“I Love The Trinity”
During my time in formation, I came across a little book called “The Forgotten Trinity”. The author, who spent a lot of time in formal debates defending the Trinity, begins by talking about how much he loves the Trinity. It sounds odd – we Christians are happy to say that we love Jesus; or that we love our heavenly Father; or even that we love the Holy Spirit. But to say “I love the Trinity”? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on a bumper sticker.
God willing, I will spend a little bit of time each week going through one of our foundational Anglican documents: the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. We have it at the back of our prayer book, but it really should be at the front. They aren’t binding to us Anglicans in the same way as, say, the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, or the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. (We Anglicans always like to leave the door open for more questions.) But the Articles do give us a reference point, to make sure we are keeping within the boundaries of orthodox belief. (There is a saying that G. K. Chesterton may have said: “Don't open your mind so much your brain falls out.”)
And so let us spend a little time with these Articles, to help us understand better what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus in the Anglican tradition.
1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The Articles start at the beginning. Consider St Paul in the eleventh chapter of his Epistle to the church in Rome, as he has gone through the great mystery of God’s work in bringing together people from all over the world into his kingdom:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counsellor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
The apostle is in absolute awe. He has taught something about what God has done, and it has led him to reflect on God himself, and that reflection has left him sitting back, speechless.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a dry, mathematical equation for us to figure out. It is more like when you were a child and looked up, and up, and up, until the world got dizzy. (I remember visiting Sydney as a child, and almost falling over backwards as I tried to find the top of the skyscrapers in the CBD.)
What is more mysterious about God? That he is One Being and Three Persons at the same time? Or that he is the Maker, and Preserver, of all things both visible and invisible? Whenever we stop and think about God, we eventually end up in the same place as St Paul: sitting back in awe and wonder, speechless.
The further we look up at God, the dizzier we get at the absolute impressive majesty of his splendour. More than that, we see the results of his existence everywhere. In things like storms and waves, yes, but also in human smiles and simple acts of loving-kindness.
What about God do you love? Where do you see examples of his impressive majesty in your daily life?