Westminster Project 2.3
3. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.
(WCF 2.3)
For the past few weeks, we have been reflecting on the glorious and wonderful nature of our God. Admittedly, we haven’t even scratched the surface.
That’s because even if we had the rest of our lives, using every waking moment and every resource available to study the nature of God, we still wouldn’t come close to comprehending how awesome He really is. As Job once reflected, “Can you by searching find out God? Can you find out the Almighty to perfection?” (Job 11:7). The answer—even for one who has met God personally—is simply no. This paragraph in our confession is just as mind-bending and astonishing. However, this is a doctrine that God wants us to know and understand so that we might worship Him in knowledge and truth (Hos 4:6a, Jn 4:23, 17:17).
Therefore, WCF 2.3—while taking into account the whole council of Scripture and building on the confessions of the ancient church—summarizes one of the most complex, beautiful, and intriguing doctrines ever revealed to humanity: the doctrine of the Trinity, all in one small paragraph.
The Bible says much about there being only one God (Ex 20:3, Deut 4:35, Ps 86:10, Isa 43:10), and this is without doubt true. There is only one God, a truth also upheld in the New Testament (1 Cor 8:4, Eph 4:6, 1 Tim 2:5), even the devil acknowledges it (Jam 2:19). However, the incredible fact is that within the unity of the Godhead, there are “three persons”: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16-17, 28:19; 1 Jn 5:7).
Before you try to think of analogies to pin down exactly what this relationship looks like, it’s best not to compare our triune God to anything on this earth (no three-leaf clovers, H₂O in different forms, or the sun with its rays come close). That’s because the union within the Godhead is like nothing on this earth. This is what the divines attempt to show us in as few words as possible: the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, nor is the Spirit either; God is three in one and one in three—not three gods, but one eternal God of the same substance in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit (Jn 14:26, 15:26, 2 Cor 13:14).
However, the confession goes a step further than just telling us what God is (ontological Trinitarianism) by informing us what God does (economic Trinitarianism). It begins by looking at the role of God the Father. We are told He is “of none,” neither begotten nor proceeding (Jn 1:14,18; cf. 1 Cor 8:6, Eph 4:6). What does this mean? It means that He does not come from nor has been sent by anyone else. He is—the fountainhead from which the Son is eternally begotten. Notice, this does not mean Jesus was created by the Father. No, He is God, but He is eternally the Son of the Father (Jn 1:1-3, 3:16-17, 14:21, 20:17). This in no way diminishes the Son or makes Him a lesser being or demigod. Rather, this language helps us understand the inner workings of God's awesome nature and the distinct roles of the persons. We must remember that it was Jesus Himself who said, “I and my Father are one” (Jn 10:30), meaning the Father and the Son share the same nature.
What about the Holy Spirit? He too is God (Acts 5:3-4), yet somehow eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. This means His person is distinct from both the Father and the Son, proceeding from their relationship to execute the will of God in this world (Rom 8:12-17, 1 Cor 2:10-16; cf. Acts 13:2).
Augustine once said, “If you deny the Trinity, you deny salvation; but if you understand the Trinity, you deny sanity.” So, although this subject is incredibly important and central to our Christian faith, we must never presume to fully grasp it. Instead, we should treat God’s revelation with the utmost awe and respect. The doctrine of the Trinity has implications for all of life, as the unity God has in Himself is the unity we strive for among ourselves as His children by the power of His Spirit (Eph 4:4-6).