When we talk Trinity we are entering into…. the deep end of the theological pool! Remember as a small child playing in the shallow end? The deep end was…. scary. It was for the big people. The experienced swimmers! Not me…. I was a shallow end kid! Guys like me were sure to drown in the deep end.
And so, I never ventured out… until the lure of all the fun that was being had in the deep end drew me! It begins by edging your way around the pool while hanging on to the side. And slowly but surely you found yourself…. in the deep end! And, while the deep end should be respected by a little kid – it should also be enjoyed! And enjoy it I did! Almost daily!
Some think: Why venture out into the Trinity. They say: “you can’t fully understand it, so why bother?” Oh friend, we need to bother. Yes, it is the deep end and yes the deep end should be respected, but the deep end is GREAT! It is here that we learn who God is and what He has done for us. The deep end creates worshipers and it stirs passion and love for God. It is in the deep end that we begin to behold the glory of our God.
So, are you ready? The following posts are all: deep end theology. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out! Nobody has God all figured out! Are you kidding me? He is, after all…… GOD!
Ok, here we go – let go of the wall…..
God is both 1 and 3!
Got it!?!
If so, your brain is far better than mine! Trinity = 1 God 3 persons. And that is the deep end theology we will be getting into in the posts to come. But before we venture too far out into the deep end, let’s head back to the shallow end and ask: “How are we to think about the deep end?”
4 Ways to Think About Deep End Theology
1.) Humility
Pride demands to have it all figured out. Our pride actually thinks that the created should be able to fully grasp – in entirety – the Creator. Think about this for a minute. How silly is that? Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we should throw up our hands and say – If I can’t figure Him out… why bother. Please…. Bother! Remember the deep end is fun! Humility is not opposed to study and diligence or deep thought. BUT, what do we do when our study brings us to the Infinite, Almighty, Eternal, God? HUMILITY!
2.) Joy
Consider…. if you are a Christian, you serve a God who is without limits. He is beyond us. The fancy word for this is transcendence. God transcends us. Here are some good synonyms for the word transcendence: incomparability, matchlessness, peerlessness,magnificence, excellence, supremacy.
Yep – that is God – the 3 in 1
He is beyond us, He is infinite and that fills my heart with joy. Because, if He were not transcendent…… then He would not be much of a God!
3.) Worship
What does it mean that the infinite, transcendent God came and dwelled among us? (John 1) That’s right the infinite God took on – human flesh – skin and bones and…. limits to dwell among us! WHY WOULD HE DO THAT? He did that so that he might live a perfect life and die on the cross for our sins and rise from the grave ascending to the Father so that He might send us His Spirit and the Father might adopt us as His children. Deep End Theology stirs my heart to worship Him!
4.) Hunger
I WANT TO KNOW HIM! It becomes a Psalms 27 moment for me, how about you?
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.(Psalm 27:4 ESV)