The Trinity

I've spent the last 34 years of my life immersed in Southern Baptist (SBC) and LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) theology and history. One thing I've noticed in the last 10 years or so is how much mistrust and misunderstanding there is between the 1st and 3rd largest non-Roman Catholic Christian traditions in the United States (United Methodists are #2 by the way). For the last few years I've toyed with an idea of starting a blog to address some of the misunderstandings between our respective traditions and possibly provide a forum for conversation and common ground between us. The blog is still a work in progress, but I've decided in the meantime that I would make an occasional doctrinal post here on Facebook and see how it goes from there. These posts are not meant to criticize either faith tradition, but rather to explain misconceptions and compare and contrast the two. Genuine comments and questions are welcome, but please no drama. If you want to bash or debate, message me. I don't want these posts to become a big theological WWE match. They should be viewed solely as an attempt to clarify and explain the theological positions of the LDS and SBC. I would assert that the most significant difference between our two faiths is the concept of the Godhead. Now, there is much to discuss here. So for now, I only want to focus on the Trinity. I have met/read very few LDS who really understand the historic Christian Doctrine of the Trinity. That is not a gibe. For that matter I've met very few non-LDS Christians who really understand the Historic Christian Doctrine of the Trinity. So, let's start with an explanation of how the doctrine of the Trinity came to be. LDS rightly argue that the word “Trinity” is not found in the New Testament. The word was actually coined by Tertullian, an early church leader around 200 AD. Christians coming out of the strict monotheism of Judaism struggled to reconcile the fact that the Scriptures attest the Father is God (1 Cor. 8:6), Jesus is God (John 1:1) and the Holy Spirit is God (2 Cor. 3:3), with the view that there is only one God. LDS also rightly argue that doctrine of the Trinity is rooted in Greek Philosophy. But in fairness, that is to be expected. The pedagogy of early Western Civilization was rooted in Greek Philosophy. For the first 1000 years after Christ, if you wished to express yourself academically, scientifically or even theologically you would have done so within a Greek Philosophical framework; (in much the same way that today academics and scientists are expected to express themselves within a secular/evolutionary framework.) That was just the milieu in which the early church existed. It was not an overt attempt to corrupt or change Christian theology. During this time, several church councils were held and different creeds were developed to try and explain important Christian beliefs and refute false teachings. The most famous and foundational Trinitarian Creed is the Athanasian Creed. It describes the Trinity in part.“... we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost... So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord.... So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal.” So what does all this mean? In plain English, it means the Father is God, The Son is God and The Holy Spirit is God, and they are one God. But the Father is NOT the Son (and vice versa). The Son is NOT the Holy Spirit (and vice versa). The Father is NOT the Holy Spirit (and vice versa). But they are all one God. Clear as mud right? I will try and break this down a little more. But before I do that, I want to clarify a common misconception that LDS have about the Trinity. The historic understanding of the Trinity DOES NOT TEACH that God the Father and Jesus are the same person. They are different persons! Again--The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct, different persons. They play different roles in the work of creation/salvation and in some regards have different characteristics. If you hear a Christian assert that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the same being. They do NOT mean that they are the same person (unless they are a heretic or a Oneness Pentecostal, but that is a discussion for another day). Let me say this one more time the historic understanding of the Trinity is that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct persons! If you glean nothing else from this note, please understand this. It's interesting that LDS often refer to Jesus Baptism as a refutation of the Trinity. Ironically, Trinitarians point to these verses as proof of the Trinity! They readily affirm that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God yet three distinct persons. So where does the “oneness” come from? How can they be one “being” if there are three distinct person? Well, let's think about this for a moment.... When we look at ourselves, are we merely “physical beings”? Do we not also have a Spirit/Soul? There is a metaphysical aspect to our being. When a man and a woman are married, Scripture declares that they become one flesh. The physical expression of that is expressed in sexuality, but is there not also a knitting of the soul/spirit as well? If there is not a knitting of spirits, how could we enjoy our communion as husband and wife in the interim period between death and resurrection? Now, let's take that a step further. Historic Christianity teaches that one member of the Godhead (Jesus) has a physical body. LDS Christianity teaches that two members of the Godhead (Jesus and Father) have physical bodies. But are He/They merely physical or do They not also have souls/spirits? No, they have/are spirits as well. If a man and woman can have their spirits knitted together in a small way by God in a marriage ceremony. Is it not possible that the Spirit's of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are knitted together eternally? Think about it. Though LDS believe that we are all sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, we also recognize that there is a unique relationship between the Father and Jesus. Jesus was the only begotten of the Father. We also recognize that the Spirit has a special relationship with the Father and the Son in that He is the only member of the Godhead without a body. Then can it not be possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though separate and unique persons, have a deep, eternal, ontological and metaphysical relationship/connection/oneness that we can only begin to comprehend? The belief in that oneness is the essence of the Trinity—three distinct persons united in an eternal, ontological and metaphysical oneness. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.