The Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity is unique among the festivals of the church year. Every other occasion is based on a physical event in which our Lord was present in a particular time and place: His birth, His death, His resurrection and ascension. But the festival of the Holy Trinity is unlike any other. Today we are presented with God’s divine essence that existed before human history began. He stands apart from time, outside of space, and beyond human comprehension. Today we must admit that God cannot be fully known by human reason. The depths of his wisdom and knowledge cannot be fathomed.

For thousands of years believers have struggled to find human language that can adequately explain the nature of God. The word “Trinity”, coined by the early church fathers, is probably the best attempt we’ll have this side of heaven. But even this word is a paradox. What does it mean that we worship a Triune God? “Tri” means three. “Uni” means one. How can something be three and one at the same time? Have you ever seen a Tri-uni-cycle? It can’t exist. Either a cycle has three wheels or one. Logic dictates that it can’t have both. Logic is a good tool for constructing machines with wheels. But when we attempt to construct a picture of the one true God, we must rely instead on the words of Scripture. The Holy Trinity goes far above human reason. Here God’s foolishness and the world’s cleverness knock against each other.

Part of human nature is that we don’t like things we can’t understand. We want all of our questions to be answered. We want to solve riddles and finish puzzles, and when we can’t do this, we’re not happy. For centuries people have tried to understand God. When they were content to use the language of the Scriptures, they succeeded, in so far as God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. But when they used human reason to unravel the mysteries of the Trinity, they failed.

Someone might ask? Does that really matter if people get it wrong? As long as they believe in God, or in a “higher power”, does it really matter by what name they call Him? Is it necessary to believe in the Triune God? In the Athanasian Creed, we confess that it is absolutely necessary. Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith. Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.

Many Christians are confused by the word “catholic” in our creed, but you’ll notice that it’s not capitalized. In other words, we’re not talking about the organization that calls itself the Roman Catholic Church and is run by a man who claims to be the substitute for Christ on earth. The word catholic simply means universal. Jesus Christ only has one church. There is only one true faith. There is only one way to the Father, one path to heaven. Every baptized Christian is a member of that one, universal, catholic church. We are not Roman Catholic, which is itself an oxymoron. How can something be Roman and universal at the same time? We are catholics, or as the first Lutherans called themselves, evangelical catholics. This means, catholics who believe, teach, and confess the true gospel.

As the Athanasian Creed confesses, the true catholic faith is this: We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. There is no salvation apart from this belief in the Triune God. Certainly, this is not a popular opinion in our pluralistic world, but it is at the heart of the Christian faith. There is no other way to be saved. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. And no one can believe in Jesus apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Athanasian creed confesses two major truths about God, both of which are necessary to believe for salvation: First, there is one Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—not three gods, nor one God wearing three hats, but One God in three Persons. Second, it is necessary for salvation to believe that God the Son became man, was crucified, buried, and raised for us. This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.

Christianity is filled with absolute statements such as this. We boldly say, “It is the right faith that we believe and confess. And whoever desires to be saved must think in this way.” Wow. That’s not very PC, but Jesus doesn’t apologize. He said to the unbelieving Jews, “Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins” (Jn 8:28). The Christian faith does not make concessions with any other belief system. It does not agree that there are many truths about God, many ways to speak and believe about Him, many paths to come to Him. Whoever desires to be saved must think in this way.

When you hear this, something inside you might say, “That’s rough. That’s hard to hear”—and it is. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, Jesus told him, “There is only one way into the kingdom of God. You must be born from above” (Jn 3:5). That’s it! I wonder if any of the disciples thought, “Ouch. I wish he hadn’t said that. Now Nicodemus will never join the church and give us lots of money. We need to hire someone to help Jesus with PR.” Nicodemus said, “That’s sounds pretty hard, Jesus. How can a man get born a second time after he’s old?” Actually, it’s not hard; it’s impossible. Getting born is an impossible task, and yet, it happens to babies every day. That’s because someone else, that is, Mom, is doing all the work. It’s the same way with the kingdom of God. It’s impossible to be born again. It’s impossible to understand the Trinity. It’s impossible to have the right kind of faith. And yet, it’s so easy, little children enter the kingdom of God all the time. How? Because God does all the work.

Jesus says it again for Nicodemus. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Of course, coming to faith is impossible for man. And yet, when the Holy Spirit does all the work, it’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s hard, no impossible for man to accept the truth about the Triune God as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. Three in One? That doesn’t make sense. Reason can’t comprehend it. Scientists can’t see it in a microscope. Mathematicians can’t make the numbers add up. Yet faith in the Triune God is necessary for salvation. Who then can be saved?

You might start to worry and ask yourself, “Do I have the right kind of faith? Do I ‘faithfully believe’ as the Creed says? Because if I don’t, there is no salvation.” Let me help put your heart at ease. It’s impossible for us to muster up our own faith, just as it’s impossible for a baby to orchestrate his own birth. But that’s not a problem for the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Martin Luther teaches us to confess, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

True faith is impossible for men. I believe that I cannot believe. But that’s why God gives us Holy Baptism, so that not just babies, but even cynical, doubting adults, can be born into the true faith by water and the power of the Holy Spirit. You can be certain of your salvation because God did all the work, washing away a lifetime of sin and unbelief, and granting you with true faith. Yes, you do believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter if you can explain it or not. Faith doesn’t mean that you can write a paper, faith means that you trust that God’s words are true. God the Father granted you entrance into his kingdom through Holy Baptism. God the Son cleansed you from all sin with his own Blood. God the Holy Spirit gave you faith to believe that this is true. This is the catholic faith; whoever believes it faithfully and firmly will be saved. Amen.