In the Begatting…

Jesus is: In Eternity – Begotten. In Essence – Divine. On Earth – the Saviour.

I said to Brian ‘Have you slapped any heretics recently?’ He was dressed as Santa Claus for a school event which called to mind that legend (and yes, sadly, it is probably just a legend) of that ancient saint of the church, Nicolas who is said to have slapped the heretic Arius at the council of Nicaea in 325.

As we mark the 1700th anniversary of that council and the famous Creed which it birthed, it’s worth reminding ourselves why this ancient statement of faith still matters. The Creed was composed to address a serious challenge to the Christian faith—the Arian heresy, which insisted that Jesus was not eternal. Arius claimed there was “a time when the Son was not,” - Jesus was a created being rather than the eternal Son of God.

But if Christ is a mere creature, the Christian Gospel collapses. If Arius was right we could not know God as Father, we could not trust Christ’s saving work, and we could not rest in the promise of eternal life. And so the early Church responded by carefully and courageously articulating what Scripture teaches about the identity of Jesus.

Some may wonder why we need creeds at all. Isn’t the Bible enough? Of course Scripture is our final authority—but as soon as anyone explains or summarises what they believe the Bible teaches, they are already forming a creed.

Creeds simply help the Church summarise, teach, and defend the truths revealed in God’s Word.The Nicene Creed does this with clarity, especially in its central section on Jesus:

“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father…”

From this we can draw three essential truths about the Son.

1. In Eternity – Begotten

The phrase “eternally begotten” is absolutely foundational. Scripture repeatedly calls Jesus the Father’s “one and only Son” (as we read in John 1:14, John 3:16, and 1 John 4:9). A Father is only a Father if he has a Son; a Son is only a Son if he has a Father. If God is eternally the Father, then the Son must be eternally the Son.

Arius assumed that divine begetting must work like human begetting—bound to a moment in time. But Scripture insists that God does not change. Malachi 3:6 says, “I the Lord do not change,” and James 1:17 teaches that God “does not change like shifting shadows.” Hebrews 13:8 adds the same truth about Jesus: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God’s begetting is eternal, not temporal.

To make this unmistakably clear, the Creed intensifies the language. Jesus is “God from God,” meaning he shares the same divine nature as the Father. He is “Light from Light,” echoing John 1, where the Son is described as the light of humanity, and 1 John 1:5, which says that God is light. The Creed continues: he is “True God from True God”—or in older language, “very God of very God.” These phrases shut the door firmly on Arianism. Jesus is not a lesser deity or the first creature. He is what the Father is—fully, truly, eternally God. And so the Creed’s clarifying phrase makes perfect sense: he is “begotten, not made.”

This is mysterious, yes, but mystery that leads to worship. As the famous carol captures so beautifully: “God of God, Light of Light, lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb; very God, begotten not created.”

2. In Essence – Divine

The Creed continues by saying that the Son is “of one essence with the Father.” The Greek word is homoousios, meaning “same essence.” Whatever it means to be God, the Son possesses that very same “Godness.” He is not God-like; he is God. Not part of God; fully God. Coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial with the Father. This truth is not abstract—it protects the heart of the gospel.

3. On Earth – The Saviour

Immediately after declaring who Christ is, the Creed moves to what Christ does - “for us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,” was made man, was crucified, died, was buried, rose again, ascended, and will one day return. The order matters. Jesus can accomplish salvation because of who he is.

“he can only do what he does because he is who he is…”

To save humanity, he must be fully human—able to represent us. But he must also be fully God—able to bear the sin of the world and satisfy divine justice. A mere human could not carry such a weight.
Jesus himself said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” Because this is true, he is indeed our Saviour.

The Nicene Creed is not dry history. It is the Church’s joyful confession of the eternal Son—the one begotten before all ages, the one true God, and the one who came down for us and for our salvation. These truths should expand our minds, warm our hearts, and lead us to worship God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

O come, let us adore him.

You can watch the whole sermon below, read the full text, download the service sheet (with outline).