The Trinity
One of the most basic questions in Christian theology concerns the nature of God. In the early centuries of the Church, councils were held to clarify the doctrine we now call "The Trinity". The creeds developed by these councils state that we believe in one God, who eternally exists as three persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God, sharing equally in the essence of God. Each is distinct from the others and can interact with the others. The three persons should not be confused or merged with each other. Neither should they be thought of as three separate gods, or as the same god taking on three forms at different times. We believe in one God, eternally as three persons.
This doctrine is considered essential to the Christian faith. It is used as a primary test to distinguish genuine Christianity from heresy. But even though almost all Christians say they believe it, very few really understand it. Even the best trained theologians (in their honest moments) admit that this is a mystery, beyond human comprehension. One reason for this is that no human language or illustration can ever fully convey the truth of what God is like. God is simply too majestic, too complex for human minds to grasp. He is infinite and immortal; we are not. Another reason for our difficulty in understanding is that this doctrine is not as clearly spelled out in Scripture as some others. The word "trinity" does not appear in the Bible, and the relationships among the persons must be inferred from many verses. God never says "I am the Trinity and this is what that means." We have to search out the hints and try to put them together. Finding the full Biblical doctrine is not easy, and many cults are founded on a partial or slightly misguided interpretation.
How can God be three persons but only one God? Several illustrations have been proposed. Water can exist in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. All three are chemically the same water, though they have very different properties. The trouble with this model is that water does not normally exist in all three states at once. God is three persons all the time, not sometimes Father and sometimes something else. Another illustration uses an egg consisting of shell, white, and yolk. The three parts are different, but you only have an egg when all three are together. This is helpful, but not perfect. The three parts do not interact with each other. And an egg is a static object – a thing. God is a dynamic living person.
Another illustration that I like better compares God’s Trinitarian nature to a human personality. After all, human beings are created in the image of God. It is not surprising that we see in ourselves a dim reflection of what God is like. We can’t take this too far, of course. God is infinite where we are finite. God is holy and we are not. God’s character, His personality, is much more complex than ours. Nonetheless, if we don’t take it too literally, the following illustration may be helpful:
In a sense I am three persons in one. Many people know me as a clergyperson. As an evangelist, I preach and teach in their churches. They listen to me on tape and read my writings. Some of them have come to know me pretty well in this role. They would call me "Preacher." They may or may not know that I also work sometimes as a housepainter’s assistant. In that role I caulk windows and carry ladders. I paint trim and get my hands dirty. On the job, the people I work with know me as a "Painter", and would even say I am a different "person" than when I am in the pulpit. At night when I am at home with my children, still another aspect of my personality shows up. My wife and my boys know me in ways that church members and co-workers may never see. They call me "Daddy."
Which of these three "persons" is the real me? Am I Preacher, Painter, or Daddy? Well, I am all of them. I am not three separate people, I am one unified whole. In fact, all these aspects of my personality can be at work at the same time. As I preach, I also notice that the church’s windows need caulking and I wonder what my children are doing. I have been accused of preaching at home and at work! There is always more going on in my mind than anyone can see. If you could know me as I know myself, you would understand that all the individual parts of my personality fit together. In a sense, they interact with each other. I live in all of my roles all the time, even though others may see only one at a time. My painting helps me feed my family. As I paint, I gather sermon illustrations. As I preach to you, I also preach to myself and grow to be a better parent.
This is only an imperfect and partial illustration, of course, but it points in the right direction. God’s personality is much more complex than mine. The three "parts" of His personality are fully developed into specific and distinct "persons," while my various roles are only superficially different. My "Preacher" role is only part of who I am – while the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each contains the fullness of God’s essential being. We must not infer from this illustration that God merely shifts roles from Father to Son to Spirit. God is all three persons at the same time. And God is never in conflict with Himself. I am sometimes inconsistent in my various roles (though I try not to be).
God’s character is much more complex than mine. This is not surprising, since I am a mere mortal and a dim reflection of the image of God. What can be seen imperfectly in my blended personality is perfectly displayed in the true God – one God who is three persons eternally in fellowship with each other and yet united in One. We know God as "Father" and experience His protective care, His provision of our needs, His power and wisdom in that role. We also know Him as "Son" and marvel at His redeeming love, that from all eternity God purposed to give of His own life for our redemption. And we know the presence of God as "Spirit" living intimately within us. While we may think of one "person" at a time, all three are involved in everything God does.
This whole discussion may seem sort of abstract and philosophical, a waste of time. The whole effort to analyze God and reduce the infinite down to words we can comprehend is doomed to failure in the end. We cannot know God fully, as He is. We can know only what He has revealed to us by His words and actions. As we try to make sense of what has been revealed, the doctrine of the Trinity is the best approximation faithful human beings have been able to formulate. We can understand it only partially. When all is said and done, we will have to accept by faith things we cannot fully comprehend. It is good intellectual and spiritual exercise to try, to come as close to understanding as possible. But don’t despair if you can’t make sense of it all. That is what eternity is for.
One thing is more important than understanding the Trinity. That is to live in a vital relationship with the Living God. God does not come to people saying "I am the Trinity, understand me." He comes saying "I am God, follow me. Trust me. Love me. Obey me. Experience a relationship with me." It is one thing to think about God. It is another to walk with Him. If thinking about what God is like helps me to love and worship Him more deeply, then it is good. But if my analytical ponderings distract me from actually living for Him, their value is much less.
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:12, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror". We don’t have all the answers yet. But I plan to spend the rest of my days staring at that mirror and straining to catch every detail I can. The reason I try to understand is simple. The deepest hunger of my heart is to "see [Him] face to face" and to "know fully, even as I am fully known." The more I know of God now, the better I can love Him now. The better I know and love Him now, the closer I come to the perfect love and perfect knowledge waiting for me in the next life. I can’t wait to see our great "God in three persons" in the fullness of His glory! The only reason to study the doctrine of the Trinity (or any doctrine for that matter) is so that we can know Him more fully and worship Him more completely.
For further study, see the following Scripture passages:
On God’s essential oneness: Deut 6:4-5; Isaiah 44:6-8; 1 Cor 8:4-6
On the division of "persons" in the Godhead: Psalm 110:1 (quoted in Matthew 22:41-45); Psalm 2:6-7; Hebrews 1:13; 10:12-13; Mark 1:11; John 15:26
On naming the three persons: Matthew 28:20; 2 Cor 13:14
On Jesus being divine: John 1:1-2; Colossians 2:9
On the Holy Spirit being a person: Acts 5:3-4; Eph 4:30
Return to Essay Contents Page Continue to next article in the series