“Concepts of the Trinity”
Genesis 18:1-10; Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5
This morning is Trinity Sunday, the worship service where I try to explain the long-standing theology of God in three persons, yet still one God. It is a bit perplexing theology- God is one, but three, but one. It reminds me of my once-favorite sports franchise, the “OaklandSacramentoLasVegas” Athletics. One of our church members was in my office last week, and she saw my baseball memorabilia section on one of the shelves. I showed off some A’s playoff tickets from 1975, three of the foul balls I have caught at games over the decades, and then said, “But it's all a mess now, with the A’s moving from Oakland.” This member was unaware of the sad saga of the A’s, who currently play major league baseball in a minor league park in Sacramento. I let her know of their move at the end of last season, that they will be in West Sacramento for the next three years, and supposedly will be playing major league ball in Las Vegas beginning in 2028. Although the groundbreaking for the new stadium is supposed to happen on June 23, the mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, has not exactly welcomed the franchise, saying, “They would be better off staying in Oakland.”
Paula and I attended a game in Sacramento in April. It was confusing. I had on my “Oakland” jersey, but bought a team patch at the A’s store that said “Sacramento.” That same patch is also on the player’s uniforms on one shoulder, with a Vegas patch on the other. Nothing in the stadium or on any player uniform says “Oakland,” anymore, despite playing there for the last 56 years. Throughout the game, fans occasionally chanted, “Let’s go Oakland!” But the chants didn’t last very long and were half-hearted. It was tough to figure out what to yell and who we were rooting for.
So, do the A’s represent three cities or just one? Do we shout, “Let’s go, Oakland! Let’s go, Sacramento! Let’s go, Vegas!?” On national sports news broadcasts like ESPN, the reporters call them “The Athletics.” That way, they sound like one thing. But they still represent three cities. It is all so confusing, much like concepts of the Trinity. “Let’s go, Abba! Let’s go, Jesus! Let’s go, Spirit!” How did we get here, and why is part of our history as Presbyterians a belief in God as 3, but 1?
I decided to ask AI on my computer about Presbyterians and the Trinity, and this is what I got. “As a Presbyterian, you believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches that there is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Presbyterians interpret the Trinity through the lens of Scripture and their theological heritage, grounded in the Reformed tradition. You believe that the Trinity is a mystery beyond human understanding but affirm it as a fundamental truth of the Christian faith.” Well, that was easy. Since we are Presbyterian, we believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. Fundamental Truth accepted, just like that. End of sermon… I know, however that isn’t true, and at some point, I guess I need to try and explain that to my AI Chat search function.
The reality is that there is no place in scripture that fully lays out this concept of God in Trinitarian form, nor is the word “Trinity” used in scripture. However, there are about five passages that point to or hint at God being thought of in broader concepts. These passages speak of God in three ways and ultimately led to the doctrine of the Trinity. We humans love to try to put things in little boxes and explain them, including the Creator of the universe.
The doctrine of the Trinity- The unity of God, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered one of the central Christian affirmations about God. It is rooted in the fact that God came to meet Christians in three ways (1) as Creator, Lord of the history of salvation, Judge, as revealed in the Old Testament; (2) as the Messiah who, in the incarnated figure of Jesus Christ, lived among human beings and was present in their midst as the “Resurrected One”; and (3) as the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised his disciples upon his ascension- the helper or intercessor in the power of the new life. In this doctrine, God is three distinct persons sharing one substance. “This expresses at once their distinction and their indissoluble unity,” at least, that is what Britannica.com thinks. After about 400 years of people being accused of heresy and splitting the One God into three distinct things, arguing over how much of God is God, how much of Jesus is God, and where the Spirit fits, by the beginning of the 5th century, we had a solid doctrinal statement. The unity of God, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. 5th Century Theologian St. Augustine of Hippo wrote, “For to have the fruition of God the Trinity, after whose image we are made, is indeed the fullness of our joy, than which there is no greater.”
Let’s look at the passages that led to this doctrine.
The first and most foundational of these passages is found in Genesis. I have this icon on my office wall, of what Biblical scholars call “The Old Testament Trinity.” It illustrates the three beings who represent God to Abraham, sitting down to the meal Abraham had prepared for them.
It was common for God to visit people in various forms in Genesis- a burning bush, an angel, and in human form. In this case, the image of God comes to Abraham in the heat of the day as three humans. However, Abraham seems to have trouble distinguishing whether it is three beings or just one before him. He addresses the three singularly at first. “My Lord…” in verse three. Yet in the next verse, he tells his Lord to “rest yourselves by the tree.” In the rest of the passage, this image of God is called “They” or “them”.
A few things come to mind as I read through this passage.
1) I am surprised at how eager Abraham is to serve these three, or this one holy visitor. It is hot and late in the afternoon. Abraham is seated at the door of his tent in the shade. I imagine the hot air shimmering as Abraham sits there, pondering the message he has just heard from God- that he would have a covenant with God, that his name would no longer be Abram, and that his wife, Sarah, in her very advanced age, will bear a son. In addition, to show his allegiance to God, he and the other males in his household have just been circumcised. Ouch! Those are some massive life changes for a man in his 90s. There was a lot on Abraham’s plate!
2) Then, as the heat of the day shimmers and makes things around him seem blurry, he sees this image of three travelers coming his way. Despite the heat and all he is contemplating, Abraham realizes this is no ordinary visit, and uses the words “My Lord- Adonai אֲדֹנָי”- a proper name for God. Abraham asks them to stay while he gets Sarah to help him assemble a sumptuous feast- fresh cakes, barbecued beef, and fresh cheese curds. Knowing these visitors were holy, I wonder if they might have made him hope they would explain what God had just told him about Sarah and all the rest.
3) It just so happens they did, reiterating that Sarah would have a son in the Spring, and this threefold image of God would return for another visit then.
The following passage is a bit murkier regarding God in three ways, but it is found in the book of Proverbs and is often read on Trinity Sunday. A few years ago, I preached a sermon series about the character, Woman Wisdom, as portrayed in Proverbs. This wisdom (Khokmah in Hebrew- חָכְמָה) is wisdom that comes directly from God. Following this wisdom leads us into living out values and virtues such as generosity, faithfulness, kindness to the poor, honesty in market relations, and fairness in the legal realm, especially for those with a marginal socioeconomic status (Proverbs 10-31).
Verse 22 hints that God somehow created, acquired, or produced Khokmah. She was there with God as a Master Builder and delighted in creation and humanity. So, this wisdom is with God from the beginning before creation, was a master builder along with God as creation occurred (think of the Ruach, the breath of God over the waters of creation in Genesis 1), and is the embodiment and teacher of God’s wisdom. Hence, most Biblical scholars believe that Woman Wisdom is an early representation of the Spirit.
As the early patriarchal church struggled with anything Divine and feminine, theologians of the time conveniently connected Khokmah to Jesus, who in John’s Gospel is called the Logos, λόγος—the Divine wisdom or Word of God. So, Jesus also was with God at the beginning of creation. That is what Khokmah is really about. There is no need to struggle with Woman Wisdom anymore. Sigh. I told you this passage was a murky reference to the Trinity.
Moving onto the New Testament, a passage in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 28:19) became foundational to the doctrine of the Trinity, as Jesus told the gathered disciples to go out and baptize people in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the same baptismal formula used for centuries in the Christian church. When I baptize someone, I dip my hand in the water three times while praying over it to symbolize the Trinity. Then, during the baptism, the one being baptized has water poured on their head three times.
Our final passage to consider this morning comes from the Apostle Paul. Romans 5:1-5. Paul covers two things in this brief section. The first has to do with suffering. Paul certainly suffered in his life, being beaten and thrown into prison many times. In addition, many early Christians suffered one form of persecution or another. So verse three is Paul’s attempt to explain why bad things happen to good people. Suffering leads to patience, patience to a test of character, and character leads us to hope. Amid that explanation, Paul offers the only real working explanation of the Trinity in scripture. It wasn’t that Paul was trying to explain this doctrine, for it did not yet exist. Paul attempted to explain the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in one small paragraph. We have peace, or reconciliation with God through Jesus. Jesus gives us access to God’s grace through his sacrifice on the cross. In addition, God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which helps strengthen our hope.
So, there you have it, or have them or…The Trinity sprang up from a few passages that describe God in three ways, along with human beings trying to explain the Creator of the universe in a nice, neat little package. If it is still a bit fuzzy, perhaps some illustrations outside of baseball or scripture might help?
First, we have the triangle. A Triangle is one object with three sides. The one object would not exist without the three sides. They are of equal length, symbolizing the equality of God, Jesus, and the Spirit.
Next- Borromean Rings- The Borromean rings are three simple closed curves in three-dimensional space that are topologically linked and cannot be separated from each other. They are equally sized circles and interact in exact locations. Three rings create one form.
The Trinity Knot represents the Holy Trinity of God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three interlocking loops form a profound and straightforward shape, embodying a sense of unity. The circle linking the three pieces symbolizes eternity and God, who has no beginning or end.
3-leaf clover—St. Patrick is said to have used the three-leaf clover in Ireland in the 4th century. He used it to describe the nature of God to the Irish. Just as the clover has three leaves, it is still one thing. Just as God has three parts, God is still one thing.
So, after all that, are you now in complete agreement with Chat AI? Do you believe in the Trinity now, just because you are Presbyterian? Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to raise your hands if you believe. The Trinity is a mystery that points to some of the reality of the God who is one, yet three, and so much more! This ancient church doctrine may help us understand the nature of the Creator of all things a bit better, but the mystery of God remains. Theologian Rachel Evans, a contributor and co-creator of Sanctified Art.com, writes, “ The Holy Trinity doesn't need our permission to carry on in their endlessly resourceful work of making all things new. That we are invited to catch even a glimpse of the splendor of God is grace. All of it, every breath and every second is grace.” Alleluia. Amen.
