From the Nature and Necessity of God: In Part 7, as I introduced the defense of Christianity as the truth, it will seem I have begged the question by assuming the necessity of the Christian Triune God of the Bible for explaining the universe, world, and ourselves.

Let me attempt to show “the proof is in the pudding” with three big interrelated thoughts for you to begin pondering: (please note, if you find this post too difficult to understand please skip to the next post, Part 9)

(1) The most fundamental belief in biblical, historic Christianity is the Trinity. While it is largely a glorious mystery, we know by divine revelation there are three coequal Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who intimately subsist as the one true and living God (Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:13-17, 28:18-20, John 1:1, 14:5-11). This is the self-contained ontological Trinity who, being eternally complete and infinitely perfect, is critical to the existence of our finite, temporal, shifting universe.

(2) Next is the Creator-creation distinction. First, there is God (Genesis 1:1a, Psalm 90:2)—as just identified above. Second, God created the cosmos (Genesis 1:1b, Nehemiah 9:6)—from our small planet to the furthest reaches of the universe and everything therein—giving it a separate existence of its own, while being dependent upon him as its firm foundation. This distinction further means that God did not create out of lack and need but out of infinite overflow and abundance (Acts 17:24-28, Psalm 104:27-30, 23:5, 87:7, John 4:10, 13-14, 10:10, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Ephesians 3:14-21, Romans 11:33-36), and that God created the universe and world as a general means through which he makes his existence and nature known to all (Psalm 19:1-6, Romans 1:18-20, Acts 14:15-17, Romans 2:11-16).

(3) Third, are how the concepts of an “approximate starting point” and an “ultimate starting point” relate to each other so as to undergird meaning, rationality, purpose, love, unity, diversity, and many other cherished values on which we thrive. Since we are beings with an existence of our own we naturally and rightly begin thinking about things from within our own minds. For example, we can ponder rationality and meaning and how they might play out in life. However, when we forget we are derivative from and dependent on God, and we stay lodged within ourselves, we inevitably begin believing that our universe and ourselves are, in principle, ultimate. But when this belief is pressed to its logical conclusion, we are forced to admit that our universe has no meaning or rationality in itself, for it is merely the accident of a-personal natural forces and processes. By extension, since we are only a micro part of the universe, we unwittingly reduce ourselves to irrational beings without meaning. Hence, at best, our cherished values become nothing more than abstractions and useful fictions. Yet, when we submit our “approximate” capacity to the “ultimate” capacity of God, through his revelation to us, then all our cherished values are concretely preserved.

It will take time to work through these densely packed thoughts. Yet, it is my prayer that this short excursion into the necessity of the Trinity is the beginning of seeing why this God alone provides the necessary preconditions for the existence of ourselves and our cosmos.