Trinity or Not?

 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: words spoken and written repeatedly throughout the history of Christendom from early times to the present. Though the spoken sounds that express it and the symbols that mark it in written form change with language across divisions of time, geography, and human identity, the triune nature of God remains one of the few vertebral doctrines of the entire Christian Faith. So much so, in fact, that some who read this may question whether the things I write even need to be said. Dear brother and sister, you do not know all that may come to pass in the days yet to come as the Church slides further and further into apathy regarding holiness, righteousness, and the Glory of God. By "Church" in this case I do not mean the True Church of God, but the Faith in which we all find ourselves: Catholic and Protestant, conservative and liberal, traditional and contemporary, old line and new faith, all divisions made by men and marred with the imperfections found in the fallen heart of Man. We must not only carry the banner until the appointed time, we must strive to hold it ever higher as the days grow darker around us. Indeed, in the end, the Banner of our God shall serve as a rallying point for those who remain, who will be tried in the fire. For these reasons, and especially for the sake of those who come after, I write these words to you today. Only one true God exists. He says of Himself, “I am יהוה, your God, and there is no other.” Example 1. Example 2. Example 3. Example 4. Example 5.   

God possesses a plural nature. He spoke in the Beginning as a being of plural aspect, “Let Us make Man in Our Image, according to Our Likeness.”  Therefore, the plural aspect of God is unquestionable. Even so, some continue to deny the Truth, but we must rise above such things in humility, accepting the good things of God as He has given them.God is One. “Hear, Oh Israel, יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is One.”  Jesus also said, “I and the Father are One.”  And, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”  And also, “Very truthfully I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM.”  And again, “I AM.”  And when He said to them, “I AM,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Indeed, there are three who bear witness in Heaven: Father, Word, and Holy Spirit; these Three are One. 

 And, as we see in this last example from the previous point, God is Three-in-One, the Trinity, a triune being. Each of the Divine Persons in the Trinity is distinct from the Other Two, and yet they are all One and the Same together. They are not merely aspects, yet they are not truly individual either; if we aren’t careful we may reduce God in our minds to either a man with a set of masks that he wears on different occasions or three gods rather than One, the Great I AM. How can one wrap the mind about this and understand the Nature of God? In this case, we can better understand the things of God if we look at His Reflection in Creation. Just as Jesus questioned Peter regarding the actions of kings because the king is symbolic of God, so, too, may we consider the things which are symbolic of God in this world as confirmation of the Wisdom God gives us.

Look first at the nature of Man, made in the Image of God. Man has a mind, a body, and a soul, and these testify of the Trinity. The Father is reflected in the mind, unknowable directly, though known and knowing. The Son is reflected in the body, seen, heard, and felt, directed by the mind, housing also a soul. The Spirit is reflected in this, the least perceived of the three, for it was when God breathed the Breath of Life into Man that he became a living soul. Now, do we have one man or three? One, of course. Is the Mind the Body? No. Is the Soul the Mind or the Body? No. Is the Soul the Man? Yes. Is the Body the Man? Yes. Is the Soul the Body or the Mind? No, and yet all Three are the Man.

Look next to the nature of the Earth, given freely for our sustenance, protection, and pleasure. The Earth possesses three biospheres: land, sea, and air, and the creatures of the Earth dwell therein. The Rock is reflected literally in the rocky ground, which gives sustenance of life, uplifts the tree for the protection of men from the sun’s wrath, and filters the waters of life that we may drink them. The unfathomable mind of the Father is reflected by the mysterious deep seas and oceans; we reap life from Him, and yet must live with a respect for His Holiness that might break out against flesh like a veritable storm of all storms. The Spirit which inspires men is reflected in the air, giving us rain for sustenance, clouds of protection against the wrath of the heavens, and yet also moves with the stormy seas against flesh at times. No creature known which can be seen with our eyes unaided has its being entirely in the air, though many creatures live entirely on the land or in the sea. In this we see there is Truth. In this we see reflections of the Divine. Is the Air the Ocean or the Land? Yet is not the Earth One? 

And what do we find immediately beyond the three which represent the Trinity? A Fire that ever burns where no life is found, or a Void where no man may exist unless he takes with him representatives of the Three-in-One: Materials from the Earth, Water refined by the Earth that we may receive it, and Air to breathe and sustain us (made breathable to us in part by the tree lifted upon the Rock), without which the body cannot remain connected to the mind in men. 

See how awesome a God we serve! Anyone who denies the Truth of these words, denies Scripture. And, yes, it does matter. Truth always matters. The things of God always matter. Ambivalence is the mark of apathy, and apathy is the state of being lukewarm.