- Sermon - Mickey Anders

Text: John 16:12-15

Baseball season is in full swing now, so I have a simple test for all those who know anything about baseball: Define a fair ball. Ah, but that may be too easy. I want you to define a fair ball without using any reference to the foul lines. Suddenly the task becomes much more difficult.

In fact, if you really had to define a fair ball without reference to a foul line, it would be a very difficult task. One might say something like this, "A fair ball is one that lands in the general area around the pitcher or fielders and is in play." But the task is very difficult. A fair ball is one that is alive, where the runners attempt to advance and the fielders try to record outs. It can be a grounder up the middle, toward first base or the shortstop. It can be a line drive over the third baseman's head. It can be a long hit to right field. It can even be a home run hit out of the park. Or it may be a bunt laid down the first base line. With so many options, it is difficult to define exactly what a fair ball is.

A simpler definition is that a fair ball is one that lands between the foul lines, right? A fair ball is one that is not foul. If it is not foul, then it is fair.

Today, I want to use that approach in talking about the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. It is a very difficult concept to define. In fact, I suspect no one can. But we can come to an understanding of this doctrine by defining what is out of bounds. What are the concepts of God that do not work? And I suggest that there are ideas that, like foul balls, are out of bounds on one extreme and ideas that are out of bounds on the other extreme.

But first of all, let me give you the classic understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. It is generally acknowledged that the church father Tertullian (145-220) either coined the term "Trinity" or was the first to use it with reference to God. A good classic definition goes like this:

In Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Since the 4th century, in both Eastern and Western Christianity, this doctrine has been stated as "three persons in one God," all three of whom, as distinct and co-eternal persons, are of one indivisible Divine essence, a simple being.

If you understood that completely on the first reading, then we don't have a problem with the Trinity and there is no need for this sermon. But for most of us, we cannot help but respond by asking, "Say what?"

So rather than trying to explain what it is, let's look at the boundary lines and see if we can understand them at least. We may not be able to define what the Trinity is in a way that is satisfying to the mind, but we can determine what the foul lines are and conclude that the Trinity lies somewhere in between.

First, let's look down the first base line. This side is defined by the idea that there is only one God.

The pivotal verse in the Old Testament comes from Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Or as your footnotes will say, this verse may well be translated, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." This passage is called "The Shema" is and quoted several times a day by pious Jews.

It reminds us of the unique contribution of the Jews to ancient religion. While all other cultures were worshiping many gods, the Jews claimed that God was one. Such monotheism was their gift to the world.

Even Jesus turned first to this monotheistic claim. In Mark 12:29-30, we find a scene where Jesus was asked what the first and greatest commandment is. He repeated the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one…"

One of the Ten Commandments says, "You shall have no other gods before me."

Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD,… I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god."

1 Corinthians 8:4 "…we know that 'no idol in the world really exists,' and that “there is no God but one."

Anybody who suggests there is more than one God is clearly outside the bounds.

But Christians are often accused of being polytheistic because of the Trinity. Our critics say we believe in three Gods - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I will admit that the way some Christians talk, it does seem that they fudge on this line occasionally. We sometimes get so caught up in talk about what Jesus does or the Holy Spirit does that it sounds like these are completely separate gods from the Father God.

But Classic Christian Doctrine has always affirmed that we can't go outside the foul line. There is only one God. Whatever else we say, we cannot cross this line. There is one God. "The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

Now let's look down the third base line and discover the other boundary - The Bible affirms that Jesus is God. That's where the real rub comes.

I suspect that most people who do not believe the doctrine of the Trinity take that position because they do not believe that Jesus was God. They insist that Jesus was just a man. They will say he was a prophet, a model for our behavior, a great example, a very spiritual man, a great teacher - but he was not God. They may even say that Jesus was somehow God's Son, in the sense that all the kings of Israel were considered to be God's son.

One of the interesting things about Jesus is that the people of the first century had no problem believing that Jesus was God. Many of the early heresies came from people who insisted that Jesus was not human. They thought he was a spirit that only appeared to be a human being. The New Testament spends most of its time confronting that heresy called Docetism.

But today the tables have turned. Today, everyone believes that Jesus was a real human being. They have their difficulty in believing that Jesus was God.

Why would we think Jesus is God? Many of the writers of the Bible clearly thought that was the case. In the person of Jesus, the disciples found themselves confronting a difficult mystery. As they got to know him, they began to think that there was something uniquely God-like in this person. There are many verses in the Bible make it clear that they thought Jesus was God.

When he was born he was called "Emmanuel – God with us" (Matthew 1:23).

John 1

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

John 10:30 The Father and I are one.”

John 14:9-11 Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

One of the pivotal passages comes from Philippians 2, where Jesus is pictured as the pre-existent and with God before he came to earth and become human.

Philippians 2

5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

Colossians 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Hebrews 1

3He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

1 John 5:20 He is the true God and eternal life.

If Jesus was merely human then his death was merely that of a martyr. Many who deny the Trinity believe that his death had no real affect on humankind. But Classic Christian Theology says that there was something special about the death of Jesus. I cannot explain exactly how it works, but the Bible affirms that Jesus' death on the cross was critical for our salvation. That's why it is so important for us to profess our faith in Christ. And I would suggest that we have to throw out many Scriptures to believe his death was merely an example of self-sacrifice. Scriptures like these:

John 3:16 "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."

Romans 5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the

unrighteous, in order to bring us to God."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

There was something special about his death that affected all humanity and provided a way of salvation for us.

So you can believe that Jesus was just a man if you want, but it seems to me that you have to deny many scriptures to assert that. For me, it's too many Scriptures.

It is odd that we don't have the same problem with the Holy Spirit. I suspect that very few will deny that the Holy Spirit is God, but they may suggest that the Holy Spirit is not separate from God.

But, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit as separate from God. Jesus claimed that the Holy Spirit would be sent in a special way to believers after Jesus' departure from earth.

Our text for today, John 16:12-15, says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the 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."

Early Christians could not talk about God without talking about the Holy Spirit. God is in and among us as the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Bible says the Spirit is the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11, 6:11; 7:40) and sometimes it is the Spirit of Jesus (John 14:16, Romans 8:9, 2 Corinthians 3:17).

Another fact is that the Bible often mentions all three as separate.

2 Corinthians 13:13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So I can't tell you what a fair ball is without using the foul lines. And I can't tell you what the Trinity is without using the lines that Classic Christian Theology has called out of bounds. But somewhere between these lines lies the doctrine of the Trinity. I can't define it and I must admit that I don't understand it, but I can tell you what it is not.

We must be careful when we use human analogies to try to explain something so mysterious as the Trinity. Many inadequate human analogies are used, but almost all of them veer out of bounds on one side or the other.

Some go overboard by really proposing three separate Gods. Some say God is like three players on a football team sitting on the sidelines and waiting their turn to get into the game, one after the other going out onto the field to substitute for each other. First, comes the Father, who does the work of creation. Then the Son takes over to do the work of salvation. Finally, the Spirit comes along to take up where the Son left off.

Another model suggests that God is like a heavenly board of directors of a corporation made up of three partners. God the Father may be the "big boss" who sends the Son and the Holy Spirit to do his work.

These models bog down in the separateness of the three Gods, ultimately losing our claim to monotheism.

On the other hand are models that go overboard by proposing very little difference in the persons of the Trinity. Some say that God is like an actor who changes costumes to play three different roles in a drama.

Or I may use myself as an analogy by explaining that I am one person, but my boys see me as a father, my wife sees me as a husband, and my parents see me as a son. But these analogies somehow lose the three-ness of God.

All analogies break down when we reach for a picture to explain the wonder of the Trinity. They cannot do justice to the simultaneous unity and distinctiveness of the persons of the Trinity.

Some people keep working at understanding this complexity as if they could actually fathom the depth of the mystery of God. They want to solve this conundrum like solving a crossword puzzle. And they refuse to believe it unless they can adequately understand it all.

But I believe this is a mystery that cannot be solved by human minds. If you feel you have to understand it completely, you will never believe it. I think the best we can do is say what is out of bounds.

John Wesley once said, "Show me a worm that can comprehend a human being, and then I will show you a human being that can comprehend the Triune God." Luther's comment was even more to the point. "To try to comprehend the Trinity endangers your sanity."

I tend to agree with Justo Gonzalez who once said, "Trinity is a mystery, not a puzzle. You try to solve the puzzle, you stand in awe before a mystery."