The Week's Answers: The Trinity

The Trinity is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. While there are many doctrines that are articulated in distinctly Christian ways, the doctrine of Trinity is one that is found solely in Christianity. Yet this doctrine seems nigh neglected in our modern era, at least in the hearts and minds of most people in the pew. And perhaps the reason for this neglect lies in the extreme complexity of the doctrine, for how can we articulate the Trinity in a way that is not offensive to the modern scientific mind? It is there that we should rely on the grace of God as poured out in the pages of Scripture. I cannot give an adequate philosophical answer that gives proper weight to the Trinity, but I can believe with certainty that it is so based on the authority of Scripture. Here are a few things that we must assert about the Trinity.

1. God is One.
Yes, this might very well seem like a poor place to start in a conversation about the Trinity, but I believe that this is essential. It is what Moses proclaimed in Deuteronomy 6:4, which is enshrined today in the Hebrew prayer, the Shema. We do not serve three separate Gods, but One God.

2. God is in Three Persons.
"God in three persons, blessed Trinity." So ends the great hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy." We cannot escape the fact that God reveals himself throughout Scripture in three distinct and yet unified persons, more commonly known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As seen in the illustration above, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and they are One. Yet at the same time, the Father is not the Son, nor the Son the Holy Spirit. There are distinct roles (as some would put it) that are carried out by the different persons of the Trinity. So while it is improper to speak about three Gods, it is not improper to speak about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in terms that are somewhat separate.

3. Trinity is Not Simply a Characteristic of God.
Most systematic theology books will clump Trinity right alongside the attributes of God, such as goodness, justice, independence, etc. I am not convinced that this is the best way to think about this doctrine. If I wanted to describe Laura, I would not list "my wife" as a characteristic along with beautiful, kind, or brilliant. The fact that she is my wife is not just a characteristic, but a point of definition, an identity if you will. In the same way, Trinity is much more than a characteristic attached to God. It is essential to His very Nature.

4. When it comes down to it, there is a whole lot of mystery here.
Do not be afraid to say, "I don't know." Sometimes that is a cop out for a lazy mind, one that chooses not to think about hard things and stretch itself. But there are times when we must realize that our minds are not God, and are therefore not competent enough to fully understand God. Too many times we decide that we should be able to comprehend every nook and cranny of who God is, of his will, or of any number of other things. But we must realize that it is God who reveals himself to us. We cannot simply put him on a pedestal and turn him around until we think we have seen it all. We can study Scripture and know what is revealed, but what he has not revealed to us can only be conjectured. So while there are some things I can say with relative certainty, there are many more that I can say with a shrug and the admission that I could be wrong.