So it’s a Wednesday morning and you’re sitting down innocently at your computer to read the blog and what do you find? A post on the trinity. Nice. In teaching ECC this past Sunday, I was reminded again of the importance of this oft-misunderstood doctrine. How would you explain it? One God, Three Persons. All eternal, all fully God, yet still one God. So many possible analogies are offered, most of which lead straight to some sort of heresy (such as the egg: shell, white & yolk, or water: ice, liquid, steam–these are both forms of a heretical system known as modalism).
Don’t despair. There is clarity to be had in our study, even if in the end we wind up at mystery (which is hardly surprising given our severe limitations). Kevin DeYoung recently offered a very helpful post on the Trinity that’s well worth your time. You can check it out here.
Thanks for the post, Steve. How does the quote go and who said it: “Try to deny the Trinity and you’ll lose your soul; try to understand the Trinity and you’ll lose your mind”?
Steve-
Thank you so much for this post and the clarity it has brought. Specifically I was struck by the definition of modalism. I had taken my son to a church once for an easter egg hunt in which they gave a presentation prior to the huant and they used the egg model. This comes as no surprise as I found out recently that this very same church has a woman pastor. Thank God for his mercy that he so clearly shows us through you and the other pastors.