Knowing God More through the Trinity
Knowing God More through the Trinity
by Tara-Leigh Cobble
Spending time to better understand the Trinity is a mystery to even the most studied professionals , and everyone knows it can ’ t be fully understood . But it can be more understood by those willing to study it . So while we will never fully understand the Trinity — at least not in this life — we can understand more than we currently do .
If we know we can learn more about the Trinity , and we know that joy is promised on the other side of our learning , then why do people tend to brush over it instead of dig in ? What makes this doctrine so challenging ?
There are a few things that contribute to our collective confusion and difficulty with the Trinity .
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1 . SIMPLIFIED EXPLANATIONS If you ’ ve ever been part of a Bible study or class that talked about the Trinity , you ’ ve likely heard analogies of shamrocks and H2O . Every analogy of the Trinity breaks down at some level simply because there ’ s nothing else in existence quite like God . Simplified explanations fall short of being enlightening or fulfilling in our relationship with God .
2 . SELFISHNESS My selfishness was one of the biggest hurdles that kept me from digging into the Trinity . I preferred to focus on God ’ s promises to me and all the things He could do to benefit me , so I was content to stop short of looking for who He is . I tuned out when someone mentioned the Trinity — not because I already knew all the details but because I didn ’ t yet know enough . I was in for a real surprise when I did begin to study the Trinity . It isn ’ t just a theological concept ; fundamentally , it ’ s a relationship . To have a healthy , functioning relationship , you have to look beyond yourself and get to know the other person involved .
3 . THE BIBLE NEVER USES THE WORD TRINITY However , that doesn ’ t mean the triune God is not addressed in Scripture . The idea of the Trinity is found throughout the Bible , starting in Genesis 1:1 . Jesus talked about it in the Gospels , and the apostles affirmed it throughout their New Testament letters . Still , the early church struggled to summarize it until a theologian named Tertullian created the word Trinity to succinctly reference Scripture ’ s teaching about God . 1
Without the Trinity as the core of our beliefs , every other doctrine of our faith starts to come unhinged . You cannot have the Christian faith without a triune God . Every other Christian belief is built on this foundation .
It ’ s tempting to diminish the importance of the Trinity and to seek a false peace by simply “ focusing on the Word of God .” But that ’ s shallow at best and foolish at least . In fact , God has given it to us so we can know Him in greater depth . People who truly know God have always wanted to know God more — both for their own sakes and for the sake of being able to talk more clearly about Him and His love with others . God loves to be known and understood and loved , just like you love to be known and understood and loved .
“ History of Trinitatian Doctrines ,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , accessed April 21 , 2021 , https :// plato . stanford . edu / entries / trinity / trinity-history . html .
Excerpted with permission from The Joy of the Trinity by Tara-Leigh Cobble . Copyright 2024 , B & H Publishing .
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Bestselling author , Bible teacher and podcaster walks you through the joy of discovering and relating to the triune nature of God . Paperback $ 17.99