On The Holy Trinity

Today is Trinity Sunday.  It is an observance that dates back over a thousand years.  It observes a doctrine that is among the most confusing in all of Christianity.  We use the formula “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” in much of our liturgy.  But when it comes to clear understanding – or to explaining it to others – we frequently come up short.  The church has never come up with an accurate analogy.  We try to say, “The Trinity is like,’ or “You can compare the Trinity to…” but in the end, it all falls flat.  The church itself admits that The Holy Trinity is a mystery.  It also flatly states that belief is different from understanding.  We may not fully comprehend, but we are bound to believe.

In the history of the church, many of the great heresies have been Trinitarian in nature.  Some of the false teachings that had their day are:

Adoptionism -- The belief that Jesus was born only as a human (not divine) and that he was a very virtuous man, and was later adopted as “Son of God” when the Spirit descended on him at His

baptism.

Arianism -- The belief that Christ was the first and most eminent of God’s creations, but still a created being;

Ebionitism -- The belief that Jesus was human with special charismatic powers.

Macedonianism -- The belief that the Holy Spirit is a created being.  

Modalism -- The belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are merely “modes” of the one Godhead, not distinct Persons.

Partialism -- The belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are “parts” of the one God. Only together are they God. They are not each fully God in themselves.

Tritheism -- The belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate gods, sharing one substance, but not one being.

In some ways this list is the tip of the iceberg.  But, as I said, these are some of the thoughts that gained some traction in their day.

There is something to be said for spending a little time with these positions.  For, if we can understand what the church says the Trinity is not, perhaps through elimination we can embrace something of what the Trinity is. 

 (When the Methodist movement in America became a church in 1784, John Wesley provided the American Methodists with a liturgy and a doctrinal statement, which contained twenty-four "Articles of Religion" or basic statements of belief. These Articles of Religion were taken from the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England—the church out of which the Methodism movement began—and had been the standards for preaching within the Methodist movement. When these articles were voted on by the American conference, an additional article was added regarding the American context, bringing the total number of articles to 25. These articles became the basic standards for Christian belief in the Methodist church in North America. First published in the church's Book of Discipline in 1790, the Articles of Religion have continued to be part of the church's official statement of belief.  -- United Methodist FoundationalDocuments) 

In The United Methodist Church, the very first Article of Religion is Article I — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Now, that is not a bad statement as far as it goes.  But it does not plumb the depths of Trinitarian Theology to a very deep extent.

And, truth be known, that is ok.  Seekers can find plenty of literature on the subject.  It may be that the Article says all that it has to say, not so much to explain in detail, but to point the believer in the proper direction.  If it goes any further, it almost entraps itself into “Well, it’s kinda like…” or “you can sorta compare it to…” and thus fall into error.  That’s where we came in.