We Believe: In the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life
As we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed from the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, our focus shifts to the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to explore the profound theological affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s divinity encapsulated in the phrase, “…We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life.” While Nicaea primarily addressed Christ’s divinity against Arian heresy, Constantinople definitively canonized the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. This journey through the historical development of this crucial line of the Nicene Creed will uncover a rich theological well, brimming with symbol, substance, and enduring meaning.
The Historical Context: From Nicaea (325) to Constantinople (381)
The First Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was primarily convened to address the Arian controversy. Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria, taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not co-eternal with the Father but was a created being, even if he was the first and greatest of God’s creations. The Nicene Creed of 325 firmly condemned Arianism by asserting that the Son is “of one being” (homoousios) with the Father, meaning he shares the same divine essence.
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However, the initial Nicene Creed’s statement on the Holy Spirit was relatively brief and underdeveloped. It simply stated: “And in the Holy Spirit.” This brevity wasn’t due to a lack of belief in the Spirit’s divinity, but rather because the immediate theological battle was focused on the Son. The divinity of the Holy Spirit, while generally accepted in Christian worship and practice, had not yet faced the same level of systematic theological challenge that Christ’s divinity had.
In the decades following Nicaea, the theological landscape shifted. While Arianism itself continued to be a significant challenge, new questions and controversies emerged, particularly concerning the nature of the Holy Spirit. This led to the rise of the “pneumatic heresies” (from pneuma, Greek for “spirit”), which specifically targeted and diminished the Holy Spirit’s divinity.
This new wave of theological contention necessitated another ecumenical council: the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.
Pneumatic Heresies that Diminished the Spirit’s Divinity
The primary heresy that the Council of Constantinople addressed regarding the Holy Spirit was Macedonianism, also known as Pneumatomachianism (aka, the “Spirit Fighters”).
Origin
This heresy is often attributed to Macedonius, a semi-Arian bishop of Constantinople (though historical scholarship indicates the movement was broader and not solely founded by him; he became a prominent figure associated with it). The adherents were called “Macedonians” or, more tellingly, “Pneumatomachians” (meaning “fighters against the Spirit”).
Core Beliefs
Denial of Full Divinity
The Pneumatomachians didn’t deny the existence of the Holy Spirit, nor did they necessarily deny all divinity to the Spirit. However, they vehemently denied the Spirit’s full divinity and consubstantiality (homoousios) with the Father and the Son.
Created Being/Subordination
They taught that the Holy Spirit was a created being, a ministering spirit, or a subordinate power rather than God in the same sense as the Father and the Son. In their view, the Son created the Spirit; thus, he was inferior to both the Father and the Son.
Similar to Arianism for the Spirit
Their arguments often mirrored the Arian arguments against the Son’s divinity. If the Son was a created being, then it was even easier for them to conceive of the Holy Spirit as created and subordinate.
Impact
This heresy posed a serious threat to the developing Trinitarian doctrine. If the Holy Spirit were not fully God, then:
Worship was compromised:
Worshipping the Holy Spirit would be idolatry if he were not divine.
The baptismal formula was undermined:
The Trinitarian formula for baptism (Matthew 28:19) would imply unequal partners.
Salvation was at stake:
If the Spirit is merely a creature, how could he truly regenerate, sanctify, and indwell believers, connecting them to the divine life of God? This would diminish the life-giving work of the Spirit (highlighted in our creedal line).
Revelation was questioned:
How could the Spirit truly “speak through the prophets” and inspire Scripture if he were not fully divine?
The Council of Constantinople (381 AD) and the Creed’s Expansion
Faced with Macedonianism’s growing influence, Emperor Theodosius I convened the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. The council included prominent orthodox theologians like Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa (often called the Cappadocian Fathers), who had already vigorously defended the Spirit’s divinity through their writings (Basil’s On the Holy Spirit is a key text).
The Council’s response was to expand the section of the Nicene Creed dealing with the Holy Spirit. They didn’t replace the 325 Creed, but rather amplified and clarified it. The result is the version of the Creed we largely use today, often called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
The crucial additions concerning the Holy Spirit are:
- “And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,” (affirming his deity and essential role)
- “who proceeds from the Father,” (affirming his distinct personhood and origin within the Godhead)
- “who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,” (explicitly affirming his co-equality in worship, a direct refutation of any subordinationism)
- “who spoke by the prophets” (affirming his divine inspiration of Scripture and his active role in divine revelation)
By adding these phrases, the Council of Constantinople firmly established the full divinity and personhood of the Holy Spirit, integrating him definitively into the co-equal, co-eternal, and co-worshipped Trinity. This theological development was essential for the coherent understanding of God’s nature and his work in salvation, setting the stage for centuries of Christian theology and worship.
The Theological Meaning of “The Lord, the Giver of Life”
The deliberate choice of these two titles, “the Lord” (κύριος, Kyrios) and “the Giver of Life” (τὸ ζωοποιόν, to zoopoion), by the Council of Constantinople was a profound theological declaration, directly countering the Pneumatomachian heresy and affirming the Holy Spirit’s full divine status and essential work.
“The Lord” (κύριος, Kyrios)
This title is perhaps the most direct and forceful affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s divinity.
Divine Identification:
The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) primarily uses Kyrios to translate the Hebrew divine name YHWH (Yahweh). To call the Holy Spirit “the Lord” is, therefore, to ascribe to Him the very name and attributes of God Almighty. It places him on par with the Father and the Son, both of whom are also called Lord.
Old Testament:
The phrase “Spirit of the Lord” frequently denotes divine power, authority, and presence (e.g., Judges 3:10; 1 Samuel 10:6; Isaiah 11:2). When the Spirit acts, it is God acting.
New Testament:
Crucially, 2 Corinthians 3:17 states, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” This explicit identification by Paul solidifies the Spirit’s divine status. Furthermore, Acts 5:3-4 shows Peter confronting Ananias, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to men but to God,” directly equating lying to the Spirit with lying to God.
Sovereignty and Co-equality:
Calling the Spirit “Lord” signifies his absolute sovereignty, his rightful claim to worship and obedience, and his co-equality with the Father and the Son within the blessed Trinity. He is not a subordinate entity, a creature, or a mere divine influence, but a distinct divine Person of whom the same reverence and adoration due to the Father and Son are equally due. This title directly demolishes any Pneumatomachian attempt to relegate the Spirit to a lesser status.
“The Giver of Life” (τὸ ζωοποιόν, to zoopoion)
This title articulates the Holy Spirit’s indispensable role in both creation and salvation, highlighting his active, life-imparting power.
Source of All Life (Physical Creation):
Scripture depicts the Holy Spirit as intimately involved in the very act of creation.
- Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” implies the Spirit’s active presence in shaping and vivifying the formless void.
- Psalm 104:30: “When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” This verse beautifully illustrates the Spirit’s continuous role in sustaining the natural world and bringing forth new life.
- Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Here, the scripture directly links the Spirit to the origin of human life. This aspect reinforces the Spirit’s full divinity; only God can be the ultimate source and sustainer of life.
Source of Spiritual and Eternal Life (Redemption):
Beyond physical existence, the Spirit is the indispensable agent of new life in salvation.
- Regeneration and New Birth: John 3:5-8 emphasizes that one must be “born of water and the Spirit” to enter the kingdom of God, signifying the Spirit’s work in spiritual regeneration. This is not merely human effort, but a divine act of imparting life.
- Sanctification and Transformation: The Spirit indwells believers (Romans 8:9-11), producing the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23), and empowering them for a life of righteousness and Christ-likeness. He transforms dead souls into living saints.
- Resurrection Life: The Creed’s phrase also points to the ultimate promise of life: the resurrection. Romans 8:11 states, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” The Spirit who resurrected Christ is the same Spirit who will resurrect believers, signifying his power over death itself.
- A Comprehensive Role: The Spirit’s identity as “the Giver of Life” showcases his active participation in the entire divine economy, from creation to consummation. He actualizes and applies the Father’s loving plan and the Son’s redemptive work, bringing life in all its fullness.
In synthesizing these titles, the Nicene Creed presents the Holy Spirit not as a lesser being, but as the divine “Lord” whose very nature is to impart “life”—physical, spiritual, and eternal. This concise yet profound declaration solidified Trinitarian orthodoxy and provided a cornerstone for all future Christian pneumatology.
Image: The rose window of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by aleroy4 from Getty Images Signature, courtesy of Canva.
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