THE TRINITARIAN TERMINOLOGY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

 

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 Roman empire met in the city of Nicea to deal with the followers of Arius, who denied the deity of Christ. Like many “liberals” today, the followers of Arius hid their rejection of Scripture behind Christian terminology. For example: They would say that Jesus is the son of God, but denied that Jesus had a divine nature and existed from eternity. Of course the Bible says the opposite. The words, “Out of you will He come forth unto me who is to be ruler of Israel; whose origin is from long ago, from everlasting,” tell us that Christ is from everlasting (Micah 5:2). I could quote other passages, but what I want to stress is that the ancient church countered that problem by adopting a creed (recited during every worship service) that included words the Arians would not accept. That creed is known today as the Nicene Creed, and that creed (with minor variation) is recited by traditional Christians around the world.  

 

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 Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, And I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

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, becauseThe 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.