Holy Trinity
The concept of the holy Trinity found in the Bible is complex yet interesting. It is admittedly difficult to fathom. How can a single being exist as three persons? Yet Scriptural accounts seem to indicate that each member of the Trinity -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- is addressed as deity and is ascribed qualities which only apply to deity. Although the idea may be beyond a person's full understanding, and an individual should not dare to presume that he or she had comprehended the mind of God, it may still be helpful to take a closer look at this doctrine.
This concept is difficult for anyone to grasp. It may be especially difficult for Jewish followers of God to accept such a definition of the Trinity, for a central theme of Judaism is Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD... (Deuteronomy 6:4) Many accounts in the Old Testament are concerned with the idea of the people of God upholding the doctrine of monotheism, despite intense pressure to conform to the worship of the 'gods' of the people around them. Indeed, many of the troubles that the people of Israel experienced as a nation stemmed from their failure to honor the covenant the nation had made with the only true God. Instead, individuals interacted and intermarried with persons who worshipped other 'gods' and were steadily drawn into worshipping these 'gods' themselves. Even Solomon, the wisest man on earth, was deceived in this way. Since this is true, why would God choose to manifest Himself in the form of the Trinity? The idea of the holy Trinity seems to run counter to the goal of worshipping only God. Yet, God's thoughts are much higher than any individual's understanding. There must be more to this matter than is at first understood.
To make matters even more complicated, or interesting, depending upon how a person looks at it, Christians maintain that they, too, worship the one true God, and not three separate 'gods'. Some dismiss this as ridiculous, and on the face of it, this definition of the Trinity certainly appears that way. After all, a person can not have one god and three at the same time. However, the concept is just unique enough to have the ring of truth about it. After all, this God is He who appeared to Moses in a fiery bush that did not burn up. God was able to part the sea and allow the Israelites to pass through on dry ground, while soon after, their enemies were swallowed up by the same sea. He is the God who could make the sun stand still for a time, as Joshua and the Israelites pursued their enemies. God obviously is not captive to the physical laws which regulate the world He created.
God also took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot, and allowed the prophet Elisha to raise an iron axehead from the depths of a river. He chose younger sons (David, Joseph) over firstborn ones to carry out His purposes, and hesitant ones (Gideon, Moses) to become leaders of His people. He chose Israel as His people, even though they were the least of the nations. In other words, God is not subject to the laws of His creation and seems to regularly do things that are unexpected or impossible. In that sense, the concept of the Trinity fits right in.
Some people have tried to use physical objects to try to explain the definition of the Trinity. Patrick, missionary to Ireland, was said to have employed a shamrock plant's arrangement of leaves to show how something can be three, yet one. The shamrock remains a symbol of Irish Christianity. Some use the idea of an egg, with shell, yolk and albumen to illustrate the three-yet-one concept. One such illustration that seems to come closest (if indeed anything can) to explaining the holy Trinity is the idea of how water can exist in three different forms: solid, liquid, and gas. Each form is very different in appearance and properties, yet each is still in essence, H2O. Nothing else is like water. Similarly, the three persons of the holy Trinity are at times occupied with different functions or offices, yet all are somehow one in essence. Nothing else is like God.
Admittedly, even these illustrations fall far short of offering a true explanation of the Trinity. Although a person can attempt to make such a concept more understandable, this is a doctrine that is mostly dependent upon biblical revelation. Some see the concept of the holy Trinity as a progressive revelation, with each part of the Trinity taking up His place in redemptive history. To some extent this is true, for one is given the fullest understanding of Jesus after His incarnation, and of the Holy Spirit after He indwells believers. Yet there are hints of each member of the Godhead throughout the Scriptures. With our limited understanding, the definition of the Trinity remains somewhat elusive. As usual, God is not easily put into a box by His creation.
It is not possible to examine in this article all of the Scriptures which support the doctrine of the Trinity. However, an interesting and profitable study would be to examine the Bible to see how each person of the Godhead functions and has deity ascribed to Him, either by direct statements or by noticing that the qualities of deity, such as omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful), are ascribed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this way, a person can at least begin to learn about this puzzling concept of three-yet-one.
This concept is difficult for anyone to grasp. It may be especially difficult for Jewish followers of God to accept such a definition of the Trinity, for a central theme of Judaism is Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD... (Deuteronomy 6:4) Many accounts in the Old Testament are concerned with the idea of the people of God upholding the doctrine of monotheism, despite intense pressure to conform to the worship of the 'gods' of the people around them. Indeed, many of the troubles that the people of Israel experienced as a nation stemmed from their failure to honor the covenant the nation had made with the only true God. Instead, individuals interacted and intermarried with persons who worshipped other 'gods' and were steadily drawn into worshipping these 'gods' themselves. Even Solomon, the wisest man on earth, was deceived in this way. Since this is true, why would God choose to manifest Himself in the form of the Trinity? The idea of the holy Trinity seems to run counter to the goal of worshipping only God. Yet, God's thoughts are much higher than any individual's understanding. There must be more to this matter than is at first understood.
To make matters even more complicated, or interesting, depending upon how a person looks at it, Christians maintain that they, too, worship the one true God, and not three separate 'gods'. Some dismiss this as ridiculous, and on the face of it, this definition of the Trinity certainly appears that way. After all, a person can not have one god and three at the same time. However, the concept is just unique enough to have the ring of truth about it. After all, this God is He who appeared to Moses in a fiery bush that did not burn up. God was able to part the sea and allow the Israelites to pass through on dry ground, while soon after, their enemies were swallowed up by the same sea. He is the God who could make the sun stand still for a time, as Joshua and the Israelites pursued their enemies. God obviously is not captive to the physical laws which regulate the world He created.
God also took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot, and allowed the prophet Elisha to raise an iron axehead from the depths of a river. He chose younger sons (David, Joseph) over firstborn ones to carry out His purposes, and hesitant ones (Gideon, Moses) to become leaders of His people. He chose Israel as His people, even though they were the least of the nations. In other words, God is not subject to the laws of His creation and seems to regularly do things that are unexpected or impossible. In that sense, the concept of the Trinity fits right in.
Some people have tried to use physical objects to try to explain the definition of the Trinity. Patrick, missionary to Ireland, was said to have employed a shamrock plant's arrangement of leaves to show how something can be three, yet one. The shamrock remains a symbol of Irish Christianity. Some use the idea of an egg, with shell, yolk and albumen to illustrate the three-yet-one concept. One such illustration that seems to come closest (if indeed anything can) to explaining the holy Trinity is the idea of how water can exist in three different forms: solid, liquid, and gas. Each form is very different in appearance and properties, yet each is still in essence, H2O. Nothing else is like water. Similarly, the three persons of the holy Trinity are at times occupied with different functions or offices, yet all are somehow one in essence. Nothing else is like God.
Admittedly, even these illustrations fall far short of offering a true explanation of the Trinity. Although a person can attempt to make such a concept more understandable, this is a doctrine that is mostly dependent upon biblical revelation. Some see the concept of the holy Trinity as a progressive revelation, with each part of the Trinity taking up His place in redemptive history. To some extent this is true, for one is given the fullest understanding of Jesus after His incarnation, and of the Holy Spirit after He indwells believers. Yet there are hints of each member of the Godhead throughout the Scriptures. With our limited understanding, the definition of the Trinity remains somewhat elusive. As usual, God is not easily put into a box by His creation.
It is not possible to examine in this article all of the Scriptures which support the doctrine of the Trinity. However, an interesting and profitable study would be to examine the Bible to see how each person of the Godhead functions and has deity ascribed to Him, either by direct statements or by noticing that the qualities of deity, such as omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful), are ascribed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this way, a person can at least begin to learn about this puzzling concept of three-yet-one.
Holy Trinity
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