Our triune God

One of the foundational doctrines or teachings of our Christian faith is that God is Three yet One, One yet Three.
At our regional ministry conference of the Diocese last week, which Chris and I attended, we re-visited this central doctrine. In the church year today is also known as ‘Trinity Sunday’, and while that is not the theme we are exploring in the message, it is good for us to know, or be reminded, of what we believe about God.
We don’t just believe in ‘God’. James reminds us that the evil one himself believes in God, yet doesn’t submit to Him (2:19)! We believe in a triune God – God who is the Father, God who is the Son, God who is the Holy Spirit, three yet one.
Frequently people struggle with this concept because it doesn’t seem possible or ‘rational’. To say something is three yet one seems nonsensical. Furthermore there are those that argue that there are verses which teach otherwise – where Jesus says the Father is greater than him, or where he is spoken of as the firstborn over all creation.
It is also the case that the term ‘trinity’ does not occur in the Bible so how come it is so important?
Well, very briefly, in the early centuries of the Christian faith, a big battle emerged to get to grips with how we understand God. We can say we believe in God, but what do we mean by that? Some said that God was One meant that he appeared in different modes at different times – here as the Father, there as the Son, at other times as Spirit, he could only be one of those at one time. Another view was that there were three Gods – that Christians were tri-theists. Both of those understandings were rejected.
The most powerful rationalistic understanding was that the Son is subordinate to the Father, and the Spirit more subordinate again. This almost carried the day, but as a result of the work and arguing of ancient figures such as Athanasius and Augustine, the trinitarian understanding of God prevailed. This has been re-stated and reaffirmed through the centuries, and much continues to be written exploring how this teaching may be understood.
Our belief in the triune God is grounded in the whole scope of revelation, not in a few verses. It distinguishes Christianity from the other monotheistic faiths of Judaism and Islam. For us, God is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. That is a unique understanding of God.
The implications of God being triune are huge, and more than can be teased out here. Even when we speak of ‘spiritual gifts’ we are connected with the trinity – for they are gifts of the Holy Spirit, to equip us for the work of Jesus Christ in the world, to the glory of God the Father.
So let’s be confident about the God in whom we trust. He is the God who is there, and it is little wonder that His nature is beyond our full comprehension, yet He is not beyond our capacity to know Him and love Him, and to keep learning more of Him.