Why I am a Classical Trinitarian
Today, many Christians lack a good understanding of the Trinity. They know of the "three in one" but past that, they seem to have little knowledge.
And in an attempt to explain it, many times they accidentally teach
heresies—even if that is not their intent. In this post, I want to
explain what the Bible says about the Trinity, and why I believe the
Bible teaches what is known as Classical Trinitarianism.
Basic Explanation of the Trinity:
As
we begin, I want to just explain what the Trinity is. The Trinity is
not a term found in the Bible. However, it's a term we use to explain
the triune nature of God (which is found in the Bible). Simply put, God is one What and three Whos. In other words, God is one Being and three Persons. As the hymn writer put it:
"Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty! / God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!"¹
There
was a creed written in the 6th century, the Athanasian Creed. This
creed gives a very good outline about the Trinity, I will quote part of
it:
"That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.
For the person of the Father is a distinct person,
the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,
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What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has.
The Father is uncreated,
the Son is uncreated,
the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is immeasurable,
the Son is immeasurable,
the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
The Father is eternal,
the Son is eternal,
the Holy Spirit is eternal.
And yet there are not three eternal beings;
there is but one eternal being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;
there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.
Similarly, the Father is almighty,
the Son is almighty,
the Holy Spirit is almighty.
Yet there are not three almighty beings;
there is but one almighty being."²
It
continues, but I believe you get the picture. All three Persons have
each attribute of God, but there are not three Gods. It would be
incorrect to call each Member of the Trinity a "Being" for God is but
one Being.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" (Deuteronomy 6:4)
"LORD" is in all caps, thus the Hebrew is יְהֹוָה
(YeHoVaH) or Jehovah. It says that "Jehovah our God is one Jehovah." If
each Member of the Trinity were Their own Being, there would be three
Jehovahs, however, there is but one.
Mormons believe that the Godhead is three Beings.
"Like many Christians, we believe in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
However, we don’t believe in the traditional concept of the Trinity. We
believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate
beings who are one in purpose."³
The Bible does not teach this Mormon belief. If one teaches the Trinity is three Beings, they begin to fall to Mormonism.
Neither
can you teach that the Father, Jesus, or the Spirit are "part" of God
when explaining the Trinity. God is not composite. He has no parts. It
doesn't say "God has love," no, it says "God is love." In the same way, Christ is 100% God, thus He cannot be a part of God—same goes for the Father and Spirit. We call this the simplicity of God, that God is without parts. As Paul states:
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
Each
member of the Trinity is fully God. We ought, then, to not use
analogies when speaking of the triune nature of God. All such examples
fall into some sort of false understanding of the Trinity (generally
calling God composite).
We
must also keep in mind that while the Father is God, the Son (Jesus;
the Word) is God, and the Holy Spirit/Ghost is God, you cannot claim the
Son is the Father, nor the Father the Son, or any other like statement.
The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. We call this the Eternal Generation of the Son.
"But
thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler
in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
(Micah 5:2)
According
to this verse, Jesus' "goings forth" (think of a child going forth from
their mother's womb) have been from "everlasting." There are other
passages which support the Eternal Generation of the Son. Notable
passages include Psalm 2:7, John 5:26, and even John 3:16 ("only begotten Son").
We
also affirm that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
Some say the Spirit merely proceeds from the Father. John 14:26, 15:26,
and 16:7 makes clear It proceeds from the Son as well.
Basic Defense of the Trinity:
Now
we have a basic understanding of the Trinity. But many deny the
existence of the LORD as a triune God. Such groups would be Oneness
Pentecostals, Jehovah's [False] Witnesses, and others, all with varying
beliefs. However, we can group these deniers into two groups: Arians and
Modalists.
Modalists believe God is one Person. They believe Christ is God, but that it is one of His "modes"—as are the Father and Spirit.
"1. God revealed as the creator and lawgiver is called "the Father";
2. God revealed as the savior in Jesus Christ is called "the Son";
3. God revealed as the one who sanctifies and grants eternal life is called "the Spirit"."⁴
Arians,
such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, deny the Trinity. Some believe in what
is known as Adoptionism (which is that Christ became the Son of God at
His baptism) while other beliefs are present.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the different beliefs of those denying the Trinity, let's see what the Bible says.
"For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 5:7)
This
verse (which was used by the Council at Carthage to defend the Trinity)
is the most clear and explicit statement in the whole Bible on the
topic of the Trinity. It lists the Father, the Word (Jesus; the Son),
and the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and says that these "three are one." Wow!
Talk about a crystal clear statement!
Another
strong passage is Hebrews 1:1-12. For the sake of reading, I will not
quote the whole passage, but I urge you to spend time studying out the
passage.
"[1]
God...[8] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever...[9] Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore
God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows. [10] And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the
foundation of the earth..." (Ibid.)
There
is so much in this one section. We learn, however, that God calls the
Son "God" and "Lord" and also refers to Himself as "thy [the Son's]
God". This proves that Jesus is God, and not even in the sense of a
"lower god" as Jehovah's Witnesses would want you to believe.
We also see that Jesus is not the Father, nor the Father the Son, etc. We get a great look at this in Matthew 3:13-17.
"[13] ¶ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be
baptized of him. [14] But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be
baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? [15] And Jesus answering said
unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to
fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. [16] And Jesus, when he
was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Ibid.)
We
see Jesus baptized, the Spirit descending, and the Father speaking from
Heaven. We see a clear distinction of the Persons in this passage.
Different Views of the Trinity:
As
with most doctrines, there are alternate views that make their way into
people's minds. One example is what is called the Social Trinity or
Social Trinitarianism. Social Trinitarianism teaches that each Person—Father, Son, and Spirit—has
Their own will and consciousness (radical proponents of the Social
Trinity, such as the New IFB, teach that each has Their own body). The
problem with this is that it makes the Trinity look more like Mormonism
where you start to make each more like a separate Being rather than
Person. When you give each person Their own will/mind, you fall into
Apollinarianism—that Christ had only a divine mind, and not a human one.
However, I believe in what is called Classical Trinitarianism. God has one will. We never see the Bible talking about "the wills of God," only "the will
of God." And there are issues with God having multiple wills. If God
has multiple wills, what happens if one will contradicts the other?
Muslims love the Social Trinity because they can make Jesus and the
Father "face off" as they have separate divine wills. However, since God
is perfect, the Members of the Trinity cannot contradict. Which means
even if they each had Their own will, it is the will of the rest,
meaning God still only has one will. They operate the one divine will
inseparably, but distinctly.
Sources:
1. Heber, Reginald. "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!"
2."Athanasian Creed." Christian Reformed Church in North America, https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/athanasian-creed. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.
3. "Do Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Believe in the Trinity?" The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/do-latter-day-saints-believe-in-the-trinity. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.
4. Modalistic Monarchianism. (2024, December 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalistic_Monarchianism
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