It is very important to distinguish
between terms and concepts when studying the Bible and theology. I grew up in
churches that usually objected to the term Trinity
to describe the tri-unity of God. Those churches taught the doctrine of the
Trinity, i.e. there is one God eternally existent in three persons: Father,
Son, and Spirit. They refused to use the term Trinity, preferring to
use the term Godhead, but they taught
the concept expressed by it. They objected to the word Trinity because it is not found in the Bible, but this
misunderstands the difference between terms
and concepts.
Concepts are doctrines
and ideas taught in Scripture. Terms
are the names by which we refer to those ideas. Trinity is the term the Church has historically used to name the
doctrine of the tri-unity of God. Instead of saying Trinity we could say “there is one God eternally existent in three
persons: Father, Son, and Spirit” every time we wanted to refer to that
doctrine, but it is easier to name the doctrine: the Trinity. Most major Bible
doctrines are referred to by names not necessarily found in Scripture. The
question is not whether the term is
found in the Bible but whether the concept
is taught there.
Terms are helpful in naming and
summarizing Bible doctrines and ideas, but they become unhelpful or even
dangerous if their meaning is not consistent or understood. For example, some
churches claim to believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but they believe
the one God sometimes appears as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and
sometimes as the Holy Spirit. There are not three distinct persons in their
view of God; there is only one; He simply wears different faces at different
times. Do they teach the doctrine of the Trinity? No, they deny it! Likewise
some will say they believe in the deity of Christ but then claim He was created
by the Father before the creation of the world. Is this the biblical and
historical doctrine of the Son? No, it is a denial of it. Terms are important
and helpful, but the concepts behind those terms are even more important.
Unless we correctly understand what we
mean by the terms we use, we may easily fall into false doctrine. We may be
using the right terms, but if we mean something other than what the Bible says
when we use those terms, we are not using the terms rightly. Both the form of
our teaching (the words we use) and the content of our teaching (the doctrine
we convey) matter. –JME
