Stage 3: Doctrine Lesson 2 ATHANASIAN CREED — THE TRINITY After the Apostle’s Creed, the early Church formed several other important creeds. One primary issue of debate was whether or not Jesus and the Holy Spirit were equal to God the Father. There was a lot of arguing over this issue and a man named Athanasius wrote a creed to clarify the nature of God, i.e., the doctrine of the Trinity.1 All of Christianity hinges on our view of God so we will take this lesson to focus on the doctrine of the Trinity, starting with Athanasius’ creed.2 ATHANASIAN CREED We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity; neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being. For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another. But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit. Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit. The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite. Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit. THE TRINITY The Christian doctrine of the Trinity embodies four affirmations, depicted by this diagram: 1. There is one and only one true and living God. 2. This one God eternally exists in three persons — God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. 3. These three persons are completely equal in attributes, each with the same divine nature. 4. While each person is fully and completely God, the persons are not identical. 1 Some scholars debate whether or not Athanasius actually wrote the creed, but that is irrelevant for our purposes. 2 The doctrine of the Trinity is probably the hardest concept to grasp, along with the dual nature of Christ (which we will focus on in the next lesson). However, it is also the most important. Remember, humans, who are finite beings, will always have difficulty in describing God, who is infinite. If you struggle with this, good! You are in company with Christians for thousands of years. What an incomprehensible and indescribable God we serve! ! Stage 3: Doctrine Lesson 2 NT Scripture for the Trinity • Matthew 3:16-17 - “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” • Matthew 28:18-20 — “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” • John 17:5 - “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” • John 1:1-2 & 14 - 1“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made…14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” • John 1:18 - “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” • John 15:26 - “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father - he will testify about me.” Thus, the Christian view of God believes that these three persons (Father, Son, and Spirit) share the same divine nature, yet are different in role and relationship. They are equal in essence yet distinct in function. FALLACIES OF GOD Sometimes the best way to grasp a concept is to define what it is not. Here are common fallacies in trying to explain who God is. • Tritheism — This view overemphasizes the distinction between the persons of the Trinity and ends up with three gods. This neglects the oneness of the natures of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christianity is Monotheistic, meaning we believe in one God (John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; 1 Tim. 2:5; James 2:19). We believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct in their function (they have different roles), but equal in their essence (their divine nature as God). ! Stage 3: Doctrine Lesson 2 • Modalism — The idea the God exists in three separate modes. This misconception claims God is not three distinct persons, but he has merely revealed himself in three distinct forms. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit cannot exist at the same time. This view was condemned at the 1st Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. • Arianism — This view denies the full deity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, insisting that they were created at some point in time. Thus, they are not eternal and are not equal with the Father. This is the view held by Jehovah’s Witnesses. • Partialism — This view states that the Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct persons of the Godhead, but are different parts of the Godhead. In other words, God is one third Father, one third Son, and one third Spirit. COMMON ANALOGIES AND WHERE THEY FAIL Analogies can be very helpful in understanding hard concepts such as the Trinity. However, we must realize that all analogies fail at some point. Here are some common analogies used to describe the Trinity and where they fall short. • H2O — Water, Steam, Ice. All three are H2O, but can exist in three different modes. This is a classic analogy used for the Trinity, but it falls into modalism because the three (water, steam, and ice) cannot all exist at the same time. This is useful in explaining how the Father, Son and Spirit are of the same substance/ essence, as long as we acknowledge that it fails to maintain the coexisting persons of God. • The Sun — Star, light, heat. The star produces heat, which produces light. This view falls into Arianism, because the light and heat are creations of the star, i.e., the Son and the Spirit would be creations of the Father and not one in nature with him. • Three Leaf Clover — Each of these leaves forms a part of the clover. This falls into partialism because each ‘piece’ is a third of the whole. In contrast, the Trinitarian view asserts that while the three are distinct persons, they all form the Godhead together. • Father, Son, Husband — One man can be a father, son, and husband. This falls into modalism. Once again, these analogies can be helpful in conveying one point about the Trinity, but the fail to convey the entire truth. If we use such analogies we must first and ! Stage 3: Doctrine Lesson 2 foremost acknowledge where they falter to whomever we are teaching. The diagram presented before is probably the best representation for explaining the Trinity, and we encourage you to use that whenever you teach others about this doctrine. TAKE ACTION ꔄ Watch this video: https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw ꔄ What analogies have you heard for the Trinity? How do these analogies help explain the Trinity and what do they fail to explain about the Trinity? ꔄ Which of the fallacies listed above have you heard before? ꔄ Why is the doctrine of the Trinity so important and fundamental to Christianity? ꔄ How do we see the divinity of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit in scripture? ꔄ Draw the diagram on the first page depicting the Trinity. It is helpful to have this memorized when explaining this concept. !.