The Trinity Defined?

Next Part Seeing the Creator by His Creation

Many profess to believe in the triune godhead without ever understanding what it means—how it is defined. The simplest explanation of the trinity is that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are three members of the godhead, co-existing as one entity—in essence, God is three persons in a single being.

Most people declare that God’s Word is the source for their beliefs. Understand. The term “trinity” appears nowhere in Scripture. This creates an obvious problem. As a result, there are two schools of thought—two responses. Many readily acknowledge this fact. Others feel a need to force the Bible to say what it does not.

Most churchgoers simply accept the explanations presented by their clergy, never taking the time to examine if they should. Many are seemingly perfectly willing to assume they worship the right God.

Let’s revisit a statement from the introduction uttered by a famous television evangelist: “When I first began to study the Bible years ago, the doctrine of the Trinity was one of the most complex problems I had to encounter. I have never fully resolved it, for it contains an aspect of mystery. Though I do not totally understand it to this day, I accept it as a revelation of God…To explain and illustrate the Trinity is one of the most difficult assignments to a Christian.”

To clarify this “mystery,” many trinitarian theologians attempt to explain the trinity in theological terms. As we examine a series of quotes, ask yourself, “Where is the Bible in their logic?”

The first quote comes from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Rest assured that what you will read was not mistyped. Neither is it even the most ridiculous nonsense you will be forced to read here: “The doctrine of the Trinity lies in Scripture in solution; when it is crystallized from its solvent it does not cease to be Scriptural, but only comes into clearer view. Or, to speak without figure, the doctrine of the Trinity is given to us in Scripture, not in formulated definition, but in fragmentary allusions; when we assemble the disjecta membra [meaning: scattered fragments] into their organic unity, we are not passing from Scripture, but entering more thoroughly into the meaning of Scripture. We may state the doctrine in technical terms, supplied by philosophical reflection; but the doctrine stated is a genuinely Scripture doctrine” (“The Term ‘Trinity’”).

We promised that some of the explanations were not only confusing, but even difficult to read! Such “theological” gibberish as this leaves one almost breathless—dazzled by the sheer confusion it offers! Is this quote a study in Latin? Is it about organic farming? Is it classic philosophy? Is it mere allusion, but this time in “fragments?” Or is this quote about chemistry? Do not laugh at the suggestion of chemistry—and you will momentarily understand why.

More seriously, this explanation asserts that the Bible reveals the trinity in “fragmentary allusions,” but never explains it clearly. One must use “philosophical reflection” to deduce what the trinity is. This actually contradicts verses we have already seen. Mankind, on his own,cannot understand spiritual matters! In fact, our natural thoughts are hostile to what God teaches: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against [Greek: hostile to] God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7). Spiritual matters must derive from, and be explained by, the Bible—not created through the logic of near hopelessly confused men.

Here is a famous quote by “Saint” Gregory Nazianzen about the trinity that is a combination of philosophy, poetry and prose, with a heavy dose of abstract nonsense throughout:

“No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Three than I am carried back into the One. When I think of any of the Three, I think of him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes me. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light.”

The next source attempts to use “metaphysical” concepts to explain the nature of God: “The essence is not exclusive to only one of these at a time…The essence is not divisible among the distinctions of persons but indivisible.” Again, this makes absolutely no sense—and you should take heart if you had no idea what it said! This same quote continues further, reducing God to a mere chemical formula, and Christianity to a “controlled experiment.” Notice: “It is a fact of chemistry that plain water, when placed in a vacuum under gas pressure of 230 millimetres and at a temperature of 0 degrees Centigrade, [will] solidify into ice at the bottom of the container, the liquid will remain in the centre and at the top it vaporizes!

At a given moment the same water is both solid, liquid and gas, yet all three are manifestations of the same base substance H2O—hydrogen/two parts; oxygen/one part. Can’t the Creator of this substance be Father, Son and Holy Spirit—three Persons and one Nature as Spirit without violating the law of logic or reason?” (Let Us Reason Ministries).

Does the reader have any doubt that God gave men over to minds void of judgment (Rom. 1:28) that they could write such statements?

One obvious major fault with this recipe-style “module” is that God cannot be limited to or defined solely by His Creation.

But let’s at least think about this for a moment. The above argument is dependent on a fixed level of certain factors (gas pressure, temperature, in a vacuum). God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), is not restrained or governed by physical, scientific laws (from chemistry or otherwise). Christ walked on water (Matt. 14:25); turned water into wine (John 2:7-10); read minds (Matt. 9:4; 12:25; Luke 5:22; 11:17); walked through walls (John 20:26); raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44); was Himself raised from the dead (Matt. 28:7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6); and defied gravity (Acts 1:9). Spiritual matters cannot be explained by human logic or reason. And it was God who set into motion all the laws governing the universe, not the other way around. (Examine Job 38.)