Two Pillars and a Problem
We serve a God who is far beyond our analytical capabilities to comprehend. He prepared us for the difficulty of a natural man trying to understand a supernatural God. His ways are beyond our ways.
Two Pillars and a Problem
Doctrine of the Trinity
The Doctrine of the Trinity is foundational for our perception of who God is. “Our perception of who he is is the most important thing about us.” - A.W. Tozar.
Two Pillars
The Doctrine of the Trinity is upheld by two pillars: the Distinction Pillar and the Unity Pillar.
The Distinction Pillar - The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct
From each other. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are NOT three names for the same PERSON! My official name on my birth certificate is Kevin. When my mother was angry with me, I was known as Kevin Paul. My older brothers often referred to me as “brat”. All those names were referring to the same person.
In the Trinity are three distinct persons: We do not worship three separate gods. God the Father is distinct from God the Son, who is distinct from God the Holy Spirit.
2. The Unity/Equality Pillar - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (three separate persons) share equally one divine nature. Each distinct person of the Trinity is equally God. There is a misconception, especially among young Christians, that each person possesses equal parts of the divine nature. The Father is ⅓ of the divine nature. The Son and the Holy Spirit also claim ⅓ of the divine nature. Not so! All three share equally the divine nature, and all the attributes of God are found equally in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Omnipotent (all-powerful)
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Omnipresent (in all places at all times)
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Omniscient (all wise, having complete knowledge of all things)
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are holy, kind, long-suffering, just, righteous, etc.
God is three in distinction and one in unity.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal and united within the Godhead, and yet, they remain distinct from each other.
This concept is taught in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God” (distinction, the Father and the Son are distinct from each other) and the Word was God” (equality)
Both the distinction pillar and the unity (equality) pillar must be present in the doctrine of the Trinity. That settles it, we can now close the book on the Trinity. But wait…. There is a problem!
The Problem
How can there be three persons in one being?
If we divide God into three equal parts, then God the Father is not fully God; he is just partially God.
The distinctions of each of the persons are not add-ons; they are not accessories. It is not as if an incomplete God needed a bit of the Son and a bit of the Holy Spirit to be fully complete. This makes God the Father not fully God.
We can have three men in this room: Bob, Ben, and Bud. These are three separate names for three separate persons. But, how can God be three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is only one God?
The problem is that there is nothing in our existence as human beings to relate to for an understanding of the Trinity. We can understand some about the Trinity, but we can’t fully understand it, and that can be frustrating. If you are like me, you don’t like to hear, “Because I said so.” You want a rational, logical explanation that makes perfect sense.
What do you do when you are incapable of understanding? It's always good to turn to scripture for affirmation when you can wrap your mind around it.
God emphasizes the importance of faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
It’s not just the Trinity. We don’t understand the virgin birth. We can’t understand how water is turned into wine. We don’t understand the resurrection or the ascension of Jesus or how he can have a dual nature, both man and God. I can’t even wrap my mind around how Jonah survived the juices of a whale’s digestive system for three days and nights.
God created us with limited capacities. We cannot understand these things. That’s why he gave us a supernatural book to help us contemplate supernatural events that originated in a Supernatural world. So, let’s go to scripture to seek a better understanding of the Trinity.
Wayne Grudem does a great job addressing the Trinity in his theological text, Systematic Theology.