You remember the flux capacitor, don't you? Discovered by Dr. Emmit Brown, it's what makes time travel possible! According to the hit 80's sci-fi trilogy, Back to the Future, Dr. Brown saw it in a vision after slipping and hitting his head on a porcelain sink while hanging a clock in his bathroom on November 5th, 1955. After 30 years of work, his vision became a reality in the shape of a time machine made out of a DeLorean. Of course, as fancy and shiny as it was, the DeLorean was just a vehicle for harnassing the power of the flux capacitor, which shown brightly in protective casing anytime the machine was used.
Forgive me for showcasing a bit of my nerdiness, but believe it or not, bigger sci-fi geeks have actually made replicas of the thing, complete with flashing lights, time circuits, and a protective box. I'm sure you can buy one on ebay if the price is right. I've seen other drawings on the internet that actually include mathematical equations and attempt to explain the theory behind the flux capacitor. Crazy right? I couldn't begin to be that nerdy if I wanted to, mostly because I lack the background education necessary to delve into anything having to do with science, even science fiction!
However, I do remember seeing a similar diagram as I sat in a theology class:
This is what theology text books often use to explain the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity. I got quite a laugh from my classmates when we turned our attention to it and I compared it to the flux capacitor. Unfortunately, for some Christians, it might as well be science fiction. You've heard the common excuses for not caring to understand the concept: "God's a mystery, we'll never fully understand him," "the word 'trinity' is not the in the Bible," "God doesn't care what we call him," etc. I have to admit, there is some truth to these statements.
On the other hand, the Fathers of the Christian faith took great care to preserve this orthodox concept of God for a reason. They weren't trying to come up with an entertaining bit of science-fiction, they were trying to promote a correct understanding of the way God is revealed in His Word. The point that the diagram is intended to make is that God is one being, in three separate persons. Why is this important?
Consider these popular analogies that are often used, but fall short in describing this phenomenon: 1) God's roles as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are sometimes compared to a person's role as a parent, friend, or employee. To a child, you are a parent, to a friend, a mutual companion, and to your boss, an employee. This analogy falls short because it fails to recognize God's distinctiveness. Being a friend, parent, and employee are all important roles, but they can be accomplished by one person.
2) On the other end of the spectrum, God's different persons are sometimes compared to the different parts of an egg: yolk, white, and shell. Three parts, one egg. Unfortunately, this analogy fails to highlight the unity or oneness of the Trinity, because all of these parts can be separated and exist independently from the other.
No analogy, it seems, does justice to the concept of the Trinity. This is usually where people throw up their hands and decide that God is just one big mystery and that there is no point in trying to understand the Trinity. I believe that in this frustration lies a hint of what makes exploring this doctrine important. The "how" is what boggles everyone's minds, and rightly so. We don't understand how God can be three persons in one being, because nothing we can conceive of is comparable to that. Is that so bad? Should it be all that upsetting that we cannot adequately explain the "how" part of the Trinity? I don't think so, especially when you consider how the Trinity has historically been described. "3 persons and one being" is not a phrase that leaves much room for "how." It just is. Perhaps a better question to ask when exploring this doctrine is "what?"
What is distinct about each person of the Trinity, and in what way do they function as the triune God? These are measurable questions that can be seen in Scripture. For example, Matthew 3 records Jesus' earthly baptism. When Jesus comes out of the water, the Holy Spirit lands upon his shoulder in the form of a dove. Following this, a "loud voice from Heaven" states "this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased." Here's WHAT I find distinctive about each person of the Trinity in this passage: the Father had a plan, the Son entered the world to accomplish that plan, and the Spirit provided guidance as the plan was unfolding (see Matt. 4 for the first place the Spirit led Jesus after this incident).
This is the way God revealed himself in the Bible. I don't understand how this is possible any more than I understand how the flux capacitor makes time travel possible. But I am overwhelming thankful for WHAT God has done and is doing through each of the distinct person's of the Trinity.
Forgive me for showcasing a bit of my nerdiness, but believe it or not, bigger sci-fi geeks have actually made replicas of the thing, complete with flashing lights, time circuits, and a protective box. I'm sure you can buy one on ebay if the price is right. I've seen other drawings on the internet that actually include mathematical equations and attempt to explain the theory behind the flux capacitor. Crazy right? I couldn't begin to be that nerdy if I wanted to, mostly because I lack the background education necessary to delve into anything having to do with science, even science fiction!
However, I do remember seeing a similar diagram as I sat in a theology class:
On the other hand, the Fathers of the Christian faith took great care to preserve this orthodox concept of God for a reason. They weren't trying to come up with an entertaining bit of science-fiction, they were trying to promote a correct understanding of the way God is revealed in His Word. The point that the diagram is intended to make is that God is one being, in three separate persons. Why is this important?
Consider these popular analogies that are often used, but fall short in describing this phenomenon: 1) God's roles as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are sometimes compared to a person's role as a parent, friend, or employee. To a child, you are a parent, to a friend, a mutual companion, and to your boss, an employee. This analogy falls short because it fails to recognize God's distinctiveness. Being a friend, parent, and employee are all important roles, but they can be accomplished by one person.
2) On the other end of the spectrum, God's different persons are sometimes compared to the different parts of an egg: yolk, white, and shell. Three parts, one egg. Unfortunately, this analogy fails to highlight the unity or oneness of the Trinity, because all of these parts can be separated and exist independently from the other.
No analogy, it seems, does justice to the concept of the Trinity. This is usually where people throw up their hands and decide that God is just one big mystery and that there is no point in trying to understand the Trinity. I believe that in this frustration lies a hint of what makes exploring this doctrine important. The "how" is what boggles everyone's minds, and rightly so. We don't understand how God can be three persons in one being, because nothing we can conceive of is comparable to that. Is that so bad? Should it be all that upsetting that we cannot adequately explain the "how" part of the Trinity? I don't think so, especially when you consider how the Trinity has historically been described. "3 persons and one being" is not a phrase that leaves much room for "how." It just is. Perhaps a better question to ask when exploring this doctrine is "what?"
What is distinct about each person of the Trinity, and in what way do they function as the triune God? These are measurable questions that can be seen in Scripture. For example, Matthew 3 records Jesus' earthly baptism. When Jesus comes out of the water, the Holy Spirit lands upon his shoulder in the form of a dove. Following this, a "loud voice from Heaven" states "this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased." Here's WHAT I find distinctive about each person of the Trinity in this passage: the Father had a plan, the Son entered the world to accomplish that plan, and the Spirit provided guidance as the plan was unfolding (see Matt. 4 for the first place the Spirit led Jesus after this incident).
This is the way God revealed himself in the Bible. I don't understand how this is possible any more than I understand how the flux capacitor makes time travel possible. But I am overwhelming thankful for WHAT God has done and is doing through each of the distinct person's of the Trinity.
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