Why Theology Matters: The Trinity, A Witness to the Gospel

by Marilynn Chadwick

Many religious groups, including Jehovah’s witnesses, Jews, Mormons, Unitarians, and others deny the existence of the Trinity. A dear friend used to be a devout Muslim. She tells the story of how she finally gave her life to Christ after wrestling with the reality of the Trinity. She knew in her heart it had to be true. Another friend, now a Messianic Jew, was astounded to realize when she accepted Jesus that he lived “in her” in the form of the Holy Spirit, something she had never experienced as a Jew.

The term “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, but the three persons of the Godhead are woven throughout the Bible. When he gave the Great Commission, Jesus made reference to the triune nature of God when he said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).

A heresy can be defined as a departure from the teachings of Jesus and the core Christian doctrines as revealed in Scripture. We’ve seen how Paul warned about false teachers who crept into the early church (Acts 20:28-31). Peter and Jude also sound the alarm on false teachers who “secretly slipped in” and introduced “destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:4).

The historic creeds were written in response to heresies. A creed generally emphasized the beliefs which refuted the most dangerous errors at the time. For example, the Nicene Creed in the fourth century is emphatic in affirming the Deity of Christ, since it was directed against the Arians who denied that Christ was fully God.

The Apostles’ Creed, drawn up in the second century, emphasized the true humanity, including the material body, of Jesus, since that is the point the heretics of the time (Gnostics, Marcionites and others) denied. Gnostics thought orthodox Christians were wrong in their belief that God had taken human nature or a human body in the form of Jesus Christ. Like the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed strongly affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Thus, the Apostles’ Creed is as follows:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; 

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; 

Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; 

Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; 

The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; 

And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; 

From there He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; 

The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; 

And the life everlasting. Amen.

Some say “there are no new heresies under the sun.” Early Christians wrestled with false teaching and the rise of heresies. The same creeds which have equipped believers throughout the centuries with sound doctrine can help us stand strong against the lies of the enemy today.

Why Theology Matters: Safeguard Against Heresy

by Marilynn Chadwick

We live in an age where false teaching is rampant. Cults, counterfeit religions, and even Satanism are on the rise. You might be surprised to learn that the early church also battled false teachers and heresies. Then, as now, sound doctrine is a powerful weapon against the lies of the enemy. Throughout Scripture, spiritual leaders are exhorted to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1 ESV). More than ever, believers need to know how to defend their faith.

I used to think the term “sound doctrine” sounded rather uninteresting. That is, until I explored the original Greek words for the term. Sound is hygiene, or “healthy.” Doctrine is didaskia, or “teaching.” Healthy teaching leads to a healthy mind. And who doesn’t want a healthy mind? Moreover, sound doctrine equips believers for ministry and brings us to maturity. Sound doctrine, or “healthy teaching,” also gives us the essential guardrails “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

Our age is dark and getting darker. Many call this the “age of anxiety.” It’s marked by confusion about everything from truth to identity. No longer is our culture defined by a commonly accepted moral framework. Rebellion is rampant, giving rise to tremendous spiritual warfare. This provides fertile ground for heresy, or denial of the core doctrines of biblical Christianity. Paul issued this sober warning about false teachers to spiritual leaders in the New Testament church at Ephesus:

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28-31 NIV). 

Throughout Scripture, sound doctrine prepares believers for spiritual warfare. As my WWII submarine veteran daddy likes to say, “The best way to avoid a war is to prepare for it.” One important weapon of combat to prepare us for war is the “Doctrine of the Trinity.”

Simply put, the Trinity helps us know God better. In it we see the unity of the triune God—One God in Three Persons. The Trinity also helps us understand realities behind the name of God—"God the Father,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit.”

Famous 13th century theologian, Thomas Aquinas, believed the name “God” referred to the whole of the Trinity. So, when we pray, we are praying to the Trinity. When we worship, we are worshiping the Trinity. When we witness, we are animated by the Trinity. Our major creeds were written to refute heresy. All affirm the Trinity. Tomorrow, we’ll learn about a second century creed written to combat false teaching in the early church.

How to Wait Well: Share Jesus

by David Chadwick

Jesus’s return is imminent. Therefore, we must “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).

As we learn to wait well for our soon and coming King, we must pray and praise, love our neighbors, be self-controlled and sober-minded, live excitedly and expectantly. And finally, today’s tip, we must share Jesus!

We must never be ashamed of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). It is the power of God for complete and total life transformation. The hope of the world is not found in a political party or candidate, but only in a relationship with Jesus.

The message we carry as followers of Jesus is the hope of the world!

Yes, the gospel is about knowing our utter depravity and sinfulness (Romans 3:23). And our eternal destination is eternal separation from God if we don’t receive forgiveness. But it is also about knowing Jesus’s enormous grace and forgiveness that gives us the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

We share this gospel with others knowing that we are in sales and God is in management. It’s not optional but a command from the one who died for us (Matthew 28:19). As we respond in obedience to make disciples of Jesus, he promises we will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Sharing Jesus is not as complicated as some people have made it out to be. It’s really about sharing your story. How Jesus changed you. People can try to argue the gospel, but they can’t argue your life change.

Read the story of the blind man in John 9. He could easily conclude that Jesus was the Messiah because of his own story. He was blind, but now could see! And that’s what he shared with others.

When Jesus returns, let him find you sharing the gospel with someone who doesn’t know him. It’s a command, not optional.

Then watch his smile increase as he says to you, “Well done!”