How Trinitarian Theology Shapes Christian Worship
Biblical understanding is necessary for anyone who is called to the office of church leadership, whether through the preaching of the Word or worship leadership. I would argue that Trinitarian Theology is particularly foundational for Christian worship within Biblical theology. In our brief discussion, we will examine how our understanding of Trinitarian theology influences our song selection and worship and our prayers in service.
Trinitarian theology shapes our song selection. When we correctly understand the Trinity, the songs we chose for our weekly services seek to feed the congregation and raise their awareness and understanding of each member of the Trinity. Latest trends in worship are not sufficient in guiding the worship leader to curate song content for the church. Instead we examine the lyrics against biblical truth and Trinitarian theology to teach our congregation about the doctrine of the Trinity. We begin to recognize that our worship is directed to the Father, through the Son and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Trinitarian theology shapes our worship. Our worship matures as we develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. A growing understanding of the object of our worship leads us to have depth to our worship. Our awareness of the Trinity develops from a growing understanding of the four significant themes of the biblical narrative, namely, Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. We see the beauty of creation as well as the devastation of the fall. We are aware of the Father’s role in conceiving a plan for our redemption. This can be seen as early as the third chapter in Genesis. As man is being sent out of the garden of Eden, we witness God cursing the snake saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). In the Gospels we see God’s plan of redemption come to fulfillment in the life and ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ, as He willingly embraces the cross and pays the penalty for the sins of the world. We understand the work of the Holy Spirit, God’s comforter and counselor to us, as He teaches, convicts, and empowers the believer to live a life that glorifies God and testifies to an unbelieving world the power of a spirit filled life . All of this knowledge and understanding helps us build the foundation of a life of worship.
Lastly, Trinitarian theology shapes our prayers. While in the past we may have used the word “Father” as a filler in our prayers or accredited Christ’s work on the cross to the Father, we are no longer able to pray in that cross-referencing fashion. We become mindful, taking care to recognize to whom we are praying and whom we are thanking or presenting our petitions. We praise God as our Heavenly Father and Creator; we worship Jesus as our Savior and Mediator and we seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit our Counselor as we navigate through our prayers. We are careful to accredit the work of salvation to the correct member of the Trinity. We become reverent with our praise and prayers when we allow Trinitarian theology to inform how we pray in our services.
Trinitarian Theology shapes our weekly services as it guides our song selection, our prayers, and our worship. Properly applied, our worship becomes meaningful, our songs become intentional, and our prayers become directional. A proper understanding of Trinitarian theology therefore allows us to mature in our Christian journey.
