I sat at my community group as we fumbled around with the idea of the Trinity. I tried my hand at giving an explanation, but I think it probably confused the group more than we already were. So allow me to attempt to explain my view on the Trinity for the sake of clarification.
Considering again my #1 rule of theological interpretation and even speculation - that the answer that gives God the most glory is the correct answer – I began to look at my overall view of the Trinity, and I felt that it was severely lacking in glory and apology. I said, “what if a non-believer asks me about the Trinity? How will I explain what I have been taught?”
So I asked a couple of pastors this important question – is each individual of the trinity entirely sovereign independently of the others, or do they have to depend on each other to complete sovereignty? To a little bit of my surprise, every one of them confidently explained that each one individually contains all characteristics of sovereignty, namely omniscience (knowledge), omnipotence (power), and omnipresence (presence).
That really surprised me, and as I thought on that answer, the God that I worshipped and adored so much suddenly became exponentially mystified in my mind. I started to ask those elementary questions like “why are there three of them? What is their purpose? And how are they ONE?”
And I started to hash out the basic facts that I knew from the Bible. For example, Jesus is on his throne in Heaven… right?
"After making purification for sins, [the Son] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." - Hebrews 1:3b
Okay. But everyone seemed to be telling me “He’s everywhere. He’s in me.” How could he be anywhere he wants? I know that I have Christ in me, but how? (Wait for the answer… though we are all thinking it.)
Another fact we Christians all know is that Jesus Christ has been given all power.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name…” –Philippians 2:9
"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." -Matthew 28:18
The greek word for authority - "exousia" - is the same as “power”. In fact, the King James uses the word "power" instead of “authority” here in Matthew 28. So if God gave all power to Jesus (as a gift for enduring the cross (Phil 2:8)) then how could the Father also have all power? What kind of a gift is that?
But beyond all this, it was the concept of Jesus’ knowledge that sparked debate in my community group that night as we studied Mark 5 – the woman who touches his garment and is healed of a 12-year bleeding sickness. In verse 31, Jesus asks, “Who touched my garments?” This was quickly explained by people in the group as Jesus playing some kind of a game, like he knew who it was, but he wanted to test the woman in some way; while many said that Jesus had chosen not to know such things when he came to Earth, of which neither idea has any biblical verification. And yet, the evidence of Jesus’ lack of omniscience is expressed in Matthew 24:36, when Jesus speaks of the “close of the age”:
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Again, I must impress that this verse is not abrogated at any point in the scriptures. We must, therefore, assume that it is an eternal, unchanged fact. If Jesus does know the end times, I believe he learned it from his father after the above verse took place (just as he learns everything else, as he says in John 5:19-20.)
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.
How then does Jesus know everything if he himself says that he only follows the orders of his Father in Heaven? Seriously, if Jesus knows everything, then why would such obedience to his Father be necessary?
So, after totally annihilating my previous views of the Trinity, I quickly began to reconstruct them with the idea that the Trinity is only entirely sovereign as a whole. In fact, I would go so far as to see the three characteristics of sovereignty (power, knowledge, and presence) owned by the three separate characters within the Trinity. I mean this: The Son has clearly been given power, and the Father knows all, while the Spirit is the living and active presence of God on this earth. It suddenly made so much sense to me – all of my ideas of God just joined together like a puzzle, and I saw the whole picture for the first time (though there is so much more to see). I have access to Christ through the Spirit, and I pray to the Father as the Holy Spirit intercedes for me. I look forward to the day that I am in the presence of Jesus Christ and the Father, but I know that today is not that day.
All these things we already know by reading the scriptures, but I believe that our fear of asking questions has put God in a safe, often locked, and the combination has nearly been forgotten. We wouldn’t dare say that Jesus doesn’t know everything, so we say he does. But he doesn’t! And if Jesus is everywhere, then why don’t I see him? Because he’s not there! We need to stop mystifying our God, who is REAL, and start seeking His character for the sake of His glory here on Earth.
But most importantly, as my BIC (Brother In Christ) Brian Buxton wisely told me after community group, “we must not let our pursuit of anything other than salvific issues be a source of contention in the Body of Christ”. So please, if you are uncomfortable and uncertain with this topic, please seek the Lord, seek the Word, and seek counsel – don’t take sides. I write these because, though I feel that Trinitarian issues are very important, unity in the Christ-believing, grace-receiving church is still more.
