Quarterly Leader Formation webinar focuses on the Trinity, justification and predestination

The first webinar for the formation of ruling elders and deacons planned for 2025 took place on March 6 and focused on some of the basic theological convictions of the Presbyterian faith, including those shared with other Christian traditions and those unique to Reformed traditions. The session was led by Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, who serves as the J.B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. The webinar was facilitated by Martha Miller, manager for ministry education and support within Mid Council Ministries.

Image

Nearly 400 church leaders from across the country registered for the March webinar, and still others have engaged the content through a recording of the event made available afterwards. Simultaneous translation was offered in both Spanish and Korean.

Moore-Keish titled her talk “Pondering God with Presbyterians: What Do We Believe and Why?” She began by clarifying what she means by belief.

“When we talk about belief, it is not just something that is a cognitive, intellectual activity, but is also an activity of the heart and of the whole self, having to do with trust and confidence in who God is.”

Moore-Keish also began by emphasizing that Presbyterian belief is communal rather than individual, which can sometimes include things people may not individually understand.

“Faith is about constantly seeking deeper understanding,” she said. “Who is this God who we have come to know through Jesus Christ? Who are we? And what does God have to do with us?”

Moore-Keish invited participants to consider what Christians collectively believe, what Protestants collectively believe, and what Presbyterians collectively believe. With this structure in mind, Moore-Keish outlined the discussions areas of focus, highlighting the doctrine of the Trinity as a shared belief between Christians, the doctrine of justification as shared belief among Protestants, and the doctrine of predestination as a core shared belief among Presbyterians and other Reformed traditions.

In discussing the Trinity, Moore-Keish gave a brief history of how the concept came to be a prominent doctrine of Christianity, clarifying that it was not mentioned in the Bible; nor did it appear in ancient Hebrew or Greek thought. Rather, it rose to prominence with the adoption of the Nicene Creed in the 4th century.

Digging deeper into the concept, Moore-Keish explained that the Trinity — that is, understanding the nature of God as being both one and three (Creator God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit) — describes how we understand the nature of God and God’s encounters with us are both rooted in relationship.

“The Trinity is about God’s love for us and about God’s love in God’s own being,” Moore-Keish explained. “The Trinity, in other words, means not only that God loves us, but that God is love.”

Moore-Keish encouraged participants to pursue more information by reading a five-page study paper received by the 217th General Assembly (2006) called “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing.”

Moving on to the Protestant understanding of justification by grace through faith, Moore-Keish pointed to some of the scriptural basis for this doctrine in the writings of Paul in Romans. Paul argues that no one can achieve righteousness, except through the grace of Jesus Christ. Moore-Keish broke down the meaning of justification as “made righteous, forgiven, and given a second chance,” noting that this was a major subject of debate in the 16th century.

Moore-Keish explained that for Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, the point of this understanding of justification as a gift of grace is to avoid the dual sins of despair that we cannot be justified and self-righteousness — that we can become justified through our own power. She went on to point out some dangerous misinterpretations of this doctrine and why they should be avoided.

Image

 Moore-Keish pointed webinar participants to the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions with particular emphasis on the Second Helvetic Confession. She also mentioned her own role on a special committee that has been charged with writing a new confession for the PC(USA).

Moving into the topic of predestination as a uniquely Reformed theological doctrine, Moore-Keish prefaced that there was more to say on the subject than time would allow, but she said she aimed to explore what the doctrine is, what it is not, and why it matters.

“Predestination is about God’s determination of the ultimate destiny or ‘destination’ of each person,” Moore-Keish explained. She went on to clarify that predestination is not about God “controlling us like robots or puppets,” nor is it primarily about “who is in or who is out.” Rather, she said, “it is about God’s gracious decision to be for us, to choose us, to be in relationship with us.” She later connected this idea to how predestination compels us to love others.

Concluding her talk, Moore-Keish connected the three doctrines discussed to one another and to our understanding of God, reiterating that the Trinity tells us “God is love,” justification tells us “God loves us in spite of ourselves,” and predestination tells us “God’s love for us empowers us to go out and love others.”

This webinar and related resources can be found on the PC(USA) website, along with all the past Leader Formation webinars for deacons and ruling elders. The next webinar’s date, time and subject will be announced soon.