On the Articles: Article I

The First Sunday in Lent

O LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights: Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness and true holiness, to thy honour and glory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Lent

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity
THERE is but one living and true God, ever- lasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

For those who consider Anglicanism to be a protestant tradition, they can look to something like Article I. For those unfamiliar with Protestantism, this would seem to be a simple statement of Nicene, Trinitarian orthodoxy, but it is also clear that it is a near word for word copy of the first article of the Augsberg Confessions. Luther’s influence there is undeniable in the fashioning of the clause, but the reality is that no Catholic Christian would deny anything presented in this Article. While it expresses the truth of the Nicene Creed, its format, exploring the threeness and oneness of the Godhead is somewhat more reminiscent of the Athanasian Creed.

Its arrangement is poetic, but also provides a logical progression to cover fourdifferent aspects of our understanding of God.

First, “there is but one living and true God, ever-lasting, without body, parts, or passions.” We believe in only one God. This is the story of revelations. From the henotheistic origins in the early time of the Jews to the ultimate monotheistic revelation, God has revealed himself as the sole deity in existence.  God is also revealed as being transcendent: he is before time and will exist after the end of time; he is without created form. The form “body, parts, or passions” is one of the repeated literary choices made to maintain threes, but again emphasises that in no way are we as created beings like God: he is well beyond us.

Next, “of infinite power, wisdom and goodness.” Again three, always emphasizing the trinitarian formula. God is without limits, wisdom not simply beyond comprehension but infinite. And his goodness is similarly not simply beyond our understanding but is perfect and complete.

Then, “the Maker and Preserver of all things both visible and indivisble.” It is worth noting that in the Latin, the word rendered Maker would today more accurately be rendered as creator. God made everything from nothing, not just that he made everything. It is through and by him that all things—seen and unseen—have their being. God created the angels and all things spiritual that lie outside of this created world.

Finally, “and in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power and eternity; The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost” This section articulates two very important realities. First, that God is trinity. Three persons in one substance, power and eternity. This is an interesting formulation in that not only does it articulate the traditional “three persons in one essence, but furthermore reinforces that there was never a time when God existed without the Son or Holy Ghost, because they share one eternity, and further suggests that the Son and Holy Ghost are not subordinate to the Father as they share one power. The second critical point of this section is that it affirms that God has revealed himself: he is not just the “Triune God” of three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.

These are all simple statements, but the reality is that they addressed particular heresies of the early Church, and today show the relevance of the Articles more and more, given the fact that many of these heresies are finding renewed vigour. The observation that today’s theological innovations are just a reformulation of yesterday’s heresies is quite accurate. There are today attempts to redefine who God is, rejecting his identification as the Father because it’s not politically correct. There are those who deny Christ’s divinity because it is superstitious. There are those who need to be reminded what it means to be a Christian, and Article I states some of the most profound truths about Christianity. In some ways, Article I is perhaps more relevant to Anglicans today than it would have been when it was originally published, as the truths professed here were not systematically under attack in the 16th century in the way they are today.

Anyone who says that the Articles are merely a historical document and of no value today needs only to open their eyes and see that they speak to eternal truth that is being challenged. It is by affirming the Articles and recognizing that the fullness of the Trinity is found in our Anglican heritage, as it is in all orthodox Christian traditions, that we see that there is nothing historic about the Articles, but that instead they are timeless in their truth.