What we believe #2/ The Trinity

There is only one eternal, almighty, and perfect God. Within the being of this one true God exist three eternally distinct and coequal Persons:the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

You might say to yourself that this is kinda of a hard belief, and I don’t really understand why you want us to believe this. Let me explain what is at stake. Nothing less than the heart of Christianity. If we do not hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, that is the full deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit we undermine:

The penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus, that is a technical term to say his sacrifice on the cross for you and I. If Jesus is merely a created being. How could he bear the full wrath of God against all of our sins, could any creature, no matter how great, really save us from an all powerful, all knowing, Righteous God’s wrath?

Justification by faith alone is threatened if we deny the full deity of the Son. If Jesus is not fully God, we would rightly doubt whether he could trust him to save us completely. Can we trust a creature to fully save us.

If Jesus is not infinite God, should we pray to him or worship him. Who but a infinite, all knowing God could hear, and answer our prayers. Who but God is worthy of worship? If Jesus is a creature, no matter how great it would be idolatry to worship him yet the New Testament commands us to do so (Philippians 2:9–11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,” Revelation 5:12–14 “saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

If we teach that Jesus is a created being and the creature saves us. We wrongly attribute credit to a creature and not to God himself. We exalt the creature instead of the Creator which scripture never allows.

The independence and personal nature of God are at stake: If there is no Trinity, then there were no interpersonal relationships within the being of God before creation, and without personal relationships it is difficult to see how God could be genuinely personal or be without the need for a creation to relate to.

The unity of the universe is at stake. If there is not perfect plurality and perfect unity in God himself then we have no basis for thinking there can be any ultimate unity among the diverse element of the universe either. Which rules out a perfect heaven for us.

Herman Bavinck say’s that “athanasius understood better than any of his contemporaries that Christianity stands or falls with the confession of the deity of Christ and of the Trinity. He adds :every error results from, or upon deeper reflection may be traced to a wrong view of this doctrine.”

As mentioned in our statement of faith there are some distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We cannot say for example God the Father is more powerful or wiser than the Son, or that the Father and Son are wiser than the Holy Spirit or that the Father existed before the Son and Holy Spirit to say anything like that would be to deny the full deity of all three members of the Trinity.

However there are distinctions, the persons of the trinity have different functions in relating to the world. We see different functions in the work of creation and redemption as an example. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being.

But it was God the Son, the eternal Word of God, who carried out these creative decree's. “ All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made” (John 1:3) Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

The Holy Spirit was active as well in a different way “moving” and “hovering” over the face of the water (Gen 1:2) sustaining and manifesting God’s immediate presence in his creation.

In redemption we see God the Father planned redemption and sent his Son into the world (John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”) Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” Ephesians 1:9–10 “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

The Son obeys the Father and accomplished redemption for us (John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”) Hebrews 10:5–7 “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ 

After Christ ascended back into heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent by the father and the Son to apply redemption to us. Jesus speaks of “the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name. John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” it is especially the role of the Holy Spirit to give us regeneration or new spiritual life John 3:5–8 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” to sanctify us Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” and empower us for works of service Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

So we may say that the role of the Father in creation and redemption has been to plan and direct and send the Son and Holy Spirit.