Searching Issues: "What About the Trinity?"

Searching Issues: "What About the Trinity?" Deuteronomy 6:4 Matthew 28:19-20 With grateful acknowledgement of sources generously used: Nicky Gumbel, Searching Issues; J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology; "A Closer Look at the Trinity", SBC; Stanley Grenz, What Christians REALLY Believe July 28, 2002 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory Thoughts I've been thinking a lot lately about the wonder of "impossible things". If we were to think back to just 15 years ago, who would have thought the Iron Curtain would fall? Yet, overnight it happened. Looking back on it now, if you had said you thought it would come down soon, you don't seem so crazy. But, without the benefit of hindsight, those who heard your comment then would have wondered about you. Do you believe in impossible things? When I think about the people in our congregation I am reminded that God does the impossible in people's lives. Some who were addicted to drugs and alcohol are now delivered and living clean, sober lives. Others who have been redeemed and healed of living a homosexual lifestyle. Some whose marriages were ravaged, but God put them back together again, and they are being used gloriously now to minister to other marriages. I guess I've come to believe in the impossible. The apostle Paul said, "such were some of you…" (1 Corinthians 6:11). It strikes me that we ought to think about the impossible things God has done in our lives. It makes us continually grateful when we do. It also serves as a reminder of what God can do in the lives of others. "With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible!" (Matthew 19:26) One of the things I want us to realize is that it is not hard to believe in impossible things. We do it all the time. In Lewis Carroll's great classic, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Alice is speaking to the White Queen when she says, "There's no use in trying, one can't believe in impossible things." To which the Queen replied: "I daresay you haven't had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why sometimes I've believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast…" Let me ask you a question, just to get you thinking with me in this direction: is there anything about God that you don't understand? Do you have Him all figured out? In your natural mind, don't you find it virtually impossible to believe in an invisible, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly holy and perfectly loving Being? Further, don't you find it just about impossible, with your limited intellect, to believe that this almighty Being created not only the whole world and everything in it, and not only that, but the entire universe? Not only that, but all the universe we have not even begun to discover? Yet you do believe in Him! The very nature of "faith" is believing and trusting things that are too outlandish for our simple minds to understand and accept. Hebrews 11:3 - "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." God has put this kind of faith within our reach. We don't have to be able to figure everything out in order to believe in them, to trust them. When you reach out and flip a light switch, you may not understand all there is to know about electricity, but you trust there will be light when that little switch is flipped. Leave it to the electrical engineers and electricians like Bruce Frey to figure out all that electricity is (although from what I understand, no one really has fully comprehended electro-magnetic force-they've learned to harness for our safe use. And we go around in faith, flipping light switches and getting light! The Mysteries of God We know that God is perfectly righteous and just. How can that be? It seems impossible. We know that God is omnipotent-He can do anything. But how? That there could be a Being who can do anything is impossible to us. In the Bible God reveals to us that He is light, He is love, He is eternal. How can these impossible things be? We don't know, but we accept these truths by faith. How could a Son of God incarnate into our world as a human, live perfectly and die unjustly, rise from the dead, and then declare that what he voluntarily did eternally benefited the rest of us, bringing us forgiveness and salvation. We don't know how such an impossible thing could be. Paul would say this "gospel" is "foolishness" to those who do not believe. We don't know HOW God did what He did, but we trust that He did. In fact, our very trusting appropriates the benefits of this salvation to ourselves. On of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is the Trinity-the teaching that God is simultaneously three persons, but only one God. This doctrine is a lightning rod for criticism. Muslims and most Jews scorn the teaching because they wrongly assume it says there are three Gods. The standard of truth for Judaism is the "Great Shema" in Deuteronomy 6:4 - "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one..." And the watchword for Islam is "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is their prophet." The Old Testament and the Koran clearly teach radical monotheism. In reality, so does Christianity. Jesus referred to "the only God" (John 5:44), and in John 17:3 He addressed the Father as "the only true God." Jesus also quoted the Great Shema directly when answering the question about the greatest commandment - "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Mark 12:29) Paul said in Romans 3:30, "God…is one." And in 1 Timothy 1:17, it is unequivocal: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." Then there is the book of James - "You believe that there is one God. Good!" (2:19) The "Triune Nature" of God So God is one, and there is only one God. That is a fixed truth in both the Old and the New Testaments. But it is also clear in the New Testament that God has chosen to reveal himself in three distinct persons-namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. One pastor had two young children who were always on hand whenever there were baptisms in their church. They practiced biblical baptism by immersion and, like most used the "Trinitarian formula", "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." One day he walked past the bathroom in their home and noticed his three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son kneeling by the toilet, lid up. The three-year-old had the family cat precariously suspended above the cool waters of the stool. Just then she began lowering the surprised feline, speaking these words over her, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and IN THE HOLE YOU GO!" Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus brought His disciples together for what was clearly going to be an important time of instruction. It was just days before His ascension into heaven, so this would definitely be a critical teaching for them. Much would ride on this lesson, because it was going to be their motto for ministry after He was gone. With this teaching ringing in their ears they would take the gospel to the whole world. You have to know that Jesus chose His words carefully when He spoke them to the disciples: "Go and make disciples of all people groups [nations], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you…" (Mathew 28:19-20) Here we have the Son of God, in what is arguably one of his most crucial teachings, and right in the middle of his teaching on evangelizing people and baptizing the converts, He says, "And when you baptize them, fellas, do it this way-'in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.'" Do you think there is any chance Jesus might have slipped up here and said something inaccurate? Maybe He committed a theological faux pas? I don't either. Unambiguously, Jesus put the three persons of the Trinity on equal footing in terms of authority for baptism. This kind of Trinitarian speech is all over the New Testament, even though the term "trinity" never appears per se. Let me take just a moment here and remind you that it is not only Jews and Muslims who wrongly attack Christianity as polytheistic. Almost every cult that has splintered off orthodox Christianity has raised this issue as well. They use it as a way to try to discredit "traditional Christianity" in the yes of their potential proselytes. Their line of argument is, "Well, did you know that the word 'trinity' is not in the Bible anywhere? The traditional church has been teaching false doctrine all these years to you and others!" Did you know that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible either? Never does this word appear as a technical term for the occasion when the dead in Christ and those Christians who remain alive at His Second Coming will meet Him in the air. The use of this term, and the term "trinity" came about in order to capture the idea of something taught in not so many words in the Bible-to define it, give it a name. "Trinity" is a label we give to a truth found in the scriptures about the nature of God. By the way, you'll not find the terms, "omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient" in the Bible either. But that does not mitigate their truth and relevance. At the close of his final correspondence to the Corinthian church around 58-60 AD, the apostle Paul wrote this benediction: "May 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). Listen in to Paul's explicit teaching in his earlier Corinthian letter as he writes about the origin of spiritual gifts: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6) We find in the apostle Paul a man, inspired by the Spirit of God, who is quite comfortable with the three persons of the Godhead being placed on equal footing. He does it again in Ephesians 4:4-6, where in the same sentence he refers to: "one Spirit", one Lord" and "one God and Father of all". Each Person of the Trinity has Divine Qualities Who raised Jesus from the dead? Well, the specific answer to that question might surprise you. In 1 Corinthians 6:14 the Word says, "By His power God raised the Lord from the dead…" But the answer to the question found in John 2:19 is interesting. There we find Jesus answering the challenges of the Jewish leaders with these words - "destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." In the next two verses is the explanation that the temple Jesus spoke of was His body, as was his reference to "raising it again" a reference to the resurrection. But, notice that the one who was doing the raising was Jesus Himself. So, we have thus far two different answers to our question of who, specifically, raised Jesus from the dead. In yet another passage, 1 Peter 3:18, we read," He [Christ] was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit…" Now, let me ask you again, who raised Jesus from the dead? God the Father did, God the Son did and God the Holy Spirit did-they each did and they all did! Or, the simple answer-God did! There are a host of other actions and characteristics of God that each of the persons of the Trinity have in common with the others. I have pulled it together in a study outline and it is available to anyone who wants it (see the end for appendix to this message). So enmeshed are the three persons of the Godhead that they would not be distinguishable if the scripture did not identify them as separate and distinct persons. Yet, they are one God, collectively. Several respected theologians suggest that the better term to use to describe this three-in-one-ness is "triune". How do you explain triunity to someone who asks you about it? Clumsily. We do the best we can, and that's all we can do. We share what the scripture says and that's all we can share. The trouble with mysteries is that people of faith have no problem believing the impossible. But those who do not yet have faith stumble over these things. Why is it so hard to explain such mysteries as the Trinity? 1. There is a limit to our language. Several years ago I was driving across Kansas with another pastor on the way to a conference in Colorado. Normally a boring drive, especially at night, that night we experienced something spectacular. As we crested one of those long, rolling hills on I-70 we could see a storm off to the southwest. It was situated squarely over a city about 10 miles away. It was a highly electrical storm with lightning crashing down out of its dark clouds every couple of seconds. It was so awesome a sight that we just had to pull over and park alongside the interstate. We got out of the car and just stood there, speechless, mesmerized by the beauty and power of that sight. We said nothing-there were no words. A couple of minutes later we simultaneously looked at the sky above us. There were absolutely no clouds-the storm was very localized over the distant city. But what we saw, in stark contrast with the divine light show 10 miles away, was a clear and bright panorama of a million stars, beautifully sprinkled across the night sky. Again, we had no words, but we each let out a sigh, "Ooohhh!" Several times since that experience I have tried to capture that breathtaking experience in words for others, with limited success. It was one of those "you had to be there" things. Every time I think of the limit of language I remember the Kansas spectacle. We simply do not have words to communicate some things. Love songs often have lyrics that express this frustration: "I try to tell how much I love you, but the words get in the way…" "…every time I try to tell you, the words just come out wrong; so I'll have to say 'I love you' in a song." Billy Joel jus gives up trying and says, "leave a tender moment alone." There is a limit to our language that somehow disallows us to fully describe the Trinity. 2. There is a limit to our intellect as well. We simply are incapable of understanding with our relatively simple minds what we will know fully when we meet Jesus face to face. C.S. Lewis was a master communicator, though, and he helps with these words from his classic, Mere Christianity: "And now, for a few minutes, I must ask you to follow rather carefully. You know that in space you can move in three ways-to the left or right, backwards or forwards, up or down. Every direction is either one of these three or a compromise between them. They are called the three Dimensions. Now notice this. If you are using only one dimension, you could draw only a straight line. If you are using two [dimensions], you could draw a figure: say, a square. And a square is made up of four straight lines. Now a step further. If you have three dimensions, you can then build what we call a solid body: say, a cube-a thing like a dice or a lump of sugar. And a cube is made up of six squares. Do you see the point? A world of one dimension would be a straight line. In a two-dimensional world, you still get straight lines, but many lines make one figure. In a three-dimensional world, you still get figures but many figures make one solid body. In other words, as you advance to more real and more complicated levels, you do not leave behinds you the things you found on the simpler levels: you still have them, but combined in new ways-in ways you could not imagine if you knew only the simpler levels. Now, the Christian account of God involves just the same principle. The human level is a simple and rather empty level. On the human level one person is one being, and any two persons are two separate beings-just as, in two dimensions (say on a flat sheet of paper) on square is one figure, and any two squares are two separate figures. On the Divine level you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine. In God's dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube. Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube. But we can get a sort of faint notion of it. And when we do, we are then, for the first time in our lives, getting some positive idea, however faint, of something super-personal-something more than a person. It is something we could never have guessed, and yet, once we have been told, one almost feels one ought to have been able to guess it because it fits in so well with all the things we know already. You may ask, 'If we cannot imagine a three-personal Being, what is the good of talking about Him?' Well, there isn't any good talking about Him. The thing that matters is being actually drawn into that three-personal life, and that may begin at any time-tonight, if you like." C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (MacMillian, 1943), pages 141-142 We are simply incapable of understanding some things and, for the time being, they remain "mysteries" to us. We believe them by faith; later we will understand them. Helpful Analogies There are, of course, some analogies that help us a little in understanding the mystery of the three-in-one. • WATER - It can "appear" in three forms-liquid (water), solid (ice), and gas (vapor or steam), and each is water. • SHAMROCK CLOVER - There are three leaves, each distinct, all connected, but it is one plant • FAMILY - There are three members in the family-say, father, mother and child, and they are distinct but together they are the Smith family, and to speak of the Smith's is to picture all three • TRIANGLE - There are three sides to a triangle, each is distinct, all are connected, but it is one geometric shape • UNIVERSE - Made up of Space, Time and Matter-three distinct dimensions, yet combined they make up one universe. Interestingly, ◦ Space has its own trinity: length, breadth and depth ◦ Time has its own trinity: past, present and future ◦ And Matter has its own trinity: energy, motion and phenomena • MANKIND - Made up of Body, Soul and Spirit, each "part" or dimension is distinct and together connected, but taken together, it is a human being • MAN - A man may be a Husband, but he may also be a Father, and he may also be a Steelworker. Three distinct dimensions of his personhood, or three "roles" if you will, but together he is one man These analogies are at best helpful, but none of them can be pushed too far in understanding the depth of the mystery of the Triune God. What is the Relevance? You may be thinking, "So what? What is the good in all of this theorizing about the Trinity?" Consider what the doctrine of the Trinity does. It sheds light on the nature of God and how He interacts with His creation. • The Trinity shows that God is self-sufficient. All three persons of the Trinity are divine and existed before the creation of the universe. The Three had unity, love and communication eternally. • The Trinity shows that God is multi-dimensional. To understand God the Father is to know God as transcendent, Creator, wholly "other", exalted. To know God the Son is to appreciate God as loving and initiating relationship with even sinful people. To know God the Spirit is to grasp God as immanent, near us, present and active in our world, our lives. The Three Persons combine to help clarify for us who God is and what He is like. • The Trinity shows us that God is a need-meeter. Every human being needs three things: a point of reference (who I am, where I've come from, where I'm going), a role model (to demonstrate and model for us how to think and act correctly), and a facilitator (to actually help us get where we need to go). Father God is our point of reference. The Lord Jesus is our role model and Savior. And the Holy Spirit is our facilitator, our power for living. • The Trinity shows us God as self-revealing. God is revealed in trinitarian terms when it comes to mission, baptism, grace, salvation, ethics, worship and unity. God is most intentional in revealing Himself to us as Father, Son and Spirit. • And finally, the Trinity shows us our three key ways of relating to God: ◦ Father: We are God's children, by faith. The Father makes us His children through the sacrifice of the Son. Then he confirms our family connection with Him as our Father through His indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:14-16) ◦ Son: We are loved by God. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). God wants us to know and experience that love. He sought and bought us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:6-8). The Bible uses the picture of adoption to picture what God did for us in Christ-intentionally pursuing us and bringing us into His family. ◦ Spirit: We are empowered by God, through His Spirit, whom He has placed in us who are His. Paul prayed that God would strengthen the believers "…with power through his Spirit in [their] inner being…" (Ephesians 3:16). The result of that empowering is our living godly lives through "…him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us…" (Ephesians 3:20) Conclusion There is a threefold understanding of the nature and person of God, and there is a threefold response He wants us to make toward Him in faith: • Come to the Father. James 4:8-10 - "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." • Accept the Son. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me." (John 14:6) Jesus has paid the price for your reconciliation to the Father, but you must accept that gift by faith. • Receive the Spirit (Be filled with the Spirit). Romans 8:9 - "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ…" It's as simple as that. If you have not yet come to Christ in simple, humble faith, you cannot enjoy the presence of God's Spirit in your life. Only the Christian can know the indwelling presence and power of God's Spirit in his life. And only the Christian has the glorious privilege of allowing the Holy Spirit to fill him on a continual basis. "Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit" (Romans 8:9) SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES/ALLUSIONS TO THE TRINITY Pastor Rich Bersett - Metro-East Christian Fellowship, O'Fallon, IL DIVINE QUALITY FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT Eternal Rom 16:26 Rev 22:13 Heb 9:14 Holy Rev 4:8; 15:4 Acts 3:14 1 Jn 2:20 True Jn 7:28 Rev 3:7 Jn 14:17; 16:13 Omnipresent Jer 23:23-24 Eph 1:23 Ps. 139:7 Omnipotent Gen 17:1 Jer 32:17 Rev 1:8 Lk 1:35 Heb 1:3 Omniscient Acts 15:18 Jn 21:17 1 Cor 2:10-13 Creator Gen 1:1 Ps. 148:5 Col 1:16 Jn 1:3 Job 33:4 Job 26:13 Sanctifier Jude 1 Heb 2:11 1 Pet 1:2 Author of Spiritual Operations Heb 13:21 Col 1:29 Gal 6:8 Raiser of Christ from the dead 1 Cor 6:14 Jn 2:19 1 Pet 3:18 Inspirer of Prophecy Heb 1:1 2 Cor 13:3 Acts 1:16 Supplier of Ministries to the Church Jer 3:15 Jer 26:5 Eph 4:11 Mat 10:5 Acts 20:28 Acts 13:2 Worker of Salvation 2 Thes 2:13-14 Titus 3:4-6 1 Pet 1:2 Divine Titles given to… Ex 20:2 Jn 20:28 Acts 5:3-4 Authority for Christian Baptism * * * Matthew 28:19 * * * Authority for Benediction * * * 2 Corinthians 13:14 * * *   [Back to Top]