Darrel Johnson in his Experiencing the Trinity writes that Thomas Jefferson wanted to do away with the Trinity because of the “incomprehensible jargon of Trinitarian arithmetic.” Jefferson wanted to go back to the simple doctrine of Jesus. The problem, writes Johnson, is that “…it is precisely when we do focus on the simple facts of Jesus that we find ourselves drawn into theological grappling which keeps ending up at the doctrine of the Trinity.”
Living in the Trinity
The trinitarian unity of the Son and the Father through the Spirit is a model for the relationships of men and women in the Spirit of Christ. The unity of the Church resides neither in the monarchy of God, nor in God as a supreme, divine essence, but in the trinitarian communion of God. However, this trinitarian community is so wide and so open that the Church and the whole world can “live” within it. The prayer of Jesus that “you may be one in us” is a prayer that is answered. Whether we know it or not we not only believe in the triune God, but also “live” in the triune God.–Moltmann
Necessary Suffering
Jurgen Moltmann writes:
Even more important, however, is the recognition that if Jesus were not “God’s son,” if God were not “in him,” then his suffering would have no divine meaning for the redemption of the world. It would disappear into the endless history of the suffering of murdered people. But, if “one of the trinity suffers,” then healing can come to wounded humanity and hope can enter a dying world.
The Trinity and Feasting
The problem with ascetic traditions or traditions that highly exalt solitary contemplation as a way of life is that it is inherently Unitarian. On the other hand, Trinitarian theology calls for celebration and feasting in community as a way of life, since the Trinitarian God has always enjoyed perfect unity and fellowship with one another from all eternity past.
Pastoral Observations on the Trinity, Part IV
Definitions are a tricky thing. These discussions assume a foundational understanding of the Trinity. Here are a few basic definitions worth memorizing:
“Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”
The Westminster Shorter Catechism also has a helpful definition:
Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
Another way of phrasing it is this:
When we are speaking of the Trinity we are speaking of one what and three who’s. The what is the Being or essence of God and the who’s are the Father, Son, and Spirit.
{James White’s book The Forgotten Trinity is an outstanding introduction}
Pastoral Observations on the Trinity, Part III
One of the great problems we have in discussing the Trinity is that there is so much miscommunication. Our goal then is to explain the Trinity in simple terms. We do this very well with little ones. When we introduce them to something they have never tasted, we often give them an idea of what it tastes like. For instance, we say that this new food tastes like crackers and honey. Now, they are able to associate the new food with something they have tasted before. When it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, we are in dangerous grounds every time we begin the sentence “God is like…” The problem is we are not speaking of things we have seen, tasted, or experienced. God is a Spirit, says John. What is a spirit? Have we ever seen a spirit? What can we compare it to? Language does not permit us to define neatly the indefinable. God is completely unique and to “compare God to anything in the created order is, in the final analysis, to define His uniqueness.”[1]
[1] James White, The Forgotten Trinity, 25.
Pastoral Observations on the Trinity, Part II
The Trinity is a Trinity of Love. The Persons of the godhead love one another perfectly. This establishes a simple pattern for the people. We too, must be a community of love imitating the perfect love of Father, Son, and Spirit. The more we understand this Trinitarian love, the more our world will be framed by it.
However, getting to the point of Trinitarian application may take some work. Unfortunately, too many have avoided this topic because in their minds it belongs to the elite class in the Christian society. Proverbs 25 says that searching things out is the matter of kings. This is precisely Peter’s point in I Peter 2. We, as new kings and priests, are called to search out God’s revelation for the sake of the well-being of the community. Understanding doctrines like the Trinity are communal-oriented activities. They do not simply belong behind the seminary desk, but in the pew.
It is true that the minister’s job is to articulate truth in a clear and concise fashion. There is in fact a triad hierarchy of scholarship. The scholar spends his life digging profound Biblical truths, which are passed on to the minister, which are passed on to the parishioner. It is not common, nor is it recommended that a parishioner study the patristic polemics on the Trinity. The parishioner has other concerns and duties. It is not for the pastor to spend his week analyzing original documentation in museums to better understand the trinity. The pastor has other duties to his parishioners and his own preparation for Lord’s Day Worship. We all have different roles, and we must not strive to know every jot and tittle of Trinitarian controversy. It will drive us mad! However, we are called to know the importance of the Trinity in God’s revelation and how the Trinity speaks to our daily lives.
We are a worshiping people. True worship is Trinitarian worship. For this reason alone we are called to know about the Trinity. We are called to meditate on the Trinity and to find the Trinity a source of comfort and delight.
Pastoral Observations on the Trinity, Part I
Note: These are a series of brief observations on the Trinity, using as a resource James R. White’s book The Forgotten Trinity published by Bethany House.
As a Reformed scholar once wrote: “The Trinity is Forgotten!” Christians sing of all things, but rarely do they contemplate the Trinity. This is a curious point to ponder. We consider groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons to be outside the historic Christian faith and we withhold fellowship with them precisely because they deny the Triune God. Our call to worship is a call in the Name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our benediction is the blessing in the Name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. But Christians fail to understand that the Trinity is at the center of all redemptive history. In other words, you cannot know the Son apart from knowing the Father and the Spirit. “We must know, understand, and love the Trinity to be fully and completely Christian.”[1]
We all desire to be completely Christian. Gnostics reject this totality of the Christian faith. They desire to be fully spiritual and deny the flesh. This world is simply a hindrance to more important things. However, Christians desire to be fully engaged with the spiritual realities as well as engaged with the present world. The incarnation of Christ is the manifestation of God in the flesh. It is the greatest refutation of Gnosticism. God abandoned the glories of paradise to be with a sin-driven world full of corruption and death. But this is the richness of the Trinity. And the more we understand and know the Triune God—in eternity we will continue this great task—the more like Christ we will become. The more we know of the Trinity, the more we will know of true love.
[1] James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity (Minneapolis, MN, Bethany House, 1998) 15.
All power and authority
In light of my talk tomorrow at New Life Presbyterian on the Wrath of God, I decided to post my introductory paragraph with the hope that I shall post the rest at some other opportune time.
If the love of God is inseparable from His holy character, than His wrath is no different; as I have argued in my lesson on the Love of God, God is the plenipotentiary, meaning, He is invested with full power, authority, and strength. Unlike leaders and dictators of this world, whose plenipotentiary derives from the people or through manipulation, God is all powerful and able to do what He pleases because He is God. No one can bestow power to God, since power finds its completion in God himself. Just as Hebrews tells us that God can swear by no one but Himself, since no one matches the authority and honor of God, then perfect power and authority rests on God alone, for there is no other who shares in His perfect glory and holiness.