In the last couple of posts I have been writing about the Trinity but now I would like to switch gears and look at the doctrine of the Incarnation (the dual nature of Christ). This will take two or more posts. I would like to start with why this is so important.

Here again, we could just say, “hey, big deal, why try to figure things out let’s just love Jesus and leave it at that.” Well, I wish we could. Unfortunately, the Trinity and the Incarnation have been the most hotly contested issues throughout church history. The reason for this is because they are so pivotal for our salvation. Simply put, if Jesus was not truly and fully God, then you and I are still in our sins as Christians. We would have no assurance that our sins have been forgiven. My friend, the reason why this true is because the Bible says in 1 John 2: 2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Did you catch the phrase “of the whole world?” There is no way that any one man (no matter how good) or even an angel could sacrifice themselves for the sins of billions and billions of people. It would have to be an atoning sacrifice with infinite value. God had to provide Himself as the infinite sacrifice for the sins of all of mankind. Wow, get your head around that thought. This is what makes Christianity so amazing.

Conversely, it was also necessary that Jesus be a Jewish man. Here is how the Apostle Paul writes about the humanity of Jesus in Galatians:

Galatians 4:4-7 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

In order to fulfill the covenantal promises and obligations given to the Jews through Abraham and Moses, it was necessary that there be a righteous Jewish Messiah to redeem and reconcile God’s sons and pave the way for God’s Spirit to enter our lives. Jesus came as the promised Messiah and lived a righteous life under the law. Therefore, it was imperative that Jesus come to us as Immanuel, God with us but also fully human—specifically a Jewish man.

The fact that Jesus was the man from heaven was taken for granted in the very early church. However, it wasn’t long before false teachers and heresies began to spring up and challenge the notions of either the full deity or the full humanity of Jesus. That’s when the “fun” began. Actually, it wasn’t much fun. It took a lot of heartache and headache for the church to fend off some very talented false teachers. A couple of times the orthodox belief in the full divinity and humanity of Jesus was nearly swept away by popular sentiment and easy-believism. At times it just seemed like it was easier to compromise, but, fortunately some godly teachers hung on by God’s grace and prevailed to establish a Bible-based understanding of the Incarnation. One of the greatest creeds ever developed is the Nicene Creed. It was established to summarize what we believe about Jesus Christ. I would like to end this post by quoting from that creed which was written in the blood and tears of wonderful godly leaders that have gone before us.

(We believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;

An analogy can really help us grasp a difficult idea, and believe me, the Trinity is a pretty tough idea—though not impossible—to comprehend. In fact, it is usually better to use the term “apprehend” rather than comprehend when talking about the divine mysteries like the Trinity and Incarnation. That being said, what kinds of analogies work? Unfortunately there are some popular analogies that give us a flawed impression of the Trinity and even reinforce certain heresies.

The Child/Parent/Sibling Analogy

This one goes like this: you can be a child to your parents, a parent to your child, and a sibling to your sibling at the same time but you are only one person.

Unfortunately, this analogy takes us in the direction of what is called Modalism. Modalism propagates the idea that there is one God who reveals Himself in different modes of action. Actually, He is three in Person and not just one who performs three different roles. The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry defines it this way: “Modalism is probably the most common theological error concerning the nature of God. It is a denial of the Trinity which states that God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes, or forms…. Present day groups that hold to forms of this error are the United Pentecostal and United Apostolic Churches.”

The Water Analogy

This one states that water is a single element that can exist in three forms: gas, liquid, and solid (ice) and each one is distinct from the other. Here, again, this analogy falls prey to the modal problem unless you add to it the element of a timeless unified whole where the water is in all three states simultaneously without change; this comes closer but is hard to explain.

The Egg Analogy

This analogy uses the egg which is one, and yet has three parts—shell, white and yoke. A similar analogy is the apple with its skin, fruit and core. This sort of analogy has a fundamental problem in that God cannot be separated into parts. Each member of the Trinity is fully God. Both the egg and apple are really a collection of different things. No single part of an egg is an egg, the parts must be added together to form the one. These analogies take us in the direction of Tritheism. The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry defines Tritheism as “the teaching that the Godhead is really three separate beings forming three separate gods… Present day Mormonism is tritheistic -- but with a twist….The godhead for earth is to them really three separate gods: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

Better Analogies

A Triangle: A Triangle has three sides, yet it is one shape. The different corners of the triangle represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The triangle is often upside down with the point on the bottom with the Father at the left-top, the Son at the right-top and the Holy Spirit at the bottom. The triangle is probably the best visual illustration because the triangle can symbolize the fact that each side is necessary for its existence, each meets the other at the angles and the sides are distinguishable.

Multiplication of 1: Here the formula: 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 stands for the Trinity as opposed to 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. The advantage of this analogy is that it is a good example of the essence of God in that the Persons of God are One in their divine substance and not three separate entities or “personages” which would be Tritheism.

There are other helpful analogies. Perhaps you have one to share.

First, allow me to mention why the Trinity is such an important doctrine. The importance of the Trinity primarily springs from its relationship to the corollary doctrine of the divinity of Christ. If Christ did not have a fully divine nature then His sacrificial death on the cross would not be effective for the removal of the sins of all mankind. Because of the infinite value of His divine nature, all humans have available to them the full forgiveness of their sins. If, however, Jesus was less than fully divine, we are still in our sins. If Jesus had been a perfect man who never violated God’s law, we may presume that His death on the cross would have merited His personal eternal life, but that is all. Again, because of His deity, Jesus’ atoning death merits forgiveness for all who will avail themselves of this wonderful blessing and receive eternal life.

The Basics

Early church councils were called to clarify what the Bible taught about the internal relationships between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The term "Trinity" is not found in Scripture. It is a word used to represent the facts presented in Scripture. The doctrines stated by these councils were not invented by them. Their creeds were formulated to carefully articulate what Scripture taught unambiguously, and to rule out heretical speculations that introduced inconsistencies into the Christian faith.

The basic way to approach the doctrine of the Trinity is to note that the Bible affirms two things. First, it affirms that God is one. Secondly, it affirms that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God. You can find lists of Scriptures that detail these two important points. It is not my purpose to here to list those Scripture; rather, I wish to go beyond this and look within the life of the Trinity.

What to Avoid

The two extremes to avoid in regard to the Trinity are unitarianism and tritheism. Unitarianism regards God as only one person—usually God the Father. This, of course, strips Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of their genuine deity. Often, Jesus becomes a mere man and the Holy Spirit is turned into an impersonal force that emanates from God. Jehovah’s Witnesses are essentially unitarian. Tritheism is a variation of polytheism because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are regarded as three separate Gods. Sometimes this is carried a step further into the idea that there are many different gods, some perhaps associated with other worlds or realms. Mormonism is an example of tritheism. Mormonism is actually polytheistic since it indicates that there are other gods besides these three.

Looking Inside the Trinity

Though it is not necessary for a Christian to understand how exactly the divine Persons exist as the great Three in One, it is helpful for them to grasp some of this mystery. It is also necessary for orthodox theologians to have a working knowledge of the Trinity so that they might guard against heresies. Historically it was through defending against heresies that the church has fully established its doctrine of the Trinity.

Gregory of Nyssa was the first great theologian to move beyond a simple understanding of the divine Persons as a “collection of properties” and begin to focus attention on the divine communion within the Trinity. This paved the way for a deeper understanding of the divine Persons.

St. Augustine was the first to realize that the Divine Nature must be prior (not in time but in principle) to the Personalities. God, therefore, is not strictly the Father but the Trinity. This was a step of the first importance, safeguarding the unity of God and the equality of the Persons. Consequently, every external operation of God is due to the whole Trinity, and cannot be attributed strictly to one Person alone, except by designated purpose.

Unfortunately when we think of a person we often understand this word to mean “personality” which is defined as, “the complex of all the attributes—behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental—that characterize a unique individual.” However, this is not what is meant by the theological word for divine “Person.”

The Divine Persons

In the Bible the second Person of the Trinity is referred to as the Word (John 1:1). Early Christians understood that the Divine Word proceeded from the Father eternally (eternal meaning not bounded by time). The formal term for this eternal generation of the Son is “Filiation.” This was seen as the eternal intellectual process of the Father. In a similar fashion we, as humans, generate intellectual concepts in our minds (unspoken words). However, in God, this intellectual action is not purely mental but is eternally real and substantial. In other words, the Second Person, the Word is not just a passing idea but is eternal and actually subsisting.

The Holy Spirit also proceeds from the Father as the eternal act of the Divine Will to love Himself. However, this procession also includes the Son (Word). Together, they breathe forth their eternal love in the Holy Spirit. The formal term for this is Spiration which literally means “the act of breathing.” These two proceedings—Father to Son and Father/Son to Holy Spirit—are termed the double procession.

The existence of relations in the Godhead comes from the doctrine of processions. Where there is a real procession the beginning point (i.e. the Father) and ending point (i.e. the Son) of that procession must also be “real.” Therefore, both the generation/Filiation of the Son and the Spiration of the Holy Spirit must involve the existence of real and objective relations. These relations are what constitute the distinction between the divine Persons. They cannot be distinguished by any other absolute attribute because all of God’s attributes must be infinite and common to the Three Persons. The personhood of the Trinity is none other than the real, eternal relations of the double procession. They cannot be distinguished by any absolute attribute, for every absolute attribute must belong to the infinite Divine Nature and this is common to the Three Persons. It is important to remember that all the divine Persons share the same attributes, essence, intelligence, will and power.

It seems that it is time to focus on the Trinity. When we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” we affirm “one God in three persons, blessed Trinity” and that is good. I am a strong advocate of Trinitarian belief; but, the question is how does this thing work? Most Christians, when confronted by those who do not believe in the Trinity, stumble about trying to give some sort of cogent answer—often causing more confusion than insight. Because of the current confrontation with Islam, I believe it is more important than ever for Christians to have a strong belief in the Trinity and to be able to articulate a basic understanding of its importance and of its operation.

As I prepare a blog-post on the Trinity would you be willing to share insights, Scriptures, questions and concerns that you have about this subject? This will help me fine-tune my thinking and writing. Please be willing to comment. Again, all insights are welcome and no one will be put down or judged.

As you read this you may be thinking that you are going to read about all of the desperate orphans left to fend for themselves because of the horrible AIDS crisis in Africa. Actually, this, in my opinion, is not the great crisis in Africa. It will probably shock you to read that I believe that if you were to look more deeply into the AIDS situation in Africa you may be stunned to find out that the facts do not support the media hysteria. I would urge you to read the excellent article by Rian Malan, “AIDS in Africa: In search of the Truth,” first published in “Rolling Stone,” November 22, 2001 or the book “Inventing the AIDS Virus” by Peter H. Duesberg, 1996. If you have less time available a little research on these two subjects may help you: 1) the clinical diagnosis of AIDS in Africa as developed in Bangui by the World Health Organization as it compares to how AIDS is diagnosed in the rest of the world; and 2) how an “orphan” is designated in Africa. For now, on the subject of AIDS in Africa I will let you assume that I am some sort of kook. Now read on.

In 1955 the World Health Organization announced a world-wide war on malaria and in 1957 the U.S. Congress adopted the same policy. Because of this, by 1967 malaria was eradicated from all developed countries as well as large areas of tropical Asia and Latin America. Before this time 300-400 million persons every year contracted malaria with three to four million dying from the scourge. What turned the tide against malaria was DDT. But, wait, you say, isn’t there a ban against DDT. Exactly, because of fervor created by Rachel Carson’s environmentalist book “Silent Spring”, EPA administrator, William Ruckelshaus in 1972 banned DDT because he said it “posed a carcinogenic risk.” Ruckelshaus did this despite the fact that the EPA had concluded in its own hearings that DDT was not a carcinogenic hazard to man and the World Health Organization publicly stated there were “no grounds to abandon” DDT and that its discontinuation “would be a disaster to world health.”

Ah, so what, big deal you say. Malaria, by 1972 had been eradicated in the developed world. Who gives a rip? Well, a lot of people don’t give a rip. In fact, most people in evangelical churches are being assailed by Christian leaders who are chanting, along with Bono, that if we really cared about people in Africa we would be shipping lots more help to Africa (usually, by the way, most of the Western help comes in the form of condoms). Meanwhile, literally, the scourge of malaria is killing millions—all because of the American ban on DDT. Here is what Roy Innis, national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality wrote to President Bush. This is worth reading:

The United States and Europe eradicated malaria after World War II, using pesticides and other measures. But today, this vicious killer still infects 300,000,000 people every year in developing countries—more than live in the entire United States. It kills as many as 2,000,000 every year—the population of Houston, Texas: another father, mother, or child every 15 seconds. Nearly 90 percent of these victims are in sub-Saharan Africa, and the vast majority are children and pregnant women. Since 1972, at least 50 million people have died from malaria. Heaven alone knows how many might have lived, if their countries had been able to control this mosquito-borne disease.

Okay, you think, why must this problem be our problem. Well, because those of us living in the United States have allowed our stupidity to influence the world and it has been downright (and literally) unhealthy. The United States Agency for International Development and other Western donors have not financed any use of DDT and now institutions like WHO and its malaria program, actively discourage countries from using it. Perhaps in human history no greater harm has been done from such wanton ignorance and political correctness.

I appeal to you to look into this issue. Be willing to actually examine the scientific information. Set aside your preconceived notions and let the facts speak for themselves. If you see that I am right; then I plead with you in the compassion of Christ to consider how you would feel if it was your child dying of malaria. Don’t let ignorance regarding this real and present problem stop you and don’t let the media and certain Christian leaders sidetrack you with PC rhetoric.