In this series, we have examined how to explain the doctrine of the Trinity as it is revealed in the Bible. The Trinity is hard to understand but easy to state: There is one God who exists eternally in three persons. As mysterious as this is, the idea of the Trinity is not just an abstract theological theory. It has the power to shape how Christians actually live every day. So let’s consider three applications of the Trinity in the Christian life.
The Trinity teaches us to live in humility.
The idea of the Trinity certainly humbles us before God. The three-in-one God is a being we cannot comprehend. He is infinite; we are finite. He is powerful; we are weak. He is exalted; we are lowly. The fitting expression of this humility before God is worship. Psalm 99:1-5 calls us to “bow low before his feet, for he is holy.”
The Trinity also invites us to be humble toward each other. The relations between the three persons of the Trinity model mutual honor. For instance, the Holy Spirit does not glorify himself, but the Son (John 16:13-14). The Son does not glorify himself, but seeks to bring honor to the Father, while the Father gives glory to the Son (John 13:31-32). Each of the three seek to promote and elevate each other, not themselves. We express this kind of humility when we serve each other. For example, in John 13, when Jesus spoke about glorifying the Father, he had just finished washing his disciples’ feet.
This leads to the second way the Trinity is more than just an abstract theory:
The Trinity teaches us to live in community.
Because God is three persons in one being, he has always experienced community within himself. Relationship is built into the very existence of God. Obviously, the community of Christians is not the Trinity. Christians are not one in essence and we are imperfect sinners. But God’s love within himself is the basis and model for the love Christians have for each other. Consider four aspects of true community that God points us toward:
Loving unreservedly. 1 John 4:7 says, “Let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.” The reason we love each other is because love is essential to the Trinity. This is because of God’s love for us (1 John 4:11), but also because of the example of God’s love within himself.
Forgiving freely. The members of the Trinity don’t need to forgive each other, because none of them has ever sinned. But the way God treats us models how we approach people in our lives who have sinned against us. Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Living peaceably. There is never conflict within the Trinity. Likewise, Colossians 3:14-15 invites us to live “together in perfect harmony…. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.” To live in peace and harmony means that we must work to maintain reconciled relationships with each other.
Serving connectedly. The persons of the Trinity work together to fulfill different roles within a greater unity. 1 Corinthians 12:12 uses a similar analogy to describe unity and diversity in the church: “the human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.” Each part represents a different, vital function that the whole church needs, but within a larger unity of the one body. This deeper connection is greater than our diverse backgrounds (verses 13-14), so that the church – like the Trinity – is a unity with diversity.
So God’s people are called to live in community that reflects the Trinity. As a Christian, you were never meant to go it alone. You need to connect with other Christians – through a small group, on a serving team, inviting others into your home or doing activities together.
One more important application arises out of the relations between the persons of the Trinity:
The Trinity teaches us to live on mission.
Considering the roles within the Trinity, the Bible teaches that the Father sends the Son (1 John 4:14). Together, the Father and the Son send the Spirit (John 15:26). Again, this arrangement models something profound for the Christian life, because, having been sent by the Father, the Son sends the church with the help of the Spirit.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and told them, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21). The Father sent Jesus on his mission to be the Savior of the world. Similarly, Jesus sends us on our mission to tell people about Jesus’ mission (Matthew 28:18-20). We are the messengers who spread the good news that Jesus paid for human sin so that people can be right with God (2 Cor 5:18-21). We do our part by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), who lives within us.
Every Christ-follower is sent and empowered by the members of the Trinity to make salvation known to his fallen creation. Have you embraced your mission? The Father sent Jesus from his comfortable place in heaven to enter our messy world. He didn’t just send information. He sent a person who would engage others with compassion acts and truthful words. In the same way, Jesus sends us out of our comfortable existence to engage our neighbors in their world with both compassion and truth. You can do this because the Holy Spirit will empower you to point people to Jesus and his good news.
The biblical doctrine of the Trinity may be hard to understand, but it isn’t just esoteric speculation. Expect the reality of who God is to shape how you actually live as a Christian every day.
