“… in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost …” Matthew 28:19

The Trinity

One of our readers has said that he doesn’t understand the Trinity and that thinking about it makes his “head hurt.”   Well I can certainly understand where he’s coming from!  The concept of the Trinity is one of the most difficult and least understood concepts in Christian Theology.  Theologians have been discussing and arguing about the idea since the beginning of the Church.  Today, many folks seem to have settled into a sort of “fog” about it, acknowledging the idea, but not really delving into it to understand it. Basically, they seem to just accept the Trinity as real but not something to be understood.

Although it IS difficult, I suggest that Christians have an obligation to at least attempt to gain some insight and understanding of this subject.  Christ has called us to “…go and make disciples of all the nations…” [Matthew 28:19], and I’m not sure how we’re going to be successful in that if we cannot convey this central concept of our Faith.  “Just go with it,” does not seem to me to be a very convincing argument to bring new converts to Jesus.  While we do not all need to be theological scholars, I do believe that we all need to be able to articulate the basics of our Faith, and this is one of them.

So, I’m embarking on a series of Posts (hopefully no more than two) to try to give some insight into and at least my conception and limited understanding of this important topic. We’ll first talk about how the concept of the Trinity evolved, and then we’ll explore some different ideas about how we might be able to relate to or understand it.  Again, I urge the reader to beware and to NOT take what I offer as the “answer.”  You need to think about this and decide for yourself.  All I intend to do is give you some food for thought.

Let’s start with some background.  The description of the Triune God (the entity/personality that is comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit) as the “Trinity” is not found in the Bible.  While Jesus frequently refers to God as His “Father” [John 8:42 “…I have my origin in God and have come from Him”… John 10:30 …”the Father and I are one.”], and to the “Holy Spirit” [Matthew 28:19 “ … baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Spirit)…” John 16:7 “…the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) … I will send Him to you…”] as the one who will come after Him, He never refers to the three of them as “one and the same”.  He does say that He and the Father are one (see above), and He says that He will “send” the Holy Spirit as a guide and comforter after He is gone.  But He never explicitly refers to the “Trinity.”

The concept of the Trinity has its basis in the Jewish belief of Monotheism; the belief that there is only one God and that no other gods can/have/do exist.  All other entities described as “gods” by other religions are seen as false and without existence or actuality.  Monotheism did not originate with the Jews.  It had been an aspect of other earlier religions (Ra the Sun God in ancient Egypt for example).  But the concept of the One God that Christians relate to (and to whom Christ referred) had its origin in the beginnings of Jewish religious thought.  While other religions worshiped other gods and idols, the early Jewish religion was unique in that it worshiped Yahweh (meaning “I am”) as the only and true God.

Since the earliest followers of Christ were predominantly Jews, the concept of one God was already a part of their religious theology.  Jesus portrayed His teachings as an extension of Judaism; not as a ‘new’ religion [Matthew 5:18], and that included the “one God” concept.  It would have been antithetical for His earliest followers to accept Jesus’ teachings if He had not embraced this idea.  Thus, the concept of the One God became one of the foundational beliefs of the new Christianity and is now fundamental to three of today’s most widely recognized religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  Christians are “Monotheists”, or believers in the one singular entity most commonly referred to as “God.”

So where did this concept of the Trinity come from?  How did it evolve out of the Jewish concept of Yahweh, the one true God?  To answer that, we need to consider what Jesus said about His relation to God and how the Holy Ghost is represented in biblical literature.

Jesus repeatedly said that He and God were essentially one and the same [John 10:30, John 8:58, John 14:9 as examples].  He also made it very clear that He was of Divine origin [John 3:13, John 8:14, John 8:23, John 8:57-58, and John 10:30 are but a few examples.].  And, He said that He was existent at the moment of Creation [John 17:5] and that He will be there on the last day of judgment [John 6:40].  In other words, Jesus said repeatedly that not only were He and the Father the same, but that they dwelt in one another. The earliest Christians clearly accepted His claims (as do modern Christians) and considered Him to be one with their traditional God.  They did not differentiate between them.

The concept of the Holy Spirit predated Jesus by several centuries.  The Holy Spirit (or Ghost) is first mentioned in Genesis 1:2 when it is said to have been instrumental in God’s creation of the World.  The Holy Spirit is also referred to in Psalms, Isaiah, and Samuel (among others).  It is equated to the “breath” of God but is also used as a representation of Him in the form of  Wind, Fire, or a Cloud [Exodus].   The Holy Spirit is also conspicuous in the New Testament.  It is the Holy Spirit that places Jesus in Mary’s womb [Matthew 1:18].   It descends “like a dove,” during Jesus’s baptism [Luke 3:22].  And after His baptism, it is the Holy Spirit that leads Jesus into the desert to begin his forty-day period of fasting and reflection [Luke 4:1].  In Matthew 28:19 Jesus tells His disciples to, “… baptize in the name of … the Holy Ghost.” And, nearing the end of His ministry, He tells the disciples, “…if I go, I will send him (the Holy Spirit) to you…” [John 16:7].  Clearly then, the Holy Spirit/Ghost was/is God’s active “agent” in the world and apparently existed along with both God and Jesus at least since the act of God’s creation.

Continuing the logic of the thought (as I understand it), if Jesus is and was a part of God, and the Holy Spirit is and was a part of God, then Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been, are, and will be also part of each other just as they are both one with God.  There we have the Triune God: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the Three in One, all part of and inseparable from each other and together constituting the entity, God.  They all are God, and God is all of them.

That is a brief description of where the concept of the Trinity came from.  The earliest Christian writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.) did not seem to concern themselves overmuch with either the concept or the definition of the Trinity.  They seemed pretty much to either understand (or at least accept) the concept inherently or didn’t see it as essential to their central message.  However, it didn’t take long for the early followers of The Way to begin to differentiate into different “camps” regarding exactly what the “Trinity” was and how it was to be understood.  The Christian movement from 100 A.D. forward was crowded with competing ideologies, theologies, and concepts, and a clearer understanding of the Trinity did not begin to emerge until late in the fourth century.  Two of the most prominent theories that came out of this time are known as Trinitarianism and Modalistic Monarchianism.  I will try to explain them both to you so that you can decide which (if  either) makes the most sense to you.

Trinitarianism:  This school of thought is the one most often associated with the concept of the Trinity by most Christian denominations today.  Trinitarianism espouses the “God in Three Persons” theory; or the idea that there are three separate and distinct personalities/entities which, together, constitute God: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.  They are co-equal, of one substance or essence, and are co-eternal.  All God’s work is the work of the Three, and each is God, completely.

The best analogy I’ve seen to describe this is the idea of what happens to a couple when they are married.  Before their marriage, they are separate entities and their actions may or may not affect the other.  But when they become husband and wife they come together to form a “new being”: a Married Couple.  From that moment on, their individuality is subsumed for the sake of the Marriage.  They no longer operate as just a man and a woman who may be living together.  They now operate as a Couple.  They operate as a Team.  Everything each does affects the other, and their ‘Coupleness’ (yes, I know that I just made the word up).  Decisions are now made together and for the benefit of the Couple rather than individually and for the benefit of one member or the other.  Thought processes and voice patterns can grow so close and intimate that some couples come to be almost able to “read each other’s minds” and complete each other’s sentences.  Some people have even argued that couples who have been married for a long time may actually come to physically resemble each other.  The people in a long-standing Couple relationship can come to have difficulty conceiving of existing without the other.  It is not unusual for the remaining member of a Couple whose partner has passed away to soon follows the other into death.  The have literally become so close that they cannot live without the other.  For all intents and purposes, they have become ONE in their Coupleness.

I realize that this analogy may seem a bit narrow given the current societal discourse.  I have taken some artistic liberty with the ideal of marriage to make a point.  The reality of human life is that very few Couples get the opportunity to enjoy such a union for so long.  But for those who do, it is a wonderful thing.  And, it is the closest human experience I can think of to compare to the complete “oneness” that is presented by the Triune God.

That’s enough for now.  Next week, we’ll resume this topic and talk about another possible point of view.  Until then, I encourage you all the think about how these thoughts could affect your own faith and your relationship with God.  And remember, these are my thoughts … they are not intended to become yours.  As always, I invite your comments, suggestions and ideas.

God Bless you All,

Richard

August 17, 0218