The Trinity is a very, very, VERY difficult topic to really understand. Let me repeat that, the theological concept of the Trinity (God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God) is not easily understood. As a matter of fact in his sermon "On The Trinity", John Wesley suggests that it is not necessary to understand the Trinity, but only that the fact of Trinity is believed. The assertion that Wesley is making about the Trinity is similar to my daughter's understanding (or lack thereof) of escalators. Neither of them really know how an escalator works, but in truth they only need to know that the escalator will deliver them from one point to another. In other words the escalator's effectiveness is not dependent upon their understanding of it. The same is true for the Trinity.
One thing we do know about the Trinity is that because God exists in this way, God is fundamentally a relational being. This means that even if nothing else ever existed (think people, angels, fish, rocks, trees, etc) God would still be in relationship with Godself. Furthermore, since we as humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) then we to have as a fundamental aspect of our very being the propensity for relationship. This means that as much as you might like to some days, you have been created (and even need) relationships with others. As people we have been made to exist within community!
Having said all of this I would like to spend a moment trying to better understand the third person of the Trinity, namely The Holy Spirit. Just like when trying to describe a person to those who don't know him or her, we are apt to describe specific actions of that person, so to can we come to better know the Holy Spirit by taking into account some actions of the Spirit.
One action in particular, found in John 16:12-15, is the Holy Spirit as the bringer of truth. This truth is not simply truth vs. lie, but rather the bringing of a complete and total truth. This would be truth vs. half truth. In the context of the John passage, the Holy Spirit is going to complete the message about Jesus and his true identity. Specifically the Spirit brings the truth of Jesus' oneness with God and diety. Furthermore the Spirit inspires the completion of Scripture, what we as Christians refer to as The New Testament. Finally the truth that the Holy Spirit brings does not end with God and Jesus, but also includes humanity. The passage immediately before the one linked above (John 16:5-11) finds Jesus explaining that the Spirit will reveal the reality of sin's pervasiveness throughout all humanity and therefore the universal need for divine grace. In other words, the Holy Spirit convinces (or convicts) us all of our sinfullness and need for forgiveness from God.
So now you know that the Trinity is tough stuff, that you don't need to fully understand it, but rather accept what has been revealed, that the Trinity (and therefore people) fundamentally exist in relationship, and that the Holy Spirit (3rd person of the Trinity) brings truth. What are you going to do with this knowledge?
Maybe you'll remember the understanding part, realize that understanding is not always as necessary as we make it out to be and not be so tough on yourself and others when understanding in other areas isn't completely there. Maybe you'll latch onto the relational aspect of God and yourself and make more of an effort to foster positive relationships with those around you. Maybe you'll seek the truth of the Holy Spirit for your life and seek to mirror that truth in your words and actions. Or maybe you'll just say "interesting" and move on.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
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