[Great Verses] Jesus, the Son Made ManSýnishorn

The mystery of the Triune God

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.”

Can you imagine standing on the bank of the Jordan River and watching this scene? First, John baptizes Jesus, which is shocking enough. Then Heaven opens, and a Dove descends, one that’s more than just a dove. And there’s this voice. What a voice! Like thunder, speaking to Jesus. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Can you imagine standing there, eyes wide, jaw open, and heart racing? In one fell swoop, the triune God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God, three persons. It’s not one person who changes forms. It’s not like liquid water becoming ice and then becoming vapor. The Father doesn’t become the Son and later become the Spirit. Oh, no. One God (underscored throughout the Bible), yet three distinct persons, each eternally and equally God.

The baptismal charge found at the other end of Matthew’s Gospel places the unity and the plurality of the Godhead side by side: “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” One name, singular, because there is only one God. Yet this is the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, indicating that there are three persons in the one Godhead.

Does this make sense? Not fully. Is it logically tidy and neat? Hardly. Is there any precedent or analogy elsewhere? Not that I know of. Would any person have dreamed this up? I doubt it. Is there mystery here? Yes! Mystery abounds. Am I surprised that God transcends and baffles my little finite reason? Not at all.

One God, yet three persons. That’s what the Bible assumes. And this truth is crucial. It means that God did not need to create humans or angels in order to love. God has always loved. There has always been perfect love between the persons of the Trinity. God did not become a lover at a point in time, because He has always loved. Our God is love. If God was not triune, then He would not be love in His essence. Triune God. We would never have thought this up, but now that God has revealed his Trinity, we see how wonderful and necessary it is. Our great triune God is a lover. “This is my beloved Son.” And He always has been.