Question #3 What's with the Trinity? By: Dr. Danny Purvis
QUESTIONS EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER
Question #3: What’s the deal with the Trinity?
By: Dr. Danny Purvis
There are a great deal of doctrines in Christianity with varying levels of complexity. But perhaps none more than the idea of a triune God. As Believers we are going to be asked to explain various aspects of theology…hence the reason for this series in the first place. Inevitably (and understandably I might add) we will be asked at some point about how we say we worship only one God…but refer to Him in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The basis of the question will be: How can God be one Being…but be manifested in three distinct Persons? By the way…this is a perfectly valid question. It is a question Believers have been (and should be) asking themselves. On relation to how this can be possible, it is a very intricate and confounding reality. But…real it is.
From the moment in Genesis where God says, “let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26, italics mine) to one of God’s names, Elohim (which is plural), to the Three Persons showing themselves at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17)…the idea of the Trinitarian nature of God has engendered a host of questions. However, if I may make an observation, I believe we focus on the incorrect aspects of that line of inquiry. There are two basic ways we can approach the idea of the Trinity. We can ask how this can be…and we can ask why this can be. And those two camps, the how camp and the why camp, seem to drastically influence our ability to understand and explain theological complexities related to our faith. But we can be selective in our inquiry. What do I mean by that?
Well, we often wonder how God could literally speak through a donkey (Numbers 22:21-39) but rarely seem to question how God could speak through a bush (Exodus 3:1-6). Both are fantastical in their own ways (at least to us they are) and create a great deal of questions. But the burning bush event seems to be more, for lack of a better term, understandable to us. In other words, we do not seem to question God speaking through a plant as much as we do Him speaking through a donkey. I’m not sure I understand that…but that seems to be the case. The problem for us though is that we have a tendency to accentuate the how questions over the more important why questions. And therein lay the issues related to the Trinity.
There is something every single Believer must come to terms with in their relationship with God. He is not completely understandable to our finite minds. Some of the characteristics we are completely ok with however. We speak confidently of God being eternal. He has always existed and always will. That is a basic Christian belief. We spout it oftentimes without a second thought. But have you really given that much thought? Have you ever pondered that aspect of God’s Being? He is everlasting (Psalm 90:2 among many other verses). But have you stopped to think about the fact that we, as human beings, cannot truly understand what that means? Can a finite mind truly understand the infinite nature of God? No. Everything in our lives have beginnings and endings. Everything. Movies, songs, relationships, books, jobs, days,…even human life itself has a beginning and an end. We cannot conceive of the infinite because we are finite. But we trust when God tells us he is infinite though we have no ability to understand the “how” of that truth. And that’s the point.
Our human minds are rooted in sin. There are a lot of consequences to that reality. One huge consequent is that, as humans, we will never be able to grasp on to all of the nuances as to the “how” of God’s nature. In fact, God tells us this. In Romans 3, Paul quotes the Psalms when he writes: “there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). It is in our nature to NOT be able to understand His immense complexities. And even as Believers, there are still limitations to our ability to understand the “how” of God’s nature. However, the incredible gift He gives to His children is the ability to see and understand the “why” of His nature. And make no mistake. Our ability to see that is a gift from God via the Holy Spirit. Otherwise it would just be foolishness to us (1 Corinthians 1:23).
We see this in action in the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. It is a very long chapter (71 verses). And imbedded in these verses is exactly what I am talking about. After the two miracles mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, there is a fascinating conversation Jesus has with the people. This group consists of three subgroups. He is speaking to the 12 (John 6:67). He is speaking to another group of people referred to as His disciples (John 6:66). And He is speaking to those who oppose Him (John 6:41). In this conversation He tells these people, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51b). He then quadruples down in verses 52-59 by saying that people must eat His flesh and drink His blood. No matter how you dice this up, this had to have sounded amazingly weird to the people. ALL of the people. But play close attention to the question asked by those who heard Him. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat” (John 6:52).
Did you catch it? It is a “how” question. How can he do this? Now, 2,000 years removed from the event and with the benefit of the rest of the Bible (which they did NOT have) we understand what He means. But notice that the question was a “how” question and not the more important “why” question. The important question isn’t “how” God spoke through a bush or through a donkey. The important question isn’t “how” Jesus could offer His flesh for food and blood for drink. The important question is “why” these things happen. Knowing “how” reveals a mechanism. Knowing “why” reveals the heart of God. I gotta be honest. I don’t really care about the mechanism. I want to know and see His heart for His people…for me.
It is the same for the Trinity. We need to move away from the “how” of the Trinity (which our finite minds will never be able to completely grasp) and focus on the “why”. God is Who he is. It is the way He has always existed. So, with that being a given, why is He manifested in three Persons? The answer is amazingly simple: Because we could not be saved if He were not. Salvation for His people would not be possible. What do I mean? I am so glad you asked.
In order to be saved, we have to have an intimate relationship with the Holy God. But His holiness is such that we cannot even look at Him or we will die (Exodus 33:20). I don’t think it is possible for us to completely understand His holiness. His holiness infected the ground (Exodus 33:5). Just getting a quick glimpse of His back caused Moses face to literally glow (Exodus 34:29-30). Our sin makes it impossible for us to have an intimate relationship with the Father. Hence…the Son.
The second Person of the Trinity, the Son, allows for that intimate relationship to occur. It is the only way it can occur. By being both all God and all human, Jesus (God) could physically and intimately interact with His creation. When the Disciples walked with Jesus, they were walking with the same God that spoke the universe into existence (John 1:1-5). The same God Who spoke through the burning bush (Mark 14:62). The same God that created them. The Father cannot even be looked at by humans…Jesus befriended humans. The Father also could not die which was necessary for salvation (Hebrews 9:22). But Jesus…the God-Man could because He was cloaked in human flesh. However, the Son could not literally and physically reside in the bodies of His children in order to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)…another vital component to salvation. Hence…the Holy Spirit.
The third Person of the Trinity, the Son, is able and willing to actually indwell us with God in order to achieve salvation and provide the righteousness so necessary for salvation (Romans 3:21-22). The Holy Spirit literally lives within those who are Believers (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And if he did not, we could not have the righteousness of Christ. We would not have the desire or the ability to obey God or live the lives He desires for us to live. In fact, so vital is His presence in or lives, Jesus Himself told the Disciples just before His arrest that it was a good thing He was going away. Why? “If I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you” (John 16:1-15).
So, “how” does a single Being manifest Himself in three Persons and still be one Being? I really do not know “how” that works. But I know “why” it does. And that makes all the difference.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
Question #3: What’s the deal with the Trinity?
By: Dr. Danny Purvis
There are a great deal of doctrines in Christianity with varying levels of complexity. But perhaps none more than the idea of a triune God. As Believers we are going to be asked to explain various aspects of theology…hence the reason for this series in the first place. Inevitably (and understandably I might add) we will be asked at some point about how we say we worship only one God…but refer to Him in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The basis of the question will be: How can God be one Being…but be manifested in three distinct Persons? By the way…this is a perfectly valid question. It is a question Believers have been (and should be) asking themselves. On relation to how this can be possible, it is a very intricate and confounding reality. But…real it is.
From the moment in Genesis where God says, “let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26, italics mine) to one of God’s names, Elohim (which is plural), to the Three Persons showing themselves at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17)…the idea of the Trinitarian nature of God has engendered a host of questions. However, if I may make an observation, I believe we focus on the incorrect aspects of that line of inquiry. There are two basic ways we can approach the idea of the Trinity. We can ask how this can be…and we can ask why this can be. And those two camps, the how camp and the why camp, seem to drastically influence our ability to understand and explain theological complexities related to our faith. But we can be selective in our inquiry. What do I mean by that?
Well, we often wonder how God could literally speak through a donkey (Numbers 22:21-39) but rarely seem to question how God could speak through a bush (Exodus 3:1-6). Both are fantastical in their own ways (at least to us they are) and create a great deal of questions. But the burning bush event seems to be more, for lack of a better term, understandable to us. In other words, we do not seem to question God speaking through a plant as much as we do Him speaking through a donkey. I’m not sure I understand that…but that seems to be the case. The problem for us though is that we have a tendency to accentuate the how questions over the more important why questions. And therein lay the issues related to the Trinity.
There is something every single Believer must come to terms with in their relationship with God. He is not completely understandable to our finite minds. Some of the characteristics we are completely ok with however. We speak confidently of God being eternal. He has always existed and always will. That is a basic Christian belief. We spout it oftentimes without a second thought. But have you really given that much thought? Have you ever pondered that aspect of God’s Being? He is everlasting (Psalm 90:2 among many other verses). But have you stopped to think about the fact that we, as human beings, cannot truly understand what that means? Can a finite mind truly understand the infinite nature of God? No. Everything in our lives have beginnings and endings. Everything. Movies, songs, relationships, books, jobs, days,…even human life itself has a beginning and an end. We cannot conceive of the infinite because we are finite. But we trust when God tells us he is infinite though we have no ability to understand the “how” of that truth. And that’s the point.
Our human minds are rooted in sin. There are a lot of consequences to that reality. One huge consequent is that, as humans, we will never be able to grasp on to all of the nuances as to the “how” of God’s nature. In fact, God tells us this. In Romans 3, Paul quotes the Psalms when he writes: “there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). It is in our nature to NOT be able to understand His immense complexities. And even as Believers, there are still limitations to our ability to understand the “how” of God’s nature. However, the incredible gift He gives to His children is the ability to see and understand the “why” of His nature. And make no mistake. Our ability to see that is a gift from God via the Holy Spirit. Otherwise it would just be foolishness to us (1 Corinthians 1:23).
We see this in action in the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. It is a very long chapter (71 verses). And imbedded in these verses is exactly what I am talking about. After the two miracles mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, there is a fascinating conversation Jesus has with the people. This group consists of three subgroups. He is speaking to the 12 (John 6:67). He is speaking to another group of people referred to as His disciples (John 6:66). And He is speaking to those who oppose Him (John 6:41). In this conversation He tells these people, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51b). He then quadruples down in verses 52-59 by saying that people must eat His flesh and drink His blood. No matter how you dice this up, this had to have sounded amazingly weird to the people. ALL of the people. But play close attention to the question asked by those who heard Him. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat” (John 6:52).
Did you catch it? It is a “how” question. How can he do this? Now, 2,000 years removed from the event and with the benefit of the rest of the Bible (which they did NOT have) we understand what He means. But notice that the question was a “how” question and not the more important “why” question. The important question isn’t “how” God spoke through a bush or through a donkey. The important question isn’t “how” Jesus could offer His flesh for food and blood for drink. The important question is “why” these things happen. Knowing “how” reveals a mechanism. Knowing “why” reveals the heart of God. I gotta be honest. I don’t really care about the mechanism. I want to know and see His heart for His people…for me.
It is the same for the Trinity. We need to move away from the “how” of the Trinity (which our finite minds will never be able to completely grasp) and focus on the “why”. God is Who he is. It is the way He has always existed. So, with that being a given, why is He manifested in three Persons? The answer is amazingly simple: Because we could not be saved if He were not. Salvation for His people would not be possible. What do I mean? I am so glad you asked.
In order to be saved, we have to have an intimate relationship with the Holy God. But His holiness is such that we cannot even look at Him or we will die (Exodus 33:20). I don’t think it is possible for us to completely understand His holiness. His holiness infected the ground (Exodus 33:5). Just getting a quick glimpse of His back caused Moses face to literally glow (Exodus 34:29-30). Our sin makes it impossible for us to have an intimate relationship with the Father. Hence…the Son.
The second Person of the Trinity, the Son, allows for that intimate relationship to occur. It is the only way it can occur. By being both all God and all human, Jesus (God) could physically and intimately interact with His creation. When the Disciples walked with Jesus, they were walking with the same God that spoke the universe into existence (John 1:1-5). The same God Who spoke through the burning bush (Mark 14:62). The same God that created them. The Father cannot even be looked at by humans…Jesus befriended humans. The Father also could not die which was necessary for salvation (Hebrews 9:22). But Jesus…the God-Man could because He was cloaked in human flesh. However, the Son could not literally and physically reside in the bodies of His children in order to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)…another vital component to salvation. Hence…the Holy Spirit.
The third Person of the Trinity, the Son, is able and willing to actually indwell us with God in order to achieve salvation and provide the righteousness so necessary for salvation (Romans 3:21-22). The Holy Spirit literally lives within those who are Believers (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And if he did not, we could not have the righteousness of Christ. We would not have the desire or the ability to obey God or live the lives He desires for us to live. In fact, so vital is His presence in or lives, Jesus Himself told the Disciples just before His arrest that it was a good thing He was going away. Why? “If I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you” (John 16:1-15).
So, “how” does a single Being manifest Himself in three Persons and still be one Being? I really do not know “how” that works. But I know “why” it does. And that makes all the difference.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
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