When was the last
time you heard a message on the Trinity? When was the last time you heard
someone say much of anything about the Trinity? This doctrine is a distinctive
and fundamental truth of the Christian faith and yet scarcely mentioned in
Christian assemblies.
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Far too often we
seek to use trivial illustrations to define the Godhead. Although we mean well,
and very often we are merely trying to help someone understand this magnificent
doctrine; it detracts from God’s uniqueness. God is not like an egg…composed of
3 parts; the shell, the white, the yolk. God is not like water…liquid, ice,
then steam. No, God is immeasurably unlike and above His creation.
We serve a God who
is strikingly beyond all we might grasp. We don’t have to pretend to understand
everything about the Trinity. God is Infinitely more than we can comprehend,
therefore we need not be embarrassed to admit that this is not a simple
doctrine.
Nowhere in Holy
Writ does God demand that we fully understand Him; but rather that we fully
trust Him. Men are not lost or unsaved because they do not comprehend the
Trinity; they are lost because they have not obeyed the Trinity. The
believing heart trusts what God declares without need for further proof.
None need to fully grasp the vastness of the Triune God to obey Him. There are many mysteries we do not fully understand, yet we agree that they are true. A.W. Tozer wisely says: “To meditate on the three Persons of the Godhead is to tread on holy ground. The doctrine of the Trinity is truth for the heart. Love and faith are at home in the mystery of the Godhead. Let reason kneel in reverence outside.”
When we speak of
the Trinity, we mean that God is in Tri-unity. True Christianity is
monotheistic. We do not believe in 3-gods regardless of what accusations are
made. In the Bible God reveals Himself to be Triune in nature meaning that God
is one in Being and Triune in Person. He
is One God (Deuteronomy 6:4) who exists co-equally and co-eternally as God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We are Trinitarian in belief. Not
because we wholly apprehend this, but because this is Who God says He is.
The Father, the
Son, and the Spirit are one in purpose and one in will. They dwell together in
immutable harmony and have from all eternity. The Father is not more God than
the Son. The Son is not more God, than the Spirit, but are equally divine.
Scripture is full
of this cardinal truth. Genesis 1:26 And God said: Let US make man in OUR image.
This is an early hint to the Trinity. The creation itself is attributed to the
Father (Genesis 1:1) the Son (Colossians 1:16) and the Spirit (Job 26:13). The
incarnation of Christ is shown to have been accomplished by the Holy Trinity
(Luke 1:35). The old theologians used to say: “If you want to see the Trinity
go to the Jordan” for it was there that God the Son was baptized, and God the
Father thundered from Heaven, and God the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in
the form of a dove. Today, when we baptize believers as commanded in the Great
Commission; we baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Likewise, the resurrection of Christ is ascribed to the Godhead; Father
(Acts 2:32) Son (John 10:17,18) and Spirit (Romans 8:11).
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| Pastor Lewis Kiger Memorial Heights Baptist Church |
Finally, the plan
and work of redemption was orchestrated by the Triune God. Hebrews 9:14 states
that “Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to
God.” Further yet, Ephesians chapter 1 makes it clear that we were chosen by
the Father, in the Son, and are drawn by the Spirit.
The doctrine of
the Trinity is foundational to our understanding of who God is, and the great
expense of our salvation. Let us speak of the Trinity. Let us preach about the
Trinity. Let us praise the Trinity; for our God is worthy.
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EDITORS NOTE: If you would like to study more about the doctrine of the Trinity, please see the links below for articles, video teaching series and book recommendations.
Carl Trueman video teaching series on the Trinity.
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