Let’s Talk about the Trinity

Life Bible Fellowship Church

Let’s Talk about the Trinity

Right at the very foundation of the Christian faith is a word that does not appear in the Bible: Trinity. The idea that the one and only God is three-in-one is not peripheral to Christian faith; it is at the core of Christian faith. To say that God is a Trinity is not the same as saying that God is all-powerful. Both are true. But God’s power tells us something about God, while God’s triune nature tells us the most true thing we can know about God. It is like the difference between knowing a person’s hair color and knowing a person’s deepest internal identity.

And yet the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible.

Why Believe in the Trinity?

Why then should any of us hold to the idea of the Trinity? The answer is the word “trinity” is what we use to describe a teaching about God that we find in the Bible. We know that there is one God (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, James 2:19). And we know that Jesus is God (John 1:1, John 20:28, Colossians 1:15-20). But while Jesus was on earth he prayed to God the Father (Matthew 6:9-13, John 17:1). And the Holy Spirit is spoken of us being divine (Acts 5:3-4) and yet being distinct from both the Father and the Son (John 14:16-17).

What we are left with, then, is the idea that there is one God and yet there are three persons who make up the Godhead. Each person is fully God, and yet each person is distinct. We don’t have three gods. We don’t have one God in three parts. And we don’t have one God who expresses himself in three different ways (as if he is wearing different masks for different occasions). We have the mystery of one God in three persons.

Why Does the Trinity Matter?

Because it is so mind-bending to talk about the Trinity, we can be tempted to avoid talking (or even thinking) about the idea of God’s triune nature. We may say, “Well, I guess I believe it, but I am not sure why it makes such a difference. Why is it such a big deal that we treat Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons as belonging to other religions for not believing in the Trinity?”

There are a couple of big answers to this question.

First of all, a rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity almost always relates to a rejection of the true identity of Jesus. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses both reject that idea that Jesus is eternal and divine. This means that we aren’t just disagreeing on an obscure point of Christian faith. We are disagreeing on the true nature of the one who is the object of our faith: Jesus. We believe that Jesus is worthy of worship not simply because he was a good teacher or an accurate prophet or a kind man. We believe that Jesus is worthy of worship and trust because he is the eternal God. The difference is not trivial.

Second of all, God’s triune nature has significant implications. These implications guide us on how we understand God, how we understand ourselves, and how we relate to God in light of who he is and who we are. Below are some significant implications.

  1. If God is Triune, then this means that he is relational at the very core of his being. This helps us to understand that at his core he is not looking for us to be his workers, but to be his children.
  2. If God is Triune, then this means that he didn’t create us out of loneliness, but out of the overflow of his love and creativity. He doesn’t need us at all. And this makes it all the more profound that he loves us and saves us.
  3. If God is Triune, and if we are made in his image, then this means that relationality is a core part of being human. We need one another in close, life-to-life connection. Isolation is dehumanizing because we are made in the image of a relational God.
  4. If God is Triune, then this gives us a model for loving and harmonious relationships. The Son gladly submits to the Father (John 5:19). The Spirit gladly glorifies the Son (John 16:14). The Son gives over the kingdoms of this world to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24). The Father exalts the Son by conforming us to his image (Romans 8:29). The Son honors the Spirit by sending him and by saying that the disciples are better off with the Spirit in them than with the Son next to them (John 16:7). This is the beauty of the trinitarian relationship at the center of how God is. 

Lean In

The Trinity is not trivial. Embracing God as a Trinity is joy-giving and liberating. When we embrace God’s triune nature is means that we get to celebrate being welcomed into a family. Just as a mother and father welcome a child into a family that already is marked by love, the triune God welcomes sons and daughters into a relationship where love is already the ruling idea. Instead of being at the center of creating love between God and man, we simply get to lean in to the love that is already there. It existed long before we showed up on the scene, and it would exist whether or not we ever responded to the gospel.

So when you start to think about the Trinity, don’t run from those thoughts. Lean in and embrace this incredible truth about God.

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