What Matters Most Part 2...

We all have convictions, persuasions, and opinions. Convictions are those things that we are willing to part company over. Persuasions are those things that we are convinced of and will argue but we are unwilling to break a relationship over. Opinions are things we think are true but will not argue for. When I was young I had many, many convictions. Now, many of my convictions have become persuasions and a number of persuasions have become opinions. This is the second post, the first post can be found here.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

One of the things I like most about the passage is the clear statement of the Trinity. It's one of the clearest that we have in the whole of the Scriptures. The Trinity is one of those doctrines that are particularly difficult to explain and nail down. Yet, it is one of the most important beliefs that we have.

We believe that there is one God in three persons. The Westminster Confession of Faith states it this way (Chapter 2.3),

In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.[38] The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; [39] the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. [40]

The Trinity is of such extreme mystery and importance one theologian put it this way, "If you seek to understand the Trinity you will lose your mind. If you deny it, you will lose your soul."

This is not the place for a full treaty on the Trinity, as that's not the point of these posts. However, the question of "why?" must be answered. Why is belief in the Trinity on my list of "convictions"?

First, the Trinitarian nature of God goes to the very heart of who he is. If we do not hold to the Trinity then we cease to worship the God that is revealed to us in the Scriptures (that's the next post). If we do not worship him them we are worshiping our own created idol.

Second, it is through the Trinitarian nature of God that we can fully understand our salvation. As a result of the fall of Adam humanity has become radically corrupted. In his grace and fore-loving, God the Father, without condition, chose his people. God the Son effectually atoned for the sin of those that God the Father chose. God the Holy Spirit effectually calls the one's whose sin was atoned for by God the Son and keeps them to the very end.

Finally, it is the context of the Trinity that we see that God is relational and intimate. It is the foundation for Christian community. God is himself a community and therefore we as his image bearers seek this out as well.