The Triune God: Beginning With Wonder

It's worth taking time to wonder about God.  What is he like? How does he make himself known? 

What theologians call the "doctrine of the Trinity" is just that - taking time to wonder about God as he has made himself known in the Bible. If you've ever seriously wondered about God and set your mind and heart to search and know him more, then you may be a philosopher or theologian. 

A philosopher thinks about thinking. They ask questions about origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. It makes sense that God would fall within the scope of a philosopher, mainly beginning with thoughts about a higher power in the universe. 

A theologian, on the other hand, thinks about God. They also ask questions about origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. Theologians begin with the words God has used to reveal himself to man - the Bible. They admit from the start that God is the higher power, and as such, they also end up thinking about their thinking. 

You can see how the work of philosophers and theologians overlaps. You may also see how, at the simplest level, almost anyone is a dabbler in philosophy or theology. If we joke about someone being an "armchair quarterback" who watches a football game with some understanding and opinion about the way it's played, then perhaps we can also speak of armchair philosophers and theologians who have some understanding and opinion about God. 

Where do you find yourself beginning? Is it as a philosopher or theologian? With your own thoughts or with God revealed in his own words? 

As a pastor, I begin with the words God has given us about himself in the Bible. You don't have to read very much before a number of questions arise. 

What does God mean in Genesis 1:26 when he says, "Let us make man in our image," to whom does "we" refer? 

When Jesus in the gospel says things like "I come from the Father," "The Father sent me," "I do the will of my Father," and "I and the Father are one," we wonder about the nature of his relationship to the Father. 

The Spirit brings up questions as well. He is hovering above the waters in Genesis 1:2. He is so present with people in the Old Testament that David prays, "Take not your Holy Spirit from me," and in the New Testament, Jesus says, "I will send the Helper," and "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." Who is the Holy Spirit, and what is his connection to the Father and the Son? 

Jesus commands his apostles to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are each spoken of as God throughout the New Testament. Peter gives a threefold blessing to the church, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father for sanctification through the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ, the Son. What are we to make of their connection?  

People who have grown up in the church tend to take Trinitarian language for granted. At some point, they have probably heard the phrase "one God in three persons" and generally accepted it. Yet Christians have grown so accustomed to the language that they lose the wonder behind it. 

Imagine you were born a prince into a rich, royal family who lived with servants in a grand castle. You would grow up used to having servants bring you food and dress you. You would expect to be bowed to and to have people eager to make you comfortable. You might miss the richness of your riches because of how common they are.  

In the same way, Christians might miss the richness of the God they worship because trinitarian language and concepts are commonly spoken but rarely explained. 

To recover the riches of who God is and why it matters, become more than an armchair theologian. Let the wonder of how God reveals himself in his word mystify you all over again. Let yourself wonder about the questions brought on by God's words about himself in the Bible. Then you will find yourself hungry to learn about the doctrine of the Trinity, but it won't be doctrine for doctrine's sake.  

Rather, you will be hungry to know God as he has revealed himself to you - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - one God forever worshiped, Amen.