by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog D121 posted December 31, 2020, edited March 10, 2021.
A – My Experience with Creation
Being an architect by profession, I have some familiarity with the creative process where buildings are concerned. There are three phases or steps involved in creating a building.
First, an architect and his engineers develop the design and specifications for the building – e.g. a high-rise office building in lower Manhattan. They need to think through every aspect of the occupants needs, the city’s building and zoning codes, the constraints of nature, the buildings’ aesthetic impact on its occupants inside and its neighbors and passers-by outside, etc.
Second, a builder or contractor constructs the building in accordance with the architect and engineers’ drawings and specifications. He needs to order tens of thousands of specially fabricated materials from steel beams to door knobs, arrange for their delivery according to a tight schedule, and then put them together in their proper order in the structure.
Third, a local utility – Con Edison in this case – energizes the building by attaching it to its electric power grid, on which the operation of its elevators, air blowers, water pumps, lights, etc. will depend.
Thus, after becoming a Christian and beginning to reflect on Universe as a creation, I knew three things immediately:
Someone had designed and scripted Universe before it was made and set in motion.
Someone had (a) created the materials from which Universe was made (they were not available to assemble) and then (b) formed them into Universe as we perceive it today..
Someone had energized Universe and given life to its flora and fauna.
The identity of “someone” in each one of these cases was not immediately obvious.
B – The Creeds
Among the documents that I studied early in my Christian life were the creeds of the church. The Apostle’s Creed was composed by the Christians in Rome in the late second century AD. The Creed of Nicaea, was composed by the first ecumenical council in 325 AD to address the Arian controversy. It was expanded and revised in 381 AD to include a section on the Holy Spirit. It is now known now as the Nicene Creed. Among all the creeds, it is the most widely accepted today. The Chalcedonian Creed was composed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD to define the dual nature of Christ as being both divine and human. The Athanasian Creed was composed in 500 AD to address, among other things, the equality among the three persons of the Trinity.
Briefly, the creeds describe the Godhead as consisting of three, equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Father is described (a) by the Apostle’s Creed as “…the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, (b) by the Nicene Creed as “…the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible,” and (c) by the Athanasian Creed as “incomprehensible,” “eternal,” “almighty,” “Lord,” and “uncreated,…made of none, neither created nor begotten.”
The Son is described (a) by the Apostle’s Creed as “…, (b) by the Nicene Creed as “… (c) by the Athanasian Creed as “incomprehensible,” “eternal,” “almighty,” “Lord,” and “uncreated,…of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.”
The Holy Spirit is described (a) by the Apostle’s Creed as nothing more than “the Holy Ghost,“ (b) by the Nicene Creed as “…the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets,” and (c) by the Athanasian Creed as “incomprehensible,” “eternal,” “almighty,” “Lord,” and “uncreated,…of the Father and of the Son,; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding,”
C – Comment on the Creeds
Although all of the creeds were meant to convey the fundamentals of the Christian faith in clear and simple terms, the above descriptions have often baffled even the most faithful and fervent of Christ’s followers. What is obvious from them is that the Godhead consists of three, equal persons who together are a unity that is incomprehensible, eternal, almighty, and uncreated. Also obvious from the Nicene Creed is that the Holy Spirit is the “Giver of Life.” Not so obvious are the meanings of “begotten” and “proceeding,” which have been debated for centuries. In the case of “begotten,” I have some thoughts, but no conclusions. In the case of “proceeding,” I believe that what is being described here is “deferring to the originator.” In creating Universe, which means “everything,” I believe that the creeds indicate that (1) the Father produced the immaterial concept for the creation, (2) the Son voluntarily accepted the concept and produced its embodiment in physical reality, and (3) the Holy Spirit voluntarily accepted the concept and its embodiment and infused the latter and its creatures with energy and life respectively.
D – Dorothy Sayers
Soon after I became a Christian in 1980, I read a very interesting book by Dorothy Sayers, who was – and still is – a famous, British playwright and author – particularly of detective stories.
The book, The Mind of the Maker (1941), addresses the subject of the similarity between the portrayal of the triune Godhead in the ancient creeds of the Christian Church and the tri-partite nature of the human creator.
D1 – Sayer’s Creation
Sayers observes that every creation possesses a tri-partite nature:
The Idea (DS) or Concept (JH), which she also describes as the vision of the thing to be created.[1] This concept requires a person with a mind that can imagine.
The Energy (DS) or Construction (JH), which she describes as the energy or the work of translating the immaterial concept into a material reality, which might also be called its embodiment or incarnation. This construction requires a person with (a) a mind to understand the concept and to plan the construction and (b) metaphorical hands – i.e. the ability – to do the work of acquiring and assembling the necessary materials.[2]
The Power (DS) or Capacitation (JH),[3] which she describes as the empowering of (a) the construction to affect others and (b) others to be effected by the construction. This response requires a person with a mind to comprehend the creation and to respond to it with appreciation, distaste, joy, sorrow, enlightenment, befuddlement, etc. As soon as someone does respond it, the construction possesses an independent life of its own, entirely separate from its creator.
Sayers also observes that in a successful creation, the Idea (concept), the Energy (construction), and the Power (capacitation) are in balance. In an unsuccessful creation, however, at least one these components fails the other two, thereby leaving the whole out of balance.
D2 – Sayers’ Creator
Sayers then maintains that the three persons of the Godhead can be identified with the three components of a creation and further argues that, when the Scriptures speak of God creating Mankind in his image, they are indicating that the primary similarity between God and a human is being a creative person who makes things, and that God’s creation of Universe is a model for how humans create anything.
Sayers identifies the Father of the creeds as the person who produced/produces the idea(s) for Universe. He is the metaphorical mind behind Universe, which is easy to understand.
Sayers identifies the Son of the creeds’ as the person who produced/produces the energy or activity in the making and sustaining of Universe in accordance with the Father’s idea(s) or will. He is the metaphorical body behind Universe, which is less easy to understand, but still clear.
Sayers identifies the Holy Spirit of the creeds as the person who produced/produces the power of Universe – i.e. the effect which Universe has on its Creator and creatures – which is somewhat difficult to understand. (I will return to this point later).
E – My View of Universe and its Creator
As the years passed and as I gave more thought to all of the foregoing, I realized that Sayers should have used the Scriptures as her point of departure for identifying the nature of the Godhead, not the Creeds. Not only are the Scriptures much more informative than the creeds, but they are also more reliable. The Scriptures are God-breathed, whereas the creeds are man-breathed.
E1 – The Biblical God
Since the Creator preceded his creation, I will discuss him first.
The Scriptures indicate clearly that the Godhead exists in three distinct persons,[4] whom I call God-the-Father, God-the-Son, and God-the-Holy Spirit,[5] all of whom are divine, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnicompetent, to name a few of their attributes. They are most easily understood by what they have done and do.
God-the-Father is the creative mind of God who conceived Universe. He is the Divine Architect who designed Universe and the Divine Author who wrote its story.[6] He determined everything that would exist in Universe and everything that would happen in Universe, from its first day to its last day. Thus the Scriptures report him saying, “…I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”[7] Together his design and his script make up the Decrees of God that are contained in the book which he holds in his right hand as he sits on his throne in heaven.[8]
God-the-Son is the creative body of god [9] who actualizes Universe. He is the Divine Builder who constructs Universe according to the Father’s plans,[10] the Divine Sustainer, who holds all things together by the power of His Word,[11] the Divine Director who ensures that Universe’s drama follows the Father’s script,[12] and the Divine Redeemer, who repairs and restores Universe’s brokenness.[13] Although He is co-equal with God-the-Father, He voluntarily defers to him in all things – i.e. He proceeds from the Father.[14] He is “the Lamb as it had been slain,” who is worthy to take the book out of God-the-Father’s right hand, open the book, and implement the Decrees of God.[15]
God-the-Holy Spirit is the creative spirit of God who quickens Universe and its creatures. He is the Divine Energizer who sets Universe in motion and the Divine Giver of Life who vitalizes its flora and animates its fauna.[16] Although he is co-equal with God-the-Father and God-the-Son, he voluntarily defers to them in all things – i.e. he proceeds from the Father and the Son.[17] He is “the Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” by God-the-Father and God-the-Son.[18] The foregoing goes far beyond Sayers’ “Power” (or capacitation).
The Scriptures are unclear concerning the precise division of responsibility between the Son and the Spirit. It appears, however, that the Son’s role is primary, “…for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,…all things were created by him, and for him.[19] The Son did the forming or constructing [step 1] and the Spirit imparted energy and life to the Son’s formations or constructions [step 2] after the Son called for them. Example 1: “…darkness was upon the face of the deep [step 1]. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters [step 2]. And God said, Let there be light [the calling]: and there was light [energy].” [20] Example 2: “…the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground [step 1], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [step 2]; and man became a living soul.” [21] The Scriptures are clear, however, that the Son always follows the Father’s design and script exactly; He said, “… I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me.” [22] Presumably, the Spirit would say the same about both Father and Son.
E2 – The Biblical Drama
In explaining her view of a creation, Sayers often uses the nature of a drama to describe a creation’s tri-part nature. First, a drama originates as an idea in its author’s mind, which he then turns into a script with accompanying instructions regarding its stage settings and its’ actors’ demeanor and behavior. Second, a drama is put on the stage by a combined effort on the part of a producer and a director, who rent a theater, select, and train the members of its cast, and attract an audience through advertising and word-of-mouth. Third, the drama is given power and meaning through the response of (a) its audience when it is performed on stage, (b) its readers when it becomes available in print, and (c) its students when it is discussed in school and college classrooms by teachers and student.
As I reflected further on all the foregoing, I realized that the Bible actually describes the creation and production of a cosmic drama which exhibits a familiar plot: the story of a good guy and a bad guy struggling for possession of a beautiful girl, who finds both of them attractive and flirts with both of them without realizing (1) the loving intent of the good guy, who allows Himself to be sacrificed in order to free His future bride from bondage, and (2) the malevolent intent of the bad guy, the master of deceit and despoilation, who works assiduously (a) to hold people in bondage and (b) to lure back into bondage those who have been set free by the protagonist.
In the case of the Biblical drama:
God-the-Father (a) designed the theater in which it would be staged and (b) wrote its script.
God-the-Son (a) built, sustains, and manages the theater, (b) produces and directs the drama, and (c) plays the role of the drama’s protagonist.
God-the-Holy Spirit (a) energized and energizes the theater, (b) gives life and delivers cues to members of the drama’s cast, and (c) capacitates the audience to see and be motivated by what is happening in the drama..
Satan, the most powerful of God’s creatures, plays the role of the drama’ antagonist.
The Redeemed – i.e. all the men, women, and children who acknowledge God-the-Son as their Savior and LORD – play the role of the beautiful girl, the Bride of Christ, whom God the Father is forming and will present to his Son at the Wedding of the Lamb at the culmination of history. They will be eternally welcome in God’s presence (Heaven).
The Lost, all the men, women, and children who failed to acknowledge God-the-Son as their Savior and LORD, play the role of extras. They will be eternally banned from God’s presence (Hell).
F – My Debt to Dorothy Sayers
Although I ended up differing from Sayers regarding the nature of the Trinity – mostly with respect to role of the Holy Spirit, The Mind of the Maker got me thinking seriously about the Trinity and the roles that God-the-Father, God-the-Son, and God-the-Holy Spirit play within it. In addition, her use of the drama to explain what she means by the Idea, the Energy, and the Power got me on the way to realizing that the Biblical story is actually a cosmic drama in which God-the-Father, God-the-Son, God-the-Holy Spirit, Satan, the Redeemed, and the Lost play obvious and important roles.
Thank you Dorothy. I look forward to meeting you in the New Jerusalem.
© 2020 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] The architect conceives of a building before he develops drawings and specifications for its construction. A playwright conceives of a drama before he develops a script and specifications for its stage-setting.
[2] In the case of Universe, an omnipotent God spoke it into existence, unleashing the power (energy) necessary to form all the material (matter) in Universe. (E =mc2 where E = energy, M = matter, and C = the speed of light). The amount of power necessary to accomplish this act of creation is unimaginable.
[3] Biologists use the term capacitation to refer to “…the penultimate step in the maturation of mammalian spermatozoa” in which they are rendered “competent to fertilize an oocyte.” I use the term here in a far more general sense of enabling or giving someone or something the power to do something. In this case, I am writing about empowering (a) the construction to affect others and (b) others to respond to – or be effected by the construction.
[4] 1 John 5:7. A person is non-verbal. No matter how many words one uses to describe or attempt to define a person, something will be left out. A person is self-conscious, cognizant of his own existence and the existence of others who are self-conscious, able to sense (see, hear, feel, taste, and smell), able to think (reason), able to experience emotions (love and hate, joy and sorrow, excitement and ennui, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, etc.), but there is more to a person than all the foregoing. A person is real; the foregoing constitutes an abstraction or construct in someone’s mind – not the thing itself. This same distinction must be maintained in science: the redness of Mars is real; its reduction to particular wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation is an abstraction or construct in someone’s mind.
[5] I do so to emphasize the divinity of each of them.
[6] 1 Corinthians 8:6.
[7] KJV Isaiah 46:9-10.
[8] Revelation 5:1.
[9] God-the-Son is the only person of the Trinity with corporeality. God-the-Father is invisible and intangible. In John 6:46, Jesus states that no man has seen the Father, only Jesus Himself. God-the-Spirit is also invisible and intangible. His presence is indicated by its effects, such as the “hovering” over the primordial waters (Genesis 1:2), the “wind” which comes from and goes to who knows where (John 3:8), the “dove” which descended on Jesus during His baptism (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, and John 1:32-33), and the “tongues of fire” which descended on Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:3). He, however, is not identified with these corporeal phenomena.
[10] John 1:3, John 1:10 John 8:28-29, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 1:10, Revelation 3:14, & Revelation 4:11.
[11] Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3.
[12] John 8:28-29.
[13] Revelation 21:5.
[14] The language here concerning God-the-Son’s deference to God-the-Father is modeled on the language in John 15:26 concerning God-the-Spirit’s deference to God-the-Father.
[15] Revelation 5:2-9.
[16] Genesis 2:7.
[17] John 15:26.
[18] Revelation 5:6.
[19] KJV Colossians 1:16.
[20] KJV Genesis 1:2-3.
[21] KJV Genesis 2:7.
[22] KJV John 8:28; also, Hebrews 10:7.