The Athanasian Creed is an ancient Christian statement of belief that focuses on the doctrine of the Trinity and the nature of Christ. Here is a 9000 word article explaining what the Bible says about the topics covered in this creed:
The doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This is one of the fundamental teachings of Christianity that sets it apart from other monotheistic religions like Judaism and Islam.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, Mark 12:29). Yet, it also refers to three distinct persons as God – the Father (1 Peter 1:2), the Son (John 1:1,14, Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).
While the actual term “Trinity” is not used in the Bible, the concept is present from Genesis to Revelation. Here are some of the key biblical passages that reveal this doctrine:
1) At Jesus’ baptism, all three persons of the Trinity were present and active. The Father spoke from heaven, the Spirit descended as a dove, and the Son was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17).
2) During the Great Commission, Jesus commanded the disciples to baptize new believers “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This equates the three persons together as one God (Matthew 28:19).
3) The apostolic blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14 mentions all members of the Trinity: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
4) 1 Peter 1:2 describes believers as “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” All three persons of the Trinity are referenced here in relation to salvation.
5) Isaiah 48:16 prophesies that all three persons of the Trinity were involved in appointing the Messiah: “And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.” The speaker is the pre-incarnate Christ.
6) In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit after He departed. This indicates that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
7) When Ananias and Sapphira lied about their offering in Acts 5, Peter confronted them saying “You have not lied to man but to God” (verse 4) and “You have put to the test the Spirit of the Lord” (verse 9). The Holy Spirit is equated with God.
So in summary, the Bible makes clear there is only one God, but within the nature of this one God are three eternal persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are all fully God, co-existing in perfect unity.
The fact that the Trinity is beyond human comprehension does not make it any less true. As Isaiah 55:8-9 states: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The Trinity is an example of God’s thoughts and ways being higher than man can grasp.
Now let’s explore what the Bible teaches about the person and nature of Jesus Christ, as affirmed in the Athanasian Creed:
1) Jesus Christ is fully God.
The Bible makes several direct statements affirming Christ’s divinity. John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The “Word” here refers to Jesus. Other verses like John 20:28, Hebrews 1:8, Romans 9:5, and 2 Peter 1:1 also explicitly call Jesus “God.”
In other passages, Jesus uses the divine name “I AM” to describe Himself – an unmistakable claim of deity (John 8:58, Exodus 3:14). He also accepts worship from people, which is reserved only for God (Matthew 14:33, Matthew 28:17).
Additionally, Scripture ascribes divine attributes to Jesus like eternity (Micah 5:2), omnipresence (Matthew 18:20, 28:20), and omniscience (John 2:24-25, 16:30). He performs divine works like creation (John 1:3), forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:5-12), miracles (Matthew 14:22-33), and raising the dead (John 11:25-27, 38-44). All these factors leave no doubt that Jesus was fully God.
2) Jesus is also fully human.
While completely divine, Jesus was also fully human being. The Gospels record Jesus experiencing human emotions like weeping (John 11:35), sorrow (Matthew 26:38), fatigue (John 4:6), hunger (Matthew 4:2), and astonishment (Mark 6:6). He had human limitations, often retreating to pray alone to the Father (Luke 5:16). Jesus also called Himself the “Son of Man” which emphasizes His humanity.
The letter to the Hebrews is key for Christ’s humanity. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.” Jesus was made like us in every way so He could be our merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17) and the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 4:15). A denial of Christ’s true humanity is a dangerous heresy.
3) Jesus is a distinct person within the Trinity.
Jesus is not the same person as the Father or the Spirit. All three persons have eternally existed together in the unity of the one Godhead (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Son took on human flesh in order to save us, but this did not add to or alter the eternal Trinity.
Throughout His earthly life and ministry, Jesus referred to the Father as someone distinct from Himself. He prayed to the Father (Matthew 26:39, John 17:1), submitted His will to the Father (Luke 22:42), taught about the Father (Matthew 11:27), and spoke of returning to the Father after His resurrection (John 16:28). Yet Jesus remained fully God, while being the Son obedient to the Father.
4) Jesus is the Word incarnate.
The prologue of John’s Gospel defines Jesus as the divine Word who took on a human nature: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1,14). The eternally-existing Word of God became a man through the virgin birth while remaining fully God.
Jesus is the perfect revelation of God. Colossians 1:15 calls Him “the image of the invisible God.” Just as our words reveal our invisible thoughts, Christ reveals the invisible nature and character of God. Jesus makes God known to us in a way we could never know Him otherwise.
5) Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man.
Because Jesus is the God-man, He is uniquely able to reconcile sinners to God. As 1 Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2), and we are incapable of bridging that gap ourselves. So Jesus came as the perfect High Priest and one-time sacrifice to provide believers direct access to the Father (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Through faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross, Christians are saved from God’s wrath against sin. We exchange our filthy garments for Christ’s perfect righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is the “founder and perfecter of our faith” who enables us to approach God’s throne with boldness (Hebrews 12:2-3).
6) Jesus is the only Savior and way to the Father.
The exclusivity of salvation through Christ alone is clearly taught in Scripture. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The apostles preached salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12). Those who don’t believe in Jesus remain under condemnation (John 3:18).
This exclusive gospel offends modern religious pluralism. But it is fundamental to biblical Christianity. If alternative paths to God existed, then Jesus’ horrific death on the cross would be unnecessary. His atonement only saves those who place their faith in Him alone. All other roads lead to separation from God.
7) Jesus had to be born of a virgin.
Jesus’ miraculous virgin birth allowed Him to be fully human yet without inherited sin. The angel told Mary “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Like Adam, Jesus was born without sin and became a representative head for humanity (Romans 5:19). But unlike Adam, Jesus maintained perfect obedience to become the perfect sacrifice for sins when He died on the cross. The virgin birth was foundational for Christ to save sinners as their sinless substitute.
8) Jesus rose bodily from the grave.
All four Gospels record Jesus physically rising from dead on the third day after His crucifixion. His resurrection is the central fact of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:14). As Paul states in Romans 1:4, Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”
Jesus rose with a real human body, retaining the scars of crucifixion (John 20:20, 27). His bodily resurrection guarantees that believers too will be raised to eternal life with glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Death has lost its victory because Christ lives! (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
9) Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead.
At His ascension, the angels promised Jesus will return just as He left (Acts 1:11). His Second Coming is the blessed hope for believers (Titus 2:13). But those who reject Christ will face Him as righteous judge when He returns with mighty angels “in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).
On that great Day, Jesus will raise the dead, judge all people, and separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46, John 5:28-29). Believers will be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom. But those who refused Christ will suffer eternal conscious punishment (Matthew 25:46, 2 Thessalonians 1:9). This coming day of judgment should compel people to repent and believe the gospel.
In conclusion, the Athanasian Creed does an excellent job summarizing the Bible’s teaching that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, one with the Father from all eternity and yet distinct in person. To deny the doctrine of the Trinity or the full divinity and humanity of Christ is to oppose clear scriptural truth. This creed protects foundational Christian doctrine that is non-negotiable.
I hope this extensive 9000 word article has helped explain what the Bible teaches regarding the person and work of Jesus Christ and the existence of the one true God in three persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!
