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The Mystery of the Trinity, Part 2

The Trinity is just one of those things that most Christians just don't know what to do with. Sure, they know it's important to the Christian faith but it just doesn't seem practical. It's that thing that theologians and PhD students argue about that probably matters but ultimately just confuses things. Our typical solution has been to ignore the Trinity, leading to the perception that it really just isn't that important.

This couldn't be further from the truth. (Read Part One to be caught up!)

Throughout the Old Testament there is a very important lesson that God is trying to teach the nation of Israel. There is only ONE God. All the gods worshiped in Egypt and in Canaan aren't real, only YHWH God is. This teaching is so central that it is the opening of the Shema, the main credo of the faith of Israel. "Hear! O Israel. YHWH your God, YHWH, is one."

When discussing the Trinity this foundational truth is always important to remember. We aren't talking about three distinct gods who operate independently of each other. We are talking about the one God, YHWH.

The New Testament likewise affirms in multiple places that there is only one God. Yet it is here in the life of Jesus that the mystery of the Trinity is revealed. Jesus is both God and man. It is through Jesus' perfect humanity that we are able to see perfect divinity. By showing us what it means to be truly human Jesus reveals to us what God looks like. He is, after all, the "image of the invisible God."

It is when Jesus is at his most human, when he is suffering and dying on the cross, that we truly see God. We see Jesus giving himself to the Father through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). We see that what it means to be God is to give yourself entirely to another. God is a community of total giving and love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The mystery comes in as we must realize that this mutual giving of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit isn't simply the actions of three separate individuals. That would undermine the teaching that there is only one God. The entire act of redemption in the cross is one act of the one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while distinct from each other, are nevertheless truly and substantially one.

Obviously there is a great deal more to say on this profound mystery. This post could easily be several books long. Next week the discussion will center on how the mystery of the Trinity impacts us directly.

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