Understanding the Trinity: A Fundamental Doctrine of Christianity
The Bible teaches that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This concept, known as the Trinity, is not a secret but a revealed truth that belongs to us (Deut 29:29). However, it transcends our rational comprehension and has no parallel in human experience.
Revealed Through Incarnation and Outpouring
God made his triunity known through the incarnation of the Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The revelation of the Trinity took place in these acts, which God then explained. The doctrine of the Trinity is a teaching about God’s eternal, essential being.
Trinity and Gospel: Inseparable
The Bible bundles Trinity and gospel together. If you describe the Trinity without mentioning salvation, you probably described it too abstractly. The Father who gave his Son and Spirit to save us must be a Father who always had a Son and Spirit. Learning about the Trinity is a matter of learning the deeper reasons why the Christian life works.
Approaching God: A Trinitarian Reality
Every time Christians approach God, they come before God (the Father) in the name of Jesus (not in their own name) by the power of the Spirit (not by their own power). This is true even if they’re not consciously thinking about it.
Jesus: Trinity-Centered
Christ is Trinity-centered, right in the middle of the Trinity as the Son sent by the Father and filled with the Spirit. If you focus on Jesus properly, you will find yourself necessarily focusing on the Trinity.
Praising the Trinity
Don’t feel like you have to focus mentally on this gigantic doctrine at all times to be a good Trinitarian. Praise the Trinity at all times, and when necessary, use the word “Trinity.” But often, the background stays in the background, enabling us to say particular things about Jesus, discipleship, the cross, the Holy Spirit, and so on, without making the big picture explicit.
Additional Articles in the 10 Things You Should Know Series
- 10 Things You Should Know about the Presence of God
- 10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan
- 10 Things You Should Know about Christian Ethics
- 10 Things You Should Know about the Garden of Eden
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