The concept of Trinity in Christianity
Why it is unique and what does it mean.
According to Ravi Zacharias this concept may be one of the most important teachings of Jesus Christ because it explains in a powerful way the concept of unity in diversity.
At first it may appear a difficult concept to understand but if it’s studied in depth it brings profound philosophical insights.
First it shows that despite quite varied backgrounds, personalities, characteristics, people can share with their fellow human beings love and communication through spiritual unity. It’s a concept that inspires to still strive for love and dignity in the middle of all the struggles we see between races, cultures and genders, and doing so without attempting to diminish in the process individualities and personalities.
Second it answers a human dilemma regarding God’s personality. C S Lewis said: “Many people say these days that they believe in a God but not in a personal God since they feel that the mysterious something which is behind all other things must be more than 1 person… Christians quite agree with that since their worldview describes what a being beyond personality could look like. But these people think of God as something impersonal, that is as something less than personal… But in case you are looking for something more than personal, super-personal, then there isn’t a question of choosing between the Christian idea and the other ideas: the Christian idea is the only one on the market.”
Third, Christians say God is love and He is eternal but, obviously, He couldn’t have been and continue to be both loving and eternal if He was just by Himself. Only the presence of 3 distinct personalities in the Christian God- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit- makes the statement ‘God is love’ possible.
Fourth and finally, individually we feel a diversity of desires while still searching for a sort of unity of purpose, this being another philosophical dilemma that this concept seems to answer.
(Source: Ravi Zacharias ‘Can man live without God’)
