The Rorschach GodНамуна

Whatever Happened to the Trinity?:
The significance of the doctrine of the Trinity lies in its foundation of goodness and love. If we envision a solitary deity throughout eternity, it inevitably leads to a conception of God as isolated and self-centered, lacking relational depth. Such a deity would be unapproachable, impersonal, and devoid of goodness, as goodness inherently involves relational dynamics. Furthermore, genuine love necessitates an object to be loved, and in the absence of another, love devolves into self-centeredness, far removed from the selfless love that agape epitomizes.

This is where the doctrine of the Trinity becomes indispensable. It asserts that at the core of God’s eternal existence lies fellowship, other-centeredness, and approachability—the essence of communion characterized by self-giving and sacrifice in relationship to the other. Thus, the Trinity grounds the very essence of God’s being in a relational context, highlighting His eternal self-giving nature and underscoring the importance of communion and sacrificial love in the divine nature.

The foundation of trust lies in understanding that we can place our trust in the Father, Son, and Spirit because their eternal relationship sets the standard for how they interact. Their unwavering trust and love for one another throughout eternity are the blueprint for how they relate to us. If there were doubts between them—perhaps the Holy Spirit questioning the Father’s heart or the Father questioning Jesus or the Holy Spirit—it would cause us to hesitate to trust them. However, when we witness in the New Testament the profound love between the Father, Son, and Spirit—how the Father loves the Son, as Jesus demonstrates through His actions, and how the Son aligns Himself completely with the Father’s will—it reveals a relationship of beauty and goodness that is entirely focused on others. This is the same way they relate to each of us.

The roots of the doctrine of the Trinity can be traced back to the pages of the New Testament, where glimpses of this complex unity between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are scattered throughout the apostles' writings. While the term “Trinity” itself does not appear in the Bible, the foundational principles underlying the doctrine emerge from passages such as the baptismal formula in Matthew 28:19 (ESV), “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and the apostolic benedictions invoking the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV), "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."