As the structure of the Belgic Confession moves from how we know (the revelation of God in Creation and in this written Word) to who we know, it begins with the Trinity, summarized in the eighth article. The ninth article now answers the question, “Where is there proof for the doctrine of the Trinity?” It answers that question with two points: Scripture and experience.
The Belgic Confession takes us through some key passages in the Old and New Testaments that teach the doctrine of the Trinity. But we must carefully understand how we approach this topic. We do not read into Scripture the doctrine of the Trinity. Scripture is the basis for our doctrine, which is the point of the ninth article. The revelation of Scripture clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity.
Besides Scripture, the Belgic states that our experience is the other proof for the doctrine of the Trinity. The Belgic states, “All these things we know from the testimonies of the Holy Scripture as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from those we feel within ourselves.” This is significant. Scriptural teachings, or doctrines, are not things of the head in place of the heart or hands. On the contrary, doctrines are emotional and experiential. The teaching of the Trinity is a part of our experience.
What I mean is that there is a wrong way we usually think about the Trinity. The wrong way is to approach the Triune God as a spectator, sitting in our seats, watching the game, trying to figure out its rules. Then we dust off our pants, take the subway home, and think about the Trinity the next time we visit. The problem is that the Trinity is not so clean.
The more proper approach to the Trinity is as if we are actually playing the game. We aren’t spectators, figuring out the rules of the game; we’re participants, figuring out the rules of the game. When God breathed new life in us, he placed us at shortstop, in the middle of the fifth inning. He brought us into His game, His story. Our role is to play our position well because the game is already in progress. We’ll get messy; we’ll make an error; and we might even get confused. But this isn’t our game. We didn’t set the rules; we’re trying to learn the rules of it as we go along. The point is that the Trinity is not something we think about that happens outside of us; rather, God brings us into the work of the Trinity.
So why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter? Let’s suppose a man’s car breaks down. He pops the lid, takes out the oil dipstick, and sees that there is no oil on it. He doesn’t know exactly where to put the oil. He deduces that since the dipstick reaches the oil, he can simply pour the oil down the dipstick shaft. A half hour later, he finishes with the quart of oil, looks up and sees another part on the engine with typed letters, “Place Oil Here.”
The mechanically ignorant man already has the resources in front of him and he doesn’t know it. As Christians, we have the resources for confidence, joy, boldness, patience, endurance, strength, peace, good works, and motivation in front of us and we’re tempted to neglect them. We’re created, redeemed, and restored already in the life of the Trinity. God was already at work before we were born; He is still at work, even in our ignorance; and He will bring all things to completion, even in our cynicism.
Suppose a child complains that his parents don’t care for him while on his way home for dinner. Yet, his ignorance blinds him to the ways in which he is already involved in his parents’ care and provision. He has a home; he is given food. As Christians, our redemption is the work of the Triune God. Our daily life depends on the work of the Trinity, which we experience as the power of our Father, the blood of His Son, and the Spirit living I our hearts. Our hope depends on the Trinity. Arguing that the Trinity doesn’t matter shows our ignorance to the work of God all around us. Both Scripture and our experience declare the work of the Triune God.
The Belgic Confession takes us through some key passages in the Old and New Testaments that teach the doctrine of the Trinity. But we must carefully understand how we approach this topic. We do not read into Scripture the doctrine of the Trinity. Scripture is the basis for our doctrine, which is the point of the ninth article. The revelation of Scripture clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity.
Besides Scripture, the Belgic states that our experience is the other proof for the doctrine of the Trinity. The Belgic states, “All these things we know from the testimonies of the Holy Scripture as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from those we feel within ourselves.” This is significant. Scriptural teachings, or doctrines, are not things of the head in place of the heart or hands. On the contrary, doctrines are emotional and experiential. The teaching of the Trinity is a part of our experience.
What I mean is that there is a wrong way we usually think about the Trinity. The wrong way is to approach the Triune God as a spectator, sitting in our seats, watching the game, trying to figure out its rules. Then we dust off our pants, take the subway home, and think about the Trinity the next time we visit. The problem is that the Trinity is not so clean.
The more proper approach to the Trinity is as if we are actually playing the game. We aren’t spectators, figuring out the rules of the game; we’re participants, figuring out the rules of the game. When God breathed new life in us, he placed us at shortstop, in the middle of the fifth inning. He brought us into His game, His story. Our role is to play our position well because the game is already in progress. We’ll get messy; we’ll make an error; and we might even get confused. But this isn’t our game. We didn’t set the rules; we’re trying to learn the rules of it as we go along. The point is that the Trinity is not something we think about that happens outside of us; rather, God brings us into the work of the Trinity.
So why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter? Let’s suppose a man’s car breaks down. He pops the lid, takes out the oil dipstick, and sees that there is no oil on it. He doesn’t know exactly where to put the oil. He deduces that since the dipstick reaches the oil, he can simply pour the oil down the dipstick shaft. A half hour later, he finishes with the quart of oil, looks up and sees another part on the engine with typed letters, “Place Oil Here.”
The mechanically ignorant man already has the resources in front of him and he doesn’t know it. As Christians, we have the resources for confidence, joy, boldness, patience, endurance, strength, peace, good works, and motivation in front of us and we’re tempted to neglect them. We’re created, redeemed, and restored already in the life of the Trinity. God was already at work before we were born; He is still at work, even in our ignorance; and He will bring all things to completion, even in our cynicism.
Suppose a child complains that his parents don’t care for him while on his way home for dinner. Yet, his ignorance blinds him to the ways in which he is already involved in his parents’ care and provision. He has a home; he is given food. As Christians, our redemption is the work of the Triune God. Our daily life depends on the work of the Trinity, which we experience as the power of our Father, the blood of His Son, and the Spirit living I our hearts. Our hope depends on the Trinity. Arguing that the Trinity doesn’t matter shows our ignorance to the work of God all around us. Both Scripture and our experience declare the work of the Triune God.
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