Blessed Trinity

We may not give ourselves this label, but when the griefs and trials of life disrupt us, we become theologians. After all, to be a theologian is simply to seek answers to our questions about God. When life’s hardest seasons come, our questions for Him are usually “why” questions. “Why would You allow this?” Or perhaps, “Why me?” After some time, we may ask “how” questions. “How can I fix this?” Or if bitterness lingers, “How can I still believe that You are good and powerful?” Good theologians prayerfully seek answers to these kinds of questions in the Bible. But rarely does the Bible answer these kinds of questions in a way that immediately satisfies our painful wondering.

Surely these were the kinds of questions in the minds of the people to whom Peter wrote. Their lives felt chaotic because they were exiles, some of them literal “exiles of the dispersion” fleeing from Jerusalem because of growing persecution against Christians (1 Peter 1:1; cf. Acts 7:59-8:1). Disoriented and isolated, these young Christians struggled to make sense of their life and their faith in new and unfamiliar places. Jesus had charged Peter with tending and feeding these scared and scattered sheep (John 21:15-19). So how does he begin? He does not begin by answering “why” or “how” questions. He begins by answering the one question no one asked but everyone needed: “Who is God?” Peter reflects on God as a Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2). And he celebrates that God knows and causes all things, including our salvation (1 Peter 1:2-3).

At first glace, Peter’s exploration of this “who” question seems wildly impractical, perhaps even insensitive. But Peter was not out of touch with their needs; he wasn’t simply educating these exiles. Rather, he was leveraging the truths of the Trinity and God’s sovereignty for a practical, pastoral purpose. These doctrines lay the foundation for seeing that life is never really chaotic, though it may feel like it at times. Even our griefs and trials work for our good and God’s glory (1 Peter 1:6-7). Where did Peter learn all this? He learned it at the feet of his shepherd, Jesus, whose last hours with His disciples were spent teaching them about the Trinity (John 14:1-16:33) and God’s sovereignty (John 17:1-26).

Many questions will rise within us in our sojourn through life, and God invites to ask Him each and every one. But as elect exiles, we also need to listen to the questions God has already answered for us. The medicine may seem strange at first, but there is no better food for us as His scared and scattered sheep.