"Understanding the Trinity" by a local contributor.

UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY Matthew 28: 16-20

Today is Trinity Sunday. It’s the day that Christianity acknowledges a concept that is the very core of the belief that mainstream Protestant churches have perpetuated since their inception and the Roman Catholic church since the fourth century.
I personally have found the Trinity a most difficult subject to accept without some degree of question and I admit I started preparation for this sermon in ignorance and, after studying everything I could find, I finished with a dilemma.
So let us begin by asking the obvious question. What is this Trinity business all about?
This God in three persons idea. No where does the word Trinity nor the actual concept of the three in one God appear in the New Testament. Even after reading everything I can find on the subject, I still have trouble in personifying all of the factors of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
I have no trouble with God the Son, because Jesus was a living person whose presence in this world has been vouched for by disciples who knew him personally and who recorded his earthly story in graphic detail. His presence was also recorded by first century historians who were too emotionally involved with Jesus the man, as were the gospel writers. So there is no doubt that Jesus was a person in terms of our every day acceptance of the word.
So where did this three in one concept come from? Obviously the elements of it were woven throughout Jesus’ teachings, but its first suggestion came from when the risen Jesus gave his final instruction to his disciples who met with him on that mountain in Galilee.
It is recorded in Matthew 28: 18-20 that Jesus told them that “All power in heaven and earth is given to me.” So we can ask, where did this power come from? It came from God the Father. It came from the oneness, the total knowledge, the birthright, that Jesus had with God. So perhaps because of the unity of Jesus the Son and God the Father, we can personify God in our accepted understanding of the word.
It’s the last part of the Trinity that has me confused. God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. How can we identify a spirit, a teaching, a concept, as a person? It seems to me that this is an example of the inadequacy of human language. There is no doubt of the presence of the Holy Spirit, but to express it as a living person seems anomalous. But then what alternative have we?
It has been said that there can be no comparison between God and earthly things, but the weakness of our understanding forces us to seek certain images from a lower level to serve as pointers to things of a higher nature. As a result every comparison is to be regarded as helpful to mankind, more than suited to God, since it suggests, rather than satisfactorily defines, the meaning we seek.
On that basis it follows that the term person can be seen to be inadequate to convey the intended meaning. In fact, in recent years it has been increasingly criticized by scholars. Today the word person has a meaning that is different from that which was accepted in the days of the Church’s founding fathers. Today a person is a self motivated autonomous individual, but in those early times the word had a rather neutral application. Today we would use words like parts, or expressions, to provide the same meaning as the early church intended. Because of the subtle change in the meaning of the word is it any wonder that to some people the word persons, as used in the Trinity description, sounds like three separate Gods?
While it can be claimed that the Spirit is not a person, there is no doubt that it is a living presence, because it is perpetuated and nurtured by every person who embraces Jesus’ message. It’s alive, and vital for the salvation of mankind, but to present it as a person conveys an unfortunate image to millions of people who do not accept the Christian faith and to a lesser degree some of those who do embrace the teachings of Jesus.
Muslims take a literal view of the Trinity, and are convinced that Christians are destined for Hell because Christianity in their view involves the worship of three Gods. They choose to reject the idea that one God can have three facets.
The Jews also reject the Trinity because the Torah, which comprises the first five books of the Old Testament, states specifically in Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, verse 4, “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is on Lord.” The Jehovah Witnesses also reject the Trinity. They ask, “Where is the Trinity mentioned in the Holy Bible?” well knowing that there is no direct reference to it anywhere in the New Testament.
However, there are indirect references to the elements of the Trinity. When Jesus met with the disciples on that mountain, according to Matthew’s gospel, chapter 28, he instructed his disciples to go and make disciples of all people in the world, baptizing them in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This instruction is known as the Great Commission and it was, and still is, the motivation for countless people giving their lives to their mission in carrying out our Lord’s wishes.
Later, Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, also took up the same theme when he concluded his letter with the words that we know as the Apostolic Benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
So there we have the three sections of the Trinity plainly stated in the New Testament but, at that stage, accepting the separate identities of God and Jesus.
One of the problems faced in developing the Trinity concept was the fact that while the New Testament can be interpreted as suggesting a Trinity, it does not attempt to develop the idea. The old Jewish directive that there is only one lord prevented Jesus being accepted as being divine, with God.
Eventually, at about 350 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, the debates led to the conclusion that God and Jesus are one. This followed the realization that if Jesus was not of God, then he must have been just a prophet, a worldly teacher. The implications of this theory are that it would have discredited His miraculous healings, His resurrection, His ascension, in fact it would have contradicted His claim to be of and from God.
And so a departure from the old Jewish acceptance of God was declared. No longer did the founding fathers of Christianity accept that God was just one Lord. Jesus was God and for a short time he became man and consequently His teachings were the divine utterances of, and from, God the Father.
One of the biblical statements that indicate that Jesus was apparently with God before his time on earth is in the book of Genesis, chapter 1, Verse 26, part of which states: “Then God said let us make human beings in our image and likeness.” This personal reference has been taken literally to indicate that in the beginning God was more than one being. Is the Genesis reference fact or fable? Was Jesus involved in creation? This has been debated for centuries, and will continue to be pondered during future centuries.
After the seemingly infinite debates, it was eventually accepted early in the fifth entry that the Christian doctrine affirmed that Jesus would be recognized as being as one with God, and so the acceptance of the Trinity was declared.
Jesus’ commissioning of the eleven disciples to baptise all people in the name of the Trinity became the basis of the evangelical movement that is still being perpetuated to this day. And so His instruction begs the question. Where do we fit into Jesus’ directive? Surely He didn’t have the likes of us in His grand plan – but then maybe He did.
There is a story that answers that question. No doubt its author was being more creative than truthful, but it illustrates Jesus’ plan for us so decisively that it ought to be true. Legend has it that Jesus returned to heaven after His time on earth and He bore the wounds inflicted on his body by the outrageous cruelty of mankind. The angel Gabriel asked Him if the people on Earth knew how much He loved them and were they aware of the gift of salvation that had been given to them. “No,” replied Jesus, “not yet. So far only a few people in Israel know.”
“Well then, what have you done to let everyone know about your love then?” asked Gabriel.
Jesus replied, “I’ve asked Peter, James, John and a few others to tell people about me. Those who are told will tell others, and my story will be spread throughout the world. Ultimately all mankind will know about my love.”
Gabriel frowned and appeared to be skeptical. He well knew what poor stuff men are made of. He said, “But what happens if Peter denies you again? What if they all run away again rather than face opposition, like they did at your crucifixion? What if that small group in Israel become weary of their responsibility or the people who are expected to continue spreading your story of love eventually forget to pass it on? What if, way down in the twenty first century, people just don’t tell others about you? Do you have another plan?”
Jesus answered, “No, I’m relying on them.”
That’s us He’s talking about. His original plan is still current. He’s still relying on you and on me to pass on the legacy of love that we have received. He expects us to be His disciples, to be the ones who will not be daunted by those who would belittle His teachings or those who are apathetic or hostile toward His doctrine. He expects us to ensure that His message of love and forgiveness continues to be heard in this place.
The Great Commission has lost none of its impact. To repeat Jesus proclamation: “All power in Heaven and on Earth is given to me. So go and make disciples of all people in the world. Baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” They are the words that have made Christianity the inspiration of billions of souls, the words that remind us of our obligations as disciples of Jesus Christ.
And so let us not forget what the term Trinity really means, but at the same time let us not get too concerned about the word Trinity. It was John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, who said that it is not necessary for Christians to use the word Trinity, as long as they believe what the term means.
And my first thoughts were that it is not necessary to use the term “three persons” in the language of our time because there are words that more accurately convey the intended meaning of the Trinity, however I have to admit that they don’t sound as good. Imagine three expressions, three essences, three principles, three essential characteristics, three natures, three basic qualities, three elements, three facets or three substances.
No, none of these. Let us stick with three persons, but keep in mind that it is not a good description either.
And the accuracy of words, in this case, is of little importance. Our obligation is in the application of the spiritual concept in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit is not something that just exists in books and buildings. It exists within the souls of people who embrace Jesus’ teachings.

Balmoral Uniting Church, June 2007