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The Trinity (Blogging the Belgic, Article 8)

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The Belgic Confession shifts a bit when it comes to article 8, as it moves from the discussion of the Word of God that has taken up articles 2-7 back to the discussion of the nature of God (which article 1 discusses) and, in particular, the doctrine of the Trinity (a theme that will continue, as you will see in the upcoming posts). While the discussion of the Bible found in the previous articles sought to make clear some of the differences in belief that were emerging in the 1500’s between the Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church, the discussion of the Trinity that occurs in article 8 and beyond is actually a point of commonality; remember, part of the purpose of the Belgic Confession was to show that the Reformed Church was not something novel but in continuity with the historical teachings of the Christian Church. That is, the teaching about the Trinity found in article 8 reflects the teachings that appear in what are often called the ecumenical creeds (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and the lesser known but very powerful Athanasian Creed) that all branches of the Christian Church accept and confess; rather than the debates of the Reformation, this article reflects the debates of the early church as it wrestles with the fact that the Bible teaches both the oneness and the threeness of God.

While article 1 highlights the idea that there is 1 God (found in texts like Deuteronomy 6:4), article 8 unpacks how this oneness is true in the midst of what we find throughout Scripture about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible but the concept is found in it (for more on that, see article 9). The confession highlights that the Bible teaches that there is a single essence, one God, but that this one God exists “really, truly, and eternally distinct” in three persons. Such a statement rules out the idea that there is a single God who manifests himself in different forms — like water is a solid, liquid, or gas depending on the temperature or that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person, but shifting when he puts glasses on! — a false teaching rejected by the early church called Modalism. It also rules out any sort of idea that Jesus and the Holy Spirit came into being in history, as they eternally exist; the confession explicitly makes this point later on in this article, as it notes that “The Father was never without his Son, nor without his Holy Spirit, since all are equal from eternity, in one and the same essence.” There is language of the Son being begotten of the Father and the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, but these are things that are eternally true; there was not a time when the Son or the Spirit did not exist.

There is a single God but these three persons are “distinct according to their incommunicable properties” — this is fancy word, what does that mean? When I hear “communicable,” I always think of diseases, with communicable diseases being those that can be spread. It is said that God has communicable and incommunicable attributes, with the communicable attributes of God referring to qualities that God shares with us while incommunicable attributes are those that are reserved for God. Here, it notes that there is an incommunicable element between the divine persons in that the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Spirit (as is made clear in the Athanasian Creed, whose language is used at the end of this article); they are equal and share things like truth, power, goodness and mercy but are distinguished by their work in that the Father does not take on flesh, just the Son. Later on in article 8, the confession makes the point clear that there are not three gods but one, as the “distinction does not divide God into three, since Scripture teaches us that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit each has his own subsistence [being] distinguished by characteristics– yet in such a way that these three persons are only one God.”

 The confession then goes on to talk about things that are particular to each person of the Trinity. “The Father is the cause, origin, and source of all things, visible as well as invisible.” The Father is the creator, the cause. “The Son is the Word, the Wisdom, and the image of the Father.” The Son makes the Father known, the effect. “The Holy Spirit is the eternal power and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son.” The Spirit is the means of God’s activity. While the confession says that the Spirit is a power, this does not mean that He is not a person (as Jesus speaks about him as a person in John 14-16).

There are certain things that only one member of the Trinity did, with the confession noting that the Father nor the Spirit took on flesh – it was only the Son. One practical application to think about when we pray is whether we distinguish between the members of the Trinity and praise them for their particular work. Sometimes, you will hear a prayer that begins with “Father” but then thanks him for dying for our sins; the Father did not do this but rather the Son! We can reflect on each member of the Trinity and their particular work.

It is good to know that even though each person is distinct, they work together and are involved in the same things. The Father is the creator, but yet we hear that Jesus Christ is the Word (and God spoke the world into existence by His word), but we also read that the Spirit gives and creates life. In salvation, the Father saves through the work of the Son which is applied to Christians by the power of the Spirit. We should give praise to each member of the Trinity for the work in salvation.

Questions about Bible or theology, e-mail them to Pastor Brian at Theology@wearefaith.org. You can also subscribe by filling out the info on the right side.

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