For the past 5 or 6 years now I have been exposed to different interpretations of the Trinity/Godhead. People I know have gone deep into the subject and have tried to explain things I never used to think about before. After much study, reading, and reflection, I have come to the conclusion to apply the principle of keeping things simple. I don’t always apply this conclusion to everything in life, but I do try to avoid complications. In this case, I have not chosen to avoid complications, but to keep things simple. Here is why: God has made it simple for us.
Much discussion has been made regarding the validity of the term “Trinity” and the associated definitions with that term. While the word itself is not found in the Bible, it seems as though the general meaning behind the term is not quite fully supported in the Bible either, that is, three Gods in One. Matthew 28:19 is the basic verse in which the concept of the Trinity stems from. During the time period of 5 years of reading and studying articles, the comment was made that Matthew 28:19 is actually an added verse to the Bible that it is not found in the original languages. It is at this point that I decided not to dive too deep, because it is at this point that people start to doubt their own Bibles; dangerous ground. Fact is the verse is there in the Bible and we should never be led to believe that the Bible has been tampered with. This is me choosing to keep things simple here, not that ignorance is bliss, but that over complicating things can be dangerous and detrimental.
Now, there is nothing wrong with looking at the original writings to find the root word and thus gain a better understanding of the meaning behind a word in a verse, the verse itself. There is nothing wrong with diving deep and discussing hard passages. There is nothing wrong with searching out for more truth. However, in matters that the Bible is purposely silent on we should take caution to discuss. In matters that do not necessarily pertain to salvation, I suppose we may discuss, debate, and dive deep as much as we want. However, in matters that do have to deal with salvation, grace, and prayer that are not explicitly clarified in the Bible, and in which the Bible seems to be silent about, we should take care to be silent in that as well. It is at such points that we should apply the simple aspect of religion that people take for granted: FAITH. In some things, we should simply believe, not because we understand, but because we have faith. It is not for no reason that Jesus admonished us to be as children. Faith is the belief in something we can not see, of something that we do not understand.
There are very few instances in which the Lord has encouraged us to practice this simply child-like faith and one of them is in understanding the Godhead. This is a sacred subject, and we should take care to not confuse Bible passages and put our own explanations above that which is directly stated in the Bible.
Some people often wonder, If there is one God, then who is Jesus? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? If Jesus is God, who did He pray to when He was here on Earth? What is the nature of the Holy Spirit? These questions can be simply answered and the answers can be understood and accepted by faith.
The Bible tells us that there is one God (Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). God has an only begotten Son, who offered to come into this world and die for us so that we might have a second chance at eternal life. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9.
Jesus is divine as the Father, for He says in John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Philippians 2:6. If Jesus was not equal to God in Divinity then His death on the cross would have been meaningless to us.
For those who have “dived deep” into the concept of the Godhead, most of the doubt or confusion rises when discussing the nature of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is quite definitive when it comes to the nature of God and Jesus, but as for the Holy Spirit, the scriptures are somewhat silent. It is therefore our privilege to stay silent in this matter as well. As one of my favorite authors states, “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden.” (AA 50, 51).
Therefore, in keeping things simple, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter that Jesus promised His disciples (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is the effective agent whereby conviction and power assist those who connect themselves with God.
When we pray, we must pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, to send us the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and become our conscience. Our sins can only be forgiven when we ask for it in the name of Jesus. He died for our sins and it is His blood that cleanses us from our sins. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
I have found that those who explain the concept of the Godhead, beyond what has been expressed above, often end up losing their faith in God and drifting away from the Bible itself. Let us accept what IS revealed, and by faith accept what is not revealed until heaven, when we come to see things clearly, and to know even as we are known.
