Wrestling with the Trinity

Must I believe doctrine to be a member?

Should I renounce my membership? I'm a committed follower of God, Christ and the Spirit, but I don't believe the Trinity theory. I've been told, "If you don't believe in the Trinity doctrine you can't be a Christian." How does one prove this doctrine?

You need not renounce your membership in the Christian church. Even Paul didn't ascribe to the doctrine of the Trinity since it wasn't defined until hundreds of years later. But I believe he would confess the truth of the revelation of God to which this doctrine bears witness.

The Trinity isn't meant to explain God. In fact, saying God is One but three persons proves that God can't be explained-only witnessed to.

The Trinity isn't some litmus test of intellectual ascent to a doctrine. Rather, it calls us to trust and commit to the God revealed as Father, Son and Spirit, which is precisely how you spoke of your faith. We can't prove the Trinity. But based on Scripture, church tradition and experience, the doctrine of the Trinity expresses the faith that we hold to be true and life-giving. We don't need to prove God. We only need to worship and obey God. This we can do!

I'm distressed after hearing about a pastor who doesn't believe in the virgin birth. If that were true, who is Jesus and is he still the Son of God?

Our confession of faith, which says Jesus was born of Mary without a human father (Matthew and Luke), witnesses to God's gracious initiative in sending Jesus into our world for the salvation of all humankind.

The virgin birth testifies to the faith that Jesus is Son of God. But the "sonship" of Jesus bears witness to more than his genesis. It's an expression of his relationship to God in single-minded obedience to God's saving will. Jesus can be confessed as Son of God and Savior without specific reference to his virgin birth or conception, as the Gospel of Mark does.

The virginal conception is only one way to witness to Jesus' uniqueness. Another is to point to his deeds and words, which transformed people who met him in the flesh and meet him now in the Spirit.

Those who deny the virgin birth usually say it's not historically necessary or universally witnessed to in the Christian tradition. For me the virgin birth is a "minor" miracle compared with Jesus' death and resurrection so the likes of us could have eternal life through believing in him.

By: Wayne Weissenbuehler

Weissenbuehler is a pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church, Englewood, Colo., and former bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod.

Readers are invited to send questions to "Since You Asked" via e-mail to JSevig@elca.org or to The Lutheran, 8765 W Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-- 4183. Space does not allow publication of all questions, but all receive serious consideration. The volume of letters makes personal replies impossible.

Copyright Evangelical Lutheran Church in America May 2002
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