So my take away, is exactly what I came into it with, this "Trinity" thing is one of the incomprehensible things about our God which shall ever remain an intellectual mystery.
And anyone who attempts to explain, analyze and analogize an understanding of this risks being labeled by others in christendom as a heretic.
I completely agree with you.
Some things will never be understood.
What I do not understand is why differences in the Trinity, Creation, End Times, and sovereignty vs free will cannot be discussed without the heretic type names flying back and forth, when no one really knows, despite the multi-decade seminary geniuses we have residing on the board.
We all land some where on all or most of these mysteries, but to beat another over the head with the place we have landed and it being different from another is shallow.
What still remains a mystery is "Three Distinct Persons"
I once heard a human person say that "Person" is a technical theological term, and then he would not elaborate.
So how is "Person" supposed to be defined without treading into polytheism?
Now, mind you, I am not attempting to discredit the Trinitarian doctrine, just asking if anyone can define "Person" which I cannot
I believe that any neatly packaged doctrine is ultimately going to depart from scripture in some way or another. Probably because we are attempting to comprehend the incomprehensible
I believe scripture teaches that there is One God, the Word of God, and the Breath (or Spirit) of God.
How they coexist/interact/relate is a total mystery to me, and I have no problem admitting that. I am so far beneath Him that I will never understand, at least in this lifetime.
I reject Sabellianism, Arianism, Docetism, and many other "isms" as pushing too far to package God into a neatly organized, easily understandable description
But, if I were left alone with the scriptures, and had never been influenced by any councils or creeds, I probably would not say that God exists in three "Persons" because I think of a person as a separate, distinct being
You and I see eye2eye on this, brother.
I will go so far as to say that I would never teach the trinity.
I have no problem reading the Comma aloud, though.
I totally reject the theory of modalism, and frankly, do not see how you arrived at that question from my post.
I generally agree and respect your posts.
Please lets keep it that way.
You are better than and light years above the two trolls that follow me around.
I agree with you in part.
However the Doctrine of the Trinity or Triune Nature of God is an essential doctrine as is the correct understanding of that doctrine.
I am not saying we can understand God or the how of the Trinity but we can understand the following Scripture which defines the Trinity.
1 John 5:7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.