The Holy Trinity is a human concept. It is not mentioned in the Bible at all. You might be able to make an argument that Jesus’ instruction to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit establishes the Trinity. If so, it serves to illustrate the depth and breadth of God; the diverse, yet united nature of God. Perhaps you could think of the Trinity as the past (Father), the present (Son) and the future (his legacy).
The question was debated at the highest level of the church in both the Council of Nicea (325CE) and the Council of Constantinople (381CE). No doubt, people had been talking about it among themselves long before that and I have no doubt the arguments would have been quite heated. Even today it tends to divide us more than unite us.
My question is, “Is this really important?” I would say no, but I also know that it is for a lot of people. Most churches even today teach that the Trinity is a very important if not the most important aspect of Christianity, but there are a few who do not.
One reason it tends to persist is, of course, as I have mentioned many times before, that Pastors are often either employees or depend financially on the support of their congregations. They tend to avoid the subject or resort to telling people what they want to hear and congregants are generally very sensitive to change.
What is important, though, is the one concrete thing we have to hang on to, namely the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. His story may have been made up to some extent, but I’m sure there is enough substance that we can believe there is a Way and a hope for the suffering of this world to end. It’s not going to happen by the intervention of a God outside of creation. It depends on the attitude and example of all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment