About a week ago I read a blog post by a young pastor explaining his understanding of the characteristics of God, including the
Trinity, or Triune God. I completely
agreed with the points of faith he put forth, but as I read the post, I found
myself troubled over the tone of the article.
In his defense of the Trinity, which admittedly is a
difficult concept to try to understand, he made a couple of statements that put
me on edge, as a believer whose purpose is to show Jesus’ love to everyone
possible.
In acknowledging the mystery that is God, and how someone might come to disagree, he said,
“Don’t think more highly of your logic than you ought. Don’t
you think it’s possible that there might be some things that are true about the
infinite, sovereign Creator of the universe that are just a little difficult to
wrap your much smaller, finite mind around?
Do you really think you’re so smart that you should be able
to fully wrap up everything about the nature of God in a nice little
intellectual package that is easy to understand and explain? Don’t think more
highly of your logic than you ought.”
In the next paragraph he tries to encourage or perhaps
challenge those who don’t or can’t accept the Trinity by saying,
“Don’t be a hypocrite. The fact is that every
skeptic who scoffs at the doctrine of the Trinity based on its incomparableness
is a hypocrite.”
Is it really a fact? Every
skeptic that can’t get their head around the Trinity is a hypocrite?
Although I agreed with the author’s doctrine, I disagreed
with his presentation, and offered the following in encouragement. Hopefully I was encouraging, and if not, I
apologize and will work harder to be as loving as possible when offering
reproof or correction in the future.
Or God just might tell me to keep my mouth shut. Who knows.
I wrote:
I’ve always liked the analogy comparing the Trinity to the
family relationship where a man can be a father, son, brother, uncle,
grandfather, and husband, all at the same time. A man transitions between roles
seamlessly, and if a big family group is together, often fulfills several roles
at the same time. The essence of the man does not change – they are the
individual they are at all times – but their role and relationship to each
person in the family varies depending on the relationship with the person they
are interacting with.
Admittedly, any analogy of the Trinity is by nature lacking,
but I find the father analogy the most helpful for me. One person, one
identity, but that one person looks different and interacts differently with
the people in their
lives.
I have a thought on the tone of the presentation of the
truths here, though: It sounded accusatory and lacking in love as you labeled
people who could be genuine believers and seekers as skeptics, hypocrites, and
arrogant in their logic. It sounded exclusive and judgmental.
I encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ to be careful
when labeling other brothers and sisters with words just as scoffers, skeptics,
hypocrites, or labeling them somehow arrogant because they search the
scriptures differently than you/us/I do. Be slow to assume and assert that
those who think critically about scripture, who pray and search the depths of
God’s word for meaning and guidance and are trying to reconcile what they read
with how they perceive the world, are somehow errant and hypocritical in their
search.
The search of the scriptures, the drive to seek truth, the
questioning of what we consider established truth and the desire to understand
God better, is never, of itself, a bad thing. The truth of God and the Bible,
if it is a true teaching or revelation we hold to, will always prove itself
out. It will always stand up to honest examination.
We need to remember that the wonderful confessions and
foundations that we are able to stand on as pillars of our faith were worked
out, in fear and trembling, by the church fathers exactly as THEY questioned
scripture, questioned the teachers of their day, and searched the Bible for
meaning and truth. Through logical thought, devotion, and long years of debate
and discussion, often weathering the accusations and persecutions of the
established church of their day, they established the foundations of thought
and theology that underpin the churches today. They used their God given logic
to struggle with the Biblical truths. The writings of Calvin, Arminius, Wesley,
Augustine and many others are all tributes to the logical and scholarly
treatment of scripture.
And still the Body doesn’t agree on everything. There are
great chasms separating doctrinal thought among Christian denominations, and in
the midst of it all, Jesus’ work still goes on.
I find THAT amazing!
I encourage ever believer to be slow and careful about
labeling someone a hypocrite.
Each of the examples in your 3rd paragraph is easily
explainable by rudimentary science, and as you state, someone can explain it to
you scientifically. Your lack of understanding or perhaps limited knowledge of
the science, and your amazement over the phenomenon, does not negate the truth
that there are others for whom the scientific explanation makes complete sense,
and for them there is no mystery. The phenomenon is
demonstrable scientific
truth.
The Trinity, though, is unfathomable and indemonstrable
(empirically) in its truth, and our understanding is based on faith. The fact
that something is unfathomable and, in your words wont “fully make sense”, in
turn makes an assertion of absolute correctness or incorrectness meaningless.
There is no way to be absolutely “correct” with something that “doesn’t make
sense”. The honest skeptic, then, would scoff at the person who asserts that
their understanding of the unfathomable MUST be the correct understanding.
I submit then that Christians who assert that scripture
unquestionably affirms the Trinity, which is empirically untenable but is an
item of faith, and THEN accuse those who don’t agree with our untenable item of
faith of being hypocrites, should be pointing the finger of accusation directly
at themselves/ourselves. We simply cannot condemn anyone for disagreeing on
something when, by nature, it is impossible to prove the correctness of what we
ourselves assert.
I’m not questioning the faith or the truth of the Trinity. I
wholeheartedly agree with your position on the truth of the Trinity. What I
disagree with is the accusations you place against others, and the labels you
attach.
We must be like Christ; acting in love in EVERY WAY we do
life, including our disagreements with others. God allows people to disagree
with Him all the time, and does not belittle or degrade anyone. He doesn’t
label anyone as anything other than a beloved that Jesus died for. The words we
say and write have meaning, and we must, as followers of Christ, do all we can
to live in harmony and peace with everyone, including those we disagree with,
because God wants us to be beacons of light and His love to His world.
Labels and accusations cause pain and division where,
indeed, most of the time there should be none.
I urge us all, Christian brothers and sisters, to be
Christ-minded, as much as possible, when we deal with others regarding what we
believe. We believe by faith that what God has revealed in His Word is truth.
On this most all believers agree. WHAT God says about that truth is clearly
open to interpretation, and Christ loving brothers and sisters the world over
have disagreements on certain issues. Asserting that the scriptural truth
I/you/we hold to is THE scriptural truth and exact revelation of God’s nature
is arrogant and unloving at the most basic level. We must deal with each other
who have different ideas and with those who God hasn’t yet called to Him, with
all the patience, gentleness, and firm loving kindness that Jesus expresses
towards us.
There is nothing wrong with the Matrix. God is running it
just the way He wants, and yes, much of it is a glorious mystery, but a seeker
should never be discouraged from investigating and learning about God in the
Bible for fear of being labeled a hypocrite or skeptic or even a heretic. God
can deal with the truth of his Word just fine, and when God uses US to help
someone see His truth, we must, must, must do it in loving kindness, just as
the Holy Spirit does with each believer God has called.
Submitted in love.