In keeping with my own philosophy that Christians should first major in the majors before nitpicking on secondary issues, I have decided to tackle the question “Who was Jesus?”—along with the larger issue of the Trinity—in the next two issues of Solid Ground.
My broad goal is to make a clear, scriptural case for the Triune nature of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a particular focus on the deity of Jesus Christ. And also show why the doctrine is critical to a sound understanding of the Lord we serve and of His work in our salvation.
In this first installment, I aim to accomplish four things. First, I want you to understand the significance of the Trinity. Next, I want to look briefly at the alleged problem of the Trinity. Third, I want to offer a clear, concise, coherent definition of the Trinity. Finally, I want to address the alleged contradiction of the Trinity and silence that objection once and for all.
For many, the Trinity seems to be a mysterious, intractable difficulty. I think they’re mistaken. I’m convinced the Trinity is not a problem, but a magnificent solution to a host of other problems. Most importantly, only the Trinity is consistent with God’s own self-revelation in both Testaments:
Only the Trinity can make sense of the love of God as an intrinsic moral excellence, a holy affection continuously given and received from eternity past among the divine persons. Only the Trinity can turn Jesus’ sacrifice on a cross into a testament of God’s love for the world, since it was God’s blood, shed by Christ, that purchased Christ’s church (Acts 20:28). And only with the Trinity can a man suffer a finite amount of time, yet cover an eternal debt for a countless multitude, since the man was Himself the God of infinite grace.
Read the rest of The Trinity: A Solution, Not a Problem Part 1.