No subject is surrounded with such profound mystery and yet so often referred to, directly and indirectly, in all of Scripture than that of the Trinitarian nature of the one true God. The Nicene Creed expresses it thusly, dating from the fourth century: “We believe in one God, Father Almighty, Maker of all things seen and unseen, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only begotten that is from the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God a very God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made both of which are in heaven and which are on earth, and in the Holy Ghost.” Those that say there was a time when He was not, and that He was not before He was begotten, and that He is made of things that are not, or say that He is a different hypostasis or essence from the Father, or that the Son of God is created, nourished and capable of being changed, the Catholic Church anathematizes.” That’s pretty strong language offered many centuries ago, but it is thoroughly in keeping with the only conclusion one can reach after a careful consideration of the Old and New Testaments. Whether one subscribes to other doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church or not, this expression of the nature and character of God is all that Scripture will allow and what Scripture requires.
Regarding the Trinity, Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, in his massive work of systematic theology, wrote, “The Jew resists this doctrine since, to acknowledge the Trinity and the Godhead is, on his part, to acknowledge the deity of the One whom he identifies as Jesus of Nazareth.” The Unitarian resists this doctrine since, otherwise, he must acknowledge the need and way of redemption through Christ. The Muslim rejects this doctrine since to acknowledge it is to ignore the warning of the Koran and, to his mind, depart from the foundation of his faith, namely, there is one God. The Christian missionary to Islam faces this resistance, as does the missionary to the Jew. And the inexplicable mystery which the triune mode of existence presents is an added problem in his work.
Dr. Chafer then goes on to quote W. A. Rice, who stated, “Nothing would be easier than to win proselytes among Hindus and Muslims if only the doctrine of the Trinity were given up.” One would tend to agree with that assessment. However, the doctrine of the Triune God is not subject to negotiation and certainly not to abandonment, nor is any other doctrine set forth in the writings of Holy Scripture. The very idea of excluding, or even downplaying, any doctrine God has seen fit to set forth in His Word is cowardly at best and treasonness at worst. Scripture speaks of its truths appearing to some as offensive, and they are. God’s truth often is offensive to those who are not aligned with it. When once man is in compliance with God’s truth, what was once offensive becomes exceedingly precious.
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