Was there a Split in the Trinity?
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 27 March 2025
Friends in Christ, Easter is on the way, and this week I was asked a theological question concerning Good Friday.
When Jesus is on the cross, bearing sin for us, does the Father "turn his face away"? ... From his beloved Son? Is there some kind of tension in the Trinity at the cross?
We affirm that at the cross, Jesus’ death made an act of atonement - a sacrifice that restores relationship to God for sinners like us (e.g. read Romans 3:25-26). Along with other ways we can describe it, that sacrifice of atonement was substitutionary – the innocent Jesus died for the guilty, see 2 Corinthians 5:21 – and it was penal, that is, Jesus bore the penalty deserved for our sins.
Just as the prophet said in Isaiah 53:5-6:
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
In particular, notice that it was the Lord who laid our iniquity on the Suffering Servant, Jesus, with the punishment that we deserved.
You may also remember that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, quoted Psalm 22:1 while being crucified (see Mark 15:34):
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
From this songwriters have produced lines like Stuart Townend’s ‘How Deep the Father’s Love” (emphasis added):
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
But this wording seems to go too far.
That's because it can be seen to suggest that at the cross, some split or division occurred within the one eternal triune God - between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God and three persons.
Of course, Jesus is fully God and fully man: one person with two natures, perfectly united but without confusion, as indicated in our Creeds (especially see the Athanasian Creed on this).
Psalm 22:1-3 image courtesy of Bible.com
So we need to see that whatever Psalm 22:1 means in the mouth of Jesus, it is said with particular respect to his human nature, though it applies in some mysterious way beyond our comprehension to his whole person.
But God himself cannot suffer and die, because God is eternal and immutable.
Perhaps we can sing that the Father turned his face away with respect to Jesus' human flesh, while he bore our sin.
But we must certainly also affirm that the Triune God cannot be severed or split, nor the persons of the Trinity turned against each other.
In fact, Jesus' sacrifice was a fragrant or sweet-smelling sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2); his obedience at the cross is why God exalted him (Philippians 2:8-9).
In addition, we ought to recall that Jesus would have known the entirety of Psalm 22. So he knew that in Psalm 22, God not only sustained the author through the anguish, but he also eventually vindicated him after it. Even in his humanity, Jesus suffered no loss of faith in the Father.
Here is how I briefly put it all together in a recent sermon (actually from 1 Chronicles!):
Jesus alone is our Saviour. No one else died for you. Only Jesus could take the punishment for our sins.
But that mighty man, Great David’s Greater Son, the Son of God, was never alone.
In his full humanity, he experienced the abandonment that sin deserves.
But in his full divinity, the Trinity was never split.
In some mysterious way, Father, Son and Spirit were never divided, but unbroken in will and purpose and relations, winning victory at the cross.
If you would like to read more, try this piece, 'Was the Trinity Torn Apart At The Cross?'
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On another matter, I promised some recommendations on Christian parenting books in my recent sermon on Colossians 3:20-21 (watch or listen here if you missed it). My recommendations come from personal experience and/or from trusted youth and children's ministers.
Disciplines of a Godly Family - by Kent and Barbara Hughes, a favourite for Karyn and myself when our kids were young (available at Koorong, Wandering Bookseller).
Parenting in God's Family - edited by Harriet Connor (whose earlier book, Big Picture Parents: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life, I am also reading and enjoying);
Motherhood - by Jocelyn Loane, who is one of the team leaders of the Moore College mission team coming to the Cathedral;
Fatherhood - by Tony Payne, who has recently joined the Moore College faculty full time;
Raising Confident Kids in a Confusing World - by Ed Drew
This month's Southern Cross, which you can pick up this Sunday at the Cathedral, has some further suggestions including podcasts and other digital resources for those who prefer that!
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney