In his devotional on Lord's Day 8 of the Heidelberg Catechism, KDY ends his discussion on the doctrine of the trinity with highlight three ways this doctrine should affect our lives as Christians. Here, I share two:
"Two, the trinity matters for evangelism and cultural engagement. I've heard it said that the two main rivals to a Christian worldview at present are Islam and postmodernism. Islam emphasizes unity--unity of language, culture, and expression--without allowing much variance for diversity. Postmodernism, on the other hand, emphasizes diversity--diversity of opinion, beliefs, and background--without attempting to see things in any kind of meta-unity. Christianity, with it understanding of God as three in one, allows for diversity and unity. If God exists in three distinct persons who all share the same essence, then it is possible to hope that God's creation may exhibit stunning variety and individuality while still holding together in a genuine oneness.
Three, the Trinity matters for relationships. We worship a God who is in constant and eternal relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Community is a buzz word in American culture, but it is only in a Christian framework that communion and interpersonal community are seen as expressions of the eternal nature of God. Likewise, it is only with a Trinitarian God that love can be an eternal attribute of God. Without a plurality of persons in the Godhead, we would be forced to think that God created humans so that He might show love and know love, thereby making love a created thing (and God a needy deity). But with a biblical understanding of the Trinity, we can say that God did not create in order to be loved, but rather created out of the overflow of the perfect love that had always existed among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who ever live in perfect and mutual relationship and delight."
-KDY, The Good News We Almost Forgot
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