The Eternal Dance of the Trinity

My children love to remind me how poor my memory tends to be. It doesn’t make me mad because it’s true. I’ve defined my lack of memorization skills as “Daddery.” But every so often, even I can sometimes remember. One thing I remember is a short, simple verse from the Apostle John

 “God is love.” — 1 John 4:8b

This verse has stirred an indescribable passion in my bones. If this verse is true, then the only logical conclusion is that God must be a Trinity, one shared essence existing eternally in three divine and distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Tim Keller titles this relationship in The Reason for God as “The Dance of God.” 

Nonetheless, all analogies fall short of describing the Trinity.  Still, I’ve come to realize and love its implications. My best attempts at conveying this importance have come by way of a water analogy. For instance, the bottled water in the grocery store is filled with minerals and vitamins, which give the water flavor. Conversely, water in its purest form is tasteless. But add one substance and all purity would be lost. 

This Triune God of the Bible is similar in an unanticipated or opposite way. That’s because to lose one member of the Trinity would cause their love to lose its purity. It would mean love is no longer eternal, creation becomes an act of necessity, and redemption loses coherence.  

The Triune God of all things creates out of love, not coercion or need. Jesus describes him as Heavenly Father. A loving father naturally creates, but only God the Father can create out of unconditional love. This is the Father that has loved the Son and Spirit forever.

This leads the Father’s loving Son to give up his Spirit to redeem their creation. The Son’s sacrifice was not coerced but willingly submitted to the Father. The eternal punishment was paid by the eternal Son. Yet, this is only part of the undeserving gift given to humanity. The Son left to be with the Father, leaving the Spirit so we may abide in him.

Now the eternal Spirit dwells within all who would believe in the Son. The same Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness — that carried the Apostle John to write “God is love” — the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead — now lives in me.

The Spirit has unveiled my eyes to what true love is. Our hope for eternity is founded in spending time in the eternal love of the Father, Son, and Spirit.   

One of the most memorable moments for a newly married couple is their first dance as Mr. and Mrs.

I yearn for the Day. The Day I too will dance, not as a wedding guest, but as a bride who dances with the groom. Not to a time-bound song.

Rather, I will get to dance the eternal dance of the loving Trinity.