The “Gracious God” we address in prayer is all we need. Anchored by these ancient words, we are liberated to interpret, amplify and expand upon the ways of naming the Triune God most familiar to the church, rather than simply repeating the word “God” in prayer and liturgy. 43: Holy Spirit. In the same manner that grammar rules help us to be clear about what we say, the rules of Trinitarian language help us to be faithful to what we believe. God’s creative work is expressed all around us. John Calvin might have said: “Christ is not only the pledge of our adoption, but God also gives us the Holy Spirit as a witness to this adoption, through whom we may freely cry aloud, ‘Abba, Father.’ Whenever we are distressed, remember to ask for the presence of the Spirit who will enable us to pray boldly” (Institutes, III.20.37). God is indeed closer to us than our skin — the three-in-one and the one-in-three. What Do Presbyterians Believe? Presbyterians believe that the Bible is an inspired record of the revelation of God to all. Just as there is a threefold aspect of art as idea, expression and effect, so there is a three-in-one revelation of God. new google.translate.TranslateElement({pageLanguage: 'en'}, 'google_translate_element'); Volunteer with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Volunteer for Elected Service at the General Assembly Level. We must pray and sing to the “one Triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.”. One visitor to Constantinople wrote: “This city is full of . This creates a theological error that violates the first rule: Is the first person the “Creator” of the second and third persons? This is seen in the confusion that the Nicene formulation attempted to eliminate. Legend has it that when Saint Patrick told the King of Ireland about the Trinity, the king could not believe three Persons in the Godhead could exist as one. What are Trinity's sources of inspiration? One group maintained that the Son and the Father were of the same substance (Greek homo-ousion), while another group argued that they were of a similar substance (homoi-ousion). We are more aware than ever of the growing numbers of Hindus and Buddhists in our midst, not to mention Sikhs and various African religions. Were divine beings sent from heaven to earth like relay runners, one carrying on after another one finished? 18 What is the Trinity? . Presbyterians believe in Trinitarian baptism. $12.95 $9.07: Gordon H. Clark Trade paperback, 284 pages. 6. It is Trinitarian in the sense that each person of the Trinity is involved in the functions of creation, redemption and sustaining us. Ultimately, however, every Presbyterian must find a personal set of beliefs through study, contemplation and worship. Presbyterians celebrate baptism as a communal act of public worship. Some think it means Presbyterians see themselves as the “elite” or “chosen” of God and so we do not care about other Christians—just ourselves. Presbyterians have come to make a lot of Advent and they occasionally observe Lent, but they usually overlook the Trinity season of the church year. It cannot substitute for personal language. Do Presbyterians believe in the Trinity? When the book is published, the music played, or the drawing viewed an effect is made on those who read, hear or see it. The idea is then expressed in a physical way—the literary artist puts words on paper; the musical artist writes down notes; the graphic artist paints a canvas. Others like to consider themselves simply as followers of Jesus. There is, however, a distinct deficiency in comparing God to the sun or to electricity; a personal analogy is needed to point to our personal God. Necessary — not merely helpful or encouraging. Two months of discussion centered in the difference made by one iota, that is, the Greek letter i. Often the Trinity is taught in confirmation class or in Sunday school (for children and adults) more as a mathematical problem to be solved than the living reality of God. Who doesn't love being #1? 45: 38 In what ways does the Holy Spirit work in the church? The doctrine of the Trinity is a pressing issue for contemporary Presbyterians for precisely the opposite reason: we are losing the Biblical account of God without controversy, without debate. . Christ – Presbyterians believe that Christ is the Son of God, the revealer of God, and the Savior of humanity. There are several churches named after saints, it shows respect and admiration. (2 Corinthians 13:14). In contrast, the Christian faith affirms that the work of all three persons of the Trinity is essential to our relationship to God. We are a part of the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination that grew out of a movement of spiritual awakening and revival in the early years of the 1800s. What do Presbyterians believe about abortion, euthanasia, violence in the media, human sexuality, and global economics? It is the very nature of God as revealed to us in Scripture. Although Muhammad held Jesus in high regard, he rejected Christianity because he thought it contained polytheistic paganism. Presbyterians interpret the Bible very much like other protestants do. Was the God of the Old Testament a different God from the God of the New Testament? Register to join beta. Are there “rules” to be followed, then? Read 7 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Because of this lay and clergy votes count the same. If you ask a man to change a piece of silver he informs you wherein the Son differs from the Father; if you ask for a loaf of bread you are told . The terms must either be personal or functional — the two should not be mixed. The Triune God does all this through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit In costly grace the Lord Jesus Christ ministered among us and was crucified and raised for us and for our salvation. ), The theological debate was intense, and not only at Nicaea. This liberating approach also demands discipline. Presbyterians stand for the majesty, praise, and sovereignty of God, and so . To be fair, I often hear Presbyterians talk about “following Jesus” and “listening to the Spirit.” But far rarer are references to all three persons of the Trinity in an integrated way. And if Christ is God and if God is non-physical Spirit, does that mean that Christ never really had flesh and blood? We are politically, economically, and theologically diverse. Be the first to answer this question. (For a fuller explanation, please see below * and **). God – God exists in the trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.. Christ – Presbyterians believe that Christ is the Son of God, the revealer of God, and the Savior of humanity.. Holy Spirit – the presence of God in the world and in the believer.. Bible – the inspired word of God. Presbyterians believe that as the Election of God calls men to redemption in Jesus Christ so it calls them to newness of life in Jesus Christ. They are products of disciplined reflection, yet are vivid and rooted in Scripture. 'God in three persons, blessed Trinity' is one way of speaking about the several ways we experience God." … About this the church must have no doubt: The doctrine of the Trinity proclaims to us the very heart of God, made known to us and to the world in the self-sacrificial love of Jesus Christ and poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Christians were in a dilemma as to what to believe. We are “spiritual, but not religious,” finding God within ourselves. Later in the fourth century a second ecumenical council met in Constantinople to deal with the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son. The central ring affirms monotheism. Volunteer with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Volunteer for Elected Service at the General Assembly Level. Another impulse toward functional Unitarianism draws from our growing realization of religious pluralism. In God Was in Christ Donald Baillie, one of the most influential Presbyterian scholars of this century, provides a simple but profound interpretation of the doctrine of divine Triunity. Since there is no full discussion of these questions in the Bible, the source of Christian doctrine, varying–indeed, clashing–answers were given to these theological questions. Taken from the Latin tria, threefold, and unus, one, this preserves the oneness notion intended by the ecumenical councils of the fourth century that included the Trinity in their creeds. We cannot “pick one from column a, one from column b and one from column c,” as if any three terms can express Trinity. We have two main sources of inspiration and guidance in our faith - The Bible and Creeds and Confessions. An African Muslim once said that the main difference between his religion and Christianity was that he had several wives and one God, while Christians had one wife and several gods. A central belief of those who were the founders of our church was that Christ died for all persons, and that all people are included within God’s love for the world. We believe in the Triune God – God who creates, Jesus who redeems, and the Holy Spirit who sustains us. We haven’t rejected the Trinity outright; we simply do not seem to need it any more. common people who act like theologians in the shops and streets. Presbyterians believe that Salvation is by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. When we are baptized with water in the name of the Trinity, we share in Christ’s own baptism. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God–but they are one God. Our contemporary version is certainly true, but it betrays an ability to account for the biggest events and issues in our lives without reference to the Triune God—to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. In spite of these explanations, some people, even some scholars, have dismissed the Christian doctrine of a triune God as irrational. Our faith always finds a particular way of being expressed and lived out in the world. PC(USA) officers is “Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable exposition of what Scripture leads us to believe and do?” The themes of the Confessions are listed in F-2 of the “Form of Government”—Trinity, incarnation of the Word The cover says, "What Presbyterians Believe." What Do Presbyterians Believe? They will sniff out our not-so-well-disguised implicit Trinitarianism, even while we think we are all talking about the same idea of God. This is quite different from seeing it as light in a light bulb or feeling it as heat from a stove. Presbyterians are known for believing in predestination or election. Did one God have no beginning and another one have his beginning at Bethlehem? In the Middle Ages, baptism came to be an increasingly private, family affair, separated from worship. Presbyterians believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is important for a number of reasons. She finds this analogy of A. H. Mollegen especially helpful: “The light (the Father) shines through the colored slide (the Son) to cast an image (the Holy Spirit) on the screen (the church).”. In a similar manner the one invisible God is experienced in various modes. Baptism is an outward sign of the inward grace of God at … . Presbyterians have come to make a lot of Advent and they occasionally observe Lent, but they usually overlook the Trinity season of the church year. Bible Presbyterians believe that God exists and that God has been revealed to humanity. Creator/Redeemer/Sustainer is a wonderful description of the work of God on our behalf. 24: ... 34 Do Presbyterians believe that humans are totally evil? The longest season of the church year, Trinity begins eight weeks after Easter and continues for about half of the calendar year. The longest season of the church year, Trinity begins eight weeks after Easter and continues for about half of the calendar year. Not all Non-Subscribing Presbyterians believe in an eternal hell (although some do). In an effort to settle this matter, in A.D. 325 he asked the bishops from the entire church to come together at Nicaea to discuss and agree on a creed. Worship is at the heart of our tradition because as sinful humans that is all we can do, worship God. However, when three equal and mutually dependent forces operate together, the addition signs should be replaced by multiplication marks: one times one times one equals one. We emphasize that God has revealed God's Self as the Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What Do Presbyterians Believe? He did not realize that monotheism is basic to the Christian statement of belief, the Nicene Creed. How do we bring comfort and hope to others? Was the God of law separate from the God of grace? While understandable, this impulse does not serve us well. 0 0 1. They do not believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, but merely a force—the "unseen power" from God. Presbyterian Creeds & Confessions Those ordained to Presbyterian church office "receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our Church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and [are] instructed and led by those confessions as [we] lead the people of God." Further, our partners in interfaith dialogue routinely tell us that honesty is essential for a true dialogue. . new google.translate.TranslateElement({pageLanguage: 'en'}, 'google_translate_element'); Presbyterians do not believe in the saints in the same way that Catholics do. Belief in the Trinity and a closed canon are the two main markers of mainstream Christianity, held in common by Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestant churches. “And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ ” — 1 Samuel 3:10, © 2021 Presbyterian Mission Agency   Privacy Policy | GDPR Privacy Policy | Legal Notices. Charles Wiley, the coordinator of the PC(USA) office of theology and worship, wrote the first article, "Reclaiming the Trinity." But not everyone recognizes God’s activity and what God has done in this world. What is a Cumberland Presbyterian and what do they believe? Christadelphians believe God is one indivisible unity, not three distinct persons existing in one God. They believe that the Holy Spirit lives in individuals but works through the community. There is a profound complexity in the orthodox Christian doctrine of God, but it is not incomprehensible. . Do Presbyterians Believe That Baptism Is Necessary to Salvation? . In her Call to Faith, Presbyterian educator Rachel Henderlite laments the lingering Trinitarian misunderstandings that have resulted in three-headed monstrosities. The subheading reads: The Trinity is not an optional 'extra' to God; it is the very nature of God as revealed to us in Scripture. Early Christians found some of their oral and written traditions puzzling. Beginning with Augustine in the fifth century, attempts have been made to provide analogies from our human experiences to shed light on the doctrine of the Trinity. These objections can lead to bland liturgical compromises that rob Scripture and tradition of their richness. [Thus] no one should think it absurd that we should call the Father God, the Son God, the Holy Spirit God, and that these are not three gods in the Trinity, but one God and one substance.”. Chapter 2 of 'What Do Presbyterians Believe? (One of the participants was “Santa Claus,” from Myra, Turkey, where he was known as Bishop Nicholas. “And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ ” — 1 Samuel 3:10, © 2021 Presbyterian Mission Agency   Privacy Policy | GDPR Privacy Policy | Legal Notices. Be the first to answer! . A common Trinitarian substitute, Creator/Christ/Spirit, fails the first two tests. A medieval diagram often found in European cathedral windows expresses the gist of the Nicene formulation. We cannot dispose of the Trinity any more easily than we can dispose of our confession of God as the author of life. Electromagnetic force provides a similar analogy: No one has seen this basic energy of the universe, and yet we witness electricity in distinct ways: We experience it as shock if we put our finger in an outlet. To lose the vocabulary of the Trinity is to miss out on a full understanding of who God is. Don’t all people of faith worship the same God? }. “The doctrine has often confused the thinking of the individual Christian as much as it has clarified and strengthened it,” she observes. No, Presbyterians believe that Christ is spiritually present in the Lord’s Supper. God is the creator of all things. It is essential that we work through the issues that threaten to rob us of Biblical faith. Undisciplined use of any three words to refer to the Trinity is a “rock, paper, scissors” theology — three, any three, will do. In many Presbyterian churches, elders are chosen from among the congregation or elected. But we might say: “Be comforted, for God is always with you.”. The solar disk, rays and heat also offer a helpful analogy: There is the transcendent God over us who is too brilliant to be gazed at directly; there is Jesus who is “God with us” (“Emmanuel” in Hebrew); and there is the warmth of the Holy Spirit within us. During the process, babies or adults receive baptism through the sprinkling of water, the pouring of water, or by being dipped into water during a ceremony that is said to symbolize Christ's death and resurrection. Pretty much every church in the world embraces the Nicene Creed. This is especially true regarding baptism in the name of the Triune God, one of the few things that connects Christian believers around the world. When dramatic events occur in our lives, we find out what we really believe. Answer. . In ordinations that take place in almost every Presbyterian congregation, elders, deacons and ministers are asked: Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit? The vast majority of Presbyterians agree with the 1985 General Assembly’s statement on the use of language in worship: “Our language about God should be as intentionally diverse and varied as is that of the Bible and our theological tradition.” Yet often we hear only, “God, God, God.” Attention to God as Trinity and to the words of Scripture and the tradition provide us with a more faithful vocabulary that is also richer and more varied than current practice. God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons. Five Key Tenets of Reformed Theology. There are many caricatures of this doctrine. Majority Rule: When Presbyterians have a policy or an action to consider, they pray, they talk, and then they vote. function googleTranslateElementInit() { We recognize that we share much with Jews and Muslims. The doctrine of the Trinity re-emphasizes that, if Christ is for us, then God Himself is for us and not against us. There is one essence of God; the emphasis is on oneness, not three-ness. Even when we speak about “the Spirit,” we are using an alternative term for our generalized understanding of God. This article originally appeared in the May 2005 issue of Presbyterians Today. It is not that first we have God the Father, then at a later time God the Son, and after both of these the Holy Spirit carries the relay torch. Here are examples of ways to amplify and enrich our language of the Triune God. Clark is exceptionally strong on soteriology, ecclesiology, and ethics. People today have moved beyond rejection of the church and doctrinal systems to ambivalence about the specific need for the work of the Son and the Spirit. Wouldn’t our lives be simpler if we didn’t have this three-fold God to explain? Usually the church takes up a theological issue only when there is great controversy — a time when a lack of consensus on an issue embroils the church in an intractable debate. Here is an excerpt: In sovereign love God created the heavens and the earth and called and formed the people of Israel to be a light to all the nations. Have you heard anyone answer “no” recently? 46: The three terms must have an inner relationship. Presbyterian interactions with saints pretty much ends there. Given its centrality in all the creeds and in the faith of the church, how could we ignore the Trinity? Usually the church takes up a theological issue only when there is great controversy — a time when a lack of consensus on an issue embroils the church in an intractable debate. The term Trinity wrongly suggests that Christians are tritheists. There are at least three contributing reasons: One of the chief characteristics of American religion is a conviction that nothing stands between us and God. However, he found that Christians were themselves much divided over questions of doctrine. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is encouraging its members to use new wordings to reflect the Trinity, in addition to “Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.” A church report suggests how to phrase prayers, such as “The triune God is known to us as 'Speaker, Word, and Breath. The Westminster Confession: Yesterday and Today' written by Gordon H. Clark and read by a professional reader. To avert the erroneous idea of having triple gods, some have appropriately placed a “u” in the midst of the word, making it Triunity. 23: 19 What are some practical results of believing in the Trinity? The language of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, etched in Scripture and creed, remains indispensable for our efforts to speak faithfully of God. Do you think Catholics and Protestants believe in the same God, and how does this affect your evangelism? However, according to the Nicene formulation, there are three simultaneous expressions of the divine substance. An equilateral triangle around the circle represents the equality of the three expressions of the Godhead. }. Some Non-Subscribing Presbyterians would regard themselves as Trinitarian* while others would call themselves Unitarian**. That is surely not what we believe. “Creator” is a functional description of the Godhead, one in which all three persons of the Trinity participate, yet Christ and Spirit are personal designations. The Trinity – God exists in the trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. During the Old Testament act there was God the Father, during the gospel act there was God the Son, and after both of these came the Holy Spirit. This article originally appeared in the May 1994 edition of Presbyterian Survey (now Presbyterians Today). In fact, Presbyterians probably take more votes than any other religious group. 41: 35 What do we mean by original sin? The gathering at Nicaea is called the first ecumenical council because representatives came from churches in Asia, Africa and Europe. Christians can sing: ‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.’” Baillie integrates the devotional life of a Christian into a satisfying intellectual treatment of the church’s basic doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity is too vital to our faith for such laziness. Gordon H. Clark | The Trinity Foundation. that the Son is inferior to the Father; and if you inquire whether the bath is ready, the answer is that the Son was made out of nothing.”. Misrepresentations by outsiders of the Christian doctrine of God may have arisen from the bewilderment of many church members from the first century onward. Given the time, energy and controversy devoted to the Trinity in the church’s history, how could we let it slip away? If we can express our faith using only “God,” we have become functional Unitarians. “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is a root out of which grows an even richer vocabulary of praise. Presbyterians believe that the doctrine of the Trinity also affirms the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as distinct Persons Who reveal themselves as … 42: 36 Do we have free will? 1. In transforming power the Holy Spirit renews and sanctifies us, draws us into new communion with God and each other, awakens our praise and worship, and equips us for the service of God in the world. What Do Presbyterians Believe? What is called the Nicene Creed contains an additional paragraph about the Holy Spirit that was added in 381. Mark Gilbert Mark grew up as a committed Roman Catholic, but despite this did not hear the gospel until he started university. Consider the process involved in an experience of art: First there is the initial idea in the creator’s mind. The Trinity is not an optional “extra” to God. Some object to using the gendered language of Father and Son in worship; others object to using any alternative language for God. What guides our faith in such situations? The Apostle Paul might have said: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who consoles us in all our affliction, for just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so our consolation is abundant through Christ, sealed in our hearts through the power and constant presence of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 1:3–5, 21–22). Which is the true person? We believe that the Bible tells the story – both past, present and future – of the never-ending journey of God and God’s people in the world. These masks were called personas, which translated literally means “through which the sound comes.” Sabellius, a Christian teacher in the third century, believed that a succession of divine impersonations was sent forth from heaven to earth during three acts in the cosmic theater. The Holy Spirit not only makes a child of sin to become a child of God, He also leads the new believer into a new way of life which is in conformity to the will of God; into holiness of life and Sanctification. We believe that the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying and healing work of the Holy Spirit are necessary for us to be reconciled to God. It is the grace, love and communion of this one God in three persons that draws us into the divine life. Can you think of others? Muhammad thought Christians believed in three different deities, one of them the goddess Mary, who was impregnated by intercourse with the father God. Apparently, we are able to talk about our faith through simple appeal to God: God loves you, God forgives you, God will be with you. Although humans do not have a full understanding of God, there is a reasonable basis for belief in the triune God. The Trinity is not an optional “extra” to God. Note the inner relationships between the terms: Can you envision them being used in your prayer life and in worship? In classical drama an actor often wore different masks to play several roles. Lifting up a sprig of shamrock, Saint Patrick said: “Here is a perfect leaf with three perfect parts.” The shamrock became a well-known symbol of the Holy Trinity. Do Presbyterians believe in the holy trinity? Asked by Wiki User. Wouldn’t we be one step closer to a unity with others who worship God? This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. First of all, Presbyterians have always stressed that the will and action of Jesus (the Son) are the same as the will and action of God. All questions that have vexed many a believer and theologian for centuries – and I approach with some fear and trembling. We also tend toward functional Unitarianism because we are unsure of how to speak of the Triune God. They deny the divinity of Jesus, believing he is fully human and separate from God. What do we really believe? The language of our prayers, hymns, doxologies and anthems shapes our faith as surely as it reflects our faith. The doctrine of the Trinity is a pressing issue for contemporary Presbyterians for precisely the opposite reason: we are losing the Biblical account of God without controversy, without debate. We confess faith in the Triune God because we believe this is who God truly is. The disregard of this season may be due to the difficulty of harmonizing a reasonable faith with what appears to be an irrational doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity. Muslims and Jews have presumed, as have some Christians, that Christians worship three separate gods. In 381 conveys the idea that there are several churches named after saints it... Who God truly is closely related to our faith using only “ God, the Christian doctrine of God ''. 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