A Man Who Knew God

The Church father Ignatius had FIRM faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He promoted the four tenets of Trinitarianism—the same tenets we hold dear:

1. The Father is the One God

2. The Father is the Source of the divine nature

3. There is a Hierarchy with God at the Head

4. There is an Operational “Division of Labor” Among the Three

Last week we saw how Ignatius recognized the Father as the One God, tenet #1. Today we’ll study his proclamation of tenets #2, 3, and 4.

Tenet 2: The Father As Source

Jesus’ Point of Origen

Ignatius expressed his belief that the One God is the origin and source of the divine nature in Jesus. Let's read now how he taught that Jesus “came forth from” the One God, the Father. He affirmed that Christ’s point of origin is God. Can you affirm it too?

Ignatius wrote:

… Jesus Christ who came forth from the One Father, remained with the One, and returned to the One (Magnesians 7:2).

In addition, Ignatius recognized that Jesus was with God “before the ages,” saying:

Jesus Christ… was with the Father before the ages… (Magnesians 6:1)

If you believe that’s true, then your logical conclusion is that Jesus came from the Father. If Christ was with the Father before this World ever existed, then he proceeded from God, right?

Ignatius went on to affirm that God made sure Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit. That’s what we call the incarnation, of course—salient proof that Jesus came from God. As Ignatius states, it was part of “God’s plan.” He wrote about it and was sure to include the Holy Spirit in the incarnation formula:

For our God Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to God’s plan—both from the seed of David and from the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 18:2).

Well expounded! This is Trinitarian faith. The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit acting in unison. This is orthodoxy. But Ignatius didn’t stop there.

God Raised Jesus from the Dead

Jesus’ resurrection also proves that Jesus’ source of divine power and authority is God. The very heart of the Christian Faith is that Jesus was raised at the hands of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore Ignatius declared:

[Jesus]…was truly raised from the Dead by his Father. In the same way, his Father will also raise us who believe in him through Christ Jesus—apart from whom we do not have true life (Trallians 9:2).

No need to wonder why this truth is so important. Ignatius just said the quiet part out loud. It’s because if it’s true that God resurrected Jesus, then God will also resurrect you and me. God will resurrect from the Dead those who have trusted in Jesus. That’s our Hope. That's the Christian Hope of the Resurrection. As Ignatius said:

In the same way, his Father will also raise us who believe in Him.

But, ask yourself whether you really understand what Ignatius said. Ask yourself who is the “Him” in whom we believe? It’s the Father. And there you have Faith in God—sound familiar? It should. It’s one of the seven fundamental doctrines of Christianity (see Hebrews 6:1).

Stick With the Truth

Now you know Ignatius taught this basic truth. You and I must teach it too, because it’s one of the fundamental doctrines of the Apostles. No less than 35 times does the New Testament tell us that God resurrected Jesus from the Dead, but in most churches today you won’t hear it but once in a year, if ever. Why?

Why are modern churches such a far cry from the Early Church? Why are today's Christians not able to relate to the Apostles or those who knew them? Have we finally arrived at the times of which Paul warned Timothy? He said:

... the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).

The Holy Spirit Proceeds from God

Ignatius was FIRM in the doctrine of the Apostles. He also stuck with this truth--one that split Christendom in half in 1054 AD during the Great Schism--that the Holy Spirit, who he treats as a personal agent and not a thing (a “he” not an “it”)--proceeds from God.

The Spirit is powerful because he is a Divine spirit-being, sent from God in Heaven. The Spirit of God, according to Ignatius: 1. resists deception, 2. knows his own coming and going, and 3. exposes mysteries. But  best of all, 4. the Holy Spirit comes from God. That’s his greatest quality.

That's why Ignatius wrote:

… but the Spirit, who comes from God, is not deceived. For he knows where he comes from and where he is going, and he exposes the things that are hidden (Philadelphia 7:1).

All that aligns very well with the Apostles, Nicene theology, and the sound doctrine we wish all Christians would have. Why shouldn't all Christians understand those most important of all relationships: the relationships that exist between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Shouldn't every Christian be FIRM in the Faith and be sure of the Trinity?

Tenet 3: Hierarchy and the Father’s Authority

Subjection to Authority

Now, there were problems with respect towards pastoral authority in Christian churches in Ignatius’ day. The way he handled those problems reveals that he knew that hierarchy was a basic principle of church life. He rightly taught that the Church’s hierarchy is based on the hierarchy that starts with the Father and the Son.

Ignatius wrote:

Be subject to the bishop and to one another, just as Jesus Christ was to the Father, and as the Apostles were to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity of both flesh and spirit (Magnesians 13:2).

Hierarchy was Ignatius’ solution for the division that existed in churches. He repeatedly uses the Son’s submission to the Father as the pattern for all Christian order. Jesus subjected himself to the Father, and Ignatius’ big point was that because of Christ’s example, we also subject ourselves to our authorities.

You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ followed the Father… (Smyrnaeans 8:1)

…the Lord did nothing without the Father… (Magnesians 7:1)

Not Always Mentioning the Spirit

Ignatius laid out these principles for the sake of order: The Father is the supreme authority and the Son obeys. But you may have noticed that Ignatius didn’t always mention the Spirit, but that’s okay. Sometimes he just mentioned how the Church should learn unity from the Son’s submission to the Father, saying things like this:

In the same way, let everyone respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, just as the bishop represents the Father, and the presbyters represent the council of God and the college of the Apostles (Trallians 3:1).

And he said this too:

As many as belong to God and to Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as repent and return to the unity of the Church will also belong to God, so that they may live according to Jesus Christ (Philadelphians 3:2).

Like an Apostle

Ignatius didn't ignore the Holy Spirit, he simply implied that the Holy Spirit was at work through the spiritual gifts. We don’t always need to write explicitly about the Holy Spirit. Like Ignatius, we can expect an intelligent Christian to understand the Spirit’s labors—active through the Church Body through the gifts.

For example, Ignatius greeted the church at Smyrna in this subtly Trinitarian way:

…to the church of God the Father and of the beloved Jesus Christ… which has been granted every spiritual gift…

So, Ignatius did his job of presenting the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit in their hierarchy and expected the churches to apply it in a practical way to their own relationships. The unity of true Christians always emanates from the ordered relationships established under the authority of God, just as we see in familiar New Testament texts like these:

I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the Head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord (Ephesians 5:21).

Tenet 4: Operational Economy / Division of Labor

Hard Hat Illustration

Finally, on to Trinity tenet #4. Ignatius saw the ordered working of Father, Son, and Spirit as the key to the edification of the Church. Using an illustration from the world of architectural construction, he illustrated his belief that the Father, Son, and Spirit work together to save us. If you would, reflect upon it deeply with a slow reading.

He said:

… you are stones of a temple, prepared beforehand for the building of God the Father, being hoisted up to the heights by the crane of Jesus Christ—which is the Cross—using the Holy Spirit as a rope. Your faith is the pulley-winch mechanism that lifts you, and love is the way that leads up to God (Ephesians 9:1).

So, this Temple, which we are metaphorically, is owned by God. By the Cross of Jesus Christ we are hoisted upwards in love, our guiding rule. And our faith serves as a pulley-winch with the Holy Spirit as a kind of “rope” constantly drawing us upward. Wow. A beautiful illustration for people who wear the hard hat.

The Seal

Another illustration from Ignatius was the “seal” of the Holy Spirit. He seals us, guaranteeing us salvation, having come from God Himself, through Jesus. This is but another way Ignatius spoke of the Trinity. Consider his words here:

…the faithful have the seal of God the Father through Jesus Christ… (Magnesians 5:2).

Now, compare this to what the Bible says through Paul who wrote:

In Him [Jesus], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of Promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13–14).

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

The Spirit Speaks of Jesus and the Father

And another way Ignatius made the three roles clear was when he insisted that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that we should follow the example of Jesus who did his part by imitating his Father, God. After reproving members of the church at Philadelphia, Ignatius wrote:

Some people suspected that I said these things because I already knew about the division among certain of them. But the One for whose sake I am in chains [Jesus] is my witness that I learned nothing of this from any human source. It was the Spirit who kept preaching these words:

“Do nothing without the bishop; keep your bodies as temples of God; love unity; flee from divisions; be imitators of Jesus Christ, just as he is of his Father” (Philadelphia 7:1-2).

Notice the Trinitarian style. Notice the careful phrasing. This is characteristic of Ignatius and all the Church fathers.

Smooth and Natural

With that, we’ve seen enough of Ignatius to know of his soundness in the Faith. In this next statement to the Romans he highlights how the Church is enlightened by the Holy Spirit through God’s will—a will specifically revealed through Jesus. What’s remarkable about this statement is how smoothly and naturally he expresses his faith in the operational effectiveness of the Father through the Son in the power of the Spirit. Consider Ignatius’ words:

…to the Church that is beloved and enlightened through the will of him who wills all things that are according to the love of Jesus Christ our God… (Romans Greeting, 1^st part)

We conclude by affirming that this great man, Ignatius of Antioch, carried on the sound teaching of the Apostles. What they started continued through him. He transmitted the original orthodoxy we have inherited from Jesus and the Apostles—the best theology ever produced. Let’s stand FIRM in it, just as Ignatius advised the Church in Magnesia when he wrote:

Be eager to stand FIRM in the teachings of the Lord and the Apostles, so that in everything you do—body and spirit, faith and love—you may prosper in the Son, and the Father, and the Spirit, from beginning to end (Magnesians 13:1).

Amen to that! And amen to the life and testimony of Ignatius. We've finished with his story.