May ‘Witness’: The Nicene Creed

In May of A.D. 325, Emperor Constantine called together the Council of Nicaea, assembling bishops from across Christendom to settle several matters of controversy. It was the first council of its scope in the history of the church. The council defended Christ’s nature as “of the same substance” with God the Father against the heretic Arius. Most of the Nicene Creed, which we still recite in our churches today, was written at the council as well.

The May issue of The Lutheran Witness celebrates this anniversary with articles on the history of the Council of Nicaea, on the biblical foundations of the Nicene Creed, and on how Lutherans view the authority of early church councils.

“We don’t ‘wink’ when we make this confession our own every Sunday in the Divine Service,” writes LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison in his monthly reflection. “We do so in the sight of God Almighty, knowing that this is the faith we shall one day confess before the judgment seat of Christ.”

For this issue, we have also taken the occasion to discuss the purpose of our LCMS conventions, both district and Synod, and to highlight several notable moments in LCMS convention history, from the early days of the Synod to the theological controversies of the 1970s.

As we reflect on the history of the church and her life together this month, and as we continue through district convention season to prepare for the 69th Regular Convention of the LCMS next July, we benefit from the encouragement of Synod Secretary Rev. Dr. John W. Sias, who writes, “We would be fools to believe that there is nothing out of joint in our Synod today. We need the Word of God to work on us all, to work in love at convincing one another of the truth. God grant that our conventions above all address these matters, after the example of the apostolic church. … May our conventions be [Christ’s] instrument, the Word of God reigning in them over us, and all our people doing together the hard work that calls for, and serves, faith” (p. 19).

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Posted May 15, 2025