Understanding The Trinity

There is no other Christian doctrine that has defied our comprehension like the doctrine of the Trinity, yet this doctrine is basic to our faith. It is one of the doctrines that distinguishes a Christian from the rest of the world and all other faiths. To deny this doctrine is to renounce the Christian faith altogether.

The word Trinity itself is not found in the Bible. It is coined to convey the concept or the idea, as taught by the Bible, that God who is eternally one exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Trinity speaks of the unity of God in diversity.

Trinity also implies that “these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience.”

In other words, One is not inferior or superior to the Others neither is One more powerful than the Others. They are inseparable. You cannot deal with the Father apart from the Son or the Holy Spirit. You are simultaneously dealing with the Others when you approach or call on any of them.

Philip failed in His understanding of the Godhead when he asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.

Jesus’ answer to Philip is revealing. Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” John 14:8-11

Right from the beginning, God gave us a hint into His Trilogy which would later be fully revealed. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” Genesis 1:26. The 27th verse says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”

Now the question is, if “Us” and “Our” created man in verse 26, how did He change to “He” and “His” in the 27th verse. The simple inference we can make is this: The “Us” and “Our” in the 26th verse is equal to “He” and “His” in the 27th verse. He is three yet one.

The dilemma in our understanding of the Godhead is simple; If God is One as recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29, how then is He three – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?

Some have attempted to explain this concept with the three states in which water exists – liquid, solid (ice) and gas (steam) or the egg which is made up the shell, the egg white and the yolk. The universe is also trinitarian in design. It consists of three inseparable things: the matter, space and time. It would cease to exist if any is taken out.

A man can also be a son, father and husband at the same time. Man is also known to be made up of the body, the soul and the spirit. All these are creatures of the Creator giving us glimpses into His personality – One yet three.

However, these explanations of the Trinity do not completely unravel the mystery of the Godhead. It is puzzling trying to comprehend all of God with our brains. We should rather bow in faith and adoration to the Triune God who loved us as a Father and sent His Son to die for our sins and now lives with and in us forever by His Holy Spirit.

Someone has rightly said, “If you try to explain the Trinity, you will lose your mind. But if you deny it, you will lose your soul.”

 

Why Do Christians and Non Christians Need Help From God?

Please follow and like us: