Article 01

Faith in the Holy Trinity

“There is only one living and true God, who is eternal and without body, indivisible and invulnerable. He is of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. He is the maker and preserver of all things both visible and invisible. Within the unity of the Godhead there are three persons who are of one substance, power, and eternity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

* * * * *

What does the Episcopal Church believe? Cynics would say, “Anything” – or “nothing!” But the Book of Common Prayer is quite clear: we believe the Bible. And the Book of Common Prayer includes a summary of what the Bible teaches: the 39 Articles of Religion. This is a set of explanations of what we believe about specific topics.

The first article begins: “There is only one living and true God, who is eternal and without body, indivisible and invulnerable.” Just as the Bible begins with a confident claim that God exists: “In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1) so the articles begin with a statement of faith. Neither the Bible nor the articles spend any time seeking to prove that God exists, they simple state that he does. And this faith in God is necessary for, as the Bible says, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

The first article goes on to describe some of God’s characteristics: “He is of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness.” These are the very qualities we would not only hope that God has, but qualities that he must have if he is to accomplish the main thing he set out to do – save us! This article also reminds us that God is the creator: “He is the maker and preserver of all things both visible and invisible.” Since he made us, we would be wise to follow his instructions!

So far, the one described could be the god of any monotheistic religion. What is different about the God of the Bible? “Within the unity of the Godhead there are three persons who are of one substance, power, and eternity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Though there is just one God, he exists in three persons. In other words, not only is God, God – Jesus is God, too, and so is the Holy Spirit. To believe that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9) is to believe that Jesus is nothing short of God. Amazing!