Jeffrey Winters is a researcher for "Discover" magazine.  In writing about the mysteries of outer space, he said, "The images from the Hubble Space Telescope are breathtaking, but there is a lot we need to learn before we can fully appreciate them.  Think of it this way:  You have horrible eyesight and own a book with all the answers in the universe.  And it isn't until you finally get glasses that you realize the whole book is written in Albanian."

          There are many doctrines about God that seem to be written in Albanian, chief among them the concept of the Holy Trinity.  How can God be Three Persons and yet One God?  How could the Babe in Bethlehem be both true man and true God in the same person?  Someone has said that if you worked hard trying to fully understand the Trinity, you'll probably lose your mind.  But the chilling fact remains that if you deny the Trinity, you'll certainly lose your soul.

          Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, the day to consider the incomprehensible, the Christian doctrine of the Three Persons in One God.  I touched on it last week on Pentecost Sunday in showing the work of person of the Holy Spirit.  The Father is the Creator, the Son is the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier.  More plainly stated, the Father creates the world, the Son saves the world and the Holy Spirit inspires faith in the Son all over the world.

          To illustrate the Holy Trinity we use symbols like the equilateral triangle or three interlocking circles.  We use word pictures like the apple with its three parts (peel, meat and core) or we speak of three equal forms of H₂O - steam, water and ice.  But the fact is, we can talk about the Trinity but we'll never really understand it;  it will always be just out of reach of our understanding.

          In our bulletin are the words of the Athanasian Creed, one of three creeds the Church uses to explain its biblical understanding of God.  It's the longest creed and therefore the most complete in describing the Trinity.  Of the three Christian creeds, the Athanasian Creed is the least known and most obscure.  Its teachings are attributed to the early church father Athanasius, though it was not written by him.  While an exact date cannot be determined, it was probably completed around 400-500 A. D. (Anno Domini - Latin for "Year of our Lord").  The Athanasian Creed came from Christians in either Gaul (modern-day France) or North Africa and states the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in a series of paradoxes ("One Father, not three Fathers" or, "Not three Gods but One God")

          This creed was popular among the monks of the Middle Ages who considered it good for meditation and memorizing.  Martin Luther called it the grandest explanation of the Christian faith since the Apostles.  It is one of the three "Ecumenical Creeds" believed and accepted by all parts of Christianity all over the world, and thus is part of our Lutheran body of biblical teachings called "The Lutheran Confessions."  In it you'll see the word "catholic" used.  Here it means "universal," not a part of the Christian Church with its headquarters in Rome.

          Many believe the Trinity is a New Testament invention, made up to explain the divine nature of Jesus.  But the Trinity is also in the Old Testament.  The Spirit of God is mentioned in creation as hovering on the face of the waters.  God speaks of himself in plural terms ("Let US make man in our own image.")  One of the most frequent Hebrew terms for God is "Elohim", a plural term, not singular.  While God is "One God", the terms used to describe Him are often plural, indicating there's more than one person in the Divine Being.  God has only one nature, but He is more complex than just a Lovable Old Guy who dries our tears or a Holy Power who can flood the world.

          Many Bible teachers point out that the Old Testament book of Proverbs often puts things in groups of three's, another indication of the Trinity in the Old Testament, but they rarely quote today's text, "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  I've used this passage at weddings to show the need for God in the home, in effect saying, "Two are better than one, but three are even better than two." But there's something deeper here that affects all our lives, not only marriage.  The author of these words wasn't just showing off his writing skills.  Let's look at this wisdom of Solomon and see how a cord of three strands is stronger than the strength of atlas.

          "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

          This is a good text for a marriage, a good rationale that a person should not be alone.  God Himself says it plainly in the words of Genesis 2:18, "It is not good for man to be alone;  I will make a helper suitable for him."  People weren't created to live as solitary beings;  they are better, stronger people when they're together with others.  The community protects and strengthens its members, and marriage has a practical side to it.  An individual alone can be easily picked off, tempted by Satan to reject God;  but when in the company of others, we are better for it, more able to draw on the strength of the group.

          We Americans tend to romanticize the rugged individualist, the cowboy who comes to town for supplies now and then, but at his best when roaming the prairies alone.  But the loner is vulnerable.  He is tempted to become his own moral guide, his own measure of what's right and wrong.  When there's no one else to hold him accountable, he's tempted to become even more self-centered than he already is by nature.  It takes other people to keep our life balanced.  Eve was tempted when she was alone.  Adam alone was even worse off;  that's why God said, "It is not good for man to be alone," and made him woman as his companion.

          "Two are better than one," said the wisest men ever to live, "because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm."  What a graphic picture!

          One might easily interpret these words as a commercial on marriage or a slam on the single life.  On the contrary, it's a commentary on our need for others and a warning for those who think marriage is outmoded.  True, some people do well alone, but few of them believe they're better off.  I've spent part of the past 16 years working with single people of all ages and learning their special needs.  I've known some fine productive and happy single people, but I've also seen their desire to have community.  They seek events with other singles because they know the rewards of being together.  Many singles I know have learned to accept their status with dignity and gratitude to God.  They're not second-class citizens, but people with much to offer.  But most also admit they'd like to have someone special in their lives to love and cherish.  That's our nature, the way God made us.

          America has done its best to accommodate being single.  Good food comes neatly wrapped in individual portions and condos are taylor-made for the single life.  Single people rightly point out that some of God's greatest prophets and apostles -- and even our Lord Himself -- were single.  But most continue to seek the companionship of others.  It's not weakness to admit a need for that special person, but a compliance with God's wisdom, wisdom that moved Solomon to say, "Two are better than one."  Living as a single must be done in accord with God's will, just as living in marriage must be done in accord with God's will.  Neither being single nor married gives one the right to shun the will of God.  The Ten Commandments apply equally to us all.

          "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Now the text switches from twos to threes.  True, it's a literary progression:  "ONE may be overpowered, TWO can defend themselves.  A cord of THREE strands is not quickly broken."  But herein lies another glimpse of the Trinity.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work in unity.  They're not three individualists doing their own thing, but Three working as One, a Divine Community.  The First Person, our Father, provided us a plan of salvation.  The Second Person, our Lord, gave His life for us on the cross of Calvary.  The Third Person, the Spirit, works to show us the way to heaven through Christ.

          Practitioners of other religions think it a weakness that Christians believe in a Triune God.  They point out their God needs no one else, thank you very much!  But ours does.  Each of the Three Persons needs the others.  Each manifestation of God's nature works together with the others, accepting us as we are, showing us divine love, forgiving us our sins and empowering us to live according to God's Will.  An elderly lady greeted the pastor after an especially inspiring sermon on Trinity Sunday.  "Good sermon, pastor," she said, "but I see you don't know any more about the Trinity than I do!"  She's right!  So all we can do is praise and thank our Triune God, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen!

Copyright © 2002 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.