Common ground

What Most Christians Agree On

Christians are divided into many traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and thousands of denominations. But underneath the differences is a shared core, summarized for centuries in the ancient creeds. Nearly all Christians confess: one God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus as fully God and fully man, crucified, risen, and returning; salvation by grace; the Scriptures as God’s word; and the hope of resurrection and eternal life.

The shared core

For all their real differences, the great majority of Christians across history and around the world hold the same central beliefs, the ones the ancient creeds were written to state plainly:

• One God, in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one Being, the Trinity.
• Jesus is truly God and truly human. The eternal Son who became flesh.
• The cross and the empty tomb. Jesus was crucified for us, died, and rose bodily on the third day.
• Salvation by grace. We are reconciled to God as a gift, through Jesus, not by earning it.
• The Scriptures. The Bible is God’s word and the church’s authority.
• The hope to come. Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and God will make all things new.

Where the core is written down

This shared faith is confessed together in two ancient statements used across nearly every tradition: the short and early Apostles’ Creed, and the fuller Nicene Creed, agreed by councils of the whole church in 325 and 381.

Unity without pretending

Agreeing on the core does not erase the differences, and honesty about both matters. Christians still differ, sometimes sharply, on baptism, communion, church government, and more. Understanding what is shared and what is disputed is the difference between seeing a family and only seeing its arguments. For the honest other half, see what Christians disagree about.

Frequently asked questions

What do all Christians believe?

Nearly all Christians confess one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus as fully God and fully human, crucified and risen; salvation by grace; the authority of Scripture; and the hope of resurrection and eternal life. These are summarized in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

What is the Nicene core?

The 'Nicene core' refers to the central Christian beliefs stated in the Nicene Creed (325 and 381), especially that there is one God in three persons and that Jesus is truly God and truly man, crucified, risen, and returning. Most Christian traditions share it.

Are Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants all Christian?

Yes. Despite significant differences, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians share the core faith summarized in the ancient creeds: the Trinity, the divinity and resurrection of Jesus, and salvation through him.