Larry Devich
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Holy Trinity Sunday, The Athanasian Creed, from Pastor Walter Snyder's Ask The Pastor
Christianity constantly struggles to keep the Faith free from false
philosophies.
In the fourth-century culture of Alexandria, Egypt, a persuasive preacher
with a logical mind used a philosophical concept foreign to the Scriptures in
order to explain the connection between Jesus and his Father. Arius borrowed
from the popular Greek concept that a “god,” by nature, had to be high, distant
and almighty; and that humans, consequently, had to be low, spatial and
inferior.
Arius taught that only the Father was really a proper God. Because Jesus
was human, he was therefore only a creature (created by God) and therefore
did not really possess any divine qualities.
The problem: when Arius denied the divinity of Christ, he destroyed God’s
role in accomplishing our salvation. If Jesus were not really God, then he could
not possibly have saved us from our sins.
Standing for orthodox Christianity was Athanasius. Against Arius, he
declared the scriptural teaching of the two natures of Christ—that he was both
“true God,” and “true man.” In this creed bearing his name (his actual
authorship is doubtful), it is proclaimed with great redundance that Jesus is
“equal with the Father.”
By affirming Jesus’ divinity, this creed confesses that God is the originator
of our salvation—he did it for us. By affirming Jesus’ humanity, it confesses that
Jesus died for every part of us—he was a Savior who was completely human.
Because of its emphasis on the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the Church
traditionally used it during Prime, the first of the “hours” or prayer services of
the day in monastic communities, beginning each day focusing on the Triune
God. It is now most often used among Lutherans on Trinity Sunday, and is
helpful in teaching the Faith at other times, especially in areas involving the
person and work of Christ or the Holy Trinity.
Whoever will be saved shall, above
all else, hold the catholic faith.
Which faith, except everyone
keeps whole and undefiled,
without doubt he will perish
eternally.
And the catholic faith is this, that we
worship one God in Three Persons
and Three Persons in one God,
neither confusing the Persons
nor dividing the substance.
For there is One Person of the
Father, another of the Son, and
another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit is all one: the glory
equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son,
and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father uncreated, the Son
uncreated, the Holy Spirit
uncreated.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son
incomprehensible, the Holy Spirit
incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son
eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet They are not three eternals
but One Eternal.
As there are not three uncreated nor
three incomprehensibles
but One Uncreated and One
Incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is almighty,
the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit
almighty.
And yet They are not three
almighties but One Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God,
and the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet They are not three
Gods but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the
Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord.
And yet They are not three
Lords but One Lord.
For as we are compelled by the
Christian truth to acknowledge every
Person by Himself to be both God
and Lord,
So we cannot by the catholic
faith say that there are three
Gods or three Lords.
The Father is made of none,
neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone,
not made nor created but
begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and
of the Son,
neither made nor created nor
begotten but proceeding.
So there is One Father, not three
Fathers; One Son, not three Sons;
One Holy Spirit, not three Holy
Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is
before or after another; none is
greater or less than another;
but the whole three Persons are
coeternal together and coequal, so
that in all things, as is aforesaid,
the Unity in Trinity and the
Trinity in Unity is to be
worshiped.
He, therefore, that will be saved is
compelled thus to think of the
Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to
everlasting salvation that he
also believe faithfully the
incarnation of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
For the right faith is that we believe
and confess that our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God,
is God and man;
God of the substance of the Father,
begotten before the worlds;
and man of the substance of His
mother, born in the world.
Perfect God and perfect man, of a
reasonable soul and human flesh
subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching
His Godhead and inferior to the
Father as touching His
manhood;
Who, although He is God and man,
yet He is not two but One
Christ:
One, not by conversion of the
Godhead into flesh but by taking the
manhood into God;
One altogether, not by confusion
of substance but by unity of
Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is
one man,
so God and man is One Christ;
Who suffered for our salvation,
descended into hell, rose again the
third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, He sits
at the right hand of the Father,
God Almighty, from whence He
will come to judge the living and
the dead—
At whose coming all men will rise
again with their bodies and will give
an account of their own works.
And they that have done good
will go into life everlasting; and
they that have done evil, into
everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith which,
except a man believe faithfully and
firmly,
he cannot be saved. ¶ 6/03/2007 06:43:00 AM 0 Comments
philosophies.
In the fourth-century culture of Alexandria, Egypt, a persuasive preacher
with a logical mind used a philosophical concept foreign to the Scriptures in
order to explain the connection between Jesus and his Father. Arius borrowed
from the popular Greek concept that a “god,” by nature, had to be high, distant
and almighty; and that humans, consequently, had to be low, spatial and
inferior.
Arius taught that only the Father was really a proper God. Because Jesus
was human, he was therefore only a creature (created by God) and therefore
did not really possess any divine qualities.
The problem: when Arius denied the divinity of Christ, he destroyed God’s
role in accomplishing our salvation. If Jesus were not really God, then he could
not possibly have saved us from our sins.
Standing for orthodox Christianity was Athanasius. Against Arius, he
declared the scriptural teaching of the two natures of Christ—that he was both
“true God,” and “true man.” In this creed bearing his name (his actual
authorship is doubtful), it is proclaimed with great redundance that Jesus is
“equal with the Father.”
By affirming Jesus’ divinity, this creed confesses that God is the originator
of our salvation—he did it for us. By affirming Jesus’ humanity, it confesses that
Jesus died for every part of us—he was a Savior who was completely human.
Because of its emphasis on the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the Church
traditionally used it during Prime, the first of the “hours” or prayer services of
the day in monastic communities, beginning each day focusing on the Triune
God. It is now most often used among Lutherans on Trinity Sunday, and is
helpful in teaching the Faith at other times, especially in areas involving the
person and work of Christ or the Holy Trinity.
Whoever will be saved shall, above
all else, hold the catholic faith.
Which faith, except everyone
keeps whole and undefiled,
without doubt he will perish
eternally.
And the catholic faith is this, that we
worship one God in Three Persons
and Three Persons in one God,
neither confusing the Persons
nor dividing the substance.
For there is One Person of the
Father, another of the Son, and
another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit is all one: the glory
equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son,
and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father uncreated, the Son
uncreated, the Holy Spirit
uncreated.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son
incomprehensible, the Holy Spirit
incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son
eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet They are not three eternals
but One Eternal.
As there are not three uncreated nor
three incomprehensibles
but One Uncreated and One
Incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is almighty,
the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit
almighty.
And yet They are not three
almighties but One Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God,
and the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet They are not three
Gods but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the
Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord.
And yet They are not three
Lords but One Lord.
For as we are compelled by the
Christian truth to acknowledge every
Person by Himself to be both God
and Lord,
So we cannot by the catholic
faith say that there are three
Gods or three Lords.
The Father is made of none,
neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone,
not made nor created but
begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and
of the Son,
neither made nor created nor
begotten but proceeding.
So there is One Father, not three
Fathers; One Son, not three Sons;
One Holy Spirit, not three Holy
Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is
before or after another; none is
greater or less than another;
but the whole three Persons are
coeternal together and coequal, so
that in all things, as is aforesaid,
the Unity in Trinity and the
Trinity in Unity is to be
worshiped.
He, therefore, that will be saved is
compelled thus to think of the
Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to
everlasting salvation that he
also believe faithfully the
incarnation of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
For the right faith is that we believe
and confess that our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God,
is God and man;
God of the substance of the Father,
begotten before the worlds;
and man of the substance of His
mother, born in the world.
Perfect God and perfect man, of a
reasonable soul and human flesh
subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching
His Godhead and inferior to the
Father as touching His
manhood;
Who, although He is God and man,
yet He is not two but One
Christ:
One, not by conversion of the
Godhead into flesh but by taking the
manhood into God;
One altogether, not by confusion
of substance but by unity of
Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is
one man,
so God and man is One Christ;
Who suffered for our salvation,
descended into hell, rose again the
third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, He sits
at the right hand of the Father,
God Almighty, from whence He
will come to judge the living and
the dead—
At whose coming all men will rise
again with their bodies and will give
an account of their own works.
And they that have done good
will go into life everlasting; and
they that have done evil, into
everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith which,
except a man believe faithfully and
firmly,
he cannot be saved. ¶ 6/03/2007 06:43:00 AM 0 Comments
