How can one make sure that the Council of Nicea indeed proclaimed the truth without error by promulgating the Nicean Creed?

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I have been challenged about the part “{Jesus Christ} True God of True God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father” in contrast to the view that Jesus Christ is the first-born of God’s creatures (implying that He is not God).
 
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coffito said:
I have been challenged about the part “{Jesus Christ} True God of True God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father” in contrast to the view that Jesus Christ is the first-born of God’s creatures (implying that He is not God).
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Scripture, Patristics, and belief that the Church is what it is.
 
The assertions in the Creed are statements of faith. Faith is “sure” because of the nature of faith itself is certainty. I’m speaking here of supernatural faith - the kind spoken of in Scripture, which is radically different from faith that is not supernatural, but is of merely natural, human origin.
Of supernatural faith, which is of God, we can say,
  • Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—
  • and
  • Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith that is NOT a gift of God - that is NOT supernatural and divine in origin - may be called “natural faith”, and is not an absolute assurance and conviction, but is something less. People want to “prove” things that are held by natural faith, because natural faith is NOT certain, it does NOT give firm assurance, it is NOT an absolute conviction - and it does NOT lead to salvation, because it is NOT a gift of God.

The Creed is a result of the guidance of the Holy Spirit acting in His Church, as He was sent to do by Jesus our Lord. Jesus, our Lord and God, said to His Church, “Lo, I am with you until the close of the age.” That means He is STILL with us, in the Church, today. The end has not come yet!
And Jesus sent His Holy Spirit, promising:
  • John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
  • John 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
We can believe - on God’s authority - what He, the Holy Spirit, has led the Church to believe. God does not, cannot, lie. God IS truth.
 
You can’t make sure…all you can do is assent to the truth claims made by The Church
 
The same way that one can be sure of which books are in the Bible: the Church, “the pillar and foundation of truth,” formally declared it to be so.
 
Thank you all for the responses!
I perhaps chose the wrong phrase “to make sure” because I did not mean by this some kind of scientific evidence or absolute assurance, but rather how one can reach certainty in this matter.
fide, how do you know that the Nicean council fathers were guided by the Holy Spirit? For example, the Oneness Pentecostals place much emphasis on the Holy Spirit but they reject the Council of Nicea.
 
The first seven Ecumenical Councils are the summary of the Christian faith before the split of East and West.

They addressed all major dogmatic articles of the Church.

Nearly all the bishops and theologians of the time participated in these councils. Their teachings are authentic, complete and reflect years of contemplation.

Upstart Protestant one-off sects like Holiness/Pentecostal movements are just spouting old heresies poured into new wine skins.

No one doubted, questioned, or disputed these teachings for 1,600 years.

The Catholic Church edited the Bible that these groups use. The Catholic Church handed on the oral Tradition (which pre-dates written Scripture) for all to understand how the Church is to function.

It possesses the Apostolic authority Christ entrusted to the Twelve.
Your friend’s question / criticism of the Nicene-Constantinopolan Creed is nerf ball.
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2,000 years of unbroken authority reaching back to the Lord Jesus Himself, handed on by the mystery of Sacred Orders, only the Catholic and Orthodox Church has that.

Deacon Christopher
 
The Council of Nicea was convoked by the emperor Constantine whose motives are unclear but it was probably more political than religious.
Isn’t it possible that the truth was compromised at the council (or at any other ecumenical council) under political pressure?
 
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coffito said:
The Council of Nicea was convoked by the emperor Constantine whose motives are unclear but it was probably more political than religious.
Isn’t it possible that the truth was compromised at the council (or at any other ecumenical council) under political pressure?
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Given that all evidence points to Constantine leaning towards Arianism before the council and the council went Trinitarian, no, the council wasn’t compromised.

Anyone can call for a council. The Holy Spirit was with the bishops.
 
coffito said:
I have been challenged about the part “{Jesus Christ} True God of True God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father” in contrast to the view that Jesus Christ is the first-born of God’s creatures (implying that He is not God).
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Does the challanger accept the 27 books of the NT as the inspired word of God? If so this position could only be acknowledged sometime after the council of Nicaea. The next step is to understand the continuity, if any, with Nicaea and the following councils which gave us the NT books. By “continuity” i mean, among other things, bishops in common.

Peace!!!
 
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