Welcome to Trinity Sunday. This is the day dedicated to the Triune God, Three-in-One and One-in-Three, distinct in Persons and unified in Substance. This is the day that strikes terror into preachers because the more you talk about the Trinity, the more likely you are to fall into some form of heresy. So this is also the day when clergy look for guest preachers or assign seminarians to preach. But since neither of those are an option, here I am. So let’s jump right into this theological mystery, shall we.
Within the bounds of Holy Scripture the words “Trinity,” “trinitarian,” “one-in-three,” or “three-in-one” don’t exist. The closest we get is at the very end of Matthew when Jesus directs the disciples to baptize in “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” However, there is doubt among scholars as to whether or not those words were actually spoken by Jesus. Some say they were added later as the Church began to develop a trinitarian theology. Some argue that this formula was used by a particular faith community known to Matthew. And some see it as a reflective statement of Jesus’ own baptism when the Spirit descended and a voice was heard. But other than this one instance, the Trinity is not explicit in Scripture.
Going back to the beginning, there was a diverse set of beliefs in the early days of Christianity. As the movement continued to grow, competing ideas about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit came into conflict. Eventually the Catholic system came to dominate and theologians from Tertullian to Athanasius to Gregory of Nyssa and others began to seriously think about the Godhead.
It was into this mix of ideas and debates that a priest from Alexandria by the name of Arius put forth his thoughts about the nature of God.
I’ll keep this short, but in his studies Arius concluded that Jesus, Son of God, was a created being – filled with the presence of God, to be sure, but created nonetheless, just as you and I are created beings. If you take that line of thought to its logical conclusion, this meant that there was a time when the Son was not. This meant that the Son was not eternal, which meant that he couldn’t be of the same substance as God.
Arius’ interpretation gained a following and the controversy between Arianism and Orthodoxy grew, spreading like wildfire and threatening to split the Church. Part of this conflict came from the Arians holding that the Son was created and therefore subservient to the Father versus the Orthodox who held that the Son was begotten of the Father and therefore co-equal with the Father. Another part of this conflict was expressed by Athanasius who said that Arius’ studies and proclamations were based on private, individual readings of Scripture. Athanasius accused Arius of teaching his own beliefs counter to the mind of the Church.
This controversy was so divisive and so widespread that in 325 Emperor Constantine called for a Church Council to settle the matter before it erupted into outright civil war. That Council, held in Nicaea, adopted several policies, the most famous of which was the Nicene Creed. Arius and his followers were excommunicated (although the battle raged for years), and at the Council of Constantinople in 381 the Nicene Creed was formalized as THE statement of faith for the Church. It clarified that the Father and the Son, while different persons, shared one substance. It also decreed that the Holy Spirit was “worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son.” Eventually the Holy Spirit was seen as also being a different person with the same substance, and Trinitarianism became the official doctrine of the Church.
The Council of Nicaea met from May through August of 325 where they discussed a uniform date for Easter, proper methods of consecrating bishops, and barring bishops, priests, and deacons from moving between churches. But the big issue was the Arian controversy and the development of the Creed.
If you’ve done the math, this year marks the 1700th anniversary of maybe the most important four months in the history of the Church. From that Council we were given the basis of an orthodox faith. We gained insight into the Holy Trinity – three persons, one substance, acting independently but always in unity. We learned that theology is necessary to the Church because it’s important to think deeply about God. We learned that Scripture must be interpreted in community, not relying on private, individual interpretations. And we learned that Scripture is difficult, that Scripture and tradition don’t always make immediate sense, and that we must struggle with the mystery we are given.
We should be okay living into mystery, and Episcopalians generally are. Have you noticed that some churches have a list of things which must be adhered to? Those lists, or statements, try to nail down beliefs to remove any ambiguity about the faith. Those are often called “Faith Confessions,” or “Confessions of Faith.”
The Episcopal church is not a Confessional church; we are a Creedal church. We hold to the faith as represented in the Nicene Creed. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe there is room for mystery. We hold that interpretations of Scripture are best done in community. We hold that the mystery of the Godhead was revealed to be Trinitarian in substance reflecting the ultimate community of God.
On this particular Trinity Sunday, let us give thanks for the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. Let us give thanks for a Creed that has defined orthodoxy for the past 1700 years. Let us give thanks for the revelation of the Godhead who is distinct in three persons and yet three persons bound in one substance. And, as the Council of Nicaea struggled to proclaim what was distinctive of Christianity in their day, let us struggle to proclaim what makes Christianity distinctive in our day.
May the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always.
Amen.
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