The Trinity's Impact Upon the Creeds
That God is referred to as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, every true Christian knows and believes. Each can rightfully be called God. However, since the earliest centuries after Christ, men have sought to reconcile how one God could manifest Himself as all three. Conjecture about the nature of Christ abounded. Was he God, man, or perhaps both? Was he pre-existent? All kinds of questions and speculations arose.
The doctrine of the Trinity that won the day and influenced the Creeds of the Church is popularly believed but probably the least studied by most believers of any Church teaching. We invite you to take a closer look.
Although encountering strong dissent by various elements of the Church for centuries, the doctrine has come to be considered by many as the hallmark of Christianity. To question or criticize may be considered to deny the faith. Nevertheless, as Christians we need to search out and understand as best we can just what we believe, and it must be admitted that the Trinity doctrine raises questions. Whatever is advanced as truth should always be able to bear examination. Indeed, how can truth otherwise be confirmed, so let us always be free to critique the conclusions of men that may be fallible.
To clearly define what is meant by the Trinity, the full text of the Athanasian Creed, the commonly accepted belief by the Church, is printed below with a few significant remarks in bold face:
Whoever would be saved, must first of all take care that he hold the Catholic faith, which, except a man preserve whole and inviolate, he shall without doubt perish eternally. But this is the Catholic faith, that we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity. Neither confounding the persons or dividing the substance. For the Person of the Father is one; of the Son, another; of the Holy Spirit, another. But the divinity of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is one, the glory equal, the majesty equal. Such as is the Father, such also is the Son, and such the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, the Holy Spirit is infinite. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal Beings, but one eternal Being. As also there are not three uncreated Beings, nor three infinite Beings, but one uncreated and one infinite Being. In like manner, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. And yet, there are not three omnipotent Beings, but one omnipotent Being. Thus the Father is God, the Son, God, and the Holy Spirit, God. And yet there are not three Gods, but one God only. The Father is Lord, the Son, Lord, and the Holy Spirit, Lord. And yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord only. For as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each person distinctively to be both God and Lord, we are prohibited by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made by none, nor created, nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made, not created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is not created by the Father and the Son, nor begotten, but proceeds. Therefore, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons, one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity there is nothing prior or posterior, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal, and coequal to themselves. So that through all, as was said above, both unity in trinity, and trinity in unity is to be adored. Whoever would be saved, let him thus think concerning the Trinity. (emphasis ours)
Now that you have read it in full, may we ask whether you find it helpful to understanding God? Neither the word Trinity nor the “three persons of the Godhead” is to be found in the Bible. GOD the Father, GOD the Son, GOD the Spirit, each God, each equal in glory, eternality, omnipotent, each separate from the other yet ONE GOD? GOD the Son, not created but begotten? Whatever does this mean? Please, we don't mean to be irreverent nor to question the good intentions of those who tried to reconcile the seeming controversy presented in scripture. However, the good intentions of men are always subject to error, as the Bible so often shows. We should not confuse the speculations of men with the truth as given in scripture. The latter has been authored by God to provide an accurate revelation of Himself and His purposes. The above creed, on the other hand, is the guesswork of men, one might say the product of a committee. Few are acquainted with the history surrounding its origin in the fourth century A.D., so let us touch on it briefly, listing some things of concern.
First,the early Church that "turned the world upside down" knew nothing of any Creeds. They were not theologians. They were common men awestruck by the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who by His resurrection was proven to be who He claimed, their savior sent by God, to die for the sins of the world.
By the time of the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., when the Trinity doctrine was initially conceived, things had changed. The Church had become divided by conflicting views. The three major segments, Rome, Antioch and Alexandria, vied for influence and power, arriving at conflicting views on various doctrines, particularly over the question of Christ's divinity. Controversy reached a fever pitch when Arius of the Alexandrian faction, contended that Christ was not God, but only the greatest of all men. Meanwhile, after having undergone years of persecution, the Church was suddenly legalized under King Constantine, and Christianity was made the official religion of Rome. Concerned over the conflicting views, particularly that of Arius, Constantine called for a conference to resolve the problem, feeling that Rome's unity required a tidying up of the new official religion. (It was hardly an example of separation of Church and State). Some 300 bishops were called to the council, the merits of many being questionable concerning their familiarity with the issues. Finally, after strong dissension by many, the Creed was accepted by a majority, and instituted by Rome by means of favoritism or penalties. Other councils were later called to iron out controversies that led to the Creed above and others that would follow. Strong dissent lasted for years and years until the Creed gradually became accepted, although dissension still continues.
Upon gaining the acceptance of Rome and becoming the majority opinion in the Church, the Trinitarian disposition gained influence in how scripture would be read and interpreted by theologians of the day. Eventually, in its sway, it would leave its mark on Christian literature, on our hymnals, and even influence certain passages in our Bibles, Other creeds developed to accommodate denominational schisms would essentially mimic its conclusions.
To understand how conditions and thought can change over time, look at the state of our nation today compared to its institution in 1776. Any resemblance today of the presidency, the congress and the courts in keeping with the founding fathers is fast fading away—in little over 200 years. Similarly, in some 300 years the Church that had withstood all kinds of persecution could not stand prosperity and legalization under Rome by Constantine. Amid religious division and governmental influence, the seeds of Roman Catholicism began sprouting with the separation of clergy and laity. The development of the Trinity doctrine is reminiscent of today's inept Congress trying to hammer out a piece of legislation the President won't veto. In view of this, is it not wise to be a bit skeptical, to consider if there is not an alternative view in accord with scripture that helps us better understand the relationship of Christ to His Father and its meaning for us?
Since the Bible is to be the rule of faith, how does the Trinity doctrine add up in the light of scripture alone? If we are to arrive at the answer, we need to avoid speculations and assumptions, no matter how revered the proponents might be. We need to remember we are fallible and that preconceived views can cause us to read into scripture more or less than it says, often harmfully distorting it. We confess that we are no exception, that our own understanding has had to be repeatedly corrected by God's grace (for example, the very doctrine we are examining); consequently, we are approaching our subject in reliance that God may be the interpreter of His Word rather than us. We have no axe to grind, no cause to promote, nothing other than God and His Son to worship, which we endeavor to do with all our heart and soul and mind. Having said that, we take exception to believing something not clearly in agreement with scripture, although we readily admit many scriptures seem to support a Trinitarian view. The trouble is many others do not. Since God is not the author of confusion, an alternative view more in harmony with all scripture is to be sought. That, of course, is the purpose of this web site, and you are invited to check out our findings.