This past week for Vacation Bible School, we have been exploring and studying the mystery of the Trinity. The mystery which we confess to be true: that there are three persons in one godhead. Distinct in person yet united as one being. Can we grasp this? Not fully. Not really. Not on this side of heaven. But the concept that can be grasped is how each person in the godhead works for our good, for our salvation, that is something that we can begin to comprehend.

As part of Vacation Bible School, we went to the creeds to help us understand who God is and has revealed Himself to be for us. We saw why it is important, not only in the worship of Him and acknowledging Him, but in the understanding of who we were, but now who we are because of His work in us. So too for us all it important to know, to study and ponder the mystery of the Trinity. It is important too to defend against errors that can be spotted which would confuse who God is and subsequently who we are. In fact, that is how the Nicene and Athanasian creed came to be. They were formed as an expansion upon the Apostles Creed in order to clarify what the Bible teaches in opposition to false teaching and mis-belief that arose in the early church. In fact, it was 1700 years ago right around this time that the early church fathers were meeting in the city of Nicea for a council to decide several theological debates and issues in the church.

The error that had to be discussed and ultimately rejected concerned the person of Jesus Christ. There are many errors that have risen concerning the person of Jesus. Errors such as: Was He only a good man? Or is He a Divine being who only put on humanity like we put on clothing? Or is this Jesus, this Word, god-like, but a creation of God proper, and therefore not actually God nor eternal while somehow still being higher than a human? This last false teaching was the position of a priest by the name of Arius who lived in the early 4th century and convinced many people to believe this way. They claimed that the Word, the Son, this Jesus Christ was a creature formed by God for the work of redemption of humanity, but was not Himself God. This is not true. And the other theologians of that time knew it. They understood that they had to clarify who the eternal Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ was and is. So, to the glory of God, and in order to keep people from misbelief and being scandalized by falsehood they formulated the “Nicene Creed”.

Jesus is true God, but He is also true Man in a mysterious union. The Word of God who is also Son of God did not have flesh until He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit but He had been begotten, that is set aside to be incarnated from before there was time and creation, that this person of the Trinity was set aside or “begotten” from eternity for the purpose of humanity’s salvation. That is why the Nicene Creed is more specific that the Apostles’ Creed as to the origin and substance of Jesus Christ. So, we have this more full confession: “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man;”
Yet, the Nicene Creed did not eradicate the false beliefs of Arianism, because false teaching is always difficult to eradicate in this sin plagued world as the Devil is always trying to lead people from God’s truth back to ignorant darkness. Over the centuries, Arianism has taken different names and Christological heresies continue to proliferate, that is increase and multiply. So do heresies regarding the other members of the Trinity, therefore we have further confessions and expositions on the topic like in the Athanasian Creed.

The Church must ever keep vigil because the devil, the world, and our own fallen reason are always wrestling against the truth of what God had revealed Himself to be. Why is this important? Because any error concerning the Trinity will affect how we understand ourselves and how God relates to us. It will in turn affect how we read Scripture and how we view the Law and Gospel. Will Good Works be done out of Gratitude or out of fear? Do we have a God who desires our salvation and comes to us to help us in our need or a God who expects us to prove that we deserve salvation and must seek Him ourselves. God keep us from such confusion!

We see how the world tries to ignore the idea of a creator; replacing Him instead, with a notion of a chance explosion which created an evolutionary cycle which somehow brought forth all things both lifeless and living. That somehow order came from disorder and chaos without a Divine creator. Furthermore, you have those who minimize the idea that God by the power of His Word could create all things fully formed by speaking it into existence within a natural day. This rejection is also a Trinitarian error as we see the power of the 3 persons were all intimately involved in creation. The Father willed it, the Word which is the Son was spoken, and the Spirit brought it forth and formed it.

We see the modern Christological errors in various church bodies such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, and others, within modern Judaism, Islam, and others who all Deny the Scriptural and orthodox confession of Christ’s Divinity and person.

There are even errors regarding the role of the Holy Spirit and from whom does He proceed: from the Father or the Son or both? Scripture is clear that He proceeds from both, by the way. Another error rejects that the Spirit does the work of converting sinners from unbelief and error and He alone gives us the ability to believe, giving us the gift of faith. Many teach falsely that the Spirit merely gives us a hand, but we have to come to accept faith and that we have enough good in us to participate with Him not only good works, but in conversion itself! This kind of error, minimizes God’s gift of faith and magnifies our contribution which actually is nothing.

The truth is that God sees that you, me, and the world by nature are spiritually dead and unable to help ourselvess to receive or achieve salvation. “God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is He who then calls us by His Word , who comes to us and causes us to be born not according to flesh, but to be reborn from above by the power of the Holy Spirit working through water and the Word in Holy baptism. It is He who creates repentance and faith by the forgiveness of our sins.

He continues to come to us to speak His Truth in our ears, so that we may grow in faith and understanding throughout our years. He comforts us in our weakness and sorrows, turning them into joy and strength because He brings us back to Himself away from ourselves and dependence upon that which fails. God cannot and will not fail you. He loves you and comes to you and invites you to receive His gifts, remembering your Baptism where He put His name upon you and brought you into fellowship with Himself through the sacrifices of the second person of the Trinity. Jesus Christ has fulfilled the Law in His flesh, died upon the cross for your sins, and has risen bodily to show you the future that God desires for you, even your eternal life body and soul.

So, in confession of His name and trusting His Word we ponder and receive the mysteries even as we eat and drink Christ’s body and blood in the bread and wine, where your lips are sanctified to speak His name.

Study the creeds for they help us to know God and grow in faith and grace. But in these statements of belief lies the key to give an answer to those who do not believe or who are entrapped in misbelief. God can and will work through you and me to speak and confess Him before people and in so doing will call, gather, and enlighten them by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray again the collect for this day: “Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities, for you, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen”.

Pr. Aaron Kangas