Sermon on LD 8
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The larger part of the Athanasian Creed, one of our creeds which we don't read very often, is about the teaching of the Trinity. Articles 1 and 2 of this confession say: 'Whoever desires to be saved must above all things hold to the catholic faith. Unless a man keeps it in its entirety inviolate, he will assuredly perish eternally.' And then, in what follows the teaching of the Trinity is expounded and explained. And at the end of that comprehensive exposition, article 28 states: 'So he who desires to be saved should think thus of the Trinity.' In other words, whoever does not wish to believe that God is a triune God, existing in Father, Son and Spirit, will not be saved, but will perish forever.
That is quite something to say, don't you think? Apparently the teaching of the Trinity is so basic and fundamental that you have to believe it to be saved! When you think of the teaching of the Trinity in that way, as an essential part of the Christian faith, then that will stop you from thinking that the Biblical teaching regarding the Trinity is something only for professors or ministers to think and argue about. This particular teaching is not something that should occupy a place only at the fringe of your faith. We can't say: ah well, this is a nice subject for scholars and philosophers, but for 'normal' Christians it is not that important. In addition, some may even say that the word 'Trinity' is not even in the Bible (which is true), so why should we insist on the truth of this teaching, let alone, condemn anyone who does not believe in the Trinity?
In fact, there are many people who call themselves Christians, but who do not believe in the Trinity. There are churches who emphasise the work of the Spirit at the cost of the work of the Lord Jesus. There are those who say that Jesus was only a man, not God. There are those who say that the God of the OT is different from the one of the NT. People like the Jehovah's witnesses don't believe the Trinity either. But many of them are god-fearing people. Should we then still insist on the truth of the Trinity? Should we not be a bit more tolerant in this respect? Consider also what it says at the end of BC art 9. It lists quite a few heretics such as Marcion, Mani, Praxeas, Sabellius, Arius. They are called false Christians and heretics. Isn't that a bit over the top and judgemental?
Well, I think you know the answer to this question. We may not consider the teaching of the Trinity of little value. We firmly hold to this teaching of the triune God. That is because it is not a human concept, something that professors and scholars have put together. It is not a feeble attempt to define the being and existence of the God of heaven and earth in terms of a mathematical formula. The doctrine of the Trinity is the result of God's own self-revelation. He revealed himself to us in that way. And that is why we confess our God to be triune. We did not make it up, God tells us himself that his being is such. Holding to this teaching is therefore not stubborn or intellectual or intolerant, it is doing justice to God's own revelation. This is how we worship and honour his great name. In fact, when we confess the Trinity and express our belief in it, we do so for that purpose: to adore and worship God. That is what a confession means to do in the first place, to bring people to worship and adoration. So this particular teaching is not small change in your pocket, something you can do without, something you would not miss if you lost it, it is rather a jewel found in the treasury chest of the Reformed doctrine, something essential for your everlasting life. That is what we will see today. Theme and points are:
The beauty of the teaching of the Trinity
1. The revelation of the triune God
2. The way the triune God works
3. The glory of the triune God
1. The revelation of the triune God
Today we are beginning with the discussion of the Apostles' Creed in the Catechism. LD 8 continues in the direction taken by LD 7. LD 7 asked the question what a Christian must be believe. A summary of that belief is then provided in the Apostles' Creed. And then the Catechism begins its discussion with an aspect of the Reformed doctrine which is not even explicitly mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, namely the teaching of the Trinity. On the one hand that seems a bit strange, that the teaching of the Trinity is not explicitly mentioned in the most used and heard Reformed Confession. On the other hand, however, it is not so surprising when you consider that the Apostles' Creed is actually older than the teaching of the Trinity. The teaching of the Trinity was formulated in the Athanasian Creed some 150 years after the formulation of the Apostles' Creed.
And that brings us to the question what the reasons were for the formulation of the teachings of the Trinity. Well, we find in the BC that in the course of the early church history there were many conflicting views about the different persons within the triune God. Some could not believe that the Son is God in the same way as is the Father. Others would not accept that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. Some thought of him as an impersonal power or spirit. In the early days of the Christian church such views were refuted with reference to many Bible texts. But in later years the church was more or less forced to compose a theology about the triune God. It was no longer sufficient to simply refer to Bible texts in refutation of heresies. The church was guided by God to confess and explain her own Scriptural teaching wherein the church spoke of God as one Being, existing in three Persons.
This does not mean, however, like we said in the introduction, that the church fathers made this teaching up. It was not the result of their intelligent imagination. No, they faithfully explained and combined all the Biblical references about the very being of God. Again, the church did not make this teaching up. The teaching of the Trinity merely echoes and reflects what God has revealed about himself in his own Word. The doctrine of the Trinity forces itself, as it were, on those who read the Bible with believing eyes.
There are, for one, many texts in the Bible that point out the simplicity of God, that is, God is a simple God, God is one, a unity, he is unchangeable, not a multitude or diversity of gods. The best-known text that says that is possibly Deut 6,4: 'Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one!' Paul manages to say the same thing, while also mentioning the Son. 1 Cor 8,6 reads: 'For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.' God is One. There are not three gods, there is only one God.
However, on the other hand, we also find in the Bible texts that mention a distinction between three divine Persons. In the OT we mostly meet the LORD God in the person of the God of the covenant, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Preserver of this people Israel. But in Jn 1 for instance the Lord Jesus is called the Word of God. John says in 1,1: 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.' Remember also the disciple Tomas who said to the Lord Jesus, after Jesus had shown him his wounds of the cross in his hands and feet - Tomas said: 'My Lord and my God!' (Jn 20,28). And, finally, in 1 Cor 2,10 we find a clear expression of the independent existence of the Person of the Holy Spirit: 'These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.'
Based on these texts and many others we teach and believe that God is of one Being, and that in that Being there are three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This triune existence of God is underlined for instance by the words of the Great Commission in Mt 28,19: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.' And again in 2 Cor 13,14, the verse from this letter of Paul that we use to pronounce the blessing at the end of the worship service: 'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.'
There are many more texts that have led the church to formulate the teaching of the triune God. But these should suffice to show that this doctrine did not originate from the creative minds of a few intelligent men. No, God reveals himself to us as the triune God of heaven and earth. He is Father, Son and Spirit, one God, but at the same time distinguished in three Persons.
2. The way the triune God works
Now that we have seen that God is triune, we are going to consider what distinguishes one Person from Another. The three Persons in the Trinity have a number of divine attributes in common, like eternity, all mighty power, wisdom, goodness (see art. 1 BC). But they also differ from each other, namely in their individual works. We know the Father from his work in the creation and maintenance of this world. We know the Son from his redemptive work for us. And we know the Holy Spirit as the One who works the faith in our hearts and renews us according the image of Jesus Christ.
However, this distinction between the three Persons in the Trinity does not mean that God is divided. God is one - remember - in his being as well as in his works. The creation, redemption and sanctification are distinctive works of the three different Persons, but at the same time all three Persons are involved with each of these works. For instance, we read in the story about the creation of the world, which is first of all a work of the Father, that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1,2). So the Spirit too played a part in the creation of the world. See also Ps 104 where the renewing work of the Spirit in creation and the changing of the seasons is mentioned. And Coll 1 tells us that God created all things through Jesus Christ. And our redemption is certainly the work of the Lord Jesus, he was the one who died on the cross, but he was sent by the Father and the Spirit imparts to us what we have in Christ (ref. Baptism Form). Without the work of the Spirit the redemptive work of Jesus could not benefit us. The Spirit and the faith that he gives is the link between Jesus and us. And regarding the Spirit himself, he works the faith in our hearts, but only through the Word that is Jesus Christ. Without Jesus the Spirit can do nothing. And even more, he proceeds from both the Father and the Son (ref. Nicene Creed). So we see that each of the three Persons in the Trinity is involved with the works of all the three Persons.
We see this wonderful diversity and unity of the triune being of God beautifully in the passage of Scripture that we read, Mt 3. We read there that Jesus wanted to be baptized by John the Baptist at the beginning of his ministry on earth. John, however, objected to that. He was only the herald of the coming Messiah. How could the stronger be baptized by the weaker, the greater by the smaller, who was merely his herald? But Jesus wanted to fulfil the righteousness of the Father. That means that the redemption of the people, the righteousness of the Father, could not be fulfilled without the humiliation of the stronger, the Servant of the Lord. That is why the Lord Jesus wanted to be baptized. His baptism was in a way a preview of the humiliation that the Lord Jesus would have to suffer on his way to the cross and on the cross itself.
Here we see the involvement of the Father in this crucial point of Jesus' life and ministry. His righteousness must be fulfilled. After the Lord Jesus is baptized, he comes up out of the water. Others who were baptized by John the Baptist would at that point confess their sins. John's baptism was after all a baptism of repentance, a preparation for the baptism that Jesus would administer, the baptism with the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus did not have any sin to confess, for he was of course without sin. That is why at the moment when he comes up out of the water the Spirit of God descends on him, in the form of a dove. This is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isa 11,2: 'And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.' The Holy Spirit enables the Lord Jesus to take on himself the task that the Father had given him.
And then, further, the Father proclaims from heaven, that this man is his beloved Son, the One who would carry out his plan of salvation. It is therefore a powerful event, the baptism of our Lord Jesus. We find the triune God revealing himself at the beginning of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Emanuel has come, the Messiah begins his work of salvation. And the beginning of that work stands not only Jesus, but our almighty triune God.
So we see that the teaching of the Trinity is truly a beautiful and precious jewel in the treasure chest of Reformed doctrine. It is not some part of the Biblical teachings that we can do without. If God were not our Father, who would provide and care for us? If Jesus were not the Son of God, who then would save us? If the Spirit did not proceed from the Father and the Son, who then would give us the faith? That is why the Athanasian Creed rightly says, that whoever wants to be saved, must believe in the triune God. We are called to put away our doubts and second thoughts, and simply believe God according to his own revelations about himself. In the power of the God the Spirit this is possible. So we should not keep asking questions in our pride and ignorance, but humbly submit ourselves to such a wonderful and mysterious and great God.
3. The glory of the triune god
Up till now we have discussed the ins and outs of the doctrine of salvation, but we have not yet said a great deal about the point of it. Of course, as we found, we need God to be a triune God in order to be saved. But is there more? Well, yes, there is. First of all we must hold to this crucial teaching because our salvation depends on it. Second we hold it simply because it is the truth, this is how God revealed himself to us. He wants to be known and worshipped as the triune God of heaven and earth. While we live in this world we will never truly understand God's exceptional and mysterious state of existence, his being, his essence. This will always remain a mystery for us, something that we cannot comprehend, only something that we can consider with great awe, something that we can sing about and speak about with worship and adoration. God truly goes far beyond our thought and imagination.
But there is more. The teaching of the Trinity also makes you consider the great love of God. God is so great, truly inconceivable for mere mortals. God is triune and that means that he has enough in himself. God is never lonely. So, here is some food for thought: God can do without us. We only live out of his mercy to glorify him. We would not exist if he had not made us. We would not have known him, if he had not revealed himself to us. We would never have met him, if he had not come down to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. But basically, God does not need us. This awareness may give and extra depth to your faith. This depth comes from the realisation, that God owes you nothing. His comfort, his compassion, the everlasting life that you receive is only yours to have and enjoy because of his greatness and goodness.
In addition, this great God has us know that he is our up-and-close personal Father. He is our Father, we are his children. And even more than good, earthly fathers, our heavenly Father knows us through and through and he gives us everything that we need. So the knowledge of the Trinity makes us aware of the privilege to have such a wonderful God. God's glory in heaven makes us feel small, but at the same time so full of joy and peace. Whenever we consider his wonderful state of existence, his glory, then we are moved to seek him and love him and obey him with everything we are. Then we also feel true remorse about the times and moments when we make him angry and sad because of our sins and shortcomings.
For these reasons we must very carefully maintain the teachings of the Trinity, as it is formulated in our confessions. We must be careful not to consider one of the three Persons higher than the others, because that would mean doing the triune God short. If the first Person of God receives all our attention and worship, then he turns into an impersonal being, the ever present cause of creation, rather than our personal Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus. If we only talk about Jesus, then the message of the gospel which is relevant to the whole world and all of society is narrowed down to only a personal and emotional relationship between Jesus and your soul. If we over-emphasize the work of the Spirit, then there will be all kinds of outbursts of spiritualism. However, the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. He is not some kind of force, some kind of miracle worker, a healer, a giver of special visions. The Spirit works through the Word only, that is through Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Straying from the true teaching of the Trinity is relatively simple and it has therefore happened many times in the course of church history. Just consider all the heretics mentioned in BC art 9. Let us therefore always very carefully listen to what God tells us about himself in the Bible. Then we will see his greatness and majesty more and more. Then our faith will grow and mature through the knowledge of God. And in that way, through our faith, our triune God is glorified. Amen.