Many people, denominations, and cults fail to fully understand the Biblical concept of the trinitarian nature of God. Generally, these people swing too far to one side or the other. They either think that God is just one person with many different characteristics, or that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are completely independent of each other. Both of these views are inaccurate.
If we read the Bible and take what we read seriously, we must not fall into either one of these extremes. Rather, we must try to remain "at the center of Biblical tension."
As Wayne Grudem put it so simply in his Systematic Theology:
2. Each person is fully God.
By definition, this is a paradox. It is illogical. If something is illogical, isn't it, by definition, false? So how can this be true?
I'd say that generally, yes, if something defies the laws of logic, which are the most basic laws of our universe, it must be false.
However, what we are talking about here is not something of our universe. We are talking about the being who created our universe out of nothing, the being who has always been and who always will be. Nothing about that is logical either.
However, let's try to break it down, using some basic logic:
However, let's try to break it down, using some basic logic:
- ~ God created the universe.
- ~ Therefore, God is above the created universe.
- ~ There are physical principles inherent in the created universe that govern how it operates. We call them the laws of physics.
- ~ Since they are a part of the created universe, then God created them.
- ~ Therefore, God is not bound by the laws of physics.
- ~ There are other laws that are inherently obvious in the universe. Some of these are the laws of logic.
- ~ Like the laws of physics, God created them.
- ~ Therefore, God is not bound by the laws of logic as either.
God is not confined by our understanding of the laws of physics, the laws of logic, or any other so-called "laws" that we attempt to discover in the universe. To say that God is restricted by our logic and that his very nature must be easily defined is to miss the very point that he is God and that he is infinitely larger and more intricate than we could ever understand!
We can't ever hope to understand the paradox of the Trinity. Our small, human minds can never fully comprehend this massive being we refer to as "God." But the language that the Bible uses is close enough to our human frame of reference that we can almost sort of begin to understand it... just almost.
However, I'd like to hazard a guess that despite the complexity of the Trinity as we understand it from the Bible, God has still "dumbed it down" for us, so to speak. He is an infinite God--our minds can't even begin to grasp what "infinity" means. The fact that we are so minuscule as to have been simply spoken into being begins to show us how massive and mighty God is.... and how complex. But then at the same time, if he is infinitely massive in all directions, we couldn't begin to understand him as he has no beginning and no end... (it gets confusing very quickly).
If we think that we can even begin to fathom Him, then we obviously have no clue!
The main thing we need to know is that He is supremely worthy of our worship!
The main thing we need to know is that He is supremely worthy of our worship!
I like it that you make the important point that we can never fully understand. I do the best I can and leave it at that. We will understand it better bye and bye.
I like to put it this way. How could even a collective group of 'finite' sentient beings fully understand an 'infinate' God?
Excellent points guys, thanks for contributing!
I use water to help my kids try to understand.
God is water. Ice is Jesus (water as solid) and steam is the Holy Spirit (water in form of vapor).
Hmm, that's an awesome illustration!
Hey guys, just wanted to give a brief word of caution about any analogy that tries to explain the Trinity, such as the water illustration. These types of illustrations, while helpful on a surface level, are always incomplete and can lead into error fairly quickly. For example, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each distinct persons co-existing at the same time...but water cannot be liquid, solid and vapor all at the same time. This illustration can lead us into the heresy of modalism, which says that God becomes the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at different times, or functions in different MODES at different times, but isn't three distinct persons. Like I said, it can be a helpful analogy to help us understand how God can be three things and yet One, but we must acknowledge that it is a flawed picture, and if taken to literally, it can lead into serious error. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there...God Bless!
Yes!
Thank you for saying that Nick. It's so true. While the H20 analogy may be useful, any material based analogy that we give for the trinity is going to be flawed in some regard. We can see this flawed nature by examining the trinity in scripture.
I find that analogies are extremely dangerous, and not just for the trinitarian concept (something that is beyond our understanding).
While analogies such as this offer us what might seem like an easier way to understand concepts, they often lead to error, heresy, and conflict. At the same time, analogies are undoubtedly useful in some regards AND, well, they're very hard to 'get around' using.
I do like the H20 analogy to describe the 3 persons of God, but it must be expounded and expanded in such ways in order to be less error-birthing.
Great conversation guys!
Keep Christ at the center of everything.
AJ
Nick, you've got such a great point. Thanks for sharing!
Good article, but mightn't I suggest that in a similar way to how we have being because God is Being, there is logic because Jesus (who is God) is the Logos? I figure there's no reason there cannot be three persons in one essence--it would only be a contradiction to say there are three persons in one person, or three essences in one essence. But I'm coming from an Orthodox background ;)