church Baptism