Over the weekend I presented the first part of a ‘bare-bones’ outline of the Trinity. In short order, I argued that the doctrine can be sub-divided into two basic assertions, which each require a healthy dose of explaining. The first proposition is God is one God. The second proposition is God is three Persons. Under those headings I added the following points.
God is One God
- The Father is God.
- The Son is God.
- The Holy Spirit is God.
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Uncreated, Co-Eternal, Inseparable, and Perfectly Equal in Essence.
God is Three Persons
- God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Father Sends the Son and the Spirit.
- The Son is Sent by the Father, and Sends the Spirit.
- The Spirit is One Sent by Father and Son.
- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit works together to create the cosmos, sustain life, and redeem the church.
- God’s visible actions in history reveals his invisible triune nature.
Because of the difference in classification (God and persons) there is no logical inconsistency between saying God is ‘one’ and God is ‘three.’ Still, there is natural difficulty (not too mention the effect of sin on our thinking) in trying to understand how God is one and three. On the one hand, natural man cannot grasp an infinite God—even with God’s inspired word. On the other hand, God’s revelation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit guides Christians to a true but incomplete knowledge of him.
Keeping our creatureliness and Godward-dependence in mind as we approach this doctrine, this outline aims to help us put some of the pieces together. Since, I’ve already laid out a defense of God as one God, the next step is to pick up the second proposition—God is three persons—and consider the first four points. Continue reading
Via Emmaus 