How the Trinity Affects Worship: What You Need to Know
The doctrine of the Trinity has challenged believers since the days of the early church. It is a principle that has been the source of much debate among the first-century church. The Nicene Creed was created — in part — to combat the heretical teachings of Arianism and modalism and affirm that God exists in three persons, each person is fully God, and yet there exists only one God. This doctrine of a single, all-powerful, triadic God continues to confound Christians today as it did centuries ago as we attempt to understand the things God has revealed through scripture. Nevertheless, however challenging this fundamental doctrine of our faith is, it remains a major component in our understanding of the God we serve and a chief part of our worship leading to incorporate this theology into our worship.
What does the Bible say about the Trinity?
Both the Old and New Testaments declare that there exists one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 declares, “Hear O Israel The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Isaiah 44:6 carries this declaration from the Lord; “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” 1 Kings 8:60 further declares, “the Lord is God; there is no other.” Genesis 1:2 lays the foundation of this doctrine when it says, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Later, in verse 26 it says God said, “let us make man in our own image,” indicating more than one person. While a threefold God may be exhibited in the Old Testament, it is developed significantly in the New Testament. John 1:1 states overtly, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God,” signaling both Christ’s divinity and inimitability. Likewise, 1 Timothy 2:5 asserts, “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” In Acts 5:3–4, Peter confronts Ananias in His sin for lying to Holy Spirit, stating, “You have not lied to man but to God.” Scripture is consistent in its trinitarianism, just as it is consistent in its monotheism. Clearly, the doctrine of a threefold God is a priority in scripture and should be communicated through our worship on Sunday mornings.
How should this doctrine shape our worship services?
In wrestling with the question of how trinitarian theology shapes our Christian worship services, it’s important to ask another, potentially more indicative question: “does trinitarian theology even play a major role in our worship services?” I would suggest that in most worship settings it does not. The mainstream of worship songs tend to focus on the relationship between the Father and the Son. Those which speak about the Holy Spirit are usually relegated to slower responsive songs or in fleeting references. Rarely are all three persons mentioned in succession. Of course, there are exceptions such as ‘Holy Holy Holy,’ ‘Glorify Thy Name,’ and ‘The Doxology.’ In more recent hymnody, it should also be mentioned that Chris Tomlin’s ‘How Great is Our God’ carries the line “the Godhead three in One, Father, Spirit Son” and Hillsong’s ‘King of Kings’ does a fair job incorporating each member of the Trinity. Still, these examples tend to be the exception not the rule in the modern worship setting. If the bleak roster of available trinitarian worship songs in our churches is any indication of the priority to which we hold this doctrine, then I surmise that many congregants do not possess a strong understanding or acknowledgment of the Trinity. Nevertheless, as we have noticed from scripture, it is a central theological truth.
What can we do about this?
Okay, so we’ve established the trinity is an essential part of Christian doctrine, but how do we incorporate this truth into our worship services? Here are a few steps that I believe can help us begin to teach and include the trinity in our services.
1. We must grapple with the doctrine of the Trinity ourselves and give our congregations opportunities to do the same. Each member of the Trinity is fully God and is worthy of praise. Without this doctrine our congregations will not have the fullest picture of the God they serve.
2. We should give our congregations opportunities to plainly worship each member of the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity has unique functions and is distinct. The doctrine of a triune God is one of the great mysteries of our Christian faith and reminds us that however much we try, we can never know the full extent of our infinite God.
3. We must be intentional about the songs we choose and in what we say and pray. As mentioned above, the doctrine of trinitarianism is largely absent from most worship songs and services. For worship leaders: we must be diligent in searching for the best ways to teach and communicate this to our congregations. For songwriters: we need good theologically rich worship songs that communicate the doctrine of the Trinity. For everyone: as we teach this challenging doctrine, we must be intentional about the verbiage and language we use in describing each member. The Spirit is not the Father; neither is the Son the Spirit. We can’t swap out Jesus’ name with the Father. It wouldn’t make sense to say, “thank you Holy Spirit for dying on the cross for us.” Neither could we say “the Father rose on the third day.” Collapsing the three persons into one is modalism which is not supported by scripture (John 1:1, Matthew 3:16–17).
The doctrine of the Trinity is a distinctive albeit often confusing part of the Christian faith. Yet however challenging it may be, it remains a crucial element of our belief and should be a mainstay of our worship. There is so much wonder and beauty in the fact that there are attributes of our God that we will never fully understand. The very fact that we cannot conceive of a singular being Who exists in three persons is a testament to God’s unsearchable glory. If we could know all things about our Creator, He would not be a God worth worshipping. We can find solace in knowing that this infinitely powerful and majestic God loves us and has revealed His character to us. In light of that, how can we not sing out in amazement, “Holy Holy Holy!”
