This Month's Colloqium

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In God-The World's Future, Ted Peters stresses the importance of understanding the Trinity for the everyday life of today's Christian. Perhaps the best way to understand the Trinity is to understand its relationships: those it shares among itself between the three identities of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and those that these identities share with humanity.¹ Although theological views on the Trinity have certainly varied for centuries, one thing remains constant: knowledge of the Trinity and its identities is an important part of a person's understanding of their place in a relationship with God.

As views of the Trinity have developed over time, two notions continue to surface: that of the immanent Trinity and the economic Trinity. The idea of the immanent Trinity refers to the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that is unaffected by the world and by humankind coming into existence. The economic Trinity refers to the external manifestation of the Trinity in the world through creation, redemption, and sanctification. This is sometimes referred to as the "Trinity of manifestation"². Some attributes or actions of identities of the Trinity may belong to the immanent Trinity or the economic Trinity or both. For example, Peters stated that Jesus' dying on the cross is God's saving of the world and therefore belongs to the economy of God. However, this does not fit with the idea that the immanent Trinity continues to be unaffected by the world and its inhabitants. In the act of the cross, the eternal Logos present in Jesus belongs to the immanent Trinity; the rest of the act is superfluous.³

Some theologians have made the assertion that the immanent Trinity and the economic Trinity exist in a very close relationship. In fact, some assert that they are one and the same. Jurgen Moltmann states: "…I have affirmed and taken up Rahner's thesis that 'the economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity, and vice versa'"⁴. This is an important assertion because a relationship between God and the world is necessary for the gospel message to be carried out. John 3:16 reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life". If one thinks of the Godhead only as immanent, then there is no need for God to manifest Himself to the world. Also, if one thinks of the Godhead only as economic, this implies that God is dependent of the world for existence-how can He manifest Himself if there is no one to receive His manifestations?

It is apparent that there are problems in labeling the Trinity as simply immanent or economic. For this reason, Moltmann and Peters choose to view God as "open". That is to say, God's relationship to the world is not merely an addition to an existing nature of God. Peters states that God is not simply a being living in eternal isolation who turns on a magic television set in order to see what is happening in the world. His involvement in the world is such that it becomes part of His divine nature, redefining divinity to include humanity through the act of His incarnation, the historical human Jesus. Peters states, "This has led Moltmann to designate the Trinity as 'open' in order to connote the essential relatedness of God to the creation. I wish to applaud this line of development"⁵. God's involvement in the world becomes internal rather than external, shaping His very divinity.

Also shaping the divinity of the identities of the Trinity is the relationship that exists, not between the Trinity and the world, but within the Trinity. In this respect, we can view the Trinity as immanent, in that these relationships depend on other identities of the Trinity, not on the world or humanity. Theologians such as Karl Barth and Wolfhart Pannennberg assert that the divinity of the three identities of the Trinity is dependent and therefore exists as the result of personhood in relationship.⁶ It is inherently true that one cannot be a father unless one has a child, and that a child must have a father, at least biologically. Within this relationship, there exists a bond. These same ideas can be used to help us understand the divinity that is present in the Trinity. The Father knows Himself as such through the Spirit when He knows the Son. The Son in turn knows Himself as such through the Spirit when He knows the Father. The Spirit finds its divinity in the participation in the relationship between the Father and the Son. Catherine Mowry LaCugna writes:

In Augustine's theology, person is not without its relational aspects: God the Father is Father only in relation to the Son; Son is Son only in relation to the Father; the Spirit is person only in relation to Father and Son. Nonetheless, relationality is located within the divine essence.⁷

Peters addresses the origin of the term "Father" as a label for God. This term derived from Jesus' being described as the Son of man and the Son of God. In Jesus' role as the Son of God, God takes on the role of the Father of Jesus. Mark 14:36 reads: "He said, 'Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." Terms such as abba and imma, Aramaic terms meaning "daddy" and "mommy" respectively, are terms that suggest bonds between parent and child.⁸ Author Max Lucado writes about one of his experiences in Jerusalem:

… my daughter Jenna and I spent several days in the old city of Jerusalem…One afternoon, as we were exiting the Jaffa gate, we found ourselves behind an orthodox Jewish family-a father and his three small girls. One of the daughters, perhaps four or five years of age, fell a few steps behind and couldn't see her father. 'Abba!' she called to him …He spotted her and immediately extended his hand…⁹

Jesus' use of the term abba to refer to God indicates that Jesus thought of God as a father figure, or at the very least as a loving parent. Moltmann takes a closer look at God the Father:

His fatherhood is defined by the relationship to this Son, and by the relationship of this Son Jesus Christ to him. Consequently, in the Christian understanding of God the Father, what is meant is not 'the Father of the universe', but simply and exclusively 'the Father of the Son' Jesus Christ. It is solely the Father of Jesus Christ whom we believe and acknowledge created the world.¹⁰

Acting in the role of Jesus Christ's Father, God is acknowledged as the creator of the universe.

The relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son is perhaps the most easily understood because humans have an example they can relate to: their own relationship with their parent or parental figure. Also, there are many biblical examples of God the Father or Jesus the Son in action serve to show us the nature of these identities. However, the Holy Spirit is not so easily understood. John 4:24 reads that "God is spirit", showing us that divinity does exist in spirit form, however vague it may be. According to Moltmann, the Bible does not always present the Holy Spirit as a clear and separate identity of the Trinity, sometimes showing the Spirit as a type of divine or holy energy. He writes, "whereas according to biblical testimony clear personal concepts are associated with the names of the Father and the Son, the 'third person' of the Trinity has a certain anonymity"¹¹. Thomas Aquinas thought that the Spirit was given the label "Holy Spirit" simply due to the work manifested. That is, the Spirit itself is holy and sanctified because it sanctifies others.¹² Many times, when the Spirit is represented visually, in some form of art, it is depicted as a dove, or a cloud, or a beam of light, whereas the Father and Son are shown as people. This suggests a type of relationship between the Spirit and the other two identities of the Trinity different from that between the Father and the Son, almost a duality rather than a Trinity.¹³ There is also a question of the origin of the Spirit. Moltmann writes:

It is lacking in inner logic to understand the procession of the Spirit only from 'the Father'; for the first Person of the Trinity is only 'Father' in relation to the Son. The Spirit is 'breathed out' (spiratio) not begotten (generatio). So the Spirit cannot be a second Son of the Father. He proceeds from the Father. He does not equally proceed from the Son. If this were so, the Son would be the second Father and there would be two different 'origins' for the divine Spirit.¹⁴

Although there may not be much we can say with confidence about what the relationships surrounding the Holy Spirit are, there are things we can say they are not. As stated above, the Spirit is not like a second Son to the Father. He proceeds from the Father and not equally from the Son. He is unlike the Father because he has an origin, and He is unlike the Son because He is not generated. Moltmann sums up: "His procession from the Father is a relationship peculiar to Himself, the factor determining Him alone. His unique character is therefore defined negatively rather than positively".¹⁵

In examining the relationships between the identities of the Trinity, we view the Trinity immanently. It is also important to view the Trinity economically; that is, to understand the relationships we as humans can have with the identities of the Trinity. When we view the Trinity economically, we often find ourselves in the struggle between the Beyond and the Intimate. Simply put: Why is it that God, an all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the whole universe chooses to seek a relationship with a human, something that seems so insignificant in relation to the rest of the world? The situation is dichotomous at worst and just plain odd at best. Peters explains:

But the Beyond stands in dialectical tension with the Intimate. Whereas the Beyond is the absolute, the Intimate is the relative. Down at the deepest level of our personal being, we do not want to be alone. Yet, because we are finite and apparently discrete persons, the best we can do is live side by side with other people and things…We want the Beyond and the Intimate to meet each other in the depths of our own person. The testimony of the biblical symbols such as Emmanuel-meaning 'God with us'-is that they do.¹⁶

We tend to see God in the Beyond because He created and is Lord over everything. It seems impossible to achieve any level of intimacy with a being that is as powerful as we see God to be. If we become too familiar with God, and view Him in the Intimate, we run the risk of God losing His autonomy. That is, if we know everything about God, such as how He would react to things or what He would do in certain situations, we could then manipulate God, causing Him to lose His autonomy. However, as stated earlier, Jesus not only referred to God as abba, He encourages us to do the same. Matthew 6:8-9 reads: "your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then in this way: 'Our Father in heaven ….'" Here we are taught to address God the Father familiarly, as a father, not as someone beyond our reach.

Most Christians find it natural to build a relationship with God as Jesus Christ the Son. Through the act of redemption, Jesus presents Himself as a loving friend or brother willing to give His life for others. In turn, Christians pledge their lives to Christ to show love and gratitude. One way that Christians choose to participate in their relationship between Jesus and themselves is through communion. The word "communion" itself suggests that which it hopes to accomplish: an exchange, a fellowship, and an association. When Christians take what they believe to be the Body and Blood of Christ, they participate in His divine nature.

It is through the Holy Spirit that the relationships above-the one between Father and human as well as the one between Son and human-are possible. The Spirit serves as a link between humanity and God. Jesus says in John 16:13-14:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Spirit helps us to communicate with God. Romans 8:15-16 reads: "When we cry 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Peters comments further on this verse:

The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is signifi-cant here. The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to pray like Jesus and effects the same intimate communion in their lives …The Father-Son relationship between God and Jesus becomes through the Spirit inclusive of those who through faith are reconciled to God.¹⁷

Through the Holy Spirit we are fulfilled, not only through our relationship with Him, but through the relationships He enables us to have with the Father and Son.

Our lives as Christians and our relationship with God can be better understood when we understand the Trinity and its relationships. Whether we view the Trinity immanently or economically, we are able to see God's attributes in His identities-God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This knowledge we gain from understanding God not only helps us to have a better view of those relationships, it helps to understand how we can further develop these relationships, and become even more satisfied with our paths as Christians.

¹Following Robert Jenson and Ted Peters I use "identities" to avoid the danger of tritheism that comes with using "persons" which for many leads to the mistaken impression that we speak of three distinguishable entities within the Godhead. See Robert Jenson, The Triune God, vol. 1 of Systematic Theology (Oxford University Press, 1997) 117–26; 105–6; 63–89 passim; and Ted Peters, God—The World's Future: Systematic Theology for a New Era, 2nd ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000),109.

²Peters, 111.

³Peters, 112.

⁴Jürgen Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1981), 160.

⁵Peters, 112.

⁶Peters, 110.

⁷Catherine Mowry LaCugna, God for Us (San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishers, 1973), 247.

⁸Peters, 100.

⁹Max Lucado, Let the Journey Begin: God's Roadmap for New Beginnings (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998), 17.

¹⁰Moltmann, 163.

¹¹Moltmann, 168.

¹²Moltmann, 168.

¹³Moltmann, 169.

¹⁴Moltmann, 169.

¹⁵Moltmann, 169.

¹⁶Peters, 89.

¹⁷Peters, 101.