“In the Spirit”: A Triune reformulation

Abstract

The Ecumenical and Reformed Creeds and Confessions uphold the Trinitarian doctrine of God as three in one (Father, Son and Holy  Spirit), first formulated in the Nicene Creed in 325 AD. Yet the role of the Holy Spirit seems to be undermined in such formulations. The historical context of the Nicene Creed emphasised the homoousios of the Son. This became the filioque in the Nicene’s later formulation.  In this article, the author addresses the lacuna of the role of the Holy Spirit in the traditional Trinitarian formulations. Based on John Calvin’s understanding of an autotheos Trinity and his timeless view of eternity, the significance of the Holy Spirit should have an equally  prominent role. The renewed position should leave no ontological subordinationism either of the Son or the Spirit – a correction to the  Eastern and the Western church formulations. In addition, the reformulation read in an autotheistic interpretation shows how the  inherent hypostasis submission is consistent with God’s mission in the history of salvation.