“[The early church] was asking, in the most serious way, whether the Son truly reveals God, whether the Spirit truly gives us God, and whether salvation actually brings us into communion with God or only places us near him.” –Barton Breen

What have you discovered about your underlying image of the Trinity this past week? Were you able to pinpoint any unrecognized beliefs that might have divided the Trinity in your thinking? There’s no right or wrong answer, only awareness and invitation. Now let’s explore some of the early days of the Trinitarian idea (I’ll be quoting Barton Breen throughout).

The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible. Does that surprise you? We’re so familiar with the words, “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” that we might not have ever given much thought to how they came to be. This was one of the main things I wanted to learn about when I went to seminary: How did the early Church, birthed from staunchly-monotheistic Judaism, land on the idea of a single and yet Three-Personed God?

Without getting too far into the historical and theological weeds, it’s good to know that it took some time in early Christian thinking to land on a single God co-existing in three Persons, although it seems Jesus was worshiped “in the earliest known Christianity” (Dale Tuggy). By the time of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the formula we know had begun to take shape. Later, the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil the Great, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus) helped give language about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that protected “the truth already given in Christ, Scripture, baptism, worship, and prayer” (Breen). Their words helped “protect the distinction of Father, Son, and Spirit without dividing the life of God” (Breen). Again, we have to ask, why does it matter?

Breen again: it’s “because the nature of God informed and shaped the day-to-day walk of Christians. If the Son isn’t fully God, then Jesus doesn’t truly reveal God to us. He may reveal something about God, or something sent by God, but not God Himself. If the Spirit is not fully God, then the Spirit doesn’t truly bring us into the life of God. He may influence us, inspire us, or assist us, but He doesn’t unite us to God’s own life. If the Father is unlike Jesus, then Christ may save us, but He doesn’t show us the Father’s heart.” Whether or not we know it, these ideas affect how we live out our faith. There’s more to explore, so come back next week as we continue searching the mystery of the Trinity, together.

–Lori Duncan