The economic Trinity refers to the three distinct roles that the one God plays in relation to humanity and creation. While God is one divine being, He relates to us in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity has a distinct role in God’s plan of redemption and relationship with humankind.
God the Father’s Role in the Economic Trinity
God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. Though all three persons of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, the Father is described in Scripture as the source and initiator of creation and salvation:
For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Corinthians 8:6)
As Father, God chose us, planned our salvation, and sent the Son (Ephesians 1:3-6). The Father ordains all things according to his purpose and will. He sends the Spirit to apply Christ’s redemptive work to our hearts. The Father relates to us as our perfect heavenly Father, loving, disciplining, and adopting us as his children (Romans 8:15).
God the Son’s Role in the Economic Trinity
God the Son is the second person of the Trinity. He is eternally begotten of the Father. In the incarnation, He became a man while remaining fully God in order to save us from our sins. As the economic Son, Jesus Christ took on the role of achieving our salvation:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The Son accomplished our redemption by perfectly obeying the Father, taking human flesh, living a sinless life, dying an atoning death, rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the eternal high priest who intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25). The Son is the visible image of the invisible God, the agent of creation, and head of the church (Colossians 1:15-20).
God the Holy Spirit’s Role in the Economic Trinity
God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Though equal to the Father and Son in essence, the Spirit’s role is applying the Son’s accomplished redemption to our lives. The economic functions of the Spirit include:
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26)
The Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21), convicts the world of sin and righteousness (John 16:8), regenerates our hearts (Titus 3:5), indwells believers (1 Corinthians 6:19), illuminates our minds to understand spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14), empowers us for godly living and service (Galatians 5:22-23), seals us for eternity (Ephesians 1:13-14), and prays for us and through us (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit applies to our experience all the benefits won by the incarnate Son.
The Economic Trinity in Christian Theology
The doctrine of the economic Trinity distinguishes between God’s nature in Himself (the immanent or ontological Trinity) and God’s dealings with the world (the economic Trinity). God is three persons in eternal loving relationship without creation. But in relation to His creation, He works in distinct roles to redeem and indwell us.
Church fathers such as Augustine recognized that while the persons work in different roles economially, their nature and essence remain completely united as one God. The Father, Son, and Spirit interact with humanity at different points in time in Scripture, but they are inseparable in their divine nature and work.
The economic Trinity reveals that God is inherently relational, even within Himself. God has eternally existed as a loving community of three persons, and His plan is to bring human beings into that eternal love relationship in Christ (John 17:20-26).
The Father’s Role in Sending the Son
In Scripture, the Father sends the Son into the world as an act of divine, self-sacrificial love:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)
The Father demonstrates love by giving His Son to die on our behalf. This sending shows the Father’s initiative in salvation. He ordains the plan of redemption and sends the economic Son to accomplish our salvation. Yet the Father remains in heaven, veiled from direct earthly interaction. His voice is heard at key transitions in Jesus’ life, such as his baptism and the transfiguration (Mark 1:11, 9:7). But the Father works behind the scenes in the Son’s earthly mission.
The Father’s sending the Son not only achieves redemption, but also reveals God’s character. Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). By incarnating in human flesh, the Son makes the invisible Father known to us. The economic Trinity provides a divine rescue mission and tangible revelation of who God is.
The Son as Mediator Between God and Humanity
The eternal Son’s mission as mediator involves standing between God and humanity to restore fellowship:
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)
As the God-man, Jesus is uniquely qualified to reconcile both parties alienated by sin. Being fully divine, Christ is able to adequately represent God to us. Being fully human, the Son directly represents human interests before God. Christ’s substitutionary life, death for sin, and resurrection forged a way for sinners to be forgiven, justified, and restored to the Father.
This mediation continues in heaven, where Christ intercedes for believers as our high priest:
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
By taking humanity into eternal union with His divinity, Jesus’ mediation eternally bridges the gulf between God and man. Our salvation depends on this continued advocacy and intercession based on Christ’s finished work. The ascended Son ministers as our mediator, obtaining for us all the benefits of His accomplished redemption.
The Spirit’s Role in Convicting and Converting Sinners
A key part of the Spirit’s economic role is to confront sinners with their need for God’s grace:
“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8)
The Holy Spirit convicts the world through the Word of God, opening our eyes to see our lostness and need for Christ. Conviction of sin leads us to repentance. Conviction of righteousness shows our inadequacy to earn favor with God. Conviction of judgment warns that apart from Christ, we face eternal condemnation.
In salvation, the Spirit’s work includes regeneration, or the new birth:
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
The Spirit makes us alive to God, imparting resurrection life that enables us to exercise saving faith. He continues the work of inward renewal throughout the Christian life, progressively conforming believers to Christ’s image. The economic Spirit applies the objective benefits of Christ’s work to subjectively transform the elect.
The Interdependence of the Economic Trinity
While each person of the Trinity plays a distinct role in relating to creation, their divine works depend on one another. For example:
– The Son is sent by the Father and returns to the Father (John 6:57, 17:4-5).
– The Son bears witness to and glorifies the Father (John 17:4, 26).
– The Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son (John 15:26).
– The Son sends the Spirit from the Father to indwell believers (John 14:16, 26).
– The Spirit testifies to the Son and glorifies him (John 16:14).
This interdependence displays both their distinctness of person and unity of being. Each person carries out their unique role while working inseparably with the other two. There is both community and mutuality in every external work of the Godhead.
Implications of the Economic Trinity
Theology surrounding the Trinity focuses not only on the immanent nature of the Godhead in Himself, but also the economic workings of the Trinity in relation to creation. Key implications include:
– Salvation is Trinitarian, involving the initiative of the Father, the mission of the Son, and the application by the Spirit.
– We come to know and experience God through His economic self-revelation in history.
– The Trinity Models self-giving love, mutual deference, and eternal community.
– We participate in the relationships of divine love through being included in Christ by the Spirit.
By understanding how the persons of the Trinity interact with humanity, we gain a clearer picture of the nature of the one true God and His self-giving plan to redeem a lost world through sending His Son and Spirit.
Conclusion
The economic Trinity encompasses the three distinct roles that the Father, Son, and Spirit assume in carrying out the work of creation and redemption. Each divine person functions economically in a way that highlights both their distinction and inseparability in the Godhead. It is only through God’s economic self-revelation that we can know Him in truth. By understanding the roles of the economic Trinity, Christians gain a fuller grasp of God’s redemptive purposes, His self-giving nature, and our relationship to Him through Christ and the Spirit.