Defending the doctrine of the Trinity (Godhead) from anti-Trinitarian and unitarian heresy, including Sabellianism and Arianism within the early church, as well as today’s modern Bible versions which removes 1 John 5:7 and relegates it to the footnotes of Scripture in what the “textual critics” call, “The Johannine Comma”. Also covered: the Athanasius Creed.
DEFENDING THE TRINITY
There are people today who deny the deity of Jesus Christ and the fact that He is a co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Person of the Godhead.
But I want to ask you this question: if you believe that Jesus SAVED you, but don’t believe that He is God, what POWER does Jesus have to save you?
& If you deny that the Holy Spirit is a co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Person of the Godhead, by what POWER will the Holy Ghost raise you from the dead?
1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
1 John 5:7 is the single-most, clear Bible verse that we have on the doctrine of the Trinity.
Jesus also said in John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.”
Both 1 John 5:7 and John 10:30 use similar language & concepts & were both written by John the Apostle …
Again, about the Trinity, John says, “these three are one”.
In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and my Father are one”.
… and so we see an unbroken linguistic continuity between John’s GOSPEL and his EPISTLE.
This Biblical correlation reinforces the concept that Jesus is a co-equal, co-substantial, co-eternal, co-existing Person of the Godhead.
And I actually prefer the word, “GODHEAD” over the TRINITY, because it’s a BIBLICAL WORD describing the essence of the Father, the Son, & the Holy Ghost.
But I’m also OK w/ the word, Trinity.
In the same way that we use phrases like, “THE RAPTURE”, to describe when believers will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air …
… even though the word, “rapture” never appears in the Bible, the concept itself is there …
And it’s the same with the Trinity …
There’s ample evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity throughout the Bible, even though the word “Trinity” is not strictly a Biblical word.
And the reason it’s important to continue defending the doctrine of the Trinity is that the Biblical Godhead has been under attack since shortly after the early church began …
… and the Trinity continues to be scrutinized today.
In the early 200s, in the 3rd century church, a heresy started by a man named Sabellius, called “Sabellianism” …
… and this heresy made its way throughout the primitive Eastern church, where the Majority Text of our Bible manuscripts were being produced.
Sabellius was an anti-Trinitarian who came up with Modalism, which claimed that the Father, the Son, & the Holy Ghost, are three completely different “modes”, “parts”, aspects, or faces of God …
… but that they are not THREE, DISTINCT, CO-EQUAL, CO-SBUSTANTIAL Persons of the Godhead.
He saw them as completely separate parts of God, which is why it’s called Modalism (as in 3 different modes).
The next anti-Trinitarian heresy that spread throughout the early Eastern church was conceived by a man named Arius, who denied that Jesus and the Holy Ghost are God.
Arius denied the Deity of Christ & Arianism spread within the early Eastern church in the 4th century.
… and so Arianism claimed that Jesus was a CREATED BEING, created by God the Father.
So various forms of UNITARIAN or ANTI-TRINITARIAN heresy took form in the very early church, in the East.
Now, these heresies were not prominent in the West.
And this becomes important later on in the sermon, so I’m bringing it up.
• Now, today, there are still Unitarians who deny the doctrine of the Trinity as well as the Deity of Christ …
… along with groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who deny the Biblical Godhead and the true divinity of Jesus Christ, and invent their own versions of Jesus.
• Another attack on the Trinity today comes in the form of modern Bible translations.
Again 1 John 5:7, in the KJV reads: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
This is the single-most clear, concise passage available in the entire Bible on the Trinity.
But THE NIV & the ESV, & other modern versions, remove this important passage & truncate the verse to read: “For there are three that testify:”
What’s removed? “The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” is completely removed.
But the King James Bible retains this passage today.
• & This is what the TEXTUAL CRITICS call, “the JOHANNINE COMMA”.
They believe it’s a “comma” or addendum to the Scriptures & that it should be relegated only to the footnotes of the Bible.
They believe that these are extra words that were ADDED to the Bible in subsequent editions.
The claim is that the Johannine Comma was a Latin corruption that doesn’t belong in the Bible.
I disagree.
I believe these words were removed from the early Greek manuscripts in the East because of the heresies surrounding the Trinity.
• But before I defend the inclusion of 1 John 5:7 as preserved by God’s providence …
… Let’s look at some examples of additional Bible verses where the CLEAR EVIDENCE of the existence of the TRINITY is manifest.
• So even without 1 John 5:7, we can prove the existence of the Trinity.
• In fact, the Trinity is seen as early as the Book of Genesis, from the very beginning of God’s creation.
Genesis 1:26 is the first time that we have a clear picture of the Godhead: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …”
God said in His Word: “OUR” image and “OUR” likeness, speaking of Himself.
God refers to Himself in the plural and the collective form …
… and so we see from early on an obvious reference to the Trinity.
WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? That God created us in the image of God and the angels or the host of heaven?
(That’s what some people claim).
But we know the Bible teaches that GOD CREATED MAN in HIS own image …
And so referring to Himself as “OUR IMAGE” is an obvious reference to the Godhead.
• The Bible also teaches in the Gospel of John that GOD created ALL THINGS through JESUS.
This reinforces the idea that when God created man …
… He created man in the image of not only God the Father, but in the image of His Son, and the image of the Holy Spirit.
So we are made in the image of the Godhead.
Speaking of Jesus, John 1:3 says: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
The Bible says in Genesis 1:1, that GOD created the heaven & the earth.
So if God is the Creator of heaven and earth and Jesus made all things, then Jesus is GOD and a co-eternal member of the Godhead.
Also, one of the Hebrew names for God is “Elohim”, which is a masculine, PLURAL noun in Hebrew.
The fact that God’s name is both masculine and plural, intrinsically alludes to His nature as the Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.
And ELOHIM is used right there in Genesis 1:1, when the Bible says, “God created the heaven and the earth”.
The first time GOD is mentioned in the bible, in the VERY FIRST VERSE OF THE BIBLE, is “ELOHIM”, which is plural.
So the BIBLE ITSELF STARTS WITH THE TRINITY!
The Trinity is the foundation and starting point of the entire Scripture.
“Elohim”, as the name of God, is mentioned over 2,500 times in the OT.
Later in GENESIS, God again refers to Himself in the plural.
Genesis 3:22: “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil …”
We see this again in Genesis 11:7 at the Tower of Babel: “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
But we know that Deuteronomy 6:4 says: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
So we in this passage, that while God is Three Persons, He is also in essence and in every way, also One God.
That’s the mystery of the Godhead.
Even in this passage which ascribes God as ONE LORD, ELOHIM is again used in this passage …
So, we see again, that ELOHIM (the plural name of God) is described as being ONE GOD.
How can that be, unless the Godhead is three in one?
As one ancient Christian put it: “one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence”.
We also see an allusion to the Trinity in Isaiah 6:3, where the Bible ascribes holiness in triple-form to God.
Isaiah 6:3 reads: “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
[Holiness is ascribed to Him 3 times, once to the Father, once to the Son, and once to the Holy Ghost].
And also in Isaiah 6:8: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
We see mentions of GOD THE FATHER & GOD THE SON in the OT, as well.
Proverbs 30:4 reads: “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?”
We also have pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus in the OT, when He wrestled with Jacob as an angel or met with Abraham before destroying Sodom and Gomorra.
We also see Messianic references to the Son in the OT, such as in Psalm 2:7: “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
And also this very clear reference from Psalm 2:12 that both judgment and salvation has been given to and through Jesus, the Son: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
We also see ample evidence of the Trinity in the New Testament, most notably in verses like Matthew 28:19 in the dispensation of the GREAT COMMISSION: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
Famously also, during Jesus’ baptism, the whole of the Godhead is present:
Matthew 3:16-17 says:
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
We see the DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY inherent within numerous passages of the Bible, closely knit together in the pages of Scripture.
Matthew 12:18: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.”
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all present.
In Luke 1:35 when the angel appeared to Mary, he specifically described the Trinity all present in one verse: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
The Godhead was present.
In John 15:26, Jesus Himself makes clear reference to the Godhead: “But when the Comforter is come [which is the Holy Spirit], whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
All three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned at least twice in that one passage alone!
Notice how they all work together, testifying of Jesus.
Jesus also refers to Himself as ONE with the Father in numerous passages, and showing forth is co-substantial and co-equal nature with God the Father.
The most famous being: “I and my Father are one” in John 10:30.
This also refers back again to Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
I and my Father are one. The LORD our God is one …
They are all One, Yet Fully Distinct. And again, the Hebrew word for God there is ELOHIM.
So the THREE PERSON GOD is the ONE GOD, even in Deuteronomy 6:4.
In John 14:6-9 Jesus tells his disciples that if they’ve seen him, they’ve also seen the Father, again shewing forth the immutability of His co-eternal nature in the Godhead:
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Colossians 2:9 says of Jesus: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
TURNING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, we also see that the HOLY SPIRIT is a CO-EQUAL, CO-SUBSTANTIAL PERSON of the GODHEAD.
In ACTS 5, we have the account of ANANIAS & his wife SAPPHIRA in the early church, “who sold a possession and kept back part of the price” for themselves …
… deceiving the church and lying to the Holy Spirit.
And in Acts 5:3-4, Peter answers them:
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
First, Peter describes their deceptive & dishonest act as LYING to the HOLY GHOST.
You can’t lie to an impersonal force or energy, but you can lie to a PERSONAL BEING.
NEXT, Peter directly equates the Holy Ghost to Being God.
PUT THE PERTINENT PARTS OF THIS VERSE TOGETHER, and it reads: “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost … thou has not lied unto men, but unto God.”
The Holy Ghost is, therefore, also a co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent, co-substantial Person of the Godhead.
In ACTS 13, there is also an account of the HOLY GHOST SPEAKING to the church.
Acts 13:2: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
I love this verse because it not only proves that the HOLY GHOST is not jus an IMPERSONAL FORCE, since HE SPEAKS …
… but also because it shows that we serve a GOD who continues to speak to His church.
The pages of Scripture are full of verses proving the deity of both JESUS CHRIST and THE HOLY GHOST …
… and we also see the Trinity or Godhead present together in numerous passages throughout the Bible.
2 Corinthians 13:14 says: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is manifest in one verse.
Ephesians 4:4-6 also says:
4 [There is] one body, and one Spirit [a reference to the Holy Spirit], even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord [a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ], one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all [and a reference to God the Father], who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.
The Trinity is present throughout Scripture.
So we see that even without the aid of 1 John 5:7, which the modern Bibles remove and the textual critics refute …
… we can easily prove the existence of the Trinity from the Bible.
But let’s address the “THE JOHANNINE COMMA”.
Now, I don’t call it the JOHANNINE COMMA; I call it 1 John 5:7.
I call it THE BIBLE.
But critics of the Bible call it the JOHANNINE COMMA because they want to relegate it to the footnotes of Scripture.
And the only reason I bring up the critical challenges to the place of 1 John 5:7 in Scripture …
…. is because you might run across someone who says it doesn’t belong in the Bible …
… and you need to have an answer ready to defend the whole of Scripture.
& this is an especially difficult part of the Bible to defend from the historical position …
… because the “Johannine Comma” was not in the 1st & 2nd editions of Erasmus’ TEXTUS RECEPTUS, but was in his 3rd edition.
And the reason for that was because he did not at the time have a copy of any ancient GREEK MANUSCRIPTS that contained 1 John 5:7.
There were copies of early LATIN MANUSCRIPTS and also quotes from ancient Christian writers as early as the year 200 in the 3rd century who had directly quoted portions of the missing 1 John 5:7.
But the earliest available Greek manuscripts were from the 15th century.
This poses, on the surface, a problem for the inclusion of 1 John 5:7 in the Bible …
… which is why modern versions which are not based on the TEXTUS RECEPTUS, do not include it.
BUT DOES 1 JOHN 5:7 belong in the BIBLE?
ABSOLUTELY.
1. I believe in God’s providence and His ability to preserve His Word perfectly and His Spirit testifies within me as I read 1 John 5:7 that it is the Word of God.
That’s first and foremost.
But there are logical reasons why 1 John 5:7 did not appear in earlier Greek manuscripts, which originated in the Eastern church compared to Latin manuscripts which originated in the Western church.
The Eastern manuscripts did not contain 1 John 5:7, but the Western manuscripts did contain them.
The Eastern church at the time, which had in its possession the early Greek manuscripts …
… was being overtaken by numerous anti-Trinitarian heresies, including Sabelleniasm and Arianism (which I mentioned earlier).
These heresies denied the existence of the Trinity as we understand it today, and Arianism went as far as denying the Deity of Jesus Christ Himself,
which is ridiculous, because if you have your faith in anyone but Jesus Christ AS GOD to save you, then you’re believing “another Jesus”.
Think about it this way: If you’re SAVIOR isn’t GOD, then what makes you think he can save you?
How can anyone BUT GOD save you?
So with these anti-Trinitarian heresies abounding in the early Greek or Eastern church …
… it is perfectly plausible that 1 John 5:7 was actually REMOVED from the early manuscripts.
One way to understand it is this:
Older does not always mean more accurate when it comes to the Bible manuscripts.
There have been verses taken out and removed or verses added or injected throughout various centuries or ages.
In other words, the sequence of additions and removals is not necessarily what determines accuracy.
So its not unheard of to think that while there was a major heresy underway AGAINST the TRINITY in the early Eastern …
… that there was an agenda to remove the single-most clear, precise verse that we have that PROVES the TRINITY.
But in the WESTERN LATIN CHURCH during this time, the heresy of Arianism was not prominent.
And so we have copies of 1 John 5:7 which remained in tact in Western manuscripts, written in Latin.
That’s why we don’t have Greek manuscript copies, but Latin manuscript copies of the “Johannine Comma”.
It doesn’t mean that 1 John 5:7 wasn’t in the original autographs (which are the originals of the Bible).
It’s just that this particular verse was preserved in the Latin, instead of the Greek copies of the original manuscripts.
In this rare circumstance, the Latin text was actually correct over the copies of the extant early Greek manuscripts that we had available.
We also see references to 1 John 5:7 in the writings of ANCIENT CHRISTIAN WITNESSES & WRITERS.
As early as 200 AD, we see 1 John 5:7 referenced in the writings of Tertullian who wrote: “which three are one” in reference to the Godhead.
That phraseology would have been directly quoted or paraphrased from 1 John 5:7 as far back as AD 200.
& I’m not saying that every ancient Christian witness had all their doctrines right …
… but they quotation of 1 John 5:7 in their writings indicates the existence of Bible manuscripts at that time which contained the Johaninne Comma.
In 250 AD, Cyprian of Carthage wrote: “And again, of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost it is written: ‘And the three are One’”.
That’s a very clear reference to 1 John 5:7 as far back as 250 AD.
& we have references to the language of 1 John 5:7 throughout nearly every early Christian century, from 350 AD through the 1500s.
In 415 AD, the Council of Carthage directly appealed to 1 John 5:7 when defending the Trinity against Arianism.
About 400 bishops quoted 1 John 5:7 in defense of the Trinity.
So throughout church history, 1 John 5:7 has often been referenced as Scripture.
So even from an historical perspective, there is ample evidence for the inclusion of 1 John 5:7 in the Bible.
The Ancient Witnesses are significant and should not be dismissed.
Another historical evidence for it is that the Bible which the Waldensians used, starting in 157 AD contained 1 John 5:7.
So this pre-dates even the early Christian writers.
& If you know about the Waldensians, they were a loyal group of Christians unto death who many believe had received their Scriptures directly from the apostolic church in Antioch in 120 AD.
The Waldensians were greatly persecuted and brutally martyred for the faith and for refusing to make anything but the Scriptures their final authority.
Their credible witness and martyrdom is a strong indicator that they would also be credible in maintaining the Scriptures with integrity.
And they had 1 John 5:7 in their Bibles from that ancient date.
Basil also, considered a Saint by the Eastern Orthodox church, quoted 1 John 5:7 in the 4th century.
Basil said: “The Father, the Word and the Spirit are one Godhead”.
So there is an ancient witness even from the Eastern Church.
We could also look into the sentence structure of 1 John 5:7 and understand that the way it is truncated in modern versions, doesn’t make sense, especially in the consistency of the Greek language.
The pronouns and non-endings in Greek, like many non-English languages, has gender, like el guapo or la guapa in Spanish.
And then there are also neuter words, which are neutral.
Well, when you remove half of 1 John 5:7, the sentence structure falls apart in the Greek, because the genders don’t match up correctly when half of the sentence is missing and you string it together with 1 John 5:8.
I don’t want to get too deep into that because I’m not a Greek scholar, but it shows that something was removed from the Greek manuscripts, proving our point.
And ultimately, I don’t appeal only to the historical record …
I appeal to the Holy Spirit testifying to me as I read 1 John 5:7, that it is the Word of God. It has a ring of truth to it that can’t be denied.
And I trust God’s ability to preserve His Word for the church, and that He has done this in the King James Bible in English.
• I WANT TO CLOSE with a document called the ATHANASIAN CREED, written around 500 AD.
Now, I don’t normally appeal to CREEDS … we have all we need in your Bibles.
And I can’t say whether or not I believe in everything that Athanasius taught doctrinally, because I haven’t studied all of his works.
But when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, I have not found a better or more Biblically sound profession of the Godhead.
So I’d like to read it to you.
1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;
[catholic with a small ‘c’, as in the universal body of Christ, not Roman Catholic].
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
[this means that while they’re individually distinct co-equal Persons, they are yet still one God].
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all 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, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
[This is important, because being uncreated points to the fact that they are all eternal and therefore God].
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
[he is countering the heresy here that the Godhead are three separate gods, not they are One God, yet distinct].
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
[And that brings up the question as to if you deny the Trinity whether you are saved …
But I ask again:
If you believe that Jesus SAVED you, but don’t believe that He is God, what POWER does Jesus have to save you?
If you deny that the Holy Spirit is a co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Person of the Godhead, by what POWER will the Holy Ghost raise you from the dead?
The Holy Spirit dwelling inside the saved believer testifies to us Jesus is God, that the Father is God, & that the Holy Spirit is God.
We don’t have to understand the fullness of this mystery at the moment of our salvation, but the saved believer by the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the Word will believe that Jesus Christ is God.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. [interesting statement there].
34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give account of their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.
I haven’t picked apart every jot & tittle of this creed, but regarding the Trinity, it’s an extremely powerful & Biblically- sound profession of the Godhead.
Creeds like this, with supporting Biblical Scripture, helps clearly define in our minds the Biblical characteristics of the Godhead …
.. so that we can combat the varying heresies surrounding the doctrine of the Trinity …
…. Such as the heresy of MODALISM that Sabellius taught in the Eastern church …
… Or Arianism which declared that God the Father created Jesus and that they are not equal in nature.
Ultimately, the Trinity cannot be fully comprehended by human reason alone …
… to a great extent, the Godhead is a mystery of great proportions … after, He’s God!
… but it’s not too difficult for God to co-exist simultaneously in Three distinct Persons, while remaining of one co-eternal essence & substance.
Jesus said Himself in John 17:4-5:
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
It is summed up in this: “That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.”
