As we try to wrap our minds around this revealed truth, we run up against the limits of our finite minds. Try as we might, the being of God is not something we can totally understand because we are made by God, we aren’t God. Every analogy we come up with ultimately falls short of the truth about who God is. As we meditate on the fact that God is triune, there is only one appropriate response: awe.

The Trinity is hard to understand and even harder to explain to others, so we tend to spend little time thinking or talking about it. This attitude is tragic. When we only believe God is a Trinity because we know we’re supposed to, we deprive ourselves of great truth, hope, and joy. As we meditate on the reality that our God is triune, we should be moved to worship God for who he is, we should be encouraged by his love, and we should recognize the very practical implications God’s triune nature has for our lives!

1. The doctrine of the Trinity is awe-inspiring

The Scriptures reveal to us the truth that God is one essence, three persons. In the Old Testament God makes it abundantly clear that he is one God: “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). As monotheists, the Jewish people were very different from the polytheistic nations around them. Even with this emphasis we see hints in the Old Testament of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:26; 11:7; 16:-7-13; 18; Is. 48:16; 61:1, 63:9-10). The fact that God is three persons becomes abundantly clear in the New Testament: from Jesus’ Baptism (Luke 3:21-22) to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), the reality of the Trinity is boldly proclaimed.

As we try to wrap our minds around this revealed truth, we run up against the limits of our finite minds. Try as we might, the being of God is not something we can totally understand because we are made by God, we aren’t God. Every analogy we come up with ultimately falls short of the truth about who God is. As we meditate on the fact that God is triune, there is only one appropriate response: awe. The majesty and splendor of God’s being is more than we can fathom. As we come to know him more deeply, we are filled with wonder and amazement. As we contemplate the triune nature of our God, we should respond with humble worship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. The doctrine of the Trinity is encouraging

It might seem odd to claim that the doctrine of the Trinity is encouraging. How could something that seems so cerebral and esoteric encourage us? I believe that the doctrine of the Trinity encourages us in every single area of life for one simple reason: God is love (1 John 4:8). This statement can only be true because God is triune.

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