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.