The Trinity
It’s interesting that EGW wrote, “The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily... The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifest.” Paul wrote of Christ, “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col 2:9). Do They both have all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, but the Father invisible, while the Son visible?
But my question on the Trinity is this: How does our current understanding of it show infinite love and grace? And if we don’t see grace and love in it, then is it all a head game to speak of the Trinity?
Please don’t take this as a personal affront or as attack on church doctrine. But when a sinner can size up the Godhead, we are treading on holy ground and need to take off our shoes, or not go there!
God has condescended to give humanity a knowledge of Himself through Christ by way of the Holy Spirit. He brings us to reconciliation with Himself through the cross so that we are open and susceptible to His laws, which by obedience to them open us even further to a deeper knowledge of Him.
If we are negligent to God’s Law, then we are disqualified from the deeper knowledge of God. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” (2Pet. 1:5-9).
Where does the church stand on keeping God’s commandments, that is, in actual experience? Aren’t we far from the mark? Aren’t we far from where we should be? The church stands on precarious ground. Worldliness abounds. Christless, loveless religion abounds. Do we realize how close we are to repeating the condition of the post-apostolic church at the council of Nicaea?
At the Nicene council unholy, unconverted, politically-minded men presumed to analyze the one, true God. They nit-picked God all the way down to His very substance. And both sides of the Trinity issue vehemently anathematized each other. The spirit of truth?
“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (Jas. 3:14-16).
They forgot the very basics of truth. How could they know God without the first works Peter counseled the church to have? Without the firm foundation in a Christlike character, they boiled God down to a formula that unholy, unconsecrated, self-indulgent, world-loving minds and hearts could more easily comprehend. In making God more convenient for them, they cast the Godhead down from Their throne and stamped upon Them.
Now that those professors of Christianity had the Godhead in a nice little box, they didn’t have to study the Bible any more to know Them. Thus, the people placed themselves beyond the help of God, who has chosen to use the holy scriptures as His tool of intercession, His meeting place, for man’s redemption.
And as I understand it, the bishop of Rome was trying to force upon the whole church his Trinity, Sunday and Easter, and those who couldn’t bring themselves to believe his propositions separated from the European church and congregated in the east, having nothing to do with the Nicene council.
This makes me suspicious about Christianity’s understanding of the Trinity.
Wikipedia writes:
The most significant developments in articulating the doctrine of the Trinity took place in the 4th century, with a group of men known as the Church Fathers.[54] Although the earliest Church Fathers had affirmed the teachings of the Apostles, their focus was on their pastoral duties to the Church under the persecution of the Roman Empire.[54] Thus the early Fathers were largely unable to compose doctrinal treatises and theological expositions. With the relaxing of the persecution of the church during the rise of Constantine, the stage was set for ecumenical dialogue.[54]
In a complete reinterpretation of that event, EGW writes:
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ. {GC 49.2}
It was in their “pastoral duties” that the early apostolic fathers knew God best. It was when the church was simple that it had its best knowledge of God. But, little by little, paganism supplanted the work of the apostles and Christ in His Holy Place in heaven above. Persecution didn’t eradicate the encroaching paganism, but only slowed its ingestion into Christianity. When Constantine came to the throne, he determined to end his brother’s bloody effort to end Chrisitiniaity, and the church leaders came to Nicaea; their scarred bodies from the persecution were a badge of pride, for their hearts were hardened, as became apparent in the aloofness and conflict during the conference. Nobody at the Nicene council knew Jesus, but now they were going to haggle with each other with the same violence they faced from their pagan enemies.
They didn’t take to heart the rebuke of Christ toward the Jewish scribes, rabbis, and priests, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.”
We should exert all the powers of the mind in the study of the Scriptures and should task the understanding to comprehend, as far as mortals can, the deep things of God; yet we must not forget that the docility and submission of a child is the true spirit of the learner. Scriptural difficulties can never be mastered by the same methods that are employed in grappling with philosophical problems. We should not engage in the study of the Bible with that self-reliance with which so many enter the domains of science, but with a prayerful dependence upon God and a sincere desire to learn His will. We must come with a humble and teachable spirit to obtain knowledge from the great I AM. Otherwise, evil angels will so blind our minds and harden our hearts that we shall not be impressed by the truth. {GC 599.1}
We can theologize all day, but it seems we have the hardest time explaining the cross and the love of God. If this is the case, then it says something about the present dangerous spiritual condition of the Advent movement. Rarely do I hear a sermon lifting up the love of Jesus. And it’s not enough to just say, “Jesus loves you.” How does He love me? What are the fine points? How has He demonstrated that love? What has He been through because of me? What has the Father endured at my rebellion? How was God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself?
Boil down the great act of the ages. Analyze the cost of our redemption. Where is the real scribe? Where are the true wise? Where is the disputer of the world to come?
“Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the [religious people] require a sign, and the [atheists] seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the [religious people] a stumblingblock, and unto the [atheists] foolishness; But unto them which are called, both [converted religious people] and [converted atheists], Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1Cor. 1:20-24).
But my question on the Trinity is this: How does our current understanding of it show infinite love and grace? And if we don’t see grace and love in it, then is it all a head game to speak of the Trinity?
Please don’t take this as a personal affront or as attack on church doctrine. But when a sinner can size up the Godhead, we are treading on holy ground and need to take off our shoes, or not go there!
God has condescended to give humanity a knowledge of Himself through Christ by way of the Holy Spirit. He brings us to reconciliation with Himself through the cross so that we are open and susceptible to His laws, which by obedience to them open us even further to a deeper knowledge of Him.
If we are negligent to God’s Law, then we are disqualified from the deeper knowledge of God. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” (2Pet. 1:5-9).
Where does the church stand on keeping God’s commandments, that is, in actual experience? Aren’t we far from the mark? Aren’t we far from where we should be? The church stands on precarious ground. Worldliness abounds. Christless, loveless religion abounds. Do we realize how close we are to repeating the condition of the post-apostolic church at the council of Nicaea?
At the Nicene council unholy, unconverted, politically-minded men presumed to analyze the one, true God. They nit-picked God all the way down to His very substance. And both sides of the Trinity issue vehemently anathematized each other. The spirit of truth?
“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (Jas. 3:14-16).
They forgot the very basics of truth. How could they know God without the first works Peter counseled the church to have? Without the firm foundation in a Christlike character, they boiled God down to a formula that unholy, unconsecrated, self-indulgent, world-loving minds and hearts could more easily comprehend. In making God more convenient for them, they cast the Godhead down from Their throne and stamped upon Them.
Now that those professors of Christianity had the Godhead in a nice little box, they didn’t have to study the Bible any more to know Them. Thus, the people placed themselves beyond the help of God, who has chosen to use the holy scriptures as His tool of intercession, His meeting place, for man’s redemption.
And as I understand it, the bishop of Rome was trying to force upon the whole church his Trinity, Sunday and Easter, and those who couldn’t bring themselves to believe his propositions separated from the European church and congregated in the east, having nothing to do with the Nicene council.
This makes me suspicious about Christianity’s understanding of the Trinity.
Wikipedia writes:
The most significant developments in articulating the doctrine of the Trinity took place in the 4th century, with a group of men known as the Church Fathers.[54] Although the earliest Church Fathers had affirmed the teachings of the Apostles, their focus was on their pastoral duties to the Church under the persecution of the Roman Empire.[54] Thus the early Fathers were largely unable to compose doctrinal treatises and theological expositions. With the relaxing of the persecution of the church during the rise of Constantine, the stage was set for ecumenical dialogue.[54]
In a complete reinterpretation of that event, EGW writes:
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ. {GC 49.2}
It was in their “pastoral duties” that the early apostolic fathers knew God best. It was when the church was simple that it had its best knowledge of God. But, little by little, paganism supplanted the work of the apostles and Christ in His Holy Place in heaven above. Persecution didn’t eradicate the encroaching paganism, but only slowed its ingestion into Christianity. When Constantine came to the throne, he determined to end his brother’s bloody effort to end Chrisitiniaity, and the church leaders came to Nicaea; their scarred bodies from the persecution were a badge of pride, for their hearts were hardened, as became apparent in the aloofness and conflict during the conference. Nobody at the Nicene council knew Jesus, but now they were going to haggle with each other with the same violence they faced from their pagan enemies.
They didn’t take to heart the rebuke of Christ toward the Jewish scribes, rabbis, and priests, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.”
We should exert all the powers of the mind in the study of the Scriptures and should task the understanding to comprehend, as far as mortals can, the deep things of God; yet we must not forget that the docility and submission of a child is the true spirit of the learner. Scriptural difficulties can never be mastered by the same methods that are employed in grappling with philosophical problems. We should not engage in the study of the Bible with that self-reliance with which so many enter the domains of science, but with a prayerful dependence upon God and a sincere desire to learn His will. We must come with a humble and teachable spirit to obtain knowledge from the great I AM. Otherwise, evil angels will so blind our minds and harden our hearts that we shall not be impressed by the truth. {GC 599.1}
We can theologize all day, but it seems we have the hardest time explaining the cross and the love of God. If this is the case, then it says something about the present dangerous spiritual condition of the Advent movement. Rarely do I hear a sermon lifting up the love of Jesus. And it’s not enough to just say, “Jesus loves you.” How does He love me? What are the fine points? How has He demonstrated that love? What has He been through because of me? What has the Father endured at my rebellion? How was God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself?
Boil down the great act of the ages. Analyze the cost of our redemption. Where is the real scribe? Where are the true wise? Where is the disputer of the world to come?
“Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the [religious people] require a sign, and the [atheists] seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the [religious people] a stumblingblock, and unto the [atheists] foolishness; But unto them which are called, both [converted religious people] and [converted atheists], Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1Cor. 1:20-24).
posted by David | 7:03 AM
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