God is Triune
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Of all the teachings of Scripture which are most necessary unto salvation, none receive more disregard or disdain than the Trinity. The questions I receive regarding this fundamental truth fall into two categories: “What is the Trinity?” and “What does it matter?” Though it would take a year’s worth of articles to answer both questions fully, let me attempt to spark an interest at the very least.
What is the Trinity? Our one God is triune – one being, three persons. In the finals words Christ spoken above, the singular “name” of God manifested in the three persons of the Father, Son, and Spirit. These are the very same persons who appeared at Christ’s own baptism – speaking from heaven, rising up from the water, and descending from above. Yet, over and over, Scripture affirms these three persons alongside the reality that our God is one. There is one glory, one power, one substance, one “stuff” of which God is made of, but these three persons are distinguished in Scripture.
Let me give a practical illustration. God’s will is to save, right? Well, Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that the Father saves by electing sinners, the Son saves by dying sinners, and the Spirit saves by applying Christ’s death to sinners. Or the Word was in the beginning and was with God and was God. The Father sent the Son, and the Father and Son sent the Spirit, yet all three are very God of very God! Is this challenging? You betcha! But do we expect it any other way? “Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him!” (Job 26:14) God is not like us; God is something different, higher, greater than us. We have nothing to compare Him to because He is incomparable! If God could fit into the brain of this poor Presbyterian, God would have to be a tiny God. However, we serve a great God.
What does this matter? Let me give one application. Jesus tells us to ask the Father for help in His name. Romans 8:34 draws this out a little by reminding us that Jesus intercedes for us in heaven. Before the Father stands the Son, praying for those of whom He died. Tell me, does the Father have the Son’s best interests, the Son’s glory in mind? You bet! We do not stand before God begging and pleading; we stand before the Father with His beloved Son. But, but what do we say? “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26). In the most simple act of prayer, the Triune God is at work. The Triune God does not reveal Himself in such a way as fodder for the minds of smart men; the Triune God reveals Himself in such a way because it is necessary to our comfort and holiness. Let us not discard what we cannot understand; let us praise God for who He is!
