The Great One in Three

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?
Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
~Romans 11:33-36

Throughout history, Christians have had to defend themselves against the charge that they have three Gods in their worship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many creeds have been written to exposit a correct understanding of this beautiful doctrine, which often comes under attack and is frequently misunderstood and distorted.

Our pastor's catechism sermon yesterday afternoon (on Lord's Day 8--"Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three?") was an encouraging reminder of just how precious this biblical doctrine is. He emphasized several times that this is not just an academic doctrine. In his words, understanding the Trinity enables us to "drink from the wells of salvation." Indeed.

At Lord's Day 8, the catechism begins a study of the Apostle's Creed, which our congregation recites every afternoon service. Each morning service, our pastor reads the law and then gives us an assurance of our pardon. Pastor V reminded us of the importance of these practices. They are incredibly relevant, and we don't hear the law and recite the creed each week out of tradition or as some sort of prideful badge of our conservatism. We hear the law each week because we need to be mindful of our sin, and we confess the creed, a summary of the gospel, to remind us that God saves us sinners and that salvation is of God. These are the things God's people most need to hear when they gather on the Lord's Day, and we should never find law and gospel irrelevant or cease this practice because we think those in attendance may be put off by it.

With the above Romans passage as his text, Pastor V then demonstrated how the doctrine of the Trinity is contained in verse 36. When Paul says that "from him . . . are all things," he is referring to God the Father, who created all things and sustains them. "Through him" is a reference to Jesus Christ, God's Son, who has provided our deliverance in salvation. "To him" alludes to the Holy Spirit, who applies Christ's benefits to the elect, that we might live to the glory of God.

Although Scripture never uses the word Trinity, the doctrine is apparent throughout Scripture. We see it first in Genesis 1: v. 1--the Father created; v. 2--the Spirit hovers over the face of the waters; v. 3--the Son is the word through which creation occurs.

How amazing is this doctrine that often is written off as incomprehensible and too difficult for us to grasp! God the Father thought of us before Genesis 1, before the creation of the world. God the Son humbled himself, came to this world in human form, and suffered and died to save us. And God the Holy Spirit has made us his temple. "God in three persons--blessed Trinity!"