Many have attempted to describe the Trinity and how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit relate to each other in simple terms. Some have said that the Trinity is like a shamrock, and the shamrock’s three leaves represent the three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit). However, this analogy could suggest that each person of the Trinity is only one part of the Trinity and not fully God without the other two persons.
Others have said that the Trinity is like the three states of water – liquid water, ice, and vapor. All three of these states are fully water, and all three persons of the Trinity are fully God. But this analogy could suggest that God changes form (Father becomes the Son, Son becomes the Spirit, etc.), and this is actually a heresy known as modalism.
Neither of these analogies accurately describe the Trinitarian relationship we read about in Scripture, and I’ve heard of several other analogies that aren’t quite right either (eggs, apples, triangles, etc.). As believers, we need to have an accurate view of God and the relationship between the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This is why Michael Reeves wrote his book, Delighting in the Trinity.
What is the Trinity? To put it in simple terms, the Trinity is God, the three persons of the Godhead. These three persons are distinct persons, yet they are all the one true God of the universe. The Trinity is one God, three persons. Reeves writes,
“To know the Trinity is to know God, an eternal and personal God of infinite beauty, interest and fascination. The Trinity is a God we can know, and forever grow to know better.”[1]
Reeves writes that the triune God of the Bible is primarily a loving, life-giving God. He is not primarily a creator God who needed a creation to exist to be who He is. Neither is He primarily a ruler God who cares more about our behavior than our heart. God is a God of generous love, and the fact that He is triune makes this all the more comforting. He is not a singular God who spent the eternity before creation loving Himself. He is a triune God who spent eternity past sharing love between Father, Son, and Spirit, and He delights to share this love with us in our creation, our salvation, and our sanctification. Though we rejected Him at the Fall, God still loves us and offers us new life in Him.
You may be wondering why knowing who God is and knowing what the Trinity is really matters. Why is understanding the Trinity so important? As Reeves states in his book,
“We become like what we worship.”[2]
What we believe about God matters. Because if we worship a selfish and self-loving God, we will become selfish and self-loving. If we worship a legalistic God, we will become legalistic. If we worship a needy God, our own spiritual needs will never be met. But if we worship the loving and life-giving God of the Bible, we will love those around us and point them to the new life they can find in Him.
Full of humor and wit, Michael Reeves does a great job of combining biblical truths and the writings of early Church fathers in his short and concise book, Delighting in the Trinity. Throughout the book, Reeves eloquently describes the generous love of the Trinity. And he not only focuses on God’s love, but also on His beauty, holiness, wrath, glory, and goodness. This book is a great introduction to the study of God’s nature and character. If you’re interested in learning more about who God is, you should definitely check out Delighting in the Trinity!
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[1] Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 12.
[2] Ibid., 93.
