Is this an accurate explanation of the Trinity?

[Kastling]

It can be said that of every doctrine of every Christian denomination none is harder to understand than the doctrine of the Trinity. I say this because every explanation that I have read or heard has given me nothing more than an analogical reiteration of its basic principle; God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are three “persons” who together make one God. What makes my inquiry feel unanswered is that these explanations fail to explain the real question; how? How do three individual “persons” exist equally in absolute harmony through a single conscience? And how have these “persons” existed eternally together if one of them, the Son (Jesus Christ), was begotten by the Father? Because the meaning of ‘begotten’ is to ‘procreate or generate’ it signifies that the begotten “person” was at some moment nonexistent. However, since I have yet to read or hear a satisfying explanation regarding the Trinity I feel compelled to offer my own based upon my own understanding.

I will first begin with an analogy which is also a reiteration of the doctrine’s basic principle but I feel this analogy describes the Trinity in a much deeper and more fundamental way.

“The painter painted a painting.”

At first this analogy may seem to miss the mark of explaining the Trinity in a precise and understandable way, however I feel this analogy accurately reflects the Trinity but most likely needs a few words of its own. Think of it like this: the Painter is a being, the act of painting is his/her will, and the painting is his/her’s expression. To liken this to the Trinity would be: the Painter is God the Father who is a being, the act of painting/have painted is the Holy Spirit and is the will of God the Father, and the painting is the Son (Jesus Christ) who is the expression of God the Father.

Below is depiction of the analogy with the representation simplistically explaining the nature of each “person” of the Trinity.

Analogy Representation Trinity

The Painter ----------A Being--------------------God the Father

Painted (act)---------The Being’s Will------------The Holy Spirit

A Painting------------The Being’s Expression------The Son (Jesus Christ)

From this we can further describe the relationship between the three “persons” of the Trinity. Here is a basic analogical comparison separated into three sections discussing each “person's” analogical relationship.

-------The Painter, a Being, and God the Father-------

The Painter is a painter because he/she has painted a painting. If the Painter had not painted (will) a painting (expression) he/she could not be called a painter. Likewise, if God the Father existed without will (Holy Spirit) and expression (Jesus Christ) he could not be identified with any attribute. For example, a person cannot be loving if they don’t show love, and someone cannot be just if they don’t show justice. The Bible states that God is both loving and just and therefore he has acted loving and just through expression to be such.

-------The act of painting, the Being’s Will, and the Holy Spirit-------

The act of the Painter painting is a part of what makes him/her a painter, it is the process that leads to the Painter’s painting. Likewise, God the Father’s will (Holy Spirit) is a part of what makes him God because it is his ability to make his expression, which is the Son (Jesus Christ). This will cannot exist independently because it is an extension of God the Father, just as the act of singing is dependent on a person to sing and could not exist independently.

However, this comparison of the Holy Spirit’s relation to God the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) is very simplistic and does by no means express the entire nature of the Holy Spirit and its function in the Trinity. Although, the basic understanding of the Holy Spirit is that it is the will of God the Father.

--------A Painting, the Being’s Expression, and the Son (Jesus Christ)-------

The painting is an expression of the Painter. The painting’s colors, shapes, and brush strokes embody who the Painter is, in other words, the painting is but a rendition of the Painter. Likewise, the Son (Jesus Christ) is the embodiment of God the Father, they are separate yet the same in that they are a reflection of one another. The Painter and his/her painting could not have existed without the other. Similarly, the Father and the Son could not exist without the other but are different in that they also are unable to exist without the other because both are eternal.

-------Putting It All Together-------

Each “person” of the Trinity is therefore reliant on the others. The three “persons” are thus a Tri-Unity, or Trinity. From God the Father proceeds both the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son (Jesus Christ). I have included quotation marks around “person” when describing an element of the Trinity because it should be understood in likeness to the philosophical meaning, which is a “self-conscious or rational being,” rather than in likeness to the makeup of human beings.

---The Son (Jesus Christ)---

Perhaps the most important verses in the Bible which explain the Trinity are John 1:1-3.

1 “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things were created through Him
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.” (HCSB trans.)

These verses describe the Son (Jesus Christ) and proclaim him as the Word, which is a translation of the Greek word “Logos (λόγο&#962.” Logos has various meanings but is derived from another Greek word “Lego (λέγ&#969” meaning "to count, tell, say, speak.” Although both Greeks words have multiple meanings they all are more or less defined as expressions. Thus, “Word” in a divine sense is the expression of God.

These verses also describe how “all things were created through him.” Like the analogy of the Painter whose painting existed in the conscience of him/her before being manifested on canvas, so to was the Son (Jesus Christ) in/with God the Father before being manifested as all of creation and later as the Word incarnate, being Jesus of Nazareth. However, the Son (Jesus Christ) has eternally existed in/with God the Father.

---Jesus Christ as the ‘Eternally Begotten’---

Although sounding like an oxymoron, the term “eternally begotten” might be better understood as “has forever existed in/with but proceeds from” in context of God the Father’s attributes in association with his expression. For example, God is inherently just and has at no time been unjust, but justice proceeds from him as can be seen in the relationship between God the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ). It is impossible for a human being to fathom the notion of something being eternal when our existence is limited by time. As a result, our understanding of God, the Trinity, and its begotten elements is also limited but can be somewhat understood in relation to our existence, such as analogies. Therefore, “eternally begotten” is just an attempt to describe with words a true but inconceivable notion.

 

[TomD]

I say this because every explanation that I have read or heard has given me nothing more than an analogical reiteration of its basic principle...

Well with the Trinity, any explanation can only ever be analogous, because the actuality of the Trinity transcends human understanding, so analogy is the best we can do. You'd need the Mind of God to understand it. But then that's not required, so nothing to fret about.

What makes my inquiry feel unanswered is that these explanations fail to explain the real question; how? How do three individual “persons” exist equally in absolute harmony through a single conscience?

See, we're already pushing the limitations of langiuage beyond its boundaries. There is not three Persona sharing one conscience; each Person acts according to Himself, in, as you say, absolute harmony with the other two.

And how have these “persons” existed eternally together if one of them, the Son (Jesus Christ), was begotten by the Father? Because the meaning of ‘begotten’ is to ‘procreate or generate’ it signifies that the begotten “person” was at some moment nonexistent.

In a spatiotemporal context, yes ... but God is outside time and space, so the laws of time and space do not apply.

God the Father begets God the Son eternally — it's not a one-time event, it's a dynamic continuum within the life of the Trinity. If the Arian argument is trye 'there was a time when He (the Son) was not', then equally there would be a time when He (the Father) was not ... and now we're introducing temporality and change into God, where there is no space, no time ...

In theology, we call this process circumincession in Latin or prichoresis in Greek.

Trinity in a much deeper and more fundamental way.

“The painter painted a painting.” ... I feel this analogy accurately reflects the Trinity but most likely needs a few words of its own.

OK

Think of it like this: the Painter is a being, the act of painting is his/her will, and the painting is his/her’s expression. To liken this to the Trinity would be: the Painter is God the Father who is a being, the act of painting/have painted is the Holy Spirit and is the will of God the Father, and the painting is the Son (Jesus Christ) who is the expression of God the Father.

Here, as ever, any analogy will always break down ... because If the painter is a being, so is the painting, and so is the act of painting ... because all three are beings, not two expressions of one (other) being ...

... This will cannot exist independently because it is an extension of God the Father ...

Sorry, but the Catholic/Orthodox will be shaking their heads. what you're saying is that the Second and Third 'elements' of the Trinity are not Persons in their own right, but the one Person of the First, under a different mode of being ...

However, this comparison ... is very simplistic and does by no means express the entire nature of the Holy Spirit and its function in the Trinity. Although, the basic understanding of the Holy Spirit is that it is the will of God the Father.

I would question that last sentence. It's not the Trinity as i understand it.

The painting is an expression of the Painter...

Owww ...

It's a noble effort, but really it's trying to rationalise something that cannot be rationalised.

One of my own faltering analogies, inspired by Augustine:
God is, and God knows that He is, that is, God is aware of Himself.
The is-ness of God is the Father. The knowledge of the is-ness is the Son.
There was never a time when God came to this understanding; there was never a time when God did not know who He is, so God's self-knowing is synonymous with His self-being, although we would say, logically, that God needed to be before he could know that He is ... but that's our limitation, not God's.

But to go on. Like God, you and I are, and we know we are, but our knowing is not quite the same as our being; for one, we are not entirely sure who we are, and for another, far more important, our self-knowing is not of the same substance as our self-being.

In God however, there is no such limitation, so God's self-knowing is as absolute, as full, as complete and as utter as His self-being — His knowing is the same substance as His being, but there are not two Gods, one who is, and another who is and knows the other; rather we call this Father and Son, and everything the Father is, the Son is, and the Son is everything the father is, for the Son is nothing less than the Father, nor anything other than the Father.

The Holy Spirit, the Third Person, 'The Anonymous One' is incrementally more difficult still, so you will excuse me if i pause here, and ask if my analogy of Father and Son as the being and knowing (respectively) of the One God makes sense?

The later comments in your post actually cover some of the points I've made above, so forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir!

Lastly, just as a matter of interest, whilst you are spot on to point out that Logos means far more than 'word' as we understand word, Logos/Word is also somewhat synonymous with the Hebrew term 'Memra', so rather than the idea of the Prologue of John being somewhat foreign to Hebraic theological speculation as had been long assumed, later scholarship has shown it's in line with contemporary Hebraic speculation.

God bless

TomD

 

[FearGod]

It can be said that of every doctrine of every Christian denomination none is harder to understand than the doctrine of the Trinity. I say this because every explanation that I have read or heard has given me nothing more than an analogical reiteration of its basic principle; God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are three “persons” who together make one God. What makes my inquiry feel unanswered is that these explanations fail to explain the real question; how? How do three individual “persons” exist equally in absolute harmony through a single conscience? And how have these “persons” existed eternally together if one of them, the Son (Jesus Christ), was begotten by the Father? Because the meaning of ‘begotten’ is to ‘procreate or generate’ it signifies that the begotten “person” was at some moment nonexistent. However, since I have yet to read or hear a satisfying explanation regarding the Trinity I feel compelled to offer my own based upon my own understanding.

I will first begin with an analogy which is also a reiteration of the doctrine’s basic principle but I feel this analogy describes the Trinity in a much deeper and more fundamental way.

“The painter painted a painting.”

At first this analogy may seem to miss the mark of explaining the Trinity in a precise and understandable way, however I feel this analogy accurately reflects the Trinity but most likely needs a few words of its own. Think of it like this: the Painter is a being, the act of painting is his/her will, and the painting is his/her’s expression. To liken this to the Trinity would be: the Painter is God the Father who is a being, the act of painting/have painted is the Holy Spirit and is the will of God the Father, and the painting is the Son (Jesus Christ) who is the expression of God the Father.

Below is depiction of the analogy with the representation simplistically explaining the nature of each “person” of the Trinity.

Analogy Representation Trinity

The Painter ----------A Being--------------------God the Father

Painted (act)---------The Being’s Will------------The Holy Spirit

A Painting------------The Being’s Expression------The Son (Jesus Christ)

From this we can further describe the relationship between the three “persons” of the Trinity. Here is a basic analogical comparison separated into three sections discussing each “person's” analogical relationship.

-------The Painter, a Being, and God the Father-------

The Painter is a painter because he/she has painted a painting. If the Painter had not painted (will) a painting (expression) he/she could not be called a painter. Likewise, if God the Father existed without will (Holy Spirit) and expression (Jesus Christ) he could not be identified with any attribute. For example, a person cannot be loving if they don’t show love, and someone cannot be just if they don’t show justice. The Bible states that God is both loving and just and therefore he has acted loving and just through expression to be such.

-------The act of painting, the Being’s Will, and the Holy Spirit-------

The act of the Painter painting is a part of what makes him/her a painter, it is the process that leads to the Painter’s painting. Likewise, God the Father’s will (Holy Spirit) is a part of what makes him God because it is his ability to make his expression, which is the Son (Jesus Christ). This will cannot exist independently because it is an extension of God the Father, just as the act of singing is dependent on a person to sing and could not exist independently.

However, this comparison of the Holy Spirit’s relation to God the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) is very simplistic and does by no means express the entire nature of the Holy Spirit and its function in the Trinity. Although, the basic understanding of the Holy Spirit is that it is the will of God the Father.

--------A Painting, the Being’s Expression, and the Son (Jesus Christ)-------

The painting is an expression of the Painter. The painting’s colors, shapes, and brush strokes embody who the Painter is, in other words, the painting is but a rendition of the Painter. Likewise, the Son (Jesus Christ) is the embodiment of God the Father, they are separate yet the same in that they are a reflection of one another. The Painter and his/her painting could not have existed without the other. Similarly, the Father and the Son could not exist without the other but are different in that they also are unable to exist without the other because both are eternal.

-------Putting It All Together-------

Each “person” of the Trinity is therefore reliant on the others. The three “persons” are thus a Tri-Unity, or Trinity. From God the Father proceeds both the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son (Jesus Christ). I have included quotation marks around “person” when describing an element of the Trinity because it should be understood in likeness to the philosophical meaning, which is a “self-conscious or rational being,” rather than in likeness to the makeup of human beings.

---The Son (Jesus Christ)---

Perhaps the most important verses in the Bible which explain the Trinity are John 1:1-3.

1 “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things were created through Him
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.” (HCSB trans.)

These verses describe the Son (Jesus Christ) and proclaim him as the Word, which is a translation of the Greek word “Logos (λόγο&#962.” Logos has various meanings but is derived from another Greek word “Lego (λέγ&#969” meaning "to count, tell, say, speak.” Although both Greeks words have multiple meanings they all are more or less defined as expressions. Thus, “Word” in a divine sense is the expression of God.

These verses also describe how “all things were created through him.” Like the analogy of the Painter whose painting existed in the conscience of him/her before being manifested on canvas, so to was the Son (Jesus Christ) in/with God the Father before being manifested as all of creation and later as the Word incarnate, being Jesus of Nazareth. However, the Son (Jesus Christ) has eternally existed in/with God the Father.

---Jesus Christ as the ‘Eternally Begotten’---

Although sounding like an oxymoron, the term “eternally begotten” might be better understood as “has forever existed in/with but proceeds from” in context of God the Father’s attributes in association with his expression. For example, God is inherently just and has at no time been unjust, but justice proceeds from him as can be seen in the relationship between God the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ). It is impossible for a human being to fathom the notion of something being eternal when our existence is limited by time. As a result, our understanding of God, the Trinity, and its begotten elements is also limited but can be somewhat understood in relation to our existence, such as analogies. Therefore, “eternally begotten” is just an attempt to describe with words a true but inconceivable notion.

in Islam we regard Jesus pbuh as the messenger of god.he isn't god,not the son and not the father,but a miraculous creation of god.

 

[Kastling]

in Islam we regard Jesus pbuh as the messenger of god.he isn't god,not the son and not the father,but a miraculous creation of god.

Thank you for sharing. However, I am fairly knowledgeable in regards to Islam. I actually was a Muslim before I became a Christian. But the Trinity is a doctrine supported by the proclaimed fulfillment of Islam, the Baha'i Faith. I suggest that you read a 'revelation' by Baha'u'llah titled Kitab-i Iqan. Look into the prophecies recorded in the books of hadith, whether from Sunni or Shi'i sources, concerning the Mahdi or Qa'im. The prophecies are rather dead on when compared to the appearance of Ali Muhammad (the Bab) in Iran, 1844.

Here, as ever, any analogy will always break down ... because If the painter is a being, so is the painting, and so is the act of painting ... because all three are beings, not two expressions of one (other) being ...

To say there are three beings in the Godhead is to say there is three Gods, the same as the doctrine of the LDS Church. There cannot be three individuals entities who are separate but one. To have one will makes sense but when applying it to the Godhead still makes three Gods with one will. Just as three carpenters building a house have one will to build the house.

Sorry, but the Catholic/Orthodox will be shaking their heads. what you're saying is that the Second and Third 'elements' of the Trinity are not Persons in their own right, but the one Person of the First, under a different mode of being ...

I am saying the Holy Spirit and the Son are Manifestations proceeding from the Father. There are three essences that are distinct but they all are various aspects that define the Godhead which is God.

I would question that last sentence. It's not the Trinity as i understand it.

Read through the New Testament to find what actions the Holy Spirit performs. They all can be attributed to the will of the Father. To say the Holy Spirit performed any action by it's own will is to again testify that there are three Gods. To say they are separate beings with one will is like a King saying about his regent heir, "Whatever decision my son makes is my will." There are two rulers but with one will.

 

[TomD]

Hi Kastling

To say there are three beings in the Godhead is to say there is three Gods...

Only if you assume 'being' according to its empirical determination. God is 'beyond being', so the term 'being', like 'person' is analogous.

To have one will makes sense but when applying it to the Godhead still makes three Gods with one will. Just as three carpenters building a house have one will to build the house.

OK. Then 'will' is common to the Three, as is 'Divinity', but again, that does not therefore assume tritheism, nor does it assume that there is one conscious will in which the Three share. There are three willing agents, if you like, who are God.

I am saying the Holy Spirit and the Son are Manifestations proceeding from the Father.

No, that's modalism, which was refuted by the Church in the 3rd century when it refuted Sabellius. It's a common misunderstanding, but then usually occurs when one thinks of the Deity in empirical terms.

Read through the New Testament to find what actions the Holy Spirit performs.

The actions are not the issue ... the independent activity is the point.

They all can be attributed to the will of the Father.

So can my actions, when I'm good ...

To say the Holy Spirit performed any action by it's own will is to again testify that there are three Gods.

Well patently it's not, as both Scripture and tradition affirm.

To say they are separate beings with one will ...

But we don't say that.

Can I ask at this stage, are you trying to explain the Doctrine of the Trinity as professed by Apostolic Tradition, or are you offering your own version and, in effect, your own doctrine?

God bless,

TomD

 

[Kastling]

There are three willing agents, if you like, who are God.

You are saying there are three willing agents who are each God, who together make the Godhead.

Then 'will' is common to the Three, as is 'Divinity'

Divinity is a label which you are applying to three entities, making three Gods who together make the Godhead. "Will" is an ability they all share, but to say their will is the same gives credence to saying that humanity has one will to improve its state of existence.

No, that's modalism, which was refuted by the Church in the 3rd century... It's a common misunderstanding, but then usually occurs when one thinks of the Deity in empirical terms.

The dove of Jesus' baptism? The impregnation of Mary? To quote Jesus, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God." Also, who is to believe that a few hundred bishops speak for Christianity when each has an agenda, a unique understanding, and has compromised on things such as the nature of Christ, the Holy Spirit, means of salvation etc. Pass a major bill through legislation and it looks very different from the original draft.

So can my actions, when I'm good ...

Subjective. Such a claim is like the Jews whom Jesus mocked for their outward righteousness but inward wickedness. You could show me a days full of righteous ways but when I leave your company you could be snorting cocaine off of a hooker's body. One must pray in their prayer closet, not boast.

Well patently it's not, as both Scripture and tradition affirm.

Your words say otherwise. You offer an incomprehensible teaching of the Trinity and blame the lack of understanding on our intellect, very clever.

Can I ask at this stage, are you trying to explain the Doctrine of the Trinity as professed by Apostolic Tradition, or are you offering your own version and, in effect, your own doctrine?

Let's say that I was "inspired" by the Holy Spirit and from which things were made known to me. Therefore, I preach the gospel according to the insight God has given me.

 

[josh120775]

What is the necessity of having the Trinity within Christianity? I see this debated alot, and I always wonder "why does it matter?"

If there's one God in three persons, or three manifestations, or Jesus and the Holy Spirit are workers of God, does it somehow effect the other Christian teachings?

If we didn't have the Trinity doctrine, how would Christianity be any different?

 

[ForeverFaithful]

“If you see charity, you see the Trinity”, wrote Saint Augustine in De Trinitate. With the giver being the Father, the reciever being the Son and the love between them being the Holy Spirit. This is what C.S. Lewis described as the great dance that the Christian is invited to join in.

However I will not speak anymore of it, one must not attempt to erradicate the mystery of God, for He is above human understanding

 

[Kastling]

What is the necessity of having the Trinity within Christianity? I see this debated alot, and I always wonder "why does it matter?"

If there's one God in three persons, or three manifestations, or Jesus and the Holy Spirit are workers of God, does it somehow effect the other Christian teachings?

If we didn't have the Trinity doctrine, how would Christianity be any different?

G
It's the difference between three Gods, which could either be Tritheist or henotheist, and one God, which is monotheism. Big difference on how scripture is interpreted and the doctrines coming forth from the interpretations.

However I will not speak anymore of it, one must not attempt to erradicate the mystery of God, for He is above human understanding

Just a clever way to believe what is comforting, regardless of the truth.

 

[TomD]

You are saying there are three willing agents who are each God...

I am saying the doctrine is very clear on the distinction between Trinity and tritheism.

... making three Gods who together make the Godhead.

No I'm not. You are assuming that. I am saying God is One, and God is Three. You are saying there are three entitles who 'make' a fourth entity you call Godhead. So the fourth, a making, must necessarily be distinct from the prior three, d'you see? The doctrine is quite clear on this. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. They are not components that combined make God, they are, simply, God.

There is no distinction whatsoever between the divinity of the Three Persons. They are One. The distinctions are relational, and thus external or extrinsic relations that do not define God as such: I am a father and a son, but that does not make me God, any more than 'fatherhood' or 'sonship' makes God God.

What the terms point to is God is Act. An act has its cause, its act, and its end. In God, who is outside time and space, the three are simultaneous in that they are not bound by time. God the Father can be said to be Cause, God the Son can be said to be Act, God the Holy Spirit can be said to be End.

It is one act – God – God the Father wills it, in that God wills what He is, and is what He wills. God the Son enacts it, according to the Father's will, as there is no distinction between what the Father wills and what the Son wills, and God the Holy Spirit sees it to its fruition, according to the Father's will enacted through the Son.

How the Son enacts the Father's will is His own act, His own existential autonomy. Therein lies His individuality as a Divine Person. The same goes for the Holy Spirit.

"Will" is an ability they all share, but to say their will is the same gives credence to saying that humanity has one will to improve its state of existence.

If willing is an ability they all share, then they are each necessarily self-willing agents. Humanity should have, by the way. The fact is they don't.

The dove of Jesus' baptism? The impregnation of Mary? To quote Jesus, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God."

He's not denying His divinity. He's revealing it.

Your words say otherwise. You offer an incomprehensible teaching of the Trinity and blame the lack of understanding on our intellect, very clever.

No I don't. I point to the reality that the Mystery of the Trinity transcends the human intellect. The intellect is fallible, and cannot see into the 'Divine Darkness' ...

God bless

TomD

 

[TomD]

What is the necessity of having the Trinity within Christianity?

None whatsoever. It is a Gift of Grace, the self-disclosure of God, It's not a necessity, It simply is.

If there's one God in three persons, or three manifestations, or Jesus and the Holy Spirit are workers of God, does it somehow effect the other Christian teachings?

Yes it does. It effects us more.

If we didn't have the Trinity doctrine, how would Christianity be any different?

It claim nothing more than a moral message. It would be a philosophy, not a religion.

God bless

TomD

 

[ForeverFaithful]

Just a clever way to believe what is comforting, regardless of the truth.

The alternative is having a God who is so small and simple that no reflection or devotion is required to have an understanding of Him.

You speak of Truth, but Truth comes from God, and God revealed Himself as a Trinity, an Infinite Trinity, that is the Truth regardless of what you say.

 

[Kastling]

and God revealed Himself as a Trinity

What verses explain the Trinity?

 

[Me Myself]

“If you see charity, you see the Trinity”, wrote Saint Augustine in De Trinitate. With the giver being the Father, the reciever being the Son and the love between them being the Holy Spirit. This is what C.S. Lewis described as the great dance that the Christian is invited to join in.

I liked that one. I would subscribe with us being christ, God outside us being the Father, and the love and interactions that give life to our interaction being the holy spirit.

 

[TomD]

It doesn't work like that, you're looking for the 'letter' (cf 2 Corinthians 3:6). Read Acts 8:26-35. Scripture needs to be explained, it does not stand independent of the Tradition.

Scripture is not a text book. Or rather, I would describe it as a living text, rather than an historic testimony. Scripture is sacred, not because of its subject matter, but because of the degree of inspiration, or divine origin (same thing). God didn't write it, but the Holy Spirit illuminates the text.

Many assume that because they can read, they understand what they are reading. People do not make this assumption of prose, or poetry (indeed many profess a difficulty in understanding the instruction manuals of household appliances), so why anyone should assume that because they can read Scripture, it must reveal its innermost depths to them, is beyond me.

Especially when the text itself says this is not the case.

The Doctrine of the Trinity is founded not on this or that verse of Scripture, although obviously certain verses are more explicit (John 14-16, for example), but on the message of Scripture as a whole — Scripture is an organic unity, a seamless garment, not a collection of facts.

God bless,

TomD

 

[ForeverFaithful]

What verses explain the Trinity?

Matthew 28:19