Recently my 𝕏 feed asked the question “What do you think is the most important topic or subject that a majority of Christians don’t fully understand today?” A user named Jack immediately replied with “The Trinity! This one is no one fun because we can never get to the bottom of it haha. But it is so important because good theology is built from here.” At first I laughed, but then as I thought about it, Jack was right. Good theology is built from the Trinity. As a matter of fact, I would argue that all important theology is built from the concept of the Trinity.
As I present OT survey, Christian world view, and progress of redemption seminars, I am amazed at how often I come back to some of the basic assumptions of Christianity that only work if the Trinity is true. The concept of unity in diversity is based upon three persons in one being. The very reality of love is only possible because of the Trinity. Without it we have a monistic god who cannot actually love us, because he does not experience it within himself. The concept of planning, execution, and empowerment that makes the church function in her many forms is there, because the Godhead has done this within himself. We see the concept of voluntary submission played out as the Son submits to the Father in all things and then the Spirit allows himself to be sent out by the Son and the Father. As I have written before, the very concepts of roles and intrinsic worth only make sense if they are found in the Trinity. And even more foundational the concept of “both…and” which makes up how we define so much of Christian doctrine is only possible if God himself is both one and three. It also allows us to understand the duality and the trinity within humanity: body, soul, spirit; mind, will, emotions; male and female. Only a multifaceted Being would conceive of and create another multifaceted being to be in his image.
The Trinity is the most amazing idea, truly a beyond-human idea for the divine. We cannot understand it. Indeed, we should not be able to understand it for God is infinite and we are finite. However, it is worth meditating on day in day out. The more we understand it, the more apparent paradoxes in Scripture and their application to life will make sense. Thus, this complex doctrine becomes the inescapable foundation of all other doctrine in Scripture. It should be preached and taught even to our children. For if you grow up with it, as I have, it becomes more glorious the more you attempt to wrap your mind around the mystery and takes you over awe into worship and from there in to godly action, which is what all doctrine should lead us to.