Trinitarian Worship
July 21, 2007
Carl, here are several of the many ways to ensure that worship is properly Trinitarian:
Make sure that every element of worship is saturated with Scripture -- the Scripture breathed out by the Spirit, revealed by the Father, bearing witness to Christ.
Use hymnody -- not just psalmody, but also hymnody -- that offers explicit praise to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Trinitarian praise is characteristic of common responses such as the Doxology and the Gloria Patri, but also of many great hymns of praise.
Confess the ecumenical creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are Trinitarian in their structure.
Preach the whole counsel of God, so that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit receive proper attention in their biblical proportions.
I suppose there is a danger that Christ-centered preaching may eclipse the Father and the Spirit. It should be kept in mind, however, that as our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ rightly deserves our paticular praise. To know the Son is to know the Father, Jesus said. And the work of the Spirit is to glorify Christ. So the Father and the Spirit are also worshiped when Christ is praised as our Creator and Redeemer.
Make sure that every element of worship is saturated with Scripture -- the Scripture breathed out by the Spirit, revealed by the Father, bearing witness to Christ.
Use hymnody -- not just psalmody, but also hymnody -- that offers explicit praise to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Trinitarian praise is characteristic of common responses such as the Doxology and the Gloria Patri, but also of many great hymns of praise.
Confess the ecumenical creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are Trinitarian in their structure.
Preach the whole counsel of God, so that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit receive proper attention in their biblical proportions.
I suppose there is a danger that Christ-centered preaching may eclipse the Father and the Spirit. It should be kept in mind, however, that as our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ rightly deserves our paticular praise. To know the Son is to know the Father, Jesus said. And the work of the Spirit is to glorify Christ. So the Father and the Spirit are also worshiped when Christ is praised as our Creator and Redeemer.
