June 15: Trinity Sunday

Who is God?

Prv 8:22-31; Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15

On the Solemnity of the Trinity, which we celebrate tomorrow, we reflect upon one of central aspects of God’s identity in Christian tradition. The idea that God is three persons in one (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is one of God’s core attributes.

It also is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of Christian theology to understand. This makes sense because it addresses one of the biggest and perhaps most complex questions we can ask: Who is God? Scripture does not always offer us a simple answer.

We encounter many different images of God in both the Old and New and Testaments. One common misconception is that there is an “Old Testament God” who is an angry, vengeful God.

The Old Testament can show God becoming angry. This most often happens when people are not living up to their call to follow God’s commands, especially if they fail in their responsibilities to create a just society. Yet, this is not the only image of God we see in the Old Testament. From a warrior to a mysterious deity orchestrating events in the background, to a steadfast protector and loving caretaker, there is great diversity in the Old Testament’s images of God.

Despite this diversity, there seems to be an understanding that God has a consistent core, a central list of divine attributes. This list first appears in a passage from the Book of Exodus, “The Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless” (34:6-7). This list of attributes appears again in the book of Numbers (14:18), in the prophets (Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2) and in the Psalms (86:15, 103:8; 145:8).

Depending on the point the biblical author was trying to make, different attributes are emphasized over others. Some of them emphasize God’s compassion and mercy, others God’s justice. No matter the focus, though, the core attributes remain the same.

That this set of characteristics is not limited to one area of the Old Testament suggests that they were understood to be a key facet of who God truly is: compassionate, merciful, forgiving and just. The overall image of God in the Old Testament, then, is one of a steadfast God who cares and feels deeply, who repeatedly forgives and offers second chances. It is the image of a God who yearns for relationship.

The portrayal of Jesus throughout the Gospels has a similar presentation. Jesus becomes emotional and angry at times (Mk 3:5, 10:13-14; Jn 11:33-38) and even aggressive, as we see when Jesus addresses the money changers in the temple in all four Gospels (Jn 2:13-16, Mt 21:12-17, Mk 11:15-19, Lk 19:45-48,). But, as we heard just a few Sundays ago, God loves the world deeply and seeks its redemption, not its condemnation.

God sent Jesus to the world for this reason (Jn 3:17). Paul reminds readers that God is a God of love and peace, who calls all to also live with love and peace (2 Cor 13:11). This harkens back to the core attributes we learn about God in the Old Testament.

The question “Who is God?” is both complex and simple. As we have seen, God is multifaceted but contains an unchanging core. We have a God who feels deeply, who becomes angry at injustice, and acts with mercy and compassion and seeks out closeness with all of creation. Perhaps most significantly, though, this God wants us to share in these core attributes. We are to do this by answering the call to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Dt 6:5; Lv 19:18; Mt 22:37-40). May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you as you strive to live out this call (2 Cor 11:13).