Is There Anyone Who Can Explain God?

"There is ...one Spirit" ... "one Lord" ... "one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." - Ephesians 4:4–6 (NKJV)

Paul says there is "one Spirit", "one Lord" (Jesus), and "one Father" in Ephesians 4:4-6. Notice that in these three simple verses he gives you the whole Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Paul is intentional about giving you all three.

The word "Trinity" comes from the Latin "Trinitas", first used by the early Church father Tertullian (150-160 AD). It literally means: "Three-ness", derived from trinus — meaning "threefold" or "three at a time". "tria" simply meaning "three". Tertullian gave us the classic Latin statement: "Una Substantia, Tres Personae" (One Substance, Three Persons). This statement attempts to understand our God, as One in substance, but Three in Persons.

Someone may ask, "Isn't that three gods?" The answer is "No." Deuteronomy 6:4 says, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." We serve one God. But He is a Trinitarian God.

Romans 11:34, in the Message paraphrase, reads, “Is there anyone around who can explain God?” It is impossible to fully comprehend or explain the Trinity. One silly statement I have never forgotten is, "If you deny the Trinity, you will lose your soul. If you try to explain the Trinity, you will lose your mind."  

Three passages in Scripture help show the oneness and threeness of the Trinitarian Godhead. Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image." "God" is singular. "Us" and "Our" are plural. In Isaiah 6:8, God says, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" "I send" is singular. "For Us" is plural. In Matthew 3:16-18, you see all three in the same moment at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus comes up out of the water, the Spirit comes down like a dove, and a voice from heaven says, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We keep trying to understand this in physical ways, but our illustrations never quite fully convey the full three-ness and one-ness of the Godhead. An apple has seeds, the part you eat, called the flesh, and the outer part, called the skin. Three parts, but still just one apple. An egg has yolk, white, and shell, still one egg. Water can be steam, liquid, and ice, and it's all still H2O. These illustrations can help explain the concept of the Trinity, especially to children.

The best illustration I have come across was offered by M.R. DeHaan, who tied it to the biblical statement in 1 John 1:5: "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." He pointed out that the scientific analysis of sunlight reveals three kinds of rays. The chemical ray, which is invisible and can neither be seen nor felt. The light ray, which can be seen but cannot be felt. And the heat ray, which can be felt but cannot be seen. God the Father corresponds to the chemical ray, because, as John 1:18 says, "no man has seen God at any time." God the Son, Jesus, Who is the "Light of the world" (John 8:12), corresponds to the light ray, which can be seen but not felt. God the Holy Spirit corresponds to the heat ray, which cannot be seen but can certainly be felt. Still not a perfect illustration, but it gives you something to hold the threeness and the oneness together with.

The entire Godhead was involved in your salvation. Dr. Bill Bennett explained the teamwork of the Trinity in salvation like three members of a medical team: There is the doctor who diagnoses the disease and prescribes treatment; the pharmacist who provides the remedy; and the nurse who faithfully waits at the patient’s bedside and administers that which the doctor has prescribed and the pharmacist has prepared. In this analogy, the Doctor represents God the Father, Who diagnosed the need of the sinner and prescribed the remedy. The Pharmacist represents God the Son, Who by achieving a perfect human life provides through His shed blood the only specific cure for sin. The Nurse represents God the Holy Spirit, Who applies the remedy by making the Word of God come alive in our hearts and giving the sinner faith to be saved. In one sentence, the Trinity in salvation is like this:

• The Father thought up our salvation;
  
• The Son bought and paid for our salvation; and
  
• The Holy Spirit brought salvation to us and makes it real to each of us personally. 

Why does this matter for our unity as Christians? Because some Christians do not appreciate all three. They may magnify the Father and the Son, Jesus, but forget about the Spirit. Some Christians only magnify the Holy Spirit. But we, as Christians, shouldn't settle for two out of three. We need to fully appreciate all that the trinitarian God provides in our lives and worship Him as One Who Alone is worthy of our praise. We hold all three together, because that is Who God is. That full worship brings us together as Christians.

Reflection Question: Are you fully appreciating each member of the Trinitarian Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Or, have you neglected One in your worship?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You thought my salvation, Your Son bought it, and Your Spirit brought it and applied it to me personally. Help me honor Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as I walk with You today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Check out: The Seven Pillars of Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:4-6): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/gcssrmc/14-seven-pillars-for-christian-unity-eph-4-4-6