Trinity Trouble

Seems to me Christian leaders created a lot of trouble in their political decision ( 5th Century) to define God as three persons in one, a Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost comprising one triune God. Now, that is a complex notion, very difficult if not impossible to grasp in any manner meaningful to life. Yes, we have testimony about the Son from witnesses to his life, and we have testimony about God from the Son and from witnesses and prophets in the saga of Israel recorded in our Old Testament. But I never really understood the Holy Ghost, not even after they started calling it the Holy Spirit, though that change helped.

As it turns out, scripture may be really helpful if we go back far enough. In the early days God spoke directly with Noah (Gen. 6:13) and Abraham (Gen. 17: 1-21). God appeared in human form to Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 18: 1-15), and God wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:24). God interacted directly with humans until the Exodus. God’s direct speech and commands to Moses were effective with him, but when God spoke directly to the people of Israel, God’s action scared them nearly to death. (Ex. 20: 18-19).

So, thereafter, God began interacting with humans by providing measures of his Holy Spirit to reside in the mortal being, thus enriching the power of the mortal being. God’s first move in this direction was to reduce the measure of God’s Spirit in Moses, spreading portions of God’s Spirit from Moses to the seventy elders of Israel in the desert (Num. 11: 16-17). God also provided the tabernacle’s artisans with God’s “divine spirit” to enable them to design and build to God’s specifications (Ex. 31; 2-4). And God provided the prophets with various measures of God’s Holy Spirit. When Elijah was about to be taken into heaven by the whirlwind, he asked his successor, Elisha, what he might do for him before he was taken. Elisha asked to “inherit a double share of your spirit.” Elijah responded that this was a difficult request, but “if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not , it will not.” (2 Kgs. 2:9-10) Measures of the Holy Spirit are granted only by God.

Jesus promised the disciples that God would send them the Holy Spirit to reside in them forever (Jn. 14: 15-17). I think God communicates with you and me by sending a measure of God’s Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. The real question may be, how large a measure of the Holy Spirit can each of us handle before the weight of glory is too much for us cracked vessels to bear? Jesus was filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit, and went to the cross obedient to the will of God. Moses bore a huge burden, as did all the prophets and most of the disciples and apostles. Perhaps our prayer should be, “God grant me the measure of your Spirit that I can bear.” Or perhaps, “God strengthen my weak character to enable me to accept and bear with gladness a greater measure of your Holy Spirit.” (See Ro. 5: 3-5).