Thanks Livingston. Genuine affirmation of the Nicene Creed and the content therein is not sufficient for a “one-way ticket to the Kingdom of God.” I.e, a person could genuinely affirm the Nicene Creed and yet still be Hell-bound.

Or in the past tense: There are folks who have genuinely affirmed the Nicene Creed and yet still went to Hell.

Eg., Early Church Father St. John Chrysostom: “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.”

Can someone affirm it and go to Hell? For the life of me I can’t think of why knowledge of doctrines would equal eternal security. I’m not a relativist, but I find it difficult to make positive conclusions about persons and their state. I prefer to say someone’s beliefs are/are not Christian, but in general I shy away from saying I know the state of someone’s soul. This is not because I’m afraid to make judgments, but because I know there is so much I don’t know. Also, I struggle with the “Christian” who is an a-hole and the “non-believer” who is clearly a good person.

The older I get, the less I seem to know.

I think that the point of the saying “the road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops” is more to point out that the church is plagued with hypocrisy, and probably has less to do with the Nicene creed.

But you’re conclusion is still likely correct. The Nicene Creed is not a one-way ticket to the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the only path.

I have read comments from folks (usually Catholics or Eastern Orthodox) who write something like the following:

“Early Church Father St. John Chrysostom is correct when he says that the road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.”

It’s somewhat safe to assume that these (post-Nicene Creed) bishops whose skulls are paving the road to hell genuinely affirmed the Nicene Creed.

And yet their affirmation of the Nicene Creed did not (presumably) prevent them from being in Hell.

For one thing, none can say with any certainty whether someone is “hell-bound” or even “heaven-bound”. I think that what you mean to be asking is whether someone can affirm the Nicene creed while not being a Christian.

Secondly, The Nicene creed is not a marker for salvation, Jesus is. John 14:6 is pretty clear on that.

Is it possible for someone to affirm the Nicene Creed and choose not to follow Jesus? Yes, theoretically. Though I don’t really see the point in affirming God’s grace and choosing to deny it, yet we all sin. So really in a sense we all claim to follow the Nicene Creed and to be followers of Christ yet our actions say otherwise (in sin).

Also, on a side note, I’m curious why you’re asking or why you’re even concerned. I thought you were a calvinist? From your perspective, people are hell-bound or heaven-bound regardless of what they think about the creed so the question is really one that only God can know (since it’s unconditional there really is no reason why or why not).

(A) The Nicene Creed is more or less the litmus test for heresy, as it defines orthodox Christianity. What are you thinking of?

(B) I don’t think any of us have the power, knowledge, or right to make salvific judgments.