By Ralph M. Petersen, 4/23/20
I don’t understand the doctrine
of the Trinity. I cannot comprehend a triune God nor can I explain Him. But I
do know that stupid analogies always fail and are heretical. God is NOT like an
egg, water, a man, pie, a triangle, a three-leafed clover, or Pla-doh.
Furthermore, there are lots of people who reject the doctrine of the Trinity
simply because they think these analogies don't make sense. And they are right.
There are no analogies that can explain the Trinity and we have no right to try
to invent such nonsense.
Nor do we have the right to
disbelieve the doctrine of a triune God; JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE
TRINITY IS NO REASON TO DISBELIEVE IT.
Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, “The secret things belong unto
the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our
children forever.”
And this is one of those secret things. The tri-unity of God
is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation but He has NOT revealed how that
can be or how we can understand it. Ours is just to take Him at His Word and
believe it. No analogy can explain the Trinity because there is nothing in all
of God's creation like Him. He is holy; there is none like Him.
“God Said It, I Believe It and That Settles It For Me,” was a
song that was popularized in the 1970s. At first glance, it sounds good but the
obvious error in the song is the phrase, “I believe it.” That seems to imply
that the veracity of the declared Word of God is dependent on my belief. The
better lyric would be, “God Said It and That Settles It Whether I Believe It Or
Not.”
So, regarding the doctrine of the Trinity (and all other
doctrines of God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture), our belief (or even
our understanding) is irrelevant. There are a lot of things about Him that I
don't understand. I can't comprehend eternity apart from and unaffected by
time. Nor can I understand how God can exist apart from His created universe
and yet inhabit His creation. Nevertheless, God’s Word is true even if no one
understands it or believes it. We are not privileged to a complete
understanding. All we can know about Him is what He has revealed to us in His
Word. That’s it! That settles it! That’s all! End of discussion!
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