Monday, June 20, 2011
THE TRINITY DOCTRINE, A SUBLIME MYSTERY GRASPED BY FAITH
"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth ... and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds ... and I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life." That is our confession of faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity (that there are three Persons in the Godhead but only one God) is one of the "cardinal doctrines" of the Bible. That is, it's a doctrine that must be believed firmly if a person wants to be saved. It is also one of the most sublime Bible doctrines. How can our God be three separate Persons -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- and still be only one God?
It is said of St. Augustine (a church father who lived in the 4th century) that he was once in great distress of mind how he might comprehend the doctrine of the Trinity. As he was engaged deeply in thought about it, he drifted off to sleep and dreamed he was walking along the seashore where he happened upon a little boy digging a hole in the sand. He watched as the lad kept running back and forth to the water's edge with a seashell, dipping water from the ocean and pouring it into the hole he had dug. "What are you doing?" asked the church father. "With this shell," said the child, "I'm going to empty the ocean by pouring its water into the hole I've dug." "Why, that’s impossible!" said Augustine. "True," said the child. "And it's just as impossible for you to try to empty the mysteries of the infinite Triune God with the little dipper of your mind!"
It's true. The teaching of the Trinity soars far above our poor ability as mortals to comprehend. Yet we believe it's true because the Bible plainly teaches it. Praise be to God the Holy Spirit for blessing us with the ability to accept in childlike faith all that our God says to us His Word. Praise Him for giving us eyes of faith to see Jesus, God's Son, as our Savior and helping us recognize there's no greater work we can do than share with others this unbelievably wonderful news.
