[29] “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. [33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:29–33)
The biblical teaching about the Trinity is so important to our relationship with God that we review it each year the Sunday after Pentecost. In doing so, we rediscover that the Trinity is both a fact and a mystery.
This week’s second reading is Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. The Apostle names all three persons of the godhead. God the Father, who raised up Jesus from the dead. God the Son, who was exalted to the right hand of God. God the Spirit, whom the Father and the Son poured out that day in the presence of those gathered.
Yet Scripture also tells God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Timothy 2:5). This is where we discover the mystery. We have no idea how God can be one God yet three persons.
We try to explain the Trinity with analogies. One is a boiled egg: It is one egg, yet has a shell, a yoke, and the egg white. Another is water, which is one substance that can be seen three forms: liquid, ice and vapor. Yet all analogies fall short of clearly and accurately describing the Trinity. It is not surprising that the created cannot explain the Creator.
Both the fact and the mystery of the Trinity are part of our faith. We trust the fact of the Trinity as revealed in Scripture. We embrace the mystery, submitting ourselves to God’s will, since God has not chosen to reveal the “how” of the Trinity.
(A Second Look devotions are written for the congregations of the Ohio District LCMS.)
Kevin Wilson 360 