We need the Trinity to be righteous with God

God so loved the world that he gave his only son. He so loved his creation of man that he created the Trinity for man’s salvation. Although we accept that God’s plan can be a mystery he has revealed that he exists in a trinity so we can understand how to seek a righteous state with God.

The Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being three “persons in one” as the explanation of God’s being is seen as an essential element of Christianity. The great Anglican theologian, Richard Hooker, gives an explanation in his Learned Discourse for how man can become righteous with God. This helps me understand the role of the Trinity in the life of the faithful. It begins with the basic truths as we understand them that God is the creator of the universe including man and makes up the laws including the concept of love, the son of God Jesus is the Word of God (You can substitute the word wisdom), and the Holy Spirit is the “Advocate” who can communicate with God, Jesus, and us in person or in groups to clarify Jesus message or fortify our spiritual resolve.

Having said that let’s explore why we need this Trinity. God created the universe and then man. He made man the steward of the world and of his actions with the gift of free will. He wanted man to voluntarily follow God’s instructions in creating a Godly world. Unfortunately man was tempted to move in his own direction away from God creating his downfall. God decided to send his own son Jesus who is the Word of God to live with man and show him how to live in harmony with God. Jesus explains to mankind that he will be sacrificed and that is for man’s justification. The personal and collective downfall of humanity is justified only by Jesus’s actions and not by anything Christians can do. It is the free grace we are given having done nothing to earn it.

Yet to be righteous with God we must honor this grace he has freely given us. The second type of righteousness is to be sanctified. This means we must develop a true and honest faith to Jesus Christ message for ourselves, our family, and the world. Faith is like a muscle I once learned in Episcopal Diocesan school so many years ago. To develop this faith we must learn the Bible, our Christian traditions, and the role of reason to help us function in a faithful way glorifying God. Attention to worship, study, and prayer as St. Benedict teaches will lead us to carry out our lives with faithful acts. To assist us in our Christian journey we are given a spiritual Advocate, the Holy Spirit. We are baptized to further energize our relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Without fervent cooperation with the Holy Spirit we will fail. We are not sanctified by our acts but because they will never be enough. We are sanctified by the faith that leads us to good acts when we listen to the Holy Spirit who we welcome as a constant companion.