SUBSTANCE OF THE FAITH

“… No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities but it is the same God who works all in all (1 Corinthians 12: 3-6).

In this passage Paul uses the words “the same Spirit”, ‘the same Lord’ and “same God” interchangeably to show the unity of the Trinity as emphasized in the 39 Articles of Religion. (Articles 1-5).

In 1997 Donald Allister writing for the Church society of English wrote “Many Church goers have heard the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion but few know much about them. Older members may remember that new Clergy used to read the Articles in full on their first Sunday in a parish (often they replaced the sermon). Those who have been to an ordination or induction recently may have hard the bishop asking the candidate if he accepts the Thirty-nine Articles as bearing witness of God’s truth”.

Allister’s comments underscore the seriousness and importance of the Articles in properly understanding the beliefs of the Anglican church which of course bows to biblical scrutiny. Why were they written? Where are they to be found? Why are they so important to the church?   Are they all relevant today?

Those are the questions we hope to answer in this series. In the introduction, we looked at the background/The over view of the 39 Articles of Faith.

Today we shall look at “substance of the Faith” covering Articles 1-5.

Article 1 is a brilliantly concise statement of a complicated but thoroughly biblical truth. It teaches us that there is only One God, that He is alive and true (trustworthy), that He is eternal (without beginning or end), and that He is without body, parts or passion. It insists that He alone made and upholds all that exists in the spiritual world as well as in the physical.  And while insisting on God’s oneness, the Article teaches of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All are personal, all are God, all are same “substance” (kind) all are eternal but they are one. They are not three parts of one God, because God is without parts. Each one is fully God, but together, they are one God.

It is easy even for committed Christians to think that Jesus is quite distinct from the Father. But Jesus Himself tells us “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30) and “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). We are tempted to think of the Holy Spirit as very different from Jesus Himself, but Jesus talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit says “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me and I am in you” (Jn. 14:20).  In other words, where we see Jesus we see the Father where  the Spirit is, there is God in all.

Article 2-4  insist on holding together the various biblical teachings. From eternity the Son of God (called “the word” in John’s gospel) has been one with God. He did not have beginning at some point in time but has always been.

In Mary’s womb He took the flesh and human nature upon Himself, joining together full God head and complete manhood in one person: Jesus Christ. Taking Mary’s substance is important; Jesus was not “pretend man” God impersonating man, but fully man. As such He died, was buried, descended to hell. And He rose from the dead as a complete man, taking the fullness of human nature into heaven, where He remains as both man and God, as Lord and judge, until He comes again.

Article 5 insists that the Spirit is fully God and shares in the same substance, majesty and glory of the Father and the Son. That includes the fact that He is personal, knowable, omnipresent, immortal, omniscient, hard on sin and a friend of sinners.

The Articles do not claim to be a complete compendium of Christian beliefs. They give us a superb outline of the main themes and they deal with areas of disagreement or heresy current when they were written. Most of them are still current today. If you follow doctrinal matters, it may not surprise you to hear that the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, and the Holy Spirit, were all subjects argued in the sixteenth century church.  Even now a lot of heresies and deceptions are still prevalent in our society, so a careful study and thorough understanding of these Articles will go a long way in helping us uphold and defend our Christian beliefs.

As we proceed with the study of these Articles, we should invite the Holy Spirit to direct us aright because no one can say Jesus is Lord (Yahweh) except by the Holy Spirit, who is the same substance with the father and the son.

Have a sober week as you are grounded in the Almighty God who is Father of the Christian

Your brother, Vicar & Archdeacon
S. Igein Isemede