• οὖν — SBLGNT
• οὖν — Westcott-Hort, Tregelles, Reader's GNT (NA27)

• βαπτίζοντες — SBLGNT
• βαπτίζοντες — Westcott-Hort, Reader's GNT (NA27), Robinson-Pierpont
• βαπτίσαντες — Tregelles

§2So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the a…

§75"Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all savin…

§189The first "profession of faith" is made during Baptism. the symbol of faith is first and foremost the baptismal creed. Since Baptism is given "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit",3 The truths of faith professed during Baptism are articulated in terms of their reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity.

The apostles teach that it was neither Christ nor the Saviour, but the Holy Spirit, who did descend upon Jesus. The reason for this descent. 1. It certainly was in the power of the apostles to declare that Christ descended upon Jesus, or that the so-called superior Saviour [came down] upon the dispensational one, or he who is from the invisible places upon him from the Demiurge…

2. And see thou even herein His bounty; As many as you shall find, says He, bid to the marriage. For before this, as I said, they addressed themselves both to Jews and Greeks, tarrying for the most part in Judæa; but since they continued to lay plots against them, hear Paul interpreting this parable, and saying thus, It was necessary that the word of God should first have…

'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' See Matt. xxviii. 19-20. He sends them not to one nation, as formerly, but to the whole world. Before this He had said, 'Go n…

1. As wealth is wont to hurl into destruction those who are not heedful, so also is power; the first leads into covetousness, the second into pride. See, for instance, how the subject multitude of the Jews is sound, and their rulers corrupt; for that the first of these believed Christ, the Evangelists continually assert, saying, that many of the multitude believed on Him John 7…

1. He that has done and taught, it says, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. And with much reason; for to show true wisdom in words, is easy, but the proof which is by works is the part of some noble and great one. Wherefore also Christ, speaking of the endurance of evil, puts Himself forth, bidding us take example from Him. On this account too, after this …

1. Paul wishing to show the great kindness of God towards man, and the Love which He had for the human race, after saying: Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of blood and flesh, He also Himself likewise took part of the same Hebrews 2:14— follows up the subject in this passage. For do not regard lightly what is spoken, nor think this merely a slight [matter], His tak…

Chapter 24.—How We Must Understand that Breathing of God by Which “The First Man Was Made a Living Soul,” And that Also by Which the Lord Conveyed His Spirit to His Disciples When He Said, “Receive Ye the Holy Ghost.” Some have hastily supposed from the words, “God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul,624624 Gen. ii. 7.” that a soul was…

1. Tomorrow ends the period of forty days which separate the moment of the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from his Ascension. This is also the moment of the Master's definitive separation from the Apostles and disciples. In such an important moment, Christ entrusts to them the mission that he himself received from the Father and began on earth: "As the Father has sent me…

There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute. In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God…

The churches among us teach with great consensus that the decree of the Council of Nicaea about the unity of the divine essence and the three persons is true and is to be believed without any doubt. There is one divine essence which is called and which is God, eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the maker and preserver of all things vi…

It is taught among us that baptism is necessary for salvation, that the grace of God is offered through baptism, and that children should be baptized, for being offered to God through baptism they are received into his grace.

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses and effectual signs of grace and God's good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm, our faith in him.

And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if thou have not living water, baptize into other water; and if thou canst not in cold, in warm. But if thou have neither, pour out water thrice upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spir…

We have now finished the three chief parts of the common Christian doctrine. Besides these we have yet to speak of our two Sacraments instituted by Christ, of which also every Christian ought to have at least an ordinary, brief instruction, because without them there can be no Christian; although, alas, hitherto no instruction concerning them has been given. In the first place,…

What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's word. What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water, …

Chapter 1. On God. 1. I know that some will attempt to say that, even according to the declarations of our own Scriptures, God is a body, because in the writings of Moses they find it said, that our God is a consuming fire; and in the Gospel according to John, that God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Fire and spirit, according to t…

Chapter 1 In the six former books we have endeavoured, reverend brother Ambrosius, according to our ability to meet the charges brought by Celsus against the Christians, and have as far as possible passed over nothing without first subjecting it to a full and close examination. And now, while we enter upon the seventh book, we call upon God through Jesus Christ, whom Celsus acc…

1. The Parable of the Tares: the House of Jesus. Then He left the multitudes and went into His house, and His disciples came unto Him saying, Declare to us the parable of the tares of the field. Matthew 13:36 When Jesus then is with the multitudes, He is not in His house, for the multitudes are outside of the house, and it is an act which springs from His love of men to leave t…

59. (7). And the Apostle's own reason for saying, 'so much better than the Angels,' was not any wish in the first instance to compare the essence of the Word to things originate (for He cannot be compared, rather they are incommeasurable), but regarding the Word's visitation in the flesh, and the Economy which He then sustained, he wished to show that He was not like those who …

Of the goodness of God explained in the creation of things, and of the Trinity as found in the first words of Genesis. The story concerning the origin of the world (Genesis 1) is allegorically explained, and he applies it to those things which God works for sanctified and blessed man. Finally, he makes an end of this work, having implored eternal rest from God. Chapter 1. He Ca…

What is "to believe," which is the internal act of faith? In how many ways is it expressed? Is it necessary for salvation to believe in anything above natural reason? Is it necessary to believe those things that are attainable by natural reason? Is it necessary for salvation to believe certain things explicitly? Are all equally bound to explicit faith? Is explicit faith in Chri…

The division of prophecy into its species Is the more excellent prophecy that which is without imaginative vision? The various degrees of prophecy Was Moses the greatest of the prophets? Can a comprehensor be a prophet? Did prophecy advance in perfection as time went on? Article 1. Whether prophecy is fittingly divided into the prophecy of divine predestination, of foreknowledg…

Is a sacrament a kind of sign? Is every sign of a sacred thing a sacrament? Is a sacrament a sign of one thing only, or of several? Is a sacrament a sign that is something sensible? Is some determinate sensible thing required for a sacrament? Is signification expressed by words necessary for a sacrament? Are determinate words required? May anything be added to or subtracted fro…

And in the Holy Ghost.

If anyone saith that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord; or that they are more or less than seven, to wit, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, and Matrimony; or even that any one of these seven is not truly and properly a sacrament — let him be anathema.

Baptism is to be ministered in the face of the congregation. The minister shall instruct the people that baptism is the sign of our engrafting into Christ and of our purification through His blood. The Lord's Supper is to be administered frequently with a common table, that all may share alike, not after the manner of a sacrifice but after the manner of a communion.

Q. What then must a Christian believe? A. Everything God promises us in the gospel. That gospel is summarized for us in the articles of our Christian faith — a creed beyond doubt, and confessed throughout the world.

Q. Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.

Q. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, he has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever.

Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.

In keeping with this truth and Word of God we believe in one God, who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable properties—namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the cause, origin, and source of all things, visible as well as invisible. The Son is the Word, the Wisdom, and the ima…

All these things we know from the testimonies of Holy Scripture as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from those we feel within ourselves. The testimonies of the Holy Scriptures which teach us to believe in this Holy Trinity are written in many places of the Old Testament, which need not be enumerated but only chosen with discretion. In the book of Genesis God …

We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. God has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what God enables us to understand by the Word and what he does inwardly in…

We believe and teach that God is one in essence or nature, subsisting in himself, all-sufficient in himself, invisible, incorporeal, immense, eternal, Creator of all things both visible and invisible, the greatest good, living, quickening and preserving all things, omnipotent and supremely wise, gentle or merciful, just and true. And we detest the multitude of gods because it i…

God has always used ministers for the gathering or establishing of a Church, and for the governing and preservation of the same; and still he does use them, and will use them so long as the Church shall endure. The first beginning, institution, and office of ministers is a most ancient arrangement of God himself, and not a new one of men. God could indeed by his Holy Spirit, or…

God added sacraments to the Word of his Gospel, to confirm the promises of the Gospel. For as he once by the rainbow gave assurance to Noah and his posterity that the world would not be destroyed by the flood, so by the sacraments he assures his people that the salvation which he has spoken of is truly present. We acknowledge two sacraments which God has instituted in his Word:…

We confess one baptism for the remission of sins and for life eternal. For baptism declares the Lord's death. We are indeed buried with the Lord through baptism Colossians 2:12, as says the divine Apostle. So then, as our Lord died once for all, we also must be baptized once for all, and baptized according to the Word of the Lord, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and …

The things said concerning Christ fall into four generic modes. For some fit Him even before the incarnation, others in the union, others after the union, and others after the resurrection. Also of those that refer to the period before the incarnation there are six modes: for some of them declare the union of nature and the identity in essence with the Father, as this, I and My…

We believe in one God, true, almighty, and infinite, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the Father unbegotten; the Son begotten of the Father before the ages, and consubstantial with Him; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father, and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. These three Persons in one essence we call the All-Holy Trinity, by all creation to be ev…

We believe the most good God to be infinite in essence, incomprehensible, omnipotent, merciful, free, the Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and that the All-Holy Trinity comprehendeth in Three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — one in essence, and undivided. The Father is unbegotten, the Son begotten, and the Spirit proceedeth…

We believe the three Persons of the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — to be one God, one in essence, and inseparable. The Father is altogether unbegotten and unoriginate; the Son is begotten of the Father before the ages; the Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father, as from a fountain and cause. These are three Persons in one Godhead, equal in honor, in m…

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Lord our God is but one only living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite in being and perfection. In this divine and infinite Being there are three persons, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided.

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized a sign of his fellowship with Him in His death and resurrection, of his being engrafted into Him, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and ob…

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace, and God's good will toward us, by which He doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm, our faith in Him.

Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth. The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Baptism in Water: The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Holy Communion: The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements — bread and the fruit of the vine — is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, a memorial of His suffering and death…

The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her Great Commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven.

Luther affirms the ecumenical doctrine of the Trinity as confessed in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds: one God in three persons, coeternal and coequal. This article is not in dispute with Rome and stands as the foundation on which all other articles rest. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — one divine essence, three distinct persons.

God is generous in His grace: not only through the spoken Word but also through Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the power of the keys (absolution) does He give the forgiveness of sins. The Gospel is not one narrow channel but a broad stream of God's mercy reaching people through multiple means. Wherever God's Word is, there He is at work.

Sacraments are signs and testimonies of God's will toward us, instituted to awaken and confirm faith. There are properly three sacraments: Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution (though the latter lacks a visible sign). The sacraments are effective not by the mere performance of the rite (ex opere operato) but when received in faith. God uses external signs to offer and con…

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.

Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, t…

The Apostles' Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.

The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of institution, and of the elements ordained by Him.

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divi…

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation; and to the Lord'…

Tertullian declares that the Rule of Faith teaches one God who is nevertheless a Trinity — three Persons (personae) sharing one substance (substantia). He coins the term "trinitas" to describe this mystery. The divine monarchy is not abolished by recognizing the Son and Spirit, but is administered through them.

Tertullian presents the Rule of Faith as a summary of apostolic teaching: belief in one God the Creator, in Jesus Christ His Son born of the Virgin, who suffered, died, was raised, and will return to judge. This rule is the benchmark against which all doctrines are tested. What agrees with it is true; what departs from it is heresy.

Basil refutes those who rank the Spirit below the Son. In the baptismal formula, the Spirit is named together with and equally alongside the Father and the Son. To place the Spirit in a subordinate rank is to tear apart the Trinity that Christ Himself joined together in the Great Commission.

Basil insists that the Spirit is to be worshipped and glorified together with the Father and Son. The baptismal formula places the Spirit in the same rank of honor. The apostolic benediction names the Spirit alongside Father and Son as equal source of grace. To deny the Spirit worship is to deny His divinity.

Basil defends the preposition "with" in relation to the Spirit — we baptize not merely "in" the Spirit as in an instrument, but "with" the Spirit as with a co-agent. The baptismal command places the Spirit in coordinate relation with Father and Son. The grammar of the Great Commission reflects the theology of equal dignity.

Ambrose argues against those who deny the divinity of the Holy Spirit by reducing Him to a creature. The Spirit is worshipped and glorified together with the Father and the Son in the baptismal formula — "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." If the Spirit were a creature, the Church would be commanding worship of a created being alongside the Crea…