We draw on both pale and shadowy references when we seek to express the nature and function of the Trinity. There is the comparison of Them to the physical state of water, which we can perceive as water, ice, and vapor, yet all three are in essence the same element. Another analogy is that of a person, who is a son, a brother, and a father; the same person but in three different roles, relationships, and contexts which can all be present in a single moment of time. These analogies serve to give us frames of reference and enable us to, for a moment, accept an understanding of the Triune God; intuitively, as I started out by saying, these and all comparisons I have heard increasingly are pale (not presenting the rich and vibrant colors of the reality) and shadowy (an effect of light but not light itself).
When I was searching for the expression of our surrounding world to present online, I struggled with the approach of both Elohim and Their Trinitarian nature as the foundation of the site. It took weeks of reflection and conclusively a walk in the woods one beautiful morning where the questions settled: nothing more or less made sense. My experience is of a Trinity and as I look out at the world it reflects back to me my inner experience; consequently ~ Elohim’s world. Since then I am always heartened when I come across an affirmation of the reality that I intuitively know and seek to express, and in this context offer the following; the author -Charles Spurgeon – is writing 150 years ago and this is reflected in the language phrasing and style –
July 12
Morning Verse
“Sanctified by God the Father.” Jude 1:1
“Sanctified in Christ Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 1:2
“Through sanctification of the Spirit.” 1 Peter 1:2
Mark the union of the Three Divine Persons in all their gracious acts. How unwisely do those believers talk who make preferences in the Persons of the Trinity; who think of Jesus as if He were the embodiment of everything lovely and gracious, while the Father they regard as severely just, but destitute of kindness. Equally wrong are those who magnify the decree of the Father, and the atonement of the Son, so as to depreciate the work of the Spirit. In deeds of grace none of the Persons of the Trinity act apart from the rest. They are as united in their deeds as in their essence. In their love towards the chosen they are one, and in the actions which flow from that great central source they are still undivided. Specially notice this in the matter of sanctification. While we may without mistake speak of sanctification as the work of the Spirit, yet we must take heed that we do not view it as if the Father and the Son had no part therein. It is correct to speak of sanctification as the work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit. Still doth Jehovah say, “Let us make man in our own image after our likeness,” and thus we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” See the value which God sets upon real holiness, since the Three Persons in the Trinity are represented as co-working to produce a Church without “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” And you, believer, as the follower of Christ, must also set a high value on holiness—upon purity of life and godliness of conversation. Value the blood of Christ as the foundation of your hope, but never speak disparagingly of the work of the Spirit which is your meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. This day let us so live as to manifest the work of the Triune God in us.
Morning and Evening. – a Devotional by Charles Spurgeon
There is much more here than a “doctrinal” statement about the Trinity, as it refers to Persons, grace, justice, works, the Church, believers/followers, holiness, and saints. These are all terms that challenge us to seek more understanding of each individually, as they all encourage us to become evoked, engaged, enabled. The starting place for each of them lies in “the beginning – Genesis” and the Triune God who introduced Themselves as Elohim.
