By Gary Ray Branscome
Although
the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture, those who refuse to
accept what the Bible says often try to hide their disagreement by redefining
the words of Scripture. We see that today in the way cults redefine Biblical
terms in order to appear Christian. We also see it in the way theistic-evolutionists
redefine the words of Genesis. Historically Christians have regarded that sort
of double-speak as dishonest. Nevertheless we have to deal with it, and the
ancient church countered that sort of double talk by adopting terms that false
teachers would not accept.
In 325AD church leaders from all over
the
THE NICENE
CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of
heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son
of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light,
True God of True God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the
Father, By whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came
down from heaven And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary And was
made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and
was buried; And the third day He rose again according
to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, And sits on the right hand of the
Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the
dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver
of Life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the
Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by
the Prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and
The wording of this creed is carefully thought out, so let me explain
some of its statements. The words, “I believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,” simply restate the words, “Don’t we
all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us?” (Malachi 2:10). Those words
were never intended to deny what the Bible says about Christ and creation (Col.
1:16). Everything cannot be included in a brief creed. Those words were
intended to affirm what the Bible says about Creation, while the words, “Maker
of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible,” were intended
to make it clear that, unlike Christ, angels are created beings.
The purpose of the phrase, “Begotten of His Father before all worlds,”
is to affirm the fact that Christ did not come into existence when His human
nature was begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary, but that He existed as God
the Son from eternity. It is not saying that Christ’s divine nature was
begotten, but that He existed before anything was created.
The purpose of the words, “God of God, Light of Light, True God of
True God,” are to emphasize the fact that Christ is true God. The words, “Light
of Light,” relate to the words, “God is light, and in Him there is no
darkness at all” (1John 1:5).
The purpose of the words, “Begotten, not made, Being of one substance
with the Father,” is to emphasize the fact that Christ is not a created
being. The idea is that a created being would be made of a different substance
than its creator. For example: If you create something in your own image such
as a statue, it would not be made of the same substance that you are made of.
But, your natural son would be made of the same substance you are made of. Therefore,
to say that Christ is of one substance with the father,
is to say that He is by nature God. However, unlike a human father and son,
there is only one divine being, not two or three. The three are one!
If some of this wording seems strange, realize that it was necessary in
order to expose those who were undermining the gospel by denying Christ’s
deity. And, it worked! If you travel to Egypt, you will find that the Coptic
[Egyptian] Orthodox Church — which has endured Moslem persecution for well over
a thousand years, and only recently has been allowed to have its own church
buildings — still uses this creed, as do traditional churches around the world.
The word trinity is
simply a name we give to all that the Bible tells us about God — with emphasis
on the fact that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God,
yet there is only one God. Moreover, because
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked,” we should
never attempt to supplement what God has revealed about Himself with ideas
dreamed up by men (Jeremiah 17:9). God wants us to teach His Word as He
revealed it, “Line upon line, line upon
line; here a little, and there a little,” not our ideas (Isaiah 28:10). Because Trinitarian terminology has played
such an important role in preserving this doctrine, Christians need to
understand the terminology, use it and defend it. Those who think that they can
improve on it only cause suspicion, conflict, and division. Moreover, because “The
heart is deceitful above all things” we need to continually remind people
that God transcends our universe (Jeremiah 17:9). Although He is present
everywhere, He exists in a different dimension, a spiritual dimension where Three can be One. And, it is just as foolish for someone to
think that he can explain the truth about God by making up explanations, as it
would be for him to think that he can discover the name of my next door
neighbor by making up a name.