Grace Institute: Systematic Theology: Trinitarianism: Practical Ramifications of the Trinity

Trinitarianism Grace Institute for Biblical Leadership Winter 2006

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III. The Practical Ramifications of the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity is a beautiful mystery which, if we let it inform and influence our world view, we will find new meaning and depth of understanding. An understanding of the Trinity answers many of the philosophical problems of monotheism. It should be the foundation of our Christian worldview. The influential Trinitarian theologian Colin Gunton said it this way:

It is part of the pathos of Western theology that it has often believed that while trinitarian theology might well be of edificatory value to those who already believe, for the outsider it is an unfortunate barrier to belief, which must therefore be facilitated by some non-trinitarian apologetic, some essentially monotheistic ‘natural theology.' My belief is the reverse: that because the theology of the Trinity has so much to teach about the nature of our world and life within it, it is or could be the centre of Christianity's appeal to the unbeliever, as the good news of a God who enters into free relations of creation and redemption with his world. In the light of the theology of the Trinity, everything looks different [1].

A. The Purpose of Creation [2]

Why did God create the universe, and specifically why did God create humanity. A non-Trinitarian monotheist would answer that God created for his own good pleasure and for his own glory. However, this understanding of creation makes God a narcissistic egotist. He created just so he would have someone to tell him how great He is.

However Trinitarianism teaches us that God did not create the world so he could have someone to glorify him. Instead God created out of the outpouring the love between the members of the Trinity.

There seems to be a truism that when people come together in love and unity, the creative act comes out of that. For example, why do have children? Ideally it comes from two distinct individuals have come together in one flesh and in the midst of that unity and out of the outpouring of that love comes a desire to share that love with another—a child. Having children is not something we do to find our own glory. We do not have children so they can worship us. We have children out of the expression of our love for each other and as a means to extend our oneness and our love to a greater level. Children become then the fulfillment of the love found within the unity of a husband and a wife.

So it is true with the trinity. God created humanity out of the outpouring of the love and unity of the Trinity. As Father, Son and Spirit have been sharing in the communion since eternity past, out of that comes the creative act not to be worshipped by the creation, but so that God could extended the love and union found within His triune self with others. This Trinitarian view of creation shows that God is not an ego-maniac, but a God of love and humility.

B. The Self-Sufficiency of God

When studying the aspects of God's character, certain characteristics are transitive, meaning they only find meaning when they operate on objects outside of themselves. For example, the love of God has no meaning if there is no person for God to love. In a non-Trinitarian monotheism, for God's love to find its fulfillment, God needed to have an object on which to pour out his love. Therefore, God needed us (or some other creation of His) in order to be found perfect. Yet we know that God does not need creation. This creates a quandary in the non-Trinitarian worldview.

However, within Trinitarian theology, God's love has an object. The love of the members of the Trinity were expressed on the other members of the Trinity during eternity past, such that God did not need creation to find the full expression of His attributes. God's transitive attributes are perfect and complete within the relationships of the Trinity.

Only Trinitarianism can conclude that before creation God existed in a self-sufficient state and that He does not need creation. As Horrell states it:

All creation exists and is sustained, not by necessity nor by divine selfishness, but by the abundance of Trinitarian grace [2].

C. The Unity of Marriage

In 1:26 , God says, “let Us make man in Our image.” Why didn't God say, “I will now make man in my image?” Why does He use the plural here?

In the Hebrew, just as in English, there is the “royal plural,” where a sovereign refers to himself or herself in the plural. However, this also leaves open the possibility that God is speaking within the Trinity to himself. While not a definitive proof, it does leave open the possibility of the trinity.

This is significant beyond just a proof text for Trinitarian theology. God's image is most fully realized when a man and a woman are joined together in marriage; for marriage serves a living example of the Holy Trinity. Just as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons joined to become one, so also, a husband and wife are two persons joined to become one. When the world sees a properly function marriage, they should have a greater glimpse of the Trinitarian God. This is bearing the image of God, and is the primary purpose of marriage.

D. Eternal Glory

Non-Trinitarian monotheism leads to the belief that God is a narcissistic ego manic desiring to receive worship and glory from His creation. But Trinitarianism teaches that God is not arrogant, but is humble and selfless. Within the Trinity, no member of the Trinity seeks to glorify himself, but to share that glory, both with the other members of the Trinity and with His creation.

Jesus entire ministry was to bring glory to the Father (17:4). Furthermore, when Christ obeyed the Father by dying on the cross, the Father glorified the Son, declaring His name to be above every name (Philippians 2:9). The Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, not taking credit for His teaching as if it were His own, but only passes on what the Father gives Him (16:13-14).

This dynamic gives us remarkable insight to the inner workings of the Trinity. This passing of glory from Father to Son and Son back to Father is like a cosmic game of hot potato, with none grasping onto the glory, but always passing back to the one from whom it came.

But this mutual glorification is not limited to the Trinity. For in Jesus request for the disciples' unity, Christ seeks to share His glory with His disciples:

The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me. (John 17:22-23a)

Jesus is requesting that the Father allow Him to include His disciples in the unity of the Trinity, and to share in the mutual sharing of glory within the Trinity. He is asking the Father to include the church in the Trinitarian game of glory hot potato! The ultimate hope of the Christian is to enter into fellowship with the Trinitarian community.

E. Indwelling of Spirit

Each member of the Trinity dwells within the other:

(John 17:20) …even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You.

Because we bear the image of God we have the capacity to be indwelled by another, just as the members of the Trinity indwell one another [4]. When we become believers in Christ, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this indwelling in Ephesians 1:14 as a down payment of future glory. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse of the mutual indwelling of the Trinity and serves as a foretaste of the fellowship we will posses with the Trinitarian community.

F. Church Unity

In John 17:21, Jesus prays that His disciples would be one. Jesus request for unity is not merely a request that the church get along. There is a much deeper, much more glorious significance than just a call to quit squabbling in the church. It is a call to be included in the unity of the Trinity. It is a call to share in the glory of God. It is a call to not selfishly hold onto glory, but to pass that glory off to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

It is also a call for us as Jesus disciples to humble ourselves before each other, and thus emulate the Trinity. When Jesus commands us to “love one another” and to put the interests of others ahead of ourselves, He is calling us to establish a community which exhibits the dynamics of the Trinitarian community. It is a lesson to learn here and now so that when we are glorified and are allowed to commune with the Trinity in our future glory, we already understand the dynamics of such a union.

Footnotes

1. Colin Gunton. The Promise of Trinitarian Theology . As quoted by Horrell.
2. Paul Metzger. What In the World Is God Doing? (Unpublished class notes: TH 508, Christian Theology II. Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Summer 2003).
3. Horrell.
4. In so far as we have already described marriage as an illustration of the Trinitarian union, so also it seems the sexual act (the two becoming one flesh) reflects this “indwelling” aspect of the trinity.

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