The Trinity
Why is the Trinity such a fundamental necessity to believe for the Christian, and why does it matter significantly that Jesus is God incarnate and not just a man who says some challenging stuff? ~ Marios
Thanks for that great question, Marios! Understanding the complex workings of the Trinity is, I am pleased to say, not something that must be fully understood, but it must be fully believed.
This is because everything we believe about God, about salvation, about the gospel, and about the church flows from this fundamental well-spring.
Let me throw some statements at you from the early church history, right through to today:
“Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith…. And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.” Athanasian Creed (6th century)
“The whole knowledge of faith involves these two things, namely, the divinity of the Trinity and the humanity of Christ.” Thomas Aquinas (13th century)
"There is only one Christian doctrine… the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in its inward and outward movements.” John Webster (20th century)
“The Trinity is the basis of the gospel, and the gospel is a declaration of the Trinity in action.” J.I. Packer (20th century)
“For what makes Christianity absolutely distinct is the identity of our God. Which God we worship - that is the article of faith that stands before all others. And so, because the Christian God is triune, the Trinity is the governing centre of all Christian belief - the truth that shapes and beautifies all others.” Michael Reeves (21st century)
More important than we think
As part of my morning quiet time I have been dwelling on the Athanasian Creed (quoted above). I must admit it kind of grated on me at first, because it makes belief in the Trinity a pre-requisite for salvation. I’m always a little uneasy about absolute statements like that, but now I get it.
First of all, the Creed had to be as firm as possible, since it was written to guard against false doctrine. We learned in the Galatians series this past month how dangerous false teachings and teachers can be.
But more than that - it just makes sense. The gospel itself (as Jim Packer points out above) is underpinned by the Trinity, and it is the Trinity in action which makes the gospel work.
All this means the Trinity - belief in it, and dependance on it - is absolutely central to our salvation and our perseverance.
The divinity of Jesus
The second part of your question is related, of course. If there is no Trinity, then there is no divinity of Jesus (which means their is no Christianity!).
Jesus was undoubtably a man who said some challenging stuff. He stands alone as the man who has made the single biggest impact on human history. But if that’s all he is, there’s no reason to elevate him above Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great or Napoleon Bonaparte.
There are some (so-called) Christians who will say that he wasn’t divine, but was especially holy - especially anointed by God. But again, big deal! So were John the Baptist, St. Patrick, Mother Teresa.
The bottom line is this: Jesus as a mere man is impressive. World-changing even. But only a fully-human and fully-divine Jesus can save you. Only he could live the life you couldn’t live - perfectly righteous. And only he could die the death you deserve - representative of all people.
He is the second person of the Trinity. The only-begotten son of God. Co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. That’s why he’s worthy of our eternal worship.
Love, JS
