The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity – June 15, 2025Psalm 8; Isaiah 6:1-7; Romans 11:33-36St. John 3:1-17
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The three creeds of the Christian
Church state the fundamental doctrines of what it means to be a Christian. At a
bare minimum, all three creeds affirm the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the
two natures in Christ. These two doctrines then form the basis for the doctrines
of creation, redemption, and sanctification. And then, built on these, are the
doctrines of the Holy Sacraments – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Although the three creeds all state
these fundamental doctrines, each creed takes a unique place in the life of the
Christian. The Apostles’ Creed is the Baptismal Creed. It is the daily food
needed by our faith and should be confessed at least once a day by every
baptized child of God. It is also the catechetical creed, the one used for bringing
new believers into an understanding of the fundamental teachings of the
Scriptures. It is the catechetical creed precisely because it is the Baptismal
Creed. It stands as the front door to the house of God, entered into repeated
and daily as the Christian returns daily to his baptism.
The Nicene Creed is the creed of the feast;
the creed most closely associated with the Lord’s Supper. It is more robust
than the Apostles’ Creed even as the meat given to the mature is more robust
than the milk given to infants. It is confessed every time the Lord’s Supper is
received as an indication of the maturity of those gathered to receive the Holy
Supper. If the Apostles’ Creed is daily food, then the Nicene Creed is the
feast, enjoyed on special occasions.
The Athanasian Creed, undoubtably the
one you are least familiar with, is the poetry to which the Christian life is
set. It is written in the style of wisdom literature, with repetition and
layered meaning, intended to be enjoyed and contemplated over time. In some
traditions, it is confessed monthly (or even weekly) in the weekday prayer
offices. In others, such as ours, it is reserved for today’s great feast, the
Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. It is distinguished as the clearest confession
of all the Scriptures have to say concerning the doctrine of the Holy Trinity
and it even expands on the confession of Christ’s two natures. If the Apostles’
Creed is daily food and the Nicene Creed a feast, then the Athanasian Creed is a
precious spice, to be considered throughout the year, discerning its flavors
and subtleties so that when you have the opportunity to confess it, your knowledge
and understanding may grow.
It is obvious through experience that Christians take the doctrine of the Holy Trinity for granted. We know that it is a necessary doctrine and we know that we believe it, but we give very little thought to it. Maybe the repetition of the Athanasian Creed lulls our mind into blind recitation. Maybe the incomprehensible nature of the mystery of the Trinity frightens us and so we let our fear corner us into saying, “I believe in the Trinity,” and nothing more. Whatever the reason, we are content to know the word “Trinity” and nothing more…which is to our shame.
It is our shame because the Scriptures
are full of Trinitarian language. In the very beginning, the Father speaks the
Word of the Son and the Spirit hovers over the waters of Creation.[1]
We are given glimpses into the inner conversations of the Holy Trinity when God
considers the Tower of Babel.[2]
We’ve spent the last five weeks hearing Christ speak of His ascent to the
Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit, that the Father would send the Holy
Spirit to speak the words of the Son.[3]
The very name into which you are baptized—the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit—is Trinitarian; the very name which seals you as a child of God, one who
stands to inherit eternal life.
And this is where diving into the
mystery of the Holy Trinity becomes personal, even practical for you. The Holy
Trinity is by definition personal. In the One Godhead, the One Substance of
God, there are three divine Persons. These Persons are defined by their
relationships – the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten of the Father
alone, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. As the
baptized children of God, you are made temples of the Holy Spirit, sons of the
Father, and stand as co-inheritors with the Son. The mystery and activities of
the Holy Spirit are why you are here this morning.
So, then, let us take a moment to
consider the Holy Trinity first in Its essence and then according to Its will.
When thinking about the essence of the
Holy Trinity, our forefathers in the faith have done us a great service in
composing the Athanasian Creed. What is said of the unity of the Trinity is
true of each Person within the Trinity. God is uncreated, infinite, and
eternal. There was never a time before God nor a time without God, a time when
God wasn’t. He has no beginning and no end. God is almighty and the Lord of
heaven and earth. He lacks nothing and has dominion over all things. There is
nothing outside of His sight nor beyond His reach. As the Lord of all, He is
owed loyalty, reverence, worship, and praise by all things beneath Him, which
is to say, by everything.
At the same time, we cannot confuse the
Persons. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord—individually
each Person is Lord and yet there are not three Lords but one Lord. The Father
is neither created nor begotten. The Son is neither made nor created but
begotten by the Father alone. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son,
neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeds from both the Father and
the Son. There are not three Fathers, three Sons, or three Holy Spirits, but
one Father, one Son, and one Holy Spirit.
And though it is tempting, none in this
Trinity is before or after another. The Father is not the chief member of the
Holy Trinity, just as the Holy Spirit is not the least. The Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit are coequal, meaning they are of equal majesty, power, and
might. Our typical formula for prayer is to the Father, through the Son, and in
the Spirit. That phrasing might be misunderstood as giving some kind of
“hierarchy” to the Trinity but that is a mistake. The three Persons are coequal
and coeternal.
When Christ says, “My Father is greater
than I,”[4]
He is speaking with regard to His humanity. When the Son descended into the
flesh of man, He made Himself lower than the Father. He is less than the Father
with respect to His humanity, but He is equal to the Father with respect to His
divinity. That is why Christ also says, “I and My Father are one.”[5]
So too with the Holy Spirit. Though He
proceeds from the Father and the Son, He is not “less than” or subordinate to
the Father and the Son. He proceeds in the same power and authority as the
Father and the Son. Scripture ascribes to the Holy Spirit the same divine
names, attributes, works, honor, and glory due to the Father and the Son. When
Ananias is caught lying to the Holy Spirit, St. Peter said, “You have not lied
to men, but to God,”[6]
granting the fullness of the Godhead to the Holy Spirit.
Now when we consider the will of God,
we must remember that the Holy Trinity never acts apart from Itself, that is,
when the Father acts, the Son and the Holy Spirit are acting as well. The
Trinity is of one will and that will is primarily concerned with your salvation;
insofar as that will has been revealed to us. We cannot know God’s will outside
of that which has been revealed in His Holy Word. What the prophets and
apostles have revealed to us is that God is singularly focused on the salvation
of man. It is for this reason that Christ says that all the Scriptures testify to
Him.[7]
Your salvation is in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. “For God loved
the world in this way, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”[8]
What then of the Law? Is it not the
eternal will of God? Are we not to be concerned with keeping God’s law whole
and undefiled? Most certainly! Just as there is no division between the will of
the Trinity, there is no division within God’s will itself. The Law is God’s
will for the man of salvation. It is the fruit of salvation, the fruit of
repentance, the manner in which God has ordered the life of His beloved
creation. We do no evil, not that we should appear approved by God or man, but
so that we do what is honorable in the sight of God, lest we become
disqualified of the salvation to which God has called us.[9]
You did nothing to be born of your father and mother but an evil life can
certainly disqualify you from any inheritance.
For the sake of brevity, we must leave
off our discussion of the Holy Trinity for today. However, I would challenge
all of us to spend more time in the coming year devoting attention to this core
doctrine of the Scriptures. Specifically, I would challenge us all to spend
more time considering the Athanasian Creed. This summer, over the next three
months, take time to recite the Athanasian Creed at least once a week, and
consider a small portion of it each day. As you do your daily bible reading,
note those passages that are referenced in this great creed; those that speak
of His Unity, of the distinction of Persons, of God’s attributes, and of His
will. Ask questions of the text and ask questions of the creed. May the
Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in
Trinity, bless you in this endeavor, now and forevermore.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
