Three in One? The Issues

The Sunday following Pentecost is traditionally devoted to a celebration of the Trinity – that theological reflection on the nature of God that seeks to understand the relationship between that Being that serves as the Ground and Source of all existence (the “Father”), that Being who was experienced by human persons as being the human embodiment of the Divine or who had a co-existence with the Father” in some way, and that Being enigmatically referred to as the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, or the Comforter.

These questions have puzzled and exercised the theological imaginations of Christians for centuries. This Blogspot will certainly not fully untangle any of the knots involved.  I’m not even sure I will even be able to provide a sufficient survey of the issues involved, but will instead offer some of the reflections that I have found helpful.

The basic formulation of the Trinity arose out of the efforts of the early Christian communities to understand the true nature of Jesus, son of Joseph and Mary, who they first called “Rabbi” and then proclaimed as “Messiah” and then as “Son of God.” This Jesus they also called “Savior.” The issue arose early on as to how it was that Jesus acted as Savior. What was it about Jesus that made salvation effective and even possible?

The death of Jesus on the cross was interpreted in terms of a sacrificial offering, a propitiation that overcame the separation between humanity and God, which was the effect of human sinfulness. But just how was this sacrifice different from any other human death, or any other crucifixion for that matter? The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews argues that Jesus acted both as the High Priest offering the sacrifice and as the Sacrificial Offering himself.

The Prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18) claims that Jesus was the incarnation of the Word or Logos (of God) that was present with God at the creation of the world and through whom the world was created. This Word was not a separate entity form God but was God. This Word became flesh in Jesus.

Salvation was thus efficacious precisely because Jesus was the incarnation of God who offered himself as the atoning sacrifice once and for all on the cross. This explained how Jesus was both Son of God and Savior. As the self-revelation of God (“if you have seen me, you have seen the Father” John 14:9), Jesus spoke with special authority as their Rabbi and Lord, but to also be called Son of God moved into deeper theological waters.

And then there was the business of the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit in the Gospel of Luke is responsible for the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit (also called the Comforter and Advocate) to his followers, who will lead them into all truth, who will show them what to say when put on trial for their faith, and who would bring peace to their troubled hearts.

All these things somehow had to do with God. Was the “Father” to whom Jesus referred the same as “God?” If Jesus was the Son of God, should he also be worshipped equally with God, or as God, or alongside the Father? What about the Holy Spirit? Were they distinct Beings? In which case, was worship of all three tantamount to worshipping 3 Gods?

These questions and concerns rattled around the first three centuries of Christian history. They were not minor issues. What was at stake was the very reality of salvation itself. In addition, it was important to know exactly Who it was they were worshipping and to Whom they were declaring their highest devotion and loyalty. That is, after all, what Orthodoxy actually means and is all about: “Correct Praise.”
These are the foundational issues that gave rise to the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine emerged as the result of many theological arguments and even battles. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but neither was it a trivial disagreement. At stake was life itself – everlasting and sanctified life.



For deeper reading, check out the following websites:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Person
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-04/Npnf2-04-34.htm (Athanasius’s defense of the Nicene definition)
Explore the links on this site which discusses the United Methodist approach to belief in the Trinity: http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2299859/k.13B7/Our_Christian_Roots.htm

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