One Lord Jesus Christ
The Only Begotten Son of God, true God and true man, who became incarnate for our salvation.
After professing belief in one God, the Nicene Creed turns our attention to Jesus Christ.
This is the heart of Christianity.
Christians do not merely believe in a distant Creator. We believe that the eternal Son of God entered history, took on our humanity, suffered, died, rose again, and opened the way to eternal life.
The Creed proclaims:
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.
One Lord
To call Jesus “Lord” is not merely to call Him a teacher, prophet, or moral example.
In Scripture, the title Lord belongs to God Himself.
When the early Christians confessed that Jesus is Lord, they were proclaiming His divinity.
That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:10–11
Jesus is not one religious figure among many.
He is the Lord of history, the King of kings, the Savior of the world, and the eternal Son of the Father.
The Only Begotten Son of God
The Creed calls Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God.
This does not mean that the Son was created.
It means that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.
The Father is eternally Father because He eternally begets the Son.
The Son is eternally Son because He receives the divine nature from the Father, not as a creature, but as true God from true God.
God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son. — John 3:16
The Son did not begin to exist at Bethlehem.
He is eternal.
Before creation, before time, before the angels, before the stars, the Son existed with the Father.
Born of the Father Before All Ages
The Creed continues:
Born of the Father before all ages.
This phrase protects one of the central truths of Catholic faith: Jesus Christ is eternal.
He is not the highest creature.
He is not an angel.
He is not a being who came into existence.
He is eternally begotten, not made.
There was never a time when the Son was not.
God from God, Light from Light
The Creed uses beautiful language to describe the Son’s relationship to the Father:
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.
Light coming from light is not less than the light from which it comes.
A flame kindled from another flame shares the same nature.
So too, the Son is not less divine than the Father.
He is true God from true God.
This is why Catholics worship Jesus Christ.
We do not worship a creature.
We worship God the Son, consubstantial with the Father.
Consubstantial with the Father
The Creed says Jesus is:
Consubstantial with the Father.
This means that the Son shares the same divine substance as the Father.
He is not similar to God.
He is not almost God.
He is God.
This teaching was solemnly defended at the Council of Nicaea against the Arian heresy, which claimed that the Son was a created being.
The Church rejected that error because salvation depends upon the truth of Christ’s divinity.
If Christ were merely a creature, He could not save us.
Only God can reconcile humanity to God.
Through Him All Things Were Made
The Creed teaches:
Through him all things were made.
The Son is not part of creation.
He is the divine Word through whom creation came into being.
All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. — John 1:3
Every galaxy, every angel, every soul, every law of nature, and every moment of time exists through the Word of God.
The Child born in Bethlehem is the same eternal Word through whom the universe was created.
For Us Men and for Our Salvation
The Creed then turns from eternity to history:
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.
The Son of God did not become man because humanity deserved it.
He came out of love.
He came to rescue sinners.
He came to restore what sin had broken.
He came to make us children of God.
The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. — Luke 19:10
The Incarnation is the greatest act of divine humility.
The infinite God entered His own creation.
The eternal Word took on flesh.
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit
The Creed proclaims:
And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man.
He did not merely appear human.
He did not simply possess a human body.
He assumed a complete human nature: body, soul, mind, and will.
At the same time, He remained fully divine.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. — John 1:14
Mary is truly the Mother of God because the child conceived in her womb is a divine Person: Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father.
Crucified for Us
The Creed does not skip over the Cross.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
Jesus truly suffered.
He truly died.
He entered the depths of human pain, rejection, injustice, and death.
The Cross is not a defeat.
It is the victory of divine love over sin.
He was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins. — Isaiah 53:5
On the Cross, Christ offered Himself to the Father for the salvation of the world.
He Rose Again
The Creed continues:
And rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
The Resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope.
Jesus did not merely survive death spiritually.
He rose bodily from the tomb.
The same Christ who was crucified now lives forever in glory.
If Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. — 1 Corinthians 15:14
Because Christ rose, death does not have the final word.
Because Christ rose, our bodies too are destined for resurrection.
He Will Come Again
The Creed teaches:
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
Christ came first in humility.
He will come again in glory.
History is not moving toward nothingness.
It is moving toward judgment, resurrection, and the full revelation of Christ’s kingdom.
His kingdom will not collapse.
His reign will not expire.
His victory will be everlasting.
Why This Matters
To know Jesus Christ is to know the heart of God.
In Him, God becomes visible.
In Him, mercy takes flesh.
In Him, humanity is restored.
In Him, death is conquered.
In Him, the way to the Father is opened.
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. — John 14:6
The Creed’s confession of Christ is not abstract theology.
It is the proclamation of the Savior.
Conclusion
When we profess belief in one Lord Jesus Christ, we confess the eternal Son of God who became man for our salvation.
He is true God.
He is true man.
He is Creator.
He is Redeemer.
He is Lord.
He suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and will come again in glory.
The entire Christian life is centered on Him.
Jesus Christ yesterday, and today; and the same for ever. — Hebrews 13:8
Sources: Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 53:5; John 1:1–14; John 3:16; John 14:6; Luke 1:26–38; Luke 19:10; Philippians 2:5–11; 1 Corinthians 15:14; Hebrews 13:8. Catechism of the Catholic Church §§422–682. Council of Nicaea. Council of Chalcedon. St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation. St. Cyril of Alexandria. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III.