Trinity

1. Trinity - A theological perspective

2. Today’s first biblical passage John 16:12-15 約 翰 福 音 16:12-15 • “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. • But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. • 我 還 有 好 些 事 要 告 訴 你 們 ， 但 你 們 現 在 擔 當 不 了 （ 或 作 ： 不 能 領 會 ） 。 • 13 只 等 真 理 的 聖 靈 來 了 ， 他 要 引 導 你 們 明 白 （ 原 文 作 進 入 ） 一 切 的 真 理 ； 因 為 他 不 是 憑 自 己 說 的 ， 乃 是 把 他 所 聽 見 的 都 說 出 來 ， 並 要 把 將 來 的 事 告 訴 你 們 。

3. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. • Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’ • 14 他 要 榮 耀 我 ， 因 為 他 要 將 受 於 我 的 告 訴 你 們 。 • 15 凡 父 所 有 的 ， 都 是 我 的 ； 所 以 我 說 ， 他 要 將 受 於 我 的 告 訴 你 們

4. Introduction引言 Today is the Sunday we celebrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Thefirst biblicalpassage is a good expression ofthe “Trinity”. Iwould like to use an analogy , hopefully it will make it clearer so that we can benefit from it. 今天是三一主日. 今天選讀的第一段經文已經將三位一體的思想很概括地表達出來. 現試用一個例子, 希望能把它的意思說清楚一點.

5. Main points of the passage • Son is the focal point in knowing the Father • 認識父需認識子

6. Spirit is helping us 聖靈會幫助我們

7. Spirit helps us by directing us to the Son 聖靈會引領我們認識子

8. Son helps us by directing us to the Father 子會引領我們認識父

9. Whatever we need to know about the Father is already in the Son 有關父的一切已在子內

10. Activity活動 Go to the person next to you. Now ask him/her, “What is Trinity?” Provide your answer and listen to the answers from your neighbors.You can have a short discussion if you find it necessary. 請問在你隔鄰的朋友,“甚麼是三位一體?” 請講出你的答案, 並聆聽對方的答案. 有需要的話, 可以作簡單的討論.

11. Today’s second biblical passage Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 箴 言 8:1-4, 22-31 • Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice? • She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. • Right in the city squarewhere the traffic is thickest, she shouts, • “You—I’m talking to all of you,everyone out here on the streets! • 智 慧 豈 不 呼 叫 ？ 聰 明 豈 不 發 聲 ？ • 2 他 在 道 旁 高 處 的 頂 上 ， 在 十 字 路 口 站 立 ， • 3 在 城 門 旁 ， 在 城 門 口 ， 在 城 門 洞 ， 大 聲 說 ： • 4 眾 人 哪 ， 我 呼 叫 你 們 ， 我 向 世 人 發 聲 。

12. “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—before he did anything else. • I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start. • I arrived on the scene before Ocean, yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes. • Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,I was already there, newborn; • 在 耶 和 華 造 化 的 起 頭 ， 在 太 初 創 造 萬 物 之 先 ， 就 有 了 我 。 • 23從 亙 古 ， 從 太 初 ， 未 有 世 界 以 前 ， 我 已 被 立 。 • 24 沒 有 深 淵 ， 沒 有 大 水 的 泉 源 ， 我 已 生 出 。 • 25 大 山 未 曾 奠 定 ， 小 山 未 有 之 先 ， 我 已 生 出 。

13. Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather, • And set Sky firmly in place,I was there. When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean, • built the vast vault of Heaven,and installed the fountains that fed Ocean, • When he drew a boundary for Sea, posted a sign that said no trespassing,And then staked out Earth’s Foundations, • 26 耶 和 華 還 沒 有 創 造 大 地 和 田 野 ， 並 世 上 的 土 質 ， 我 已 生 出 。 • 27他 立 高 天 ， 我 在 那 裡 ； 他 在 淵 面 的 周 圍 ， 劃 出 圓 圈 。 • 28 上 使 穹 蒼 堅 硬 ， 下 使 淵 源 穩 固 ， • 29 為 滄 海 定 出 界 限 ， 使 水 不 越 過 他 的 命 令 ， 立 定 大 地 的 根 基 。

14. I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,always enjoying his company, • Delighted with the world of things and creatures,happily celebrating the human family. • 30 那 時 ， 我 在 他 那 裡 為 工 師 ， 日 日 為 他 所 喜 愛 ， 常 常 在 他 面 前 踴 躍 ， • 31 踴 躍 在 他 為 人 預 備 可 住 之 地 ， 也 喜 悅 住 在 世 人 之 間 。

15. Main points of the passage • Wisdom is calling us • 智慧找尋我們

16. Wisdom is trying to make herself loud and clear • 智慧嘗試用又明亮又清楚的方式與我們溝通

17. Wisdom is trying to seek us everywhere • 智慧在各處各方找尋我們

18. Wisdom is trying to seek us all • 智慧在找尋我們所有人

19. Wisdom is the fundamental of everything • 智慧是世間萬事萬物之本

20. Wisdom has everything to do with the past, present and future • 智慧與過去, 現在, 將來都有關係

21. Summary摘要 To summarize the two biblical passages that we have read today: genuine Christian Faith is destined to be upgraded continuously through the help of the Holy Spirit. We have to know God through our focus on Jesus Christ. 今天所讀的兩段經文是說明真正的基督教信仰需要由聖靈帶領, 時常更新. 透過對耶穌基督的專注, 認識神.

22. This is also what the doctrine of “Trinity” tries to teach us. 這也是三位一體的教義要教導的.

23. What is “Trinity”?甚麼是三位一體？ • In the tradition of the understanding of the Trinity, there are two terms worth mentioning to illustrate what theologians were arguing： 在研究三位一體的教義，有兩個名詞是值得介紹的, 好明白神學家們的爭論： 1. Modalism (形態論） 2. Economic Trinity（實用的三一論）

24. Modalism (形態論）

25. Modalism was considered as wrong, as it considered Father, Son and Spirit as three manifestations of the One God. This oversimplification sounds like God metamorphosed himself to meet the needs of the world, just like adding different skins to the same cell phone. • 形態論的問題是將“父，子，聖靈”看為獨一的神按需要而選擇的顯現．就像手機換皮一樣．

26. Economic Trinity（實用的三一論）

27. Economic Trinity was considered as wrong, as it considered Father, Son and Spirit as extrapolation of the same God. This oversimplification assigns a more permanent existence of the manifestations, just like different terminals, yet accessing the same mainframe computer. • 實用的三一論的問題是將“父，子，聖靈”看為獨一的神的永久的延伸．就像總機與以终端機的關係一樣．

28. One God, three divine Persons. Father the God, Son the God, Holy Spirit the God. Does one plus one plus one equal to ONE or THREE? 1+1+1=? • The more you try to find out, the more questions come up than answers. That happened in the past two thousand yearsof Church history and it is still happening. Is it necessary? • 一加一再加一不是三嗎?為何又說是一呢? • 這問題在教會二千年的歷史已問了那麼久, 而且今日還要問, 有此必要嗎?

29. We all like to make things simple and easy. However, over-simplification is also the thing we try to avoid because it could be damaging. • 我們都喜歡見到事情簡單, 但又都知道太簡單會有其害處.

30. Do you think the word “Mystery” would be helpful in increasing our tolerance to the existence of these tensions? Trinity is important, we want to clarify it. Yet it is also a mystery, which prevents us from oversimplification. 你會否覺得”奧秘”這詞語能使我們在這問題上, 給與多一點忍耐呢?三位一體是很重要, 所以需要解明, 但它同時又是一個奧秘, 所以不能太簡單化.

31. Trinity Sunday is a call to all of us. It calls us to go back to the fundamentals of our faithand have a deeper reflection about its meaning. 三一主日是對我們所有人的一個呼召, 它要我們在這基本的信仰問題上, 作更深入的反省.

32. Through the following information, I am trying to make it clear that there are other dimensions in our faith which we might have not seen. We thought we know Father the God, Son the God and Spirit the God. How much do we know? • 透過以下的資料, 希望能為大家帶來一點新鮮感, 給大家機會從另一個層次去反思信仰. 我們究竟多麼認識那三位一體的神呢?

33. God the Father父神 • We know a few names of God, e.g. Jehovah, Creator, Good, Almighty, Wisdom etc. Do you think we really know Him? Why did the Hebrew God forbid the Jews calling his name? Look at Exodus 3:14? The meaning behind “I am who I am” is actually to tell His people, He cannot be manipulated and be known like other gods. • 我們稱呼神為耶和華,創造主,善良,全能者,智慧. 我們是否真認識祂呢?為何祂禁止希伯來人呼祂的名?出埃及記3:14 的”自有永有”其實是叫人知道, 祂與其他神明不同, 祂是不會被呼求者控制的.

34. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • In our prayers, did we try to make God do us a favor because we thought we knew Him? • 在禱告時, 有沒有想過要求神做些對我有利的事, 因為我認識祂? • Do we have a feeling of uncertainty when we find that God is so unfathomable and intangible? • 有否因為神是深不可測和不能捉摸, 反給我們一種不肯定的感覺?

35. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 Do we instead transfer our responsibility of communicating with God to the priests, monks and/or ministers because we think they know how to communicate with Him better? 我們是否覺得, 反正神職人員較懂如何與神相處, 不如將自己這方面的責任也交託他們呢?

36. God the Son子神 • Jesus has always been presented as a gentleman. Do we realize that Jesus was always trying his best to challenge the traditions, cultural as well as religious, especially when he could not see “love” in it? • 耶穌往往被人當紳士一般介紹. 但我們是否知道他在世上時, 其實不停向當世的文化和宗教傳統挑戰, 因為在這些傳統, 他見不到愛?

37. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 People try every effort to domesticate the living God. They tried to trap Him in the temple, served him with the priests and fed Him with their offerings. Prophets shouted against the institutionalized religion but were stoppedthroughbrutal means. • 人用不同的方法供養神, 並藉此將祂馴化. 人以為可以藉著聖殿可以將神困住, 以為祂需要祭司的服侍, 又需要人獻上祭品. 即使不斷有先知向這人為的宗教提出責備, 但這些聲音最後都被粗暴地停止了.

38. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • People were so used to the sacrificial system, faith becomes a support to that blood-seeking sacrificial system, without realizing that the important meaningof“Thanksgiving” behind the system has been neglected. • 人已習慣了獻祭的制度, 卻不意識到這制度對血的渴求, 已經使人忘記了獻祭背後感恩的真意.

39. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • Everything belongs to God, He does not need the sacrifice. God is willing to forgive and the only thing God needs from His believers is love and justice among themselves. • 世界萬物都是神的, 祂不需要獻祭的祭品. 祂願意饒恕, 祂祗要求信眾之間有愛和公義.

40. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • If the idea of sacrifice was maintained due to the fact that most believers still cannot get rid of it, considering Jesus as the final and perfect sacrifice would be very important. No more blood sacrifice is required as God did not need one and He will not want more. God is not a blood-seeking tyrant. He demands love and justice. • 若人因習慣的原故拋不開獻祭的觀念, 耶穌作為最後及最完美的祭品其實將此問題解答了. 神從來不需要血祭, 從前不要, 以後也不要. 祂並不是嗜血的暴君, 祂祗要求愛和公義.

41. God the Spirit靈神 • In order to keep the courage of God‘s believers to seek further after Jesus’ departure, the Holy Spirit is a promise to the Churchand is also the Church’s power. • 神為了使耶穌離去之後的信徒有勇氣, 聖靈就是神對教會的應許, 也是教會的力量.

42. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • Spirit’s work is to guide the Church into more truths and thorough reformation of our old practices. • 聖靈的工作是要引領教會進入更多真理, 並對舊的習慣進行完全的改革

43. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • There are so many misunderstandings and prejudices accumulated in human history. They appear in different races and under different circumstances. They all need to be reviewed and reformed by people of faith. • 人類歷史已累積了不少誤解和偏見. 在不同民族可以見到, 在不同情況下都可以發現. 有信仰的人對這些都需要加深認識, 以尋求改革.

44. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • Without the help of the Holy Spirit, how are we going to become people who dare question the Unquestionable and to move the Unmovable? • 沒有聖靈的幫助, 我們何來勇氣, 叫自己向不准人發問的人提出問題, 向不肯移動一分的人要求讓路?

45. Things to reflect upon要反省的事 • To recite “To be kind to the unkind, to share with another in need, to refuse to hate while others hate, to return good for evil, to remain calm in storm, to love the Unlovable” is not our only job, we seek to take action. • 不單單口中背誦 “對不仁慈的要表現仁慈, 與有需要的人分享所擁有的, 對恨人的不要憎恨, 以德報怨, 在大風浪中表現平靜, 愛沒有人愛的”, 也要追求實踐.

46. Conclusion結論 • Through the doctrine of Trinity, we understand that genuine Christian Faith is destined to be upgraded continuously through the help of the Holy Spirit. We have to know God through our focus on Jesus Christ. • 透過對三一神的了解, 我們認識真正的基督教信仰需要由聖靈帶領, 時常更新. 透過對耶穌基督的專注, 認識神

47. Future前路 • What are we going to do with ourselves? We are the Unquestionable because we always justify our own actions. We are the Unmovable because we are so used to making decisions through rationalization. We secure our present positions if we don't want to leave our comfort zone. • 我們自己作何打算?最大的障礙其實是各人自己. 我們所做的, 我們不喜歡人家問. 要不就用某些理由搪塞. 務求一動不如一靜

48. Future前路 • Are we prepared to have ourselves upgraded? We tend topreserve old practices instead of exploring new meaningful practices. We tend to support and affirm old beliefs as if they are more secure than faith built through exploring doubts. • 我們有沒有準備改良自己呢? 我們大多都是傾向守舊, 而拒絕面對懷疑, 謀求新法.

49. Future前路 • Are we going to accept the help of the Holy Spirit? According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, the basic element of Faith is risk-taking. The triune God is the guarantee and promise of this faith journey. • 我們願否接受聖靈的幫助? 根據希伯來書的說法, 信仰的基本原素就是有冒險的精神. 三位一體的神才是信仰旅程的依靠.

50. Future前路 • Are we prepared to see what we have not seen before? We need visions and we need to travel together. We need to see the reality from different perspectives. I need your perspectives and you need mine. • 我們是否願意見到前所未見的東西呢? 我們需要異象並成為伙伴. 事物有多面的看法. 我需要知道你看見甚麼, 你也一樣.