One God in three coequal, coeternal persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod affirms the classical doctrine of the Trinity as taught in the Book of Concord (1580), the foundational confessional standard of Lutheranism. God is one in essence and three in person—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial. This doctrine stands in continuity with the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Chalcedonian definition and is considered essential to Christian orthodoxy.
WELS teaches that the filioque clause (the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son) is a biblical and traditional interpretation of Scripture. The three persons of the Trinity possess all divine attributes equally and are equally worthy of worship and adoration. The Trinity is understood as three distinct persons sharing one divine substance and nature.
Denial of the Trinity or the full divinity and personhood of any member of the Godhead is regarded as heresy incompatible with Lutheran confession and with Christian faith itself. WELS maintains strict confessional fidelity on this doctrine as foundational to all Christian theology.
Key Distinctions
- Persons ontology:
- three distinct persons, one divine substance (ousia); coequal and coeternal
- Spirit procession:
- from Father and Son (filioque)
- Creed stance:
- Nicene, Apostles', and Athanasian Creeds affirmed; Book of Concord as confessional standard
Scripture References
Sources
- Book of Concord (1580): Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Apostles' Creed
- WELS official confessional stance and doctrine on the Trinity