The Creed of the Orthodox Church and Its Shortcomi

The Creed of the Orthodox Church and Its Shortcomings
Gennady Gumilevsky
The Creed is a solemn confession of Christian dogmas that is recited or sung during the Liturgy. Presented below is this Creed, accompanied by an interpretation by Archbishop-Professor V. Lossky. --------------------------------
"Point 8: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father.'"
The Archbishop explains it thus: "The disputes that persisted throughout the entire 4th century could not fail to impact pneumatology, for it was not only the Arians who denied the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, but ALSO Christians who—while rejecting Arius's doctrine regarding the Word—did not accept the Divinity and consubstantiality of the Spirit. Therefore, the Fathers of that era... in order to DETER certain conservatives who opposed any new formulation—even if it perfectly expressed the faith of the Church—did not include the terms 'God' and 'Consubstantial' in the Creed in reference to the Holy Spirit." G.G.'s Response: What an unjust, pathetic excuse. No matter how one explains or interprets this past action of the Fathers, it remains a sin.

And further: John 14:26: "But when the Comforter comes, Whom I WILL SEND to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, Who PROCEEDS from the Father—He will bear witness about Me (John 15:26)." Response: In addition to the word "proceeds," the Bible also uses the word "SENDS." "But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father WILL SEND in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). G.G.'s Response: This means the Father SENDS the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father; however, instead of the word "proceeds," it would have been logical—and correct—to record the word "SENDS" in the Creed. If He is *constantly* proceeding, it implies that He is not yet fully completed and cannot attain His own... ...a permanent essence.

The Church Fathers of that era did not include the terms "God" and "Consubstantial with the Father" in the Creed as applying to the Holy Spirit. This implies that the Source—the Heavenly Father—does not possess divinity *within Himself*.

Furthermore, if the Holy Spirit proceeds solely from the Father and the Son, He would be unable to perform any independent actions; yet the Bible tells us otherwise. As a Person, the Holy Spirit is revealed to us in the Scriptures through His many actions, including the following:

1) The Spirit intercedes for believers, thereby demonstrating independent agency; this implies that He thinks and possesses an intellect. Example: Romans 8:26–27.
2) The Spirit bestows gifts upon believers (1 Corinthians 12:11), "distributing to each one just as He wills"—that is, according to His own INTELLECT and WILL, which He possesses.
3) He possesses emotions; He can be grieved by our offenses, and the Apostle exhorts us not to do so (Ephesians 4:30).
4) An unbeliever may reject the Spirit, resist Him (Acts 7:51), and quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). He is offended (Hebrews 10:29). He teaches, instructs, leads, and guides; He serves as the COMFORTER for believers (John, Chapter 16).
5) The Spirit of God is present within the believer.

The biblical verse—"But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me" (John 15:26)—should be understood as follows: The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to perform various actions (works); this defines the Personhood of the Holy Spirit and constitutes His specific mission from God the Father—just as it is the mission... ...to the Son, through His Word, for the sake of humanity. These actions define the Person of the Holy Spirit within the Holy Trinity. The term *proceeds*—used here—already implies that He is being sent; it signifies not merely the manner in which the Holy Spirit originated, but specifically the fact that He is to be *sent* forth from the Father.

Furthermore, the Creed states: "And in this Triunity, no one is either first or subsequent, just as no one is greater or lesser than the others."
RESPONSE: This constitutes a distortion of the Bible, for Christ declared: "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). This subordination is grounded in the Father's prerogatives! To fail to grasp this is simply foolish.
And further: "The Lord says: 'Truly I tell you, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will *send* Him to you'" (John 16:7).