The Nicene Creed - Was Jesus Created?

In 2011, I underwent a theological grilling. To be ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), I had been asked to 

1. Write a theological paper on their statement of faith. After this I received a license and waited three years.

2. Further refine that paper, submitting it to a couple of readers for dialogue and correction, and finally.

3. Undergo an ordination council where a number of individuals from our church along with local EFCA pastors "grilled me" on my paper. It was an nerve racking and exciting time. I had elected my mother-in-law to transcribe the meeting. Somewhere there is a record of my hemming and hawing, on one particular issue: The Trinity.

"Did God die on the cross?" someone asked. I retorted weakly, "Sort of." The question required a simple answer, and I gave one that led me down numerous rabbit trails. 

I passed the council, but was required to write a little more to clarify my views on the Trinity. I'll tell you the simple answer I arrived later. 

The early church struggled to maintain the teaching of the Apostles about Christ in the face of false doctrines.  One popular doctrine taught in the early 300s claimed that Jesus was a created being. Remember the phrase "God so loved the world He gave his only begotten son?" (John 3:16) Common understanding of 'begotten' confused people into thinking that there must have been a time when Jesus WAS NOT--that Jesus was the first thing created by God.  John 1:1-3 clearly argues against such a view stating "All things were made by him [Jesus, the Word)] and without Him, nothing was made that was made." If Jesus made all created things, did he make himself? Of course not, he WAS in the beginning, with God, as God.

Things were not so clear to the church and a teacher named Arius promoted this falsehood that Jesus was a created being--that there was a time when Jesus WAS NOT.

The recently legalized church held a council (thanks to Constantine) in 325AD in which Arius's views were debated, clarified, and condemned. The church signed The Creed of Nicaea in agreement against Arius. Later, what is known as the Nicene Creed further addressed this topic and was adopted in 381AD in Constantinople.

Why is it important today? 

We need to value the truth of God's Being as revealed to us in the written Word of God, given by the Holy Spirit to the apostles and chewed on by the church of the last 2000 years. Knowing and embracing these truths bring clarity to our understanding of God and His Salvation in the World.  False teachings like those promoted by Arius and the 4th century church are likely to rise again in modern times.  If one researches the Jehovah Witnesses, one quickly learns that they are modern day Arians. In answer to the question "When was Jesus created?" their website says, 

God created Jesus before creating Adam. In fact, God created Jesus and then used him to make everything else, including the angels. That is why the Bible calls Jesus “the firstborn of all creation” by God. 

JW's rehearse again that old false understanding of what "firstborn" means (it's about privilege not time) and declaring there was a time when the Jesus, the Son of God, WAS NOT.

The Nicene Creed most specifically addresses the issue of Jesus co-eternality and establishing the fully divinity of Jesus ('of one substance'), a well as functioning as summary of core Christian beliefs. Notably, there is no mention of 'descending into hell'!

The Creed is generally considered Ecumenical or Universal, meaning all Christian denominations hold to it. The Lutheran Church I am now a part of holds to it and occasionally will occasionally use it in worship gatherings. 

Let us rejoice in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who always have been! Amen! 

P.S. The simple answer I arrived at when asked "Did God die on the cross?" was "The Son of God died on the cross." 

The Nicene Creed (confirmed in 381AD)

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

Translation © 1988, Faith Alive Christian Resources. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Sources:

Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity. "The Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicea," 158-167.   

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, p. 243-245

Leith, John, Creeds of the Churches.