The Holy Trinity
Having considered the name, the essence, and the attributes of God, we will now turn to the mystery of all mysteries, the Holy Trinity. Throughout history all parties opposed to the truth have vehemently assaulted this article of faith. The ancient church has always confessed this article and defended it as a steadfast pillar of the truth against Sabellians, Arians, and Valentians. However much they may disagree with one another concerning other points of doctrine, they are united in their attack upon the Holy Trinity. Today we must defend this article against Socinians, Anabaptists, Socinian Arminians, and other proponents of error. Thanks be unto God who has always caused the church to be faithful to this truth. The church stands firm in this truth until this very day, and God will enable her to stand firm in it until the day of Christ, in spite of all who regret this.
Before we proceed with our consideration of this doctrine and before you meditate upon it, the following must be clearly perceived.
First, it must be understood that God is incomprehensible in His essence and existence. It should further be understood that we human beings, to whom God has been pleased to reveal Himself in a manner sufficient to lead us unto salvation, only know in part and are but able to grasp a fragment or the external fringes of the doctrine at hand. Believers must not, nor do they desire to, proceed with their minds beyond its defined limitations, that is, beyond that which the Lord has been pleased to shed light upon. Whatever cannot be fully understood and perceived, they believe. They worship the Invisible One who dwells in the light which no man can approach unto.
Secondly, the entire written Word of God, having been given to man, uses human language and words which relate to tangible objects. Such is the wondrous wisdom, goodness, and omnipotence of God, that man by means of earthly expressions understands spiritual matters. Thus, that which is stated ἀνθρωποπαθῶς (anthropopathós), that is, in a human manner, can be understood Θεοπρεπως (theoprepós), that is, in its divine dimension. Such is the case with the language and vocabulary which are used to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Therefore one must be cautious not to cleave to the tangible matters from which the words have been derived, nor to bring divine matters down to the human level. Rather, we must ascend above tangible matters and expressions in order that, in a spiritual manner pleasing to God, we may understand what God states concerning Himself. May you thus maintain the spiritual frame which we have described in the previous chapter. Reread it attentively and apply it in this chapter.
Thirdly, it should be understood that the Holy Trinity cannot be known from nature, but has only been revealed in Scripture. Therefore one should refer only to Scripture and in all simplicity believe its testimony. One must not exalt his wisdom above that which has been written; he must set all human reasoning aside and avoid all imaginary comparisons to tangible objects. Such comparisons, rather than shedding light upon the issue, result in more obscurity and tend to divert from, rather than promote, a proper understanding of this mystery. May the Lord sanctify and guide me in writing, and you in reading or hearing.
The Singular Essence of God’s Being
We maintain and state emphatically that there is but one, only God. “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut 6:4); “For though there be that are called gods … to us there is but one God” (1 Cor 8:5-6); “But God is one” (Gal 3:20); “For there is one God” (1 Tim 2:5). There can of necessity only be one eternal, omnipotent, and all-sufficient Being. Even the most intelligent among the heathen have acknowledged this. The most barbaric heathen of our time, showing no external evidence of any religion, acknowledge but one God. The perception among the heathen that there are many gods seems to originate from the knowledge of the existence of angels, and perhaps also from an erroneous understanding concerning the Holy Trinity, and the plural name of God, Elohim.
Divine Personality Defined
This one and only God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The divine Being has a threefold manner of existence, which expressed in intelligible language—lest heretics find here a pretext—is denominated in Scripture by the use of the word “person.” In Heb 1:3 reference is made to “the express image of His person,” or as it is stated in Greek, τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ (Tés hypostasós autou). Since the word ὑπόστασις (hypostasis) refers to an intelligent, independent being, the reference is consequently to a person. We understand this to refer to a living, intelligent, incommunicable being who is fully independent, sharing no part with any other being. Such is true of angels and men who consequently are referred to as persons. By application of this concept the divine entities are called persons, so that, in perceiving the divine dimension of the anthropomorphism, we should be able to comprehend something about that which is incomprehensible. We can consider one of the divine Persons in an abstract sense, that is, outside of the context of the divine Being, as is expressed for instance in Heb 1:3, where it is stated that Christ is the express image of His Father’s Person. We can also consider the Person in a concrete sense, that is, as viewed in union with the divine Being, such as is expressed in Phil 2:6, where it is said “Who being in the form of God.” According to His divine nature Christ is said to be ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ (en morphé Theou), in the form, that is, having the being and nature of God so that He is equal to God. As the form of a servant includes personhood, essential being, and characteristics, the Word of God similarly includes personhood, essential being, and attributes as constituting the form of God. The manner in which attributes are ascribed to God has been discussed in the previous chapter.