The Trinity & Why It is Important

The Trinity is arguably the most important piece of theology that we talk about in the church.  The doctrine of the Trinity is the starting place for all other theology.  The doctrine of the Trinity is inherently biblical, was developed through many years of reflection and theological debate, and is relevant insofar as it is our salvation.    

The doctrine of the Trinity is biblically based.  The correct and only non-heretical way to speak about God is to say that God is “the sovereign Lord of all creation who has done a new and gracious work in Jesus Christ and who continues to be active in the world through the power of the Spirit.”  This truth is revealed throughout the bible.  We know through the creation story of Genesis, the Old Testament, and the first chapter of the gospel according to John that God is the the God of all [human]kind (Jer 32:27).  Throughout the Old Testament, we hear that the God of Abraham is one God, the almighty and all-powerful God (Deut 6:4).  As Christians, we profess our faith in the God of Abraham, a singular God.  

However, the language of God becomes confused with the New Testament writers.  Paul is first to help us truly understand that there is “a new meaning of the word ‘God.’”  With the revelation of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Spirit, we now understand the proper name of God to be “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”  We hear in much of the New Testament that Jesus and God are one (John 1, 10:30; Phil 2:5-8; Col 1:15-17).  Scripture also reveals that the Spirit is Lord (2 Cor 3:17).  Although there is talk about the “two-ness” (Father and Jesus) and even “three-ness” (Father, Jesus, and Spirit) of God in the New Testament, it remains that “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:6).  It is through this and other biblical evidence that God is revealed as the Triune (three-in-one) God.  The doctrine of exactly how God is able to be three-in-one has been disputed for many centuries in order to come to a profession of faith that is slightly more understandable and non-heretical.

It did not take much time after the writing of the New Testament for early theologians to recognize the complicated traits and relationship of God.  Tertullian was the first to use the language of “substance” and “person,” arguing that the Father, Jesus, and Spirit (the persons) are distinct from one another in terms of their relationship to one another but are of the same substance.  Tertullian also taught that Son is subordinate to the Father, a teaching later rejected by the church.  

Arius’ teaching emphasized monotheism and wanted to protect God’s “one-ness” by teaching subordinationism: Jesus is a demigod or an angel.  Arius rejected the idea that Jesus was present as the Word when God created the universe (John 1).  

The work of Athanasius is where we see the most distinct beginnings of the Nicene Creed, which we profess today.  Athanasius taught that Christ was “eternally begotten” and not created, being of one substance with the Father.  Unlike his predecessors, Athanasius argued that Father and Son are homoousias, or of one substance, and not of a “like” substance as other theologians thought.  The Council of Nicaea adopted Athanasius’ teachings, but still needed to solve the issue of the Spirit.  

Following the Council of Nicaea, the Cappadocians developed the doctrine of the divinity of the Spirit and taught that God is “one being, three persons.”  The Council of Constantinople affirmed and elaborated on the teachings of the Cappadocians and the result was the Nicene Creed.  We profess a version of the Nicene creed in many churches every Sunday without much thought.  

Knowing that it took hundreds of years to come to a decision about the nature of the Triune God, we must recognize that something is “at stake in affirming that God is triune, that God is communicated to us in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.”  In essence, we acknowledge that we worship a Triune God, but what does this mean for our faith?  It means a great deal about our faith.  What we “claim about God impacts the way we think about our relationship to divine life and to each other.”  

It is only through belief in the Triune God that we have hope in salvation.  It is through the monotheistic God of the Old Testament that Judaism claims salvation.  We, too, share in that salvation because of God’s work in Christ Jesus and the continuing work of God through the power of the Spirit.  God made the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 17 that God would bless all the nations of the earth through the offspring of Abraham.  We are told in Romans 11 that Gentiles, thus we, are grafted into this promise through Jesus Christ.  We know that in Christ Jesus there is no longer a distinction between the people to whom salvation belongs (Gal 3:28).  If God and Jesus are not one being, then this grafting of Gentiles into the promise makes no logical sense.  It is only “through our Lord Jesus Christ” that we are to “obtain salvation” (1 Thess 5:9).  

Moreover, it is the overflowing love that joins and unites the Trinity into one being that brings salvation to the world.  God, in God’s very nature as the Triune God, is communal and relational.  God is the perfect example of communion and mutual indwelling that is found nowhere in creation.  Each person of the Trinity is completely of the same substance and completely distinct from each other person.  

God created humanity and all of creation to be in communion with all the rest of creation and with God.  Because of the Fall, creation is no longer in complete communion with God.  It is God’s inherent desire, as a relational God, to be in communion with creation and thus demonstrated God’s self-giving love in the person of Christ Jesus on the cross.  Our salvation is the very essence of God’s triune and relational nature.  We find that in the Trinity there is “difference without division, self-giving without self-loss, and eternal life in ceaseless harmony and peace.”

Our only hope is in the Lord of all creation, the God that promised to Abraham blessing for the entire world.  It is through God’s fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus Christ and the continuing work of God through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to witness the incredibly self-giving love that defines the Triune God.  It is only through our belief in this Triune God that any other doctrine or theology is grounded.        

                  

Sources: 

Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publihsing Co., 2004), 66. 

N. T. Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publihsing Co., 1997), 67. 

Dr. Daniel Bell, “Doctrine of God: The Trinity” lecture, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, September 22, 2014.

Kathleen A. Cahalan, Introducing the Practice of Ministry (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2010), 156. 

Some thoughts on the new F-word

A lot of people will say "a lot has happened in the way of feminism in recent years." And I agree. From birth control to voting rights, it seems that we are moving the right direction. In truth, it seems that we are moving in a very Kingdom of God or "God-ordained" direction when in comes to issues of equality. 

My fear is that our "pats on the back" for "coming this far" will keep us from continuing to move forward in progress. And in some cases because some change has seemed so rapid to many folks, we are in danger of "back-sliding" in progress as some of my religious friends might say. 

And to be fair, the change- the progress- looks different everywhere and it would be ignorant for me to prescribe the "next steps" of equality to every nation or group of people (even if I really really want to). 

Progress in women's rights and equality in Malaysia looks vastly different from progress in women's rights in the United States. Because of different histories and contexts, this is true everywhere- it looks different. 

So when I talk about change, I'm talking about the United States. And honestly what I would like to see for my daughters and nieces and granddaughters is not even that radical. (I'd like to also see it for myself but I'm not that idealistic.) 

But I am afraid that because "feminism" has turned into "the new f-word" and talking about "equality or equity" has turned into "asking for handouts," we will neglect progressing further in terms of feminism. Women don't want to talk about it for fear of being labeled "one of those women" and men don't want to talk about it for fear of being called a "pussy" or worse. And I get it. It's not a pretty subject. But sometimes when I mirror is placed in front of us, we would rather just break the mirror because we don't like the reflection we see or it makes us uncomfortable. 

Even I sometimes struggle with expressing my feminist self in a way that is helpful. I don't want to hurt my husband. Or my dad. Or my pastor. Or you know, all those men who aren't "those kinds of men." But the conversation has to keep going. We can't stop talking about equality just because we have "gotten really far" in recent years. 

And here's why: For some reason there's (still) this notion in the United States, and likely elsewhere, that we shouldn't actively teach our sons and husbands and uncles and brothers to respect women and their rights as human beings (aka dismantle patriarchy). We must instead teach our daughters how to defend themselves, keep from being assaulted, how to not "piss off" their male colleagues, and even how to not get raped. (Seriously- Google "how to not get raped/assaulted" and you'll find all these ways for women to protect themselves.) For some reason the responsibility of protecting women falls only on the woman herself and not also on men. 

I'm not saying that I'm not thankful for inventions like nail polish that turns colors when your drink is drugged. I'm not saying I'm not thankful for gyms and colleges who offer self-defense classes especially for women. I'm not saying I'm not thankful for inventions like rape whistles or tracking apps for your friends. I am certainly thankful for these inventions, innovations, and priorities and I am confident they have helped women all over the world stay protected. 

My issue (my deep deep sorrow) is that we (still) NEED devices and classes such as these. My deep deep sorrow is that the world (aye, the United States) is still such a dangerous place for women. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. 

My deep want and vision for the future is not a complicated one. I would like to send my daughter to college without pepper spray, and with the confidence that if she is assaulted, her university will not somehow punish her for speaking out against her attacker. I would like my son to have the opportunity to express his emotions in healthy ways without being called a "pussy" or "bitch." I would like my niece to be able to walk down the street confidently without side stepping cat-callers. I would like people to sincerely believe that men are as capable nurturing children as women. I would love to hear about relationships in terms of "outdoing one another in love" instead of "who wears the pants." 

But because these conversations are halted, because we continue to place the responsibility of safety and equality on the women (what she was wearing, how much she drank, if she was alone, if she destroyed chivalry by being independent, etc.), instead of insisting that we teach our sons a better way of living... Progress won't happen. The situation won't get better for our daughters. And indeed, it is harmful to our sons as well. 

So by all means, let us teach our daughters how to be strong, independent, loving, responsible human beings. But let us also teach our sons, our husbands, our co-workers, and brothers to not just "not assault women" but to be an active part in the dismantling of patriarchy and all the lies it tells our children.