Beginning the Orthodox Faith: The Creed with Bible Verses
For reading, remembering, and praying the faith of the Church
The Creed is not a private opinion and not a summary of human ideas. It is the confession of the Church. These Scripture passages help us see that the words of the Creed are rooted in the revelation of God given in Holy Scripture and confessed in the worship of the Church.
The Creed — full text
- I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
- And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; True God of True God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by whom all things were made.
- Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.
- And was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.
- And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
- And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures.
- And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
- And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
- And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
- In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
- I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
- I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Creed Expanded with Scripture
Click any article below to see its phrase-by-phrase Scripture support.
I believe in one God,
- “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” — Deuteronomy 6:4
- “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” — Isaiah 48:17
- “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” — Isaiah 44:6
the Father Almighty,
- “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” — Ephesians 4:6
Maker of heaven and earth,
- “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1
- “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” — Genesis 1:26
and of all things visible and invisible.
- “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” — Colossians 1:16
- “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” — Romans 1:20
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
- “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” — 1 Corinthians 8:6
the Son of God,
- “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” — Matthew 16:16
the Only-begotten,
- “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” — John 1:18 (corrected — ESV reads “the only God,” not “the only Son”)
begotten of the Father before all ages,
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1
- “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” — John 17:5 (corrected — “your own presence”)
Light of Light,
- “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” — John 1:4
- “Who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion.” — 1 Timothy 6:16
True God of True God,
- “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” — Colossians 2:9
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1
begotten, not made,
- “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” — John 8:58
of one essence with the Father,
- “I and the Father are one.” — John 10:30
by whom all things were made;
- “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” — John 1:3 (corrected — ESV prints “any thing” as two words)
Who for us men and for our salvation
- “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:21
came down from heaven,
- “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” — John 3:13
and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
- “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” — Luke 1:35
- “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” — Isaiah 7:14
and became man.
- “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14
And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,
- “So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus.” — John 19:16
and suffered,
- “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” — Isaiah 53:3, 5 (corrected punctuation)
- “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death.” — Hebrews 2:9
and was buried,
- “Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.” — Luke 23:53
and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures,
- “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” — Hosea 6:2
- “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” — Matthew 28:6
- “That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” — 1 Corinthians 15:4
and ascended into heaven,
- “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” — Acts 1:9
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
- “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” — Hebrews 1:3
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead,
- “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” — Matthew 16:27
- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 5:10
whose kingdom shall have no end.
- “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end… to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” — Isaiah 9:7
- “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” — Revelation 22:5
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life,
- “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” — Genesis 1:2
- “It is the Spirit who gives life.” — John 6:63
- “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” — Joel 2:28
who proceeds from the Father,
- “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” — John 15:26
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
- “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.” — John 16:14–15
who spoke by the prophets.
- “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.” — Hebrews 1:1
- “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” — Numbers 11:29
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
- “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call.” — Ephesians 4:4
- “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
- “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” — Matthew 28:19
- “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” — Ephesians 4:5
I look for the resurrection of the dead
- “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” — 1 Corinthians 15:52
- “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people.” — Ezekiel 37:12
and the life of the world to come.
- “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” — Colossians 3:4
- “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:16
- “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” — Revelation 21:1–2
Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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