And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ~ Matthew 3:16-17
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most valuable and confusing teachings of Scripture because the human mind cannot comprehend a vastly infinite God. John Calvin wrote, “For who even of slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to ‘lisp’ in speaking to us? Thus, such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of Him to our slight capacity. To do this He must descend far beneath His loftiness” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.13.1, ed. McNeill, 121; emphasis mine). Vos agrees, “[The Trinity] is a divine mystery which human reason cannot explain” (Johannes G. Vos, The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary, 25). Therefore, by God’s grace, His Word teaches a special revelation to help finite minds to understand what He is. Again, Calvin continues, “For [God] so proclaims Himself the sole God as to offer Himself to be contemplated clearly in three persons. Unless we grasp these, only the bare and empty name of God flits about in our brains to the exclusion of the true God” (ICR, 1.13.2, 122).
The simplest explanations of Scripture’s teaching concerning the Trinity are the Church’s The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. The Heidelberg Catechism properly uses The Apostles’ Creed to teach the doctrine of the Trinity. The Westminster Confession of Faith 2.3 teaches, “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 (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 2:18): the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father (John 1:14,18; Heb. 2:1-3; Col. 1:15); the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son” (John 15:26; Gal. 4:6). Then The Westminster Larger Catechism asks, “How many persons are there in the Godhead?” And answers, “There be three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14) and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties (Gen:1:1-3; Psa. 45:6; John 1:1, 10:30, 17:5; Acts 5:3-4; Heb. 1:8-9)” (WLC, Q. 9). And the Heidelberg Catechism asks, “Since there is only one Divine Being, why do you speak of three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?” Then answers, “Because God thus revealed Himself in His Word, that these three distinct persons are the one, true, eternal God.” Finally, The Westminster Larger Catechism asks, “How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are equal with the Father?” And answers, “The Scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing to them such names (Isa. 6:3, 5, 8; John 12:41; Acts 5:3-4, 28:25; 1 John 5:20), attributes (Isa. 9:6; John 1:1, 2:24-25; 1 Cor. 2:10-11), works (Gen. 1:2; Col. 1:16), and worship (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), as are proper to God only” (WLC, Q. 11).
God, through His Word, shows us that He is only one and yet exists in three distinct persons all who are qual with each other. We use illustrations such as water, ice, and steam; an egg; and a three-leaf clover to explain this mystery. However, they do not fully explain the mystery of God’s essence or substance. Yet, just because we cannot comprehend such a doctrine, we should humbly accept it as something beyond our power to comprehend. John Frame commenting on the Exodus thirty-four and Second Corinthians three passages states, “Although the doctrine is not irrational, there are aspects of it that are very difficult to understand. Generally, we say that things which are identical to the same thing (here, Jesus and the Spirit to Yahweh) are identical to each other (so the Lord is the Spirit). In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, that logical inference is allowed. But we know from other Scriptures that that is not the whole story, and the identity here is not an identity in every sense, but an identity of nature or essence” (John M. Frame, The Doctrine of God, 692-693, emphasis mine). Brakel states, “A godly person will never deny this mystery, although all believers do not perceive this mystery with equal clarity.” He continues, “The believer in all his religious exercises operates from this principle. Guided by the Holy Spirit he goes to the Son, and through the Son to the Father. The oneness of the divine Being will thus shine around him as he is exercised concerning the Trinity” (Wilhelmus À Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service: 1, 176).
Although the Trinity is a divine mystery that has no parallels in the natural world and has not been revealed in nature, it is most important for a covenant child of God to understand concerning their salvation. Again, Vos teaches concerning question nine of the WLC, “This is far from being a mere technical theory or abstract doctrine. Christianity stands or falls with the doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible represents the plan of salvation as a compact or covenant among the persons of the Trinity. Where the doctrine of the Trinity is abandoned, the whole Bible teaching about the plan of salvation must go with it” (Vos, 27). And Brakel’s exhorts, “Behold, must you not admit that faith in the Holy Trinity is profitable? Is it not the only foundation of a truly godly life and the fountain of all comfort? Therefore, consider God as being one in essence and existing in three Persons. Take notice of the operation of each Person in the administration of the covenant of grace, especially as it occurs within you” (Brakel, 191). Indeed, may it be so.
Andrews PCA 