The Holy Trinity
Christian Faith
This You Can Believe
Faith Seeking Understanding
Object:
Christians of all denominations love to sing Reginald Heber's "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ... God in three persons, blessed Trinity." All may like to sing it, but how many understand what they are singing about -- the blessed Trinity? We need to understand it because it is the central doctrine of the Christian faith, for all Christian teachings find their center in the Trinity. This one unique doctrine identifies Christianity from all other religions. Jews and Moslems see the Trinity as a blasphemous insult to the one God beside whom there can be no other. Today's feminists protest against the Trinity and call for its rejection because, they claim, it perpetuates the symbolic domination of males as the true image of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The content of the ecumenical creeds is built on the structure of the Trinity. The Trinity is simply stated: God is one but he manifests himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You will notice that in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds a paragraph is given to each person. This is in accord with English grammar. A sentence contains a complete thought. A group of sentences makes a paragraph dealing with one subject. Change the subject and you are to begin a new paragraph. The first paragraph of the creeds concerns God the Father, even though in the Apostles' Creed the paragraph consists of only one sentence. The second paragraph deals with God the Son and the third with the Holy Spirit. These paragraphs of the creed are known as "articles."
Is the Trinity a biblical or church teaching? New Testament scholars assure us that the New Testament contains no doctrine of the Trinity. Although one cannot find a specific text on the Trinity, there are many references in the Bible to the Trinity. For instance, at Jesus' baptism there were the Father's voice, the Son's presence, and the Spirit's descent in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:13-17). Paul uses the Trinity in the form of a benediction: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Understanding The Trinity
To understand the creeds we need to understand the Trinity because the structure of the creeds is the Trinity.
The most serious heresy of the fourth century was Arianism. For a half century the church was split over the controversy of the Trinity. Arius was a priest in Alexandria, Egypt. He quarreled with his bishop's sermon on the divinity of Christ. The controversy spread to such an extent that Emperor Constantine called a Council to meet in Nicaea in 325. It was attended by 318 bishops from all sections of the church.
The Arians held to the view that God was one God who was unknowable, inconceivable, unreachable, and unchangeable. This transcendent God could not have taken human form in Jesus. Thus, Christ was a subordinate, created creature who stood between the world and an unknowable God. Therefore, Jesus was not God, nor was he the Spirit. If Jesus were only a creature of God and not God, he could not reveal God nor redeem the world. Then the worship of Jesus as a creature would be idolatry.
Athanasius, a bishop for 47 years in Alexandria, defended the concept of God as Trinity and is largely responsible for the defeat of Arius' views. A Council of 150 Eastern bishops condemned Arianism at Constantinople in 381. Since this was a Council of the East only, the entire church met in 451 at Chalcedon to confirm the Nicene Creed, which defeated the theology of Arius and defended the Trinitarian view. Thus, the Nicene Creed finally became the official creed for the whole church by passing through Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon.
The crux of the controversy centered on the question of whether Jesus was truly God or only a creature of God as held by Arius. It came down to a single Greek word, homoousias or homoiousias. Homoousias meant Jesus was of the same substance as God or oneness with God. Homoiousias meant Jesus was like or similar to God, that Jesus was divine but not deity.
The problem of the Trinity is how God can be one and yet be manifested in three persons as Father, Son, and Spirit. This is also a problem for non-Christian religions. A Protestant seminary class was taken to a synagogue to observe a Friday evening service. A lay member of the synagogue welcomed the group saying, "In welcoming you to our synagogue, I want to call your attention to some of the differences between us Jews and you Christians. The most basic is that while you believe in three Gods, we believe in one."
Apparently the Jewish layman did not understand that Christians also believe in one God. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: "There is no God but one. Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist" (1 Corinthians 8:4, 6). This one God manifests himself in three persons. We need to understand that "person" does not mean an independent person, for this would make three Gods. "Person" is used as in the characters of a drama, dramatis personae. The "person" is a character who plays a role. In Greek ancient drama one actor/actress could play several characters by putting on different masks. Some years ago Planters Peanuts had an advertising gimmick. A man was dressed as a peanut from head to hips, wore glasses and a high top hat, and walked with a cane back and forth in front of the store. Suppose that the next day he wore a pecan mask and the next day he wore a walnut. In each case it was the same man but as three different persons. As Christians, then, we do not have three Gods but one God who expresses himself in three persons. There is but one substance, and that substance is God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is a real personality without saying that each person is only an expression of one person. To say this is to fall into the error of Modalism. Each person of the Trinity is God, but each person has his own individuality without becoming separate entities. Also, each person has his own work: Father -- creation; Son -- redemption; Holy Spirit -- sanctification.
How can an average person understand the Trinity? How can there be three in one? You say that God is one and at the same time you say that each person of the Trinity is God. Does that not make three Gods? We must admit that it is a paradox and seemingly a contradiction that goes against all logic. The story is told of a man who had a heart attack in a store while he was shopping. Thinking that the man was dying, the store manager called a priest to administer last rites. Cardinal Cushing at the time was the priest. He knelt down beside the fallen man and asked, "Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?" The man roused a little, opened one eye, looked at all standing around, and said, "Here I am dying and the guy is asking me riddles." Ultimately the Trinity is a mystery, a riddle. No one has ever been able to explain it adequately. But this should not bother us, for there are many things in life we cannot understand, yet we live with them and by them. You probably have a microwave oven. Do you understand how it can heat food red-hot and yet the oven stays cool? You are probably reading this book with the aid of an electric light, but can you explain what electricity is? We may not be able to understand or explain the Trinity, but we do know God loves us, cares for us, and saves us when we repent and believe in Christ as Savior.
Aids To Understanding
Various analogies have been used to help us understand the Trinity, but not one is adequate. According to legend, Saint Patrick went to Ireland and preached to the king. A snag occurred when the king could not understand the Trinity. Patrick tried various explanations, but the king was not persuaded to accept the Trinity. In desperation Patrick plucked a shamrock and asked, "How many plants do I have here?" The king answered, "One." "Yes," continued Patrick, "but it has three leaves -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." This convinced the king. Shortly thereafter he was baptized.
Personal relationships can also be an analogy. A person can be one person but at the same time three different persons in a relationship. For instance, a man can be a son, a husband, and a father. He is the same person, but not the same person to each of the three. So God is one but in three persons.
Science is sometimes used to explain the Trinity. Water is the substance, but it can be expressed as liquid, as a solid (ice), or a vapor (steam). The substance is the same. As liquid, solid, or vapor it is still water. God is the basic substance, water, but he comes to the world as Father, Son, and Spirit.
Though we use various analogies to explain the Trinity, not one of them is a perfect illustration or explanation. We must be content to let the Trinity be a mystery and accept it by faith as a central biblical teaching. Now we see the Trinity through a glass darkly but in heaven it will become clear to us.
The Shield Of The Trinity
Shield illustration in printed book only.
The mystery and the meaning of the Trinity are shown in the ancient shield of the Trinity. What does this symbol say about the Trinity? Let us begin with the center of the figure -- "God." Who or what is God? God is in the center of our lives as reality, essence, life, being, the summum bonum, our ultimate concern. God is because he IS. When Moses asked God to explain who he was, God simply answered, "I am who I am" (Exodus 3:14). To say anything more about God is to limit him. Anything additional you might say about God is only an attribute. If you say, "God is love," you are correct, but God is also truth and justice. It is like looking at the sun and the rays of the sun. The sun is the essence of God and the attributes are the rays of the sun. To understand God fully, we would have to know the infinite attributes and qualities of God. Since this is impossible, we can say God is Being, Reality, Life, Essence, Spirit.
Practical Implications
This basic understanding of God has practical implications for us today. First, God is above and beyond all we can say or think. No one can put God in a corner or in a box and claim to know all there is to know about him. Paul wrote, "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). To try to see or touch God means death, for he is infinite, incomprehensible, and unapproachable. When God came to Mount Sinai, the people were warned not to touch the mountain lest they die (Exodus 19:10-12). When David was bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, Uzzah was smitten with death for touching the ark, for it was the symbol of God's presence. When a son of Karl Barth, considered the greatest theologian of the twentieth century, was asked to address a convention, he saw above the speaker's stand a banner saying, "God is other people." When it was time for his address, he went to the sign and put a comma after "other" so that it read, "God is other, people." That was his message and he sat down without saying another word. God is the totally other. When we confront God in all of his glory, majesty, truth, and power, we respond with adoration, awe, and reverence.
Again, this understanding of God should solve the problem heard in the Feminist movement of our day. Nonsexist language is a concern of many. The avant-garde leaders insist upon calling God "mother" and refer to him as "she" or "parent." Since God is Spirit, he cannot be a "he," "she," or "it." God is not a sexual being, neither male nor female. Why then did Jesus teach us to call God "father"? It is not because God is masculine, but he performs a masculine role in terms of creation, protection, preservation, and providence. The feminine factor of the Christian faith is the church. She is our mother. John Calvin once said, "If you do not have the church as your mother, you cannot have God as your father." Believers in Christ are the children of the bridegroom, Jesus, and his bride, the church. In Christian symbolism, the symbol of the church is a she, and the ship is always referred to as a "she."
Take another look at the shield of the Trinity. It tells us who God is: he is God the Father; he is God the Son; he is God the Spirit. Each one is God. But the shield gets us in trouble when we see that the Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. If each were the other, there would not be three separate persons. Each person of the Trinity has his own personality and work. While we have three persons, we have but one God. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4). As we have seen, this constitutes the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Characteristics Of The Trinity
Co-eternal
The three persons of the Trinity are co-eternal. This means that each person is eternal. There never was nor will there ever be a time when the persons of the Trinity did not exist. God the Father is by nature eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. "In the beginning God...." In the beginning of the universe God created the heavens and the earth, but it does not mean the beginning of God.
Then God the Son, Jesus, was supposed to have come into existence when he was born in 4 B.C. This overlooks the pre-existence of Jesus. The Bible speaks of Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end (Revelation 1:8). The author of Hebrews says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). In John's Gospel, Jesus, the Word of God, was in the beginning and the world was made through him.
Some may think that the Holy Spirit came into existence at Pentecost, 30 A.D. Contrary to this view, the Spirit is God and God is eternal. The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God created the universe (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit existed before Jesus, for he spoke through the prophets, caused the virgin birth, and descended on Jesus. On Pentecost the Spirit came to the disciples to guide them into truth and to empower them to witness to Christ.
Co-equal
A second characteristic of the Trinity is that the three persons are co-equal. This truth needs to be known, for the common opinion puts God as top priority, the greatest of the three persons. Jesus supposedly is subordinate because he was limited by his humanity. The Spirit is supposed to be less than Christ because he comes partially into a believer's heart. In contrast, the Bible teaches us that Jesus is no less than the Father, and the Spirit has the same power as the Father. Each person of the Trinity is equal in authority, power, and grace.
Wrong view:
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
These two illustrations are found only in the printed book.
Correct view
FS
HS
Co-operative
The persons of the Trinity are cooperative. They are not in competition with each other. When we call upon the Father, at the same time we get the help of the Son and the Spirit. Each person is able to help us. Each one loves us and cares for us. All three work together for our salvation by doing the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification.
An Overview Of The Trinity
Before we make a detailed study of the Apostles' Creed, an overview may help us to get a perspective.
Article I
Person: Father
Nature of Person: Transcendence (God beyond us)
Area of Person: Universe
Work of Person: Creation (What God did)
Symbol: Hand
Article II
Person: Son
Nature of Person: Incarnation (GOd with us)
Area of Person: Jesus
Work of Person: Redemption (What God did for us)
Symbol: Lamb
Article III
Person: Spirit
Nature of Person: Immanence (God in us)
Area of Person: Believer
Work of Person: Sanctification (What God does in us)
Symbol: Dove
Notes:
1. The three articles with the three persons are in three paragraphs, one for each person.
2. Nature of the person: Transcendence belongs to the Father, for he is invisible, incomprehensible, unknowable. He is the totally other. Incarnation deals with Jesus, the Word made flesh. God the Son became a human as Jesus of Nazareth. Immanence deals with the Holy Spirit, who as the third person of the Trinity dwells in the heart and mind of a believer. He is a personal God who lives in a believer.
3. Area of the person: The Father is universal as the Creator. He is greater than his creation. He is everywhere. The Son is located in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, "The Father and I are one." The Spirit abides in the believer who receives the Spirit when he is born again.
4. Work of the person: God the Father's work is the creation of the universe. This is our Father's world. He sustains and preserves it. This is what God did. The Work of the Son is redemption wrought for us on the cross. This is what God did for us. Sanctification is the work of the Spirit. He makes us Christians by calling us to believe. By grace we are the children of God by justification. Now the Spirit makes us what we are.
5. Symbol: The traditional symbol for the Father is a hand of God pointing from the heavens to earth -- the creative touch of life. The Lamb refers to Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb whose blood was shed for the sins of the world. John the Baptist said about Jesus, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came upon him like a dove. Since then the dove has symbolized the Holy Spirit coming to us.
The Church's Use Of The Trinity
Most churches make much of the Trinity. At least once every Sunday the Trinity is mentioned or used in various ways. There are hymns on the Trinity. When the offering is received, some churches sing the Doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him, all creatures here below,
Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
When a Psalm is used in worship, the congregation usually sings the Gloria Patri: "Gloria be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen." The Gloria is used to give a Christian interpretation of a Hebrew poem. The worship service usually begins with an invocation such as "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The triune God is called to be present with his people and indicates that this assembly is a religious service. The worship service may end with the Trinity spoken in the benediction, such as the Aaronic Benediction with its three parts:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
The Trinity is used in the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus directed that we should baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." To be baptized in only one or two names of God would be improper. In recent times three students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, were expelled because they were spreading the belief that converts should be baptized only in the name of Jesus and not in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
In prayer we use the Trinity. We direct our prayer to the Father through the Son by the power of the Spirit. To get to the Father we must go through Jesus, for Jesus said, "No man comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). The Spirit gives us power to pray, teaches us to pray, and prays for us. Paul wrote, "We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).
The Trinity appears in the church year. It is observed the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday. Before Vatican II, Trinity was a season lasting for almost a half year. Now the season is called Pentecost.
Symbols Of The Trinity
Symbols of the Trinity can be found in many churches, especially older church buildings. Some churches carry the name of Trinity, such as "Trinity Lutheran Church." Trinity symbols can be found in stained-glass windows, on paraments, and on chancel furnishings. Some of the common symbols of the Trinity:
(The below illustrations are in the printed book only.)
Equilateral triangle:
Triangle with a circle to represent the eternal Trinity:
Three interlocking circles:
The trefoil:
The fleur-de-lis with its three parts:
Three connecting fishes in a circle:
Study Guide
The Holy Trinity
The Trinity
1. Why is the first paragraph of the Apostles' Creed only a sentence? Is this faulty grammar?
2. How can God be one and yet three persons, each claiming to be God? Is this a contradiction?
3. How do you define or describe the Trinity?
The Trinity In Analogies
Please fill in the blanks below:
1 Human relationships: One person can be a ____________, ____________, and ____________, but yet be one and the same person.
2. Physical world: Water can be a ____________, ____________, and ____________.
The Trinity In Worship
Please fill in the blanks below:
1. Invocation: "In the name of the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
2. Gloria Patri: "Glory be to the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
3. Doxology: "Praise ______________, ______________, and ____________."
4. Baptism: "I baptize you in the name of the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
5. Benediction: "The grace of our ____________, the love of ____________, and the communion of the ____________ be with you all."
The Trinity Symbols
Go into your church and/or chapel and copy the symbols of the Trinity you find there. Bring your "art work" for display to the next session.
The content of the ecumenical creeds is built on the structure of the Trinity. The Trinity is simply stated: God is one but he manifests himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You will notice that in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds a paragraph is given to each person. This is in accord with English grammar. A sentence contains a complete thought. A group of sentences makes a paragraph dealing with one subject. Change the subject and you are to begin a new paragraph. The first paragraph of the creeds concerns God the Father, even though in the Apostles' Creed the paragraph consists of only one sentence. The second paragraph deals with God the Son and the third with the Holy Spirit. These paragraphs of the creed are known as "articles."
Is the Trinity a biblical or church teaching? New Testament scholars assure us that the New Testament contains no doctrine of the Trinity. Although one cannot find a specific text on the Trinity, there are many references in the Bible to the Trinity. For instance, at Jesus' baptism there were the Father's voice, the Son's presence, and the Spirit's descent in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:13-17). Paul uses the Trinity in the form of a benediction: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Understanding The Trinity
To understand the creeds we need to understand the Trinity because the structure of the creeds is the Trinity.
The most serious heresy of the fourth century was Arianism. For a half century the church was split over the controversy of the Trinity. Arius was a priest in Alexandria, Egypt. He quarreled with his bishop's sermon on the divinity of Christ. The controversy spread to such an extent that Emperor Constantine called a Council to meet in Nicaea in 325. It was attended by 318 bishops from all sections of the church.
The Arians held to the view that God was one God who was unknowable, inconceivable, unreachable, and unchangeable. This transcendent God could not have taken human form in Jesus. Thus, Christ was a subordinate, created creature who stood between the world and an unknowable God. Therefore, Jesus was not God, nor was he the Spirit. If Jesus were only a creature of God and not God, he could not reveal God nor redeem the world. Then the worship of Jesus as a creature would be idolatry.
Athanasius, a bishop for 47 years in Alexandria, defended the concept of God as Trinity and is largely responsible for the defeat of Arius' views. A Council of 150 Eastern bishops condemned Arianism at Constantinople in 381. Since this was a Council of the East only, the entire church met in 451 at Chalcedon to confirm the Nicene Creed, which defeated the theology of Arius and defended the Trinitarian view. Thus, the Nicene Creed finally became the official creed for the whole church by passing through Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon.
The crux of the controversy centered on the question of whether Jesus was truly God or only a creature of God as held by Arius. It came down to a single Greek word, homoousias or homoiousias. Homoousias meant Jesus was of the same substance as God or oneness with God. Homoiousias meant Jesus was like or similar to God, that Jesus was divine but not deity.
The problem of the Trinity is how God can be one and yet be manifested in three persons as Father, Son, and Spirit. This is also a problem for non-Christian religions. A Protestant seminary class was taken to a synagogue to observe a Friday evening service. A lay member of the synagogue welcomed the group saying, "In welcoming you to our synagogue, I want to call your attention to some of the differences between us Jews and you Christians. The most basic is that while you believe in three Gods, we believe in one."
Apparently the Jewish layman did not understand that Christians also believe in one God. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: "There is no God but one. Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist" (1 Corinthians 8:4, 6). This one God manifests himself in three persons. We need to understand that "person" does not mean an independent person, for this would make three Gods. "Person" is used as in the characters of a drama, dramatis personae. The "person" is a character who plays a role. In Greek ancient drama one actor/actress could play several characters by putting on different masks. Some years ago Planters Peanuts had an advertising gimmick. A man was dressed as a peanut from head to hips, wore glasses and a high top hat, and walked with a cane back and forth in front of the store. Suppose that the next day he wore a pecan mask and the next day he wore a walnut. In each case it was the same man but as three different persons. As Christians, then, we do not have three Gods but one God who expresses himself in three persons. There is but one substance, and that substance is God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is a real personality without saying that each person is only an expression of one person. To say this is to fall into the error of Modalism. Each person of the Trinity is God, but each person has his own individuality without becoming separate entities. Also, each person has his own work: Father -- creation; Son -- redemption; Holy Spirit -- sanctification.
How can an average person understand the Trinity? How can there be three in one? You say that God is one and at the same time you say that each person of the Trinity is God. Does that not make three Gods? We must admit that it is a paradox and seemingly a contradiction that goes against all logic. The story is told of a man who had a heart attack in a store while he was shopping. Thinking that the man was dying, the store manager called a priest to administer last rites. Cardinal Cushing at the time was the priest. He knelt down beside the fallen man and asked, "Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?" The man roused a little, opened one eye, looked at all standing around, and said, "Here I am dying and the guy is asking me riddles." Ultimately the Trinity is a mystery, a riddle. No one has ever been able to explain it adequately. But this should not bother us, for there are many things in life we cannot understand, yet we live with them and by them. You probably have a microwave oven. Do you understand how it can heat food red-hot and yet the oven stays cool? You are probably reading this book with the aid of an electric light, but can you explain what electricity is? We may not be able to understand or explain the Trinity, but we do know God loves us, cares for us, and saves us when we repent and believe in Christ as Savior.
Aids To Understanding
Various analogies have been used to help us understand the Trinity, but not one is adequate. According to legend, Saint Patrick went to Ireland and preached to the king. A snag occurred when the king could not understand the Trinity. Patrick tried various explanations, but the king was not persuaded to accept the Trinity. In desperation Patrick plucked a shamrock and asked, "How many plants do I have here?" The king answered, "One." "Yes," continued Patrick, "but it has three leaves -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." This convinced the king. Shortly thereafter he was baptized.
Personal relationships can also be an analogy. A person can be one person but at the same time three different persons in a relationship. For instance, a man can be a son, a husband, and a father. He is the same person, but not the same person to each of the three. So God is one but in three persons.
Science is sometimes used to explain the Trinity. Water is the substance, but it can be expressed as liquid, as a solid (ice), or a vapor (steam). The substance is the same. As liquid, solid, or vapor it is still water. God is the basic substance, water, but he comes to the world as Father, Son, and Spirit.
Though we use various analogies to explain the Trinity, not one of them is a perfect illustration or explanation. We must be content to let the Trinity be a mystery and accept it by faith as a central biblical teaching. Now we see the Trinity through a glass darkly but in heaven it will become clear to us.
The Shield Of The Trinity
Shield illustration in printed book only.
The mystery and the meaning of the Trinity are shown in the ancient shield of the Trinity. What does this symbol say about the Trinity? Let us begin with the center of the figure -- "God." Who or what is God? God is in the center of our lives as reality, essence, life, being, the summum bonum, our ultimate concern. God is because he IS. When Moses asked God to explain who he was, God simply answered, "I am who I am" (Exodus 3:14). To say anything more about God is to limit him. Anything additional you might say about God is only an attribute. If you say, "God is love," you are correct, but God is also truth and justice. It is like looking at the sun and the rays of the sun. The sun is the essence of God and the attributes are the rays of the sun. To understand God fully, we would have to know the infinite attributes and qualities of God. Since this is impossible, we can say God is Being, Reality, Life, Essence, Spirit.
Practical Implications
This basic understanding of God has practical implications for us today. First, God is above and beyond all we can say or think. No one can put God in a corner or in a box and claim to know all there is to know about him. Paul wrote, "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). To try to see or touch God means death, for he is infinite, incomprehensible, and unapproachable. When God came to Mount Sinai, the people were warned not to touch the mountain lest they die (Exodus 19:10-12). When David was bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, Uzzah was smitten with death for touching the ark, for it was the symbol of God's presence. When a son of Karl Barth, considered the greatest theologian of the twentieth century, was asked to address a convention, he saw above the speaker's stand a banner saying, "God is other people." When it was time for his address, he went to the sign and put a comma after "other" so that it read, "God is other, people." That was his message and he sat down without saying another word. God is the totally other. When we confront God in all of his glory, majesty, truth, and power, we respond with adoration, awe, and reverence.
Again, this understanding of God should solve the problem heard in the Feminist movement of our day. Nonsexist language is a concern of many. The avant-garde leaders insist upon calling God "mother" and refer to him as "she" or "parent." Since God is Spirit, he cannot be a "he," "she," or "it." God is not a sexual being, neither male nor female. Why then did Jesus teach us to call God "father"? It is not because God is masculine, but he performs a masculine role in terms of creation, protection, preservation, and providence. The feminine factor of the Christian faith is the church. She is our mother. John Calvin once said, "If you do not have the church as your mother, you cannot have God as your father." Believers in Christ are the children of the bridegroom, Jesus, and his bride, the church. In Christian symbolism, the symbol of the church is a she, and the ship is always referred to as a "she."
Take another look at the shield of the Trinity. It tells us who God is: he is God the Father; he is God the Son; he is God the Spirit. Each one is God. But the shield gets us in trouble when we see that the Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. If each were the other, there would not be three separate persons. Each person of the Trinity has his own personality and work. While we have three persons, we have but one God. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4). As we have seen, this constitutes the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Characteristics Of The Trinity
Co-eternal
The three persons of the Trinity are co-eternal. This means that each person is eternal. There never was nor will there ever be a time when the persons of the Trinity did not exist. God the Father is by nature eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. "In the beginning God...." In the beginning of the universe God created the heavens and the earth, but it does not mean the beginning of God.
Then God the Son, Jesus, was supposed to have come into existence when he was born in 4 B.C. This overlooks the pre-existence of Jesus. The Bible speaks of Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end (Revelation 1:8). The author of Hebrews says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). In John's Gospel, Jesus, the Word of God, was in the beginning and the world was made through him.
Some may think that the Holy Spirit came into existence at Pentecost, 30 A.D. Contrary to this view, the Spirit is God and God is eternal. The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God created the universe (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit existed before Jesus, for he spoke through the prophets, caused the virgin birth, and descended on Jesus. On Pentecost the Spirit came to the disciples to guide them into truth and to empower them to witness to Christ.
Co-equal
A second characteristic of the Trinity is that the three persons are co-equal. This truth needs to be known, for the common opinion puts God as top priority, the greatest of the three persons. Jesus supposedly is subordinate because he was limited by his humanity. The Spirit is supposed to be less than Christ because he comes partially into a believer's heart. In contrast, the Bible teaches us that Jesus is no less than the Father, and the Spirit has the same power as the Father. Each person of the Trinity is equal in authority, power, and grace.
Wrong view:
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
These two illustrations are found only in the printed book.
Correct view
FS
HS
Co-operative
The persons of the Trinity are cooperative. They are not in competition with each other. When we call upon the Father, at the same time we get the help of the Son and the Spirit. Each person is able to help us. Each one loves us and cares for us. All three work together for our salvation by doing the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification.
An Overview Of The Trinity
Before we make a detailed study of the Apostles' Creed, an overview may help us to get a perspective.
Article I
Person: Father
Nature of Person: Transcendence (God beyond us)
Area of Person: Universe
Work of Person: Creation (What God did)
Symbol: Hand
Article II
Person: Son
Nature of Person: Incarnation (GOd with us)
Area of Person: Jesus
Work of Person: Redemption (What God did for us)
Symbol: Lamb
Article III
Person: Spirit
Nature of Person: Immanence (God in us)
Area of Person: Believer
Work of Person: Sanctification (What God does in us)
Symbol: Dove
Notes:
1. The three articles with the three persons are in three paragraphs, one for each person.
2. Nature of the person: Transcendence belongs to the Father, for he is invisible, incomprehensible, unknowable. He is the totally other. Incarnation deals with Jesus, the Word made flesh. God the Son became a human as Jesus of Nazareth. Immanence deals with the Holy Spirit, who as the third person of the Trinity dwells in the heart and mind of a believer. He is a personal God who lives in a believer.
3. Area of the person: The Father is universal as the Creator. He is greater than his creation. He is everywhere. The Son is located in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, "The Father and I are one." The Spirit abides in the believer who receives the Spirit when he is born again.
4. Work of the person: God the Father's work is the creation of the universe. This is our Father's world. He sustains and preserves it. This is what God did. The Work of the Son is redemption wrought for us on the cross. This is what God did for us. Sanctification is the work of the Spirit. He makes us Christians by calling us to believe. By grace we are the children of God by justification. Now the Spirit makes us what we are.
5. Symbol: The traditional symbol for the Father is a hand of God pointing from the heavens to earth -- the creative touch of life. The Lamb refers to Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb whose blood was shed for the sins of the world. John the Baptist said about Jesus, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came upon him like a dove. Since then the dove has symbolized the Holy Spirit coming to us.
The Church's Use Of The Trinity
Most churches make much of the Trinity. At least once every Sunday the Trinity is mentioned or used in various ways. There are hymns on the Trinity. When the offering is received, some churches sing the Doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him, all creatures here below,
Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
When a Psalm is used in worship, the congregation usually sings the Gloria Patri: "Gloria be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen." The Gloria is used to give a Christian interpretation of a Hebrew poem. The worship service usually begins with an invocation such as "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The triune God is called to be present with his people and indicates that this assembly is a religious service. The worship service may end with the Trinity spoken in the benediction, such as the Aaronic Benediction with its three parts:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
The Trinity is used in the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus directed that we should baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." To be baptized in only one or two names of God would be improper. In recent times three students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, were expelled because they were spreading the belief that converts should be baptized only in the name of Jesus and not in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
In prayer we use the Trinity. We direct our prayer to the Father through the Son by the power of the Spirit. To get to the Father we must go through Jesus, for Jesus said, "No man comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). The Spirit gives us power to pray, teaches us to pray, and prays for us. Paul wrote, "We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).
The Trinity appears in the church year. It is observed the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday. Before Vatican II, Trinity was a season lasting for almost a half year. Now the season is called Pentecost.
Symbols Of The Trinity
Symbols of the Trinity can be found in many churches, especially older church buildings. Some churches carry the name of Trinity, such as "Trinity Lutheran Church." Trinity symbols can be found in stained-glass windows, on paraments, and on chancel furnishings. Some of the common symbols of the Trinity:
(The below illustrations are in the printed book only.)
Equilateral triangle:
Triangle with a circle to represent the eternal Trinity:
Three interlocking circles:
The trefoil:
The fleur-de-lis with its three parts:
Three connecting fishes in a circle:
Study Guide
The Holy Trinity
The Trinity
1. Why is the first paragraph of the Apostles' Creed only a sentence? Is this faulty grammar?
2. How can God be one and yet three persons, each claiming to be God? Is this a contradiction?
3. How do you define or describe the Trinity?
The Trinity In Analogies
Please fill in the blanks below:
1 Human relationships: One person can be a ____________, ____________, and ____________, but yet be one and the same person.
2. Physical world: Water can be a ____________, ____________, and ____________.
The Trinity In Worship
Please fill in the blanks below:
1. Invocation: "In the name of the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
2. Gloria Patri: "Glory be to the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
3. Doxology: "Praise ______________, ______________, and ____________."
4. Baptism: "I baptize you in the name of the ____________, ____________, and ____________."
5. Benediction: "The grace of our ____________, the love of ____________, and the communion of the ____________ be with you all."
The Trinity Symbols
Go into your church and/or chapel and copy the symbols of the Trinity you find there. Bring your "art work" for display to the next session.
