Kathy,

Here are a few excerpts from a recent article by one of my elders, which highlight the dangers of an unbiblical view of Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
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[the doctrine of the Trinity] is essential to the Gospel. How so?

In the monotheism of Judaism and Islam there is the denial of original sin, hence there is no need for a Savior to atone for one's sins. To accept the Trinity one would have to face the doctrine of the Incarnation and ultimately the Gospel.

I like the words found in an old Puritan prayer, "Three in one, one in three, God of my salvation, Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit, I adore thee as one Being, one Essence, one God in three distinct Persons, for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom. O Father, thou has loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me; O Jesus, thou has loved me and assumed my nature, shed thine own blood to wash away my sins, wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness; O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart, implanted there eternal life, revealed to me the glories of Jesus."

Is it any wonder, then, that the Muslim man with whom I have an ongoing dialogue, finds the designation for Jesus as the Son of God offensive? Granted, in his mind it is an affront to his monotheism. He tells me that he is willing to speak of Jesus as the "soul of God" but not the Son of God(?). Satan will do everything he can to keep a person from the Trinity.

Or take the new-age guru whom I met, and with whom I continue to have opportunities to speak about the Lord. In good post modern fashion, he's happy to incorporate elements of Christianity, even the second coming of Christ, into his scheme of things. Yeah, he actually said that it would be good if there was a second coming of Christ! But that there is one God who rules over all? Well now, that's preposterous. When I told him about Christ who came into the world to save sinners, he gave me a condescending smile.

Here in The Bronx we have also encountered "modalists." These are people who believe that the Trinity is three different forms by which God manifests himself. How does that affect the Gospel? It destroys it. Under the modalist view, either God in His essential nature died (a scary, not to mention, heretical proposition!) or, Christ (who is, according to the modalist view, the same as the Father and the Spirit) did not die a real death for sinners. The Gospel has to be altered if the Trinity is nothing more than three different costumes that God wears.

To be sure, it is not only the Trinity but also the Incarnation that safeguards the fact that Christ, with respect to His humanity, died a real death for sinners. The eternal Logos did not--could not--die. The Incarnation presupposes the Trinity, which, in turn, illustrates how foundational is the doctrine of the Trinity.

...

It is very important that we understand that the members of the Trinity work in complete harmony with one another. ... It is an ancient, and a modern, not to mention, a very false, idea that "the Old Testament is the age of the Father, the New Testament, the age of the Son, and the present, the age of the Holy Spirit." That is the stuff of novelty ("God is doing a new thing today!"). It is fertile ground for the seeds of weird teachings and practices. I'm describing our current age.

... without a Trinitarian orientation in preaching the Gospel and in doing ministry, we are going to end up conveying the impression that the members of the Trinity operate in the world independently of one another.

This must not be. From creation to consummation, it is the Father's plan, the Son's work and the Spirit's application. They function in complete harmony in their respective offices. The work of the Spirit is to exalt the risen Christ who came to do the will of the Father. God is one.

In Christ,
Paul S