We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism.   In it we are buried with Christ in His death.   By it we share in his resurrection.   Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit .   (Book of Common Prayer, page 306) Baptism is something that happens so often that we can easily look past its significance.   Apart from welcoming new babies into the Body of Christ, there is some deep Biblical theology that demonstrates how, through baptism, we are drawn up into the life of the Trinity. In an earlier post I spoke of how the Trinity is perfect love itself, and how Jesus Christ, in His dual nature, bridges the gap between the perfect love of the Trinity and the imperfect love of our world.   What remains is the connection to Christ.   E.L. Mascall, in “Christ, The Christian, and The Church,” describes the three major unities in this theology.   There is the unity within the Trinity.   There is the unity of Christ’s human and divine natu...

Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ Council of Chalcedon, 451 A.D., Act V Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance (homoousios) with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer (Theotokos); one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristi...

In The Name of the Father, and of The Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Life and Love Within the Trinity God is love, let heaven adore him.   These words were written by Timothy Rees and are now found in the 1982 Hymnal.   This simple statement speaks volumes towards the life and love that exists within the Holy Trinity.   The Trinity has been such an important topic that the early Church doctors spent most of their theological work coming to an understanding of this great mystery.   The ancient creed Quicunque Vult, unfortunately relegated to the Historical Documents section of the present Book of Common Prayer, describes its importance this way, “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith … And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship on God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.” I always point out that this sounds great in heady theological discussions, b...