Exploring the Triune God

“For many today the Trinity lacks the vibrancy with which it once charged the early church and has become an arcane fundamental arousing little appreciation or even interest.”

(Kerry S. Robichaux, “Axioms of the Trinity,” Affirmation and Critique. 1996)

For proper study of the significance of Christ’s incarnation, I hope firstly that our view and attitude regarding the Trinity would be proper. Though this subject has driven theological debate from the early church to present, we cannot afford to dismiss this as a topic reserved for only for theologians. Any endeavor toward a pellucid understanding of Christ’s incarnation requires a proper view regarding what the Trinity is, and equally important, what it is not. That being said, the scope of this blog does not allow for exhaustive exploration of the Trinity. However, related to our study of the Trinity I would make the following points:  

• Avoid “spiritual myopia” that may develop if you try to understand the Trinity apart from a desire to know God and the purpose of God.  Our God in His very being is Triune; eternally three yet one. With Genesis 1:26, for example, we open a window into the purpose of God that is intimately related to triune nature of God: “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” This establishes an important principle. So approach any study of the Trinity with a view to see: 
• How is the triune nature of God related to the purpose of God.
• What are the implications of a Triune God in the economy of God’s salvation? Related to this was found the following article from Affirmation and Critique (quoted below) tremendously helpful, and would wholeheartedly commend it to you.

• Beware of “Trinity diagrams” that claim to graphically illustrate the Trinity. We are not obligated to construct tidy diagrams attempting to systematize the Trinity or reconcile the triune nature of God. These endeavors jeopardize the truth and one point the truth. Remember, you are not studying the Krebs’s cycle or some other natural phenomenon that can easily be reduced to a chart or graph. This is the nature of God.

John Calvin’s utterance rings appropriate here: “Finitum non capax infinitum.” It means literally “the finite cannot grasp the infinite.” Pertaining to God’s incomprehensibility this implies that human beings bound by space and time will never have a comprehensive knowledge of God. Yet this surely does not suggest that God is fundamentally unknowable or unintelligible. Surely, we should not shy away from a rich and full realization of the truth regarding the Triune God.

Closing Thoughts:

We need to embrace the entire revelation of the Holy Scriptures. If our attitude regarding the Triune God is shallow and cloudy, our understanding of Christ’s incarnation will consequently be superficial and limited.