Festival of the Holy Trinity
June 3, 2012
The Lord be with you
Today is Trinity Sunday. I could put us several different posts,
all of which would be appropriate and all of which would be very different. In
the worship notes for today I said I’d put up something about the icon of the
Old Testament Trinity. It is also sometimes called the hospitality of Abraham
and Sarah. I could also put up a post tracing the Trinity from the first
chapter in Genesis through the book of Revelation. Then again I could put up
something about the history of Trinity Sunday, when it started, why, and so
forth. I might even include something about the old Trinity Season, which now
is called the Pentecost season, why it was introduced and why most liturgical calendars
now prefer the name Pentecost.
However I’ve decided to post the Athanasian Creed. It is the
best “short” explanation of the Trinity I’ve ever found. Information about the
background of this creed can be found in this month’s newsletter article "digging in" and is posted on
this blog. The link to the newsletter is on the right-hand side of the blog.
If you are not familiar with this creed two things might
trouble you because of your lack of familiarity. First are the words “catholic
faith” found in verse one and elsewhere. You might think it is referring to the
Roman Catholic Church. It does not. When this creed was written, the Roman
Catholic Church, as a distinct denomination, did not exist. In fact, no
distinct denomination existed. Every Christian used the word “catholic.” It is
a Latin word which means “universal” Therefore, in the creed below, the word “catholic”
is not capitalized. It is understood as referring to the universal Christian Church
and not to any specific denomination. The next puzzle comes in verse 39. There
we confess: “And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and
those who have done evil into eternal fire.” You might think the creed is
saying good works contribute to salvation. However the rest of the creed, which
speaks of faith as the only key to salvation, indicates that such an
understanding of verse 39 is incorrect. What the creed confesses is that our
good works are not forgotten in heaven. In fact, good works in the eyes of God
can only be done by those who have saving faith. In heaven, such works are
remembered. And now:
The Athanasian Creed
1 Whoever desires to be saved must, above
all, hold the catholic faith.
2 Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish
eternally.
3 And the catholic faith is this,
4 that we worship one God in Trinity
and
Trinity
in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
5 For the Father is one person, the Son
is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.
6 But the Godhead of the Father and of
the Son
and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7 Such as the Father is, such is the
Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
8 the Father uncreated, the Son
uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
9 the Father infinite, the Son
infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
10 the Father eternal, the Son eternal,
the Holy Spirit eternal.
11 And
yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
12 just
as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one
Infinite.
13 In
the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit
almighty;
14 and
yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
15 So
the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
16 and
yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
17 So
the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
18 and
yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
19 Just
as we are compelled by the
Christian truth to acknowledge each
distinct person as God and Lord,
so also are we prohibited by the
catholic religion to say
that there are three Gods or Lords.
20 The
Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
21 The
Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
22 The
Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son,
neither made nor created nor
begotten, but proceeding.
23 Thus,
there is one Father, not three Fathers;
one Son, not three Sons; one Holy
Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
24 And
in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than
another;
25 but
the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal,
so that in all things, as has been
stated above,
the Trinity in Unity and Unity in
Trinity is to be worshiped.
26 Therefore,
whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.
27 But
it is also necessary for everlasting salvation
that one faithfully believe the
incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
28 Therefore,
it is the right faith that we believe and confess that
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of-God, is at the same time both God and man.
29 He
is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages;
and He is man, born from the
substance of His mother in this age:
30 perfect
God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh;
31 equal
to the Father with respect to His divinity,
less than the Father with respect to
His humanity.
32 Although
He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
33 one,
however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh,
but by the assumption of the
humanity into God;
34 one
altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
35 For
as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ,
36 who
suffered for our salvation,
descended into hell, rose again the third
day from the dead,
37 ascended
into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty,
from whence He will come to judge
the living and the dead.
38 At
His coming all people will rise again with their bodies
and give an account concerning their
own deeds.
39 And
those who have done good will enter into eternal life,
and those who have done evil into
eternal fire.
40 This
is the catholic faith;
whoever does not believe it
faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
Blessings in Christ
Pastor John Rickert
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