The Trinity

Christians supposedly believe in "the Trinity", a popular but confusing doctrine that gives the impression that Christians believe in three gods. It is my conviction that Christians in the United States place far too much emphasis on minor doctrinal differences and are far too willing to forget their main mission (and love) in order to "take a stand" on confusing topics.  (See, for example, this blogpost that raises concerns about "complementarians" and the Trinity and this Wikipedia article for a history of some of the past viewpoints and disagreements!)

The theological concept of the "Trinity" of God dates to the second century and is an attempt to understand the way God is represented in creation, in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. The concept is not explicit in the Scriptures, but various pieces of it are implied in certain passages.

That there is only one God, not three, is clear throughout Scripture. The Old Testament "Shema Israel" passage, in Deuteronomy 6:4, makes that a basic principle of the faith of Israel.

In John 1: 1-4, we are introduced to the Word (Logos) of God, the creative mind of God, with God from the beginning of creation, finally made flesh (John 1:14) in the appearance of Jesus.

In Hebrews 1: 1-3, Jesus is similarly described as the one through whom the universe was made. Furthermore, he is the "exact representation" of God. I cannot read those passages without reading the claim that Jesus is God, in some human representation of him.

In John 14: 16-17, Jesus promises to send "a Comforter" who will live within his followers and we see this Comforter appear at Pentecost in Acts 2.  The early church seemed to view the Holy Spirit as the presence of God (or Jesus) internally guiding the believer and Paul seems to explicitly identify the Holy Spirit with Jesus (eg. II Corinthians 3:17.)

There is a popular explanation of the Trinity in a diagram (see below.) The diagram makes no sense to me, as it violates our understanding of "is" or "equal."  As a mathematician, if God=Son and God=Father then Father=Son by the transitive property of equality!  Apparently the word "is" here means something different than the way I typically use it.  I am uncomfortable with an argument that relies (to quote an American president) "on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

That people consider this important is clear.  But it is not important that a Christian sort this out. If the Bible only provides a sketch of the complexity of God, I see no obligation to take that sketch and create an intricate (and flawed) systematic theology. Nor am I obligated to endorse someone else's detailed (and flawed) theology.

The website GotQuestions.org attempts to lay out the Biblical theology for the Trinity.  There is some good material these, including a number of related Old Testament passages.  But I appreciate most that the site wisely ends with this paragraph:

"The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue throughout the entire history of the Christian church. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are, to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite human minds, we would be better served by focusing on the fact of God's greatness and His infinitely higher nature. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34)."

Ruth, Dreamers... and a Plea

The Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges describe the pagan nations that routinely fought the young nation of Israel, attempting to destroy it.

One of these evil pagan nations was Moab.

In the midst of this history, in the time of the Judges, a pagan woman, a Moabite refugee, enters the small Judean town of Bethlehem. In Bethlehem she is welcomed and protected. And in the sovereign plan of God, she has a son (a "Redeemer".) Her great-grandchild is David, a future king. In her lineage is the Messiah, the Son of David.

The line of Jesus goes back through this Moabite refugee welcomed by the village of Bethlehem.

The book of Ruth displays God's sovereign plans, the ways that God works out, over a long period of time, His redemption. The short book of Ruth is a beautiful work. Read through it slowly!  Read it as a romance, if you will, between Ruth and Boaz ... and between God and the widow and orphan.

Do not miss an undercurrent theme in the book of Ruth -- indeed, throughout the Old Testament -- the emphatic insistence that the people of Israel were to welcome the alien and the stranger. God worked through the "alien and stranger". In the Old Testament there are two, three dozen explicit instructions to welcome, protect and shield the alien!

And so, to my Christian friends, a plea –

   IF you have looked at the heartbeat of a fetus and -- knowing that it had a beating heart and felt pain -- if in love for the vulnerable fetus, you have taken a stand for the unborn,
   IF you are aware of those sweet children who are born with an extra copy of chromosome 21 and if you have then acted in love for those with Downs Syndrome (some of you even have started calling it Ups Syndrome!)

THEN, as your brother in Christ, seeking to speak in the Holy Spirit, I plea with you, I beg, that you consider the plight of the "undocumented aliens" and those "dreamers" around you who love this country, their home!

They are in your block.  They live near you and go to your church.

Please, walk down the block, cry with them and pray with them! And then (as you would for the unborn and those with Downs) take a stand for the Immigrant. Reach out to your congressional representative and ask that our country find a way to legally welcome these people who love the USA and who are doing so much for our beautiful country!

My wife and I are currently involved in a Christian ministry that includes at least three students who have publicly identified themselves as DACA recipients.  These friends are anxious and frightened. Last year they studied hard, hoping to soon graduate and start a career. Now they are afraid that in six months they will be deported to a country they do not know.

And IF you are sympathetic with the unborn and IF you are sympathetic with those with Downs but can still turn your back on the Dreamers – if you as a Christian, but can ignore two dozen Old Testament passages on the immigrant  – if you can find words like "Obama" or "America" or "Muslim extremist" to ignore that scared neighbor down the block – then your conscience has been seared.  I pray, in Jesus name, that you RESET your conscience – that you put Jesus above your job and your country – and I beg that you weep with the dreamers and then act to protect them.  If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, if your Master is concerned about the unborn and the child with Downs, then please prayerfully, slowly, read through the last half of Matthew 25, read the book of Ruth, read through the more than two dozen Old Testament commands, and see your dreamer neighbor as God does!

Republican, Democrat or Independent, this issue is above American politics. It is an issue for Christians, residents of a different country (Hebrews 11:13-16.)  Please, act as a citizen of that eternal kingdom!

Some Teachings of Jesus (21st Century Texas Version)

In modern 21st century USA, it is common for people to use Christianity as a comfortable crutch, offering a convenient spiritual side to their lives.  But Christianity was never intended that way; Jesus never made the religious people feel comfortable but challenged them at every turn.  To make that point, let's take a few of his statements and simply move them into the 21st century American culture.

Matthew 23: 1 - 13, 23
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The religious leaders preach from their Sunday pulpits, with lots of helpful teachings on honesty and morality.  Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They create large churches with choirs that praise their country.  They love the place of honor on talk shows and political campaigns. They love to be seen in the White House, in pictures praying with the president.  They love the title of Evangelical Leader....

 “Woe to you, religious leaders and evangelical pastors, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces....  You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. 

Luke 9: 25 - 37
On one occasion a religious leader stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”...

“What does the Bible say?” Jesus asked. “How do you read it?”

The religious leader answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said, “A black family lived in an apartment in Houston's Fifth Ward when a terrible flood destroyed their home. Trapped and drowning in the rising flood waters, they called out for help. 

A large nearby church had water damage and said, 'We are not ready yet.' 

FEMA said, 'Shipments are on the way.' 

But two Dreamers, illegal immigrants, got out their fishing boat and rode the waves and waters into the apartment complex.  They pulled the family out, took them and their pets to dry land and found shelter for them. These two paid, out of their own small savings, for food and water for the family and prayed with them.

Which of these three, the church, the government, or the illegal immigrant, was their neighbor?"

The religious expert replied, “The one who had mercy on them.”

Jesus told him, “Yes. Go and do likewise.”

(Sadly, as I write this, a Dreamer has died helping others in the Houston flood waters. See this article.)

Conclusion

"Most people want Jesus as a consultant rather than a king". 

 (A quote of Tim Keller, passed on to me by a friend.)  

If we seek to have Jesus as king, instead of a comfortable consultant, we will struggle.  We will not fit into the current religious system. We will recognize that the religious system loves prestige and power and ignores the poor. But if Jesus is King, we have no choices here. He rejected prestige and power and he cared for the poor. We must have the same view.

I make no claims that this is easy or that I manage to accomplish this. But I must try.