To be guided by the Spirit into the truth is to be guided, not into a set of propositions, but into the person of Jesus Christ (who called himself the truth), and through Jesus, into the very life of God. Trinitarian faith, then, is not so much an intellectual project as it is a spiritual or dare I say mystical experience. To say this is in no way intended as a slam against the academic study of the Trinity. In fact, I very much enjoyed my seminary Trinity course. It is just that understanding spirations and processions only gets you so far.
I frequently pass a church when driving across town that had the following message on its sign for quite some time: “Teaching the truth, verse by verse.” In this view every verse of the Bible must be seen as an intellectual proposition of equal value to all others. Such a notion, unintentionally no doubt, attempts to limit not only scripture, but the triune God as well. Our arrival at a full understanding of the truth about God and ourselves is, as today’s Gospel makes clear, a process. The Spirit “will guide you into all truth”. It is not instantaneous. It is not a onetime event. It is a relationship.
It is sometimes difficult not to chuckle at the intricate diagrams traditionally used in catechisms and theological textbooks to describe the Trinity. This is especially true when compared to the eastern Christian tradition as exemplified in Rublev’s famous icon of the Trinity (see image below). Instead of a problem to be solved, the Trinity is a mystery into which the Christian is invited to enter. The three “persons” of the Trinity are posed in such a way as to summon the viewer into the divine relationship.
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