The Trinity
Wrong Views, Right Response
2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
NIV
The Trinity must be carefully distinguished from false doctrines such as
- tri-theism – the existence of three distinct gods (polytheism or pantheism, Mormonism)
- modalism – the one person of the Godhead has appeared in different ways. A form of modalism in the early church was Sabellianism, named after a 2nd Century heretic. Unitarianism, a form of ancient Socinianism, might be viewed as a form of this. On the other hand, many see Unitarianism as a form of Arianism. Unitarians generally hold to no doctrinal beliefs, so it is difficult to know which false doctrine it follows.
- Arianism, -- which denies the deity of Christ, a form of Gnosticism, represented by the modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses. Other versions include Christian Science, another version of Gnosticism.
Each of these false doctrines
detract from one or more important elements of the Trinity and God. One
of the key factors of Scripture is that Christianity is a relationship
between God and man. This relationship is special to God -- and should
be special to us as believers. In fact, the relationship should be special
enough that we believers will attract non-believers to Jesus Christ as
the unbeliever witnesses our relationship with God. As Peter writes (quoting
the Old Testament)
1 Peter 2:9-10 9 But you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who
had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. NKJV
This idea of a relationship may help us to understand the concept of the Trinity in clearer terms. There is no inferiority as between the Persons of the Godhead. Each fully possess the attributes of God. But, as within a family, the Persons of the relationship have assigned "duties" to each member. At my house, for example, I have been assigned the duty of "garbage!" My wife is perfectly capable of "doing the garbage," but in our scheme of things, she does not. So it is with the Godhead. A review of Scripture demonstrates each of the Persons of the Godhead are active in all facets of "theology." But, at the same time, they have some duties that are more attributable to one than the other.
The scheme of how the Godhead interacts is sometimes referred to as progression or generation. It is pictured in Scripture as follows:
Of the FATHER
1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. KJV
Through the SON
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
By the HOLY SPIRIT KJV
Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known
unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit KJV
Unto the FATHER
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access
by one Spirit unto the Father. KJV
Or, to look at it another way, of GOD, through GOD, by GOD, for the glory of GOD. This is why the way of the Cross brings salvation.
