15. Now, having established the existence of Christ in the Trinity,
we must next consider the third person, the Holy Spirit, in Scripture
sometimes termed the "Spirit" of God and sometimes his "Soul." This
person is not spoken of as "born"; he is not born like the Son, but
proceeds from the Father and the Son. To express it differently, he
is a person possessing in eternity the divine essence, which he
derives from the Father and Son in unity in the same way the Son
derives it from the Father alone. There are, then, three distinct
persons in one divine essence, one divine majesty. According to the
Scripture explanation of the mystery, Christ the Lord is the Son of
God from eternity, the express image of the Father, and equally
great, mighty, wise and just. All deity, wisdom, power and might
inherent in the Father is also in Christ, and likewise in the Holy
Spirit, who proceeds from Father and Son. Now, when you are asked to
explain the Trinity, reply that it is an incomprehensible mystery,
beyond the understanding of angels and creatures, the knowledge of
which is confined to the revelations of Scripture.
16. Rightly did the fathers compose the Creed, or Symbol, in the
simple form repeated by Christian children: "I believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his
only Son ... I believe in the Holy Ghost." This confession we did not
devise, nor did the fathers of former times. As the bee collects
honey from many fair and gay flowers, so is this Creed collected, in
appropriate brevity, from the books of the beloved prophets and
apostles--from the entire holy Scriptures--for children and for
unlearned Christians. It is fittingly called the "Apostle's Symbol,"
or "Apostle's Creed." For brevity and clearness it could not have
been better arranged, and it has remained in the Church from ancient
time. It must either have been composed by the apostles themselves or
it was collected from their writings and sermons by their ablest
disciples.
17. It begins "I believe." In whom? "In God the Father." This is the
first person in the Godhead. For the sake of clear distinction, the
peculiar attribute and office in which each person manifests himself
is briefly expressed. With the first it is the work of creation.
True, creation is not the work of one individual person, but of the
one divine, eternal essence as such. We must say, God the Father, God
the Son and God the Holy Spirit created heaven and earth. Yet that
work is more especially predicated of the person of the Father, the
first person, for the reason that creation is the only work of the
Father in which he has stepped forth out of concealment into
observation; it is the first work wrought by the divine Majesty upon
the creature. By the word "Father" he is particularly and rightly
distinguished from the other persons of the Trinity. It indicates him
as the first person, derived from no other, the Son and the Holy
Spirit having existence from him.
18. Continuing, the Creed says, I believe in another who is also God.
For to believe is something we owe to no being but God alone. Who is
this second person? Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. Christians
have so confessed for more than fifteen hundred years; indeed, such
has been the confession of believers from the beginning of the world.
Though not employing precisely these words, yet this has been their
faith and profession.
19. The first designation of God the Son makes him the only Son of
God. Although angels are called sons of the Lord our God, and even
Christians are termed his children, yet no one of these is said to be
the "only" or "only-begotten" Son. Such is the effect of Christ's
birth from the Father that he is unequaled by any creature, not
excepting even the angels. For he is in truth and by nature the Son
of God the Father; that is, he is of the same divine, eternal,
uncreated essence.
20. Next comes the enumeration of the acts peculiar to him: "Who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into
hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into
heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from
thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead." The distinct
personality of the Son is thus demonstrated by acts peculiar to
himself. Not the Father and not the Holy Spirit, but the Son alone,
assumed human nature of flesh and blood, like unto ours, to suffer,
die, rise again and ascend into heaven.
21. In the third place we confess, "I believe in the Holy Ghost."
Here again a distinct person is named, yet one in divine essence with
the Father and the Son; for we must believe in no one but the true
God, in obedience to the first commandment: "I am Jehovah thy God ...
Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Thus briefly this confession comprehends the unity of the divine
essence--we accept and worship only one God--and the revealed truth
that in the Trinity are three distinct persons. The same distinction
is indicated in holy baptism; we are baptized into the faith of one
God, yet Christ commands us to baptize "into the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
22. The peculiarity of this third person is the fact that he proceeds
from both the Father and the Son. He is therefore called also the
Spirit of the Father and the Son; he is poured into the human heart
and reveals himself in the gathering of the Church of Christ in all
tongues. Through the Word of the Gospel he enlightens and kindles the
hearts of men unto one faith, sanctifying, quickening and saving
them.
23. So the Creed confesses three persons as comprehended in one
divine essence, each one, however, retaining his distinct
personality; and in order that the simple Christian may recognize
that there is but one divine essence and one God, who is
tri-personal, a special work, peculiar to himself, is ascribed to
each person. And such acts, peculiar to each person, are mentioned
for the reason that thus a confusion of persons is avoided. To the
Father we ascribe the work of creation; to the Son the work of
Redemption; to the Holy Spirit the power to forgive sins, to gladden,
to strengthen, to transport from death to life eternal.
The thought is not that the Father alone is the Creator, the Son
alone Redeemer and the Holy Spirit alone Sanctifier. The creation and
preservation of the universe, atonement for sin and its forgiveness,
resurrection from the dead and the gift of eternal life--all these
are operations of the one Divine Majesty as such. Yet the Father is
especially emphasized in the work of creation, which proceeds
originally from him as the first person; the Son is emphasized in the
redemption he has accomplished in his own person; and the Holy Spirit
in the peculiar work of sanctification, which is both his mission and
revelation. Such distinction is made for the purpose of affording
Christians the unqualified assurance that there is but one God and
yet three persons in the one divine essence--truths the sainted
fathers have faithfully gathered from the writings of Moses, the
prophets and the apostles, and which they have maintained against all
heretics.
24. This faith has descended to us by inheritance, and by his power
God has maintained it in his Church, against sects and adversaries,
unto the present time. So we must abide by it in its simplicity and
not be wise. Christians are under the necessity of believing things
apparently foolish to reason. As Paul says (1 Cor 1, 21): "It was
God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save
them that believe." How can reason adapt itself to comprehend that
three are one, and one is three; that God became man; that he who is
washed with water in obedience to Christ's command, is washed with
the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and cleansed from all sins? Such
articles of faith appear utterly foolish to reason. Paul aptly calls
the Gospel foolish preaching wherewith God saves such as do not
depend on their own wisdom but simply believe the Word. They who will
follow reason in the things dealt with in these articles, and will
reject the Word, shall be defeated and destroyed in their wisdom.
25. Now, we have in the holy Scriptures and in the Creed sufficient
information concerning the Holy Trinity, and all that is necessary
for the instruction of ordinary Christians. Besides, the divinity of
our Lord Jesus Christ and that of the Holy Spirit is also attested by
miracles not to be lightly esteemed nor disregarded. The Lord our God
brings to pass miraculous things for the Christian's sake--for the
strengthening of his faith--and not merely as a rebuke to false
teachers. Were he to consider the false teachers alone, he might
easily defer their retribution to the future life, since he permits
many other transgressors to go unpunished for ten, twenty or thirty
years. But the fact is, God openly in this life lays hold upon
leaders of sects who blaspheme and slander him with their false
doctrines. He inflicts upon them unusual punishments for the sake of
warning others. Besides being openly convicted of blasphemy and
having the condemnation of their own conscience, the misguided ones
receive testimony to the fact that these false leaders are
instigators of blasphemy against God's name and his Word. All men are
compelled to admit God can have no pleasure in their doctrine, since
he visits them with special marks of his displeasure, destroying them
with severer punishments than ordinarily befall offenders.
26. History records that John the evangelist had as contemporary a
heretic, by the name of Cerinthus, who was the first to arise in
opposition to the apostolic doctrine and in blasphemy against the
Lord Jesus with the claim that Jesus is not God. This blasphemy
spread to such an extent that John saw himself compelled to
supplement the work of the other evangelists with his Gospel, whose
distinct purpose it is to defend and maintain the deity of Christ
against Cerinthus and his rabble.
A feature of John's Gospel patent to all is the sublime beginning of
his Gospel which renders it distinct from the others. He does not lay
stress upon the miraculous doings of Christ, but upon his preaching,
wherein he reveals himself powerfully as true God, born of the Father
from eternity, and his equal in power, honor, wisdom, righteousness
and every other divine work.
With respect to John and Cerinthus it is reported that the former,
having gone to a public bath with some of his disciples, became aware
that Cerinthus and his rabble were there, also. Without hesitation he
told his disciples to be up and away, and not to abide among
blasphemers. The disciples followed his advice and departed.
Immediately after their departure the room collapsed, and Cerinthus
with his followers perished, not one escaping.
27. We also read concerning the heretic Arius, the chief foe of his
time toward the dogma of the deity of Christ. The injury done by this
man to the cause of Christ was such as to occupy the Church for four
centuries after his death; and still today his heresy has not been
altogether rooted out. But the Lord took the matter in hand by the
performance of a miracle which could not but be understood.
History records that Arius had ingratiated himself into the favor of
Constantine, the emperor, and his counselors. With an oath he had
succeeded in impressing them with the righteousness of his doctrine,
so that the emperor gave command that Alexander, bishop of
Constantinople, should recognize him as a member of the Christian
Church and restore him to the priestly office. When the godly bishop
refused to accede to this demand, knowing full well the purpose
pursued by Arius and his followers, Eusebius and the other bishops
who supported Arius threatened him with the imperial edict and
expressed the determination to drive him out by force and to have
Arius restored by the congregation as such. However, they gave him a
day to think the matter over.
28. The godly bishop was fearful. The following of Arius was large
and powerful, being supported by the imperial edict and the whole
court. The bishop, therefore, resolved to seek help from God, where
alone it is found in all things relating to God's honor. He fell down
upon his face in the church and prayed all night long that God should
preserve his name and honor by methods calculated to stem the tide of
evil purpose, and to preserve Christendom against the heretics. When
it was morning, and the hour had come when Alexander the bishop
should either restore Arius to office or be cast out of his own,
Arius convened punctually with his followers. As the procession was
wending its way to the church, Arius suddenly felt ill and was
compelled to seek privacy. The pompous procession halted, waiting his
return, when the message came that his lungs and liver had passed
from him, causing his death. The narrative comments: Mortem dignam
blasphema et foetida mente--a death worthy such a blasphemous and
turpid mind.
29. We see, then, that this dogma has been preserved by God first
through the writings and the conflicts of the apostles, and then by
miracles, against the devil and his blasphemers. And it shall be
preserved in the future likewise, so that, without a trace of doubt,
we may believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
This is the faith which we confess with our children daily. To guard
against a mixing of persons or the abandonment of the tri-personality,
three distinct acts are predicated. This should enable the common
Christian to avoid confusing the persons, while maintaining the divine
unity as to essence.
We proclaim these things on this Sunday in order to call attention to
the fact that we have not come upon this doctrine in a dream, but by
the grace of God through his Word and the holy apostles and Fathers.
God help us to be found constant and without blemish in this doctrine
and faith to our end. Amen.
_First Sunday After Trinity_
Text: 1 John 4, 16-21.
16 God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God
abideth in him. 17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may
have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are
we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love: but perfect love
casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth
is not made perfect in love. 19 We love, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God
whom he hath not seen. 21 And this commandment have we from him, that
he who loveth God love his brother also.