Do I have to believe in the Trinity to be saved, really? Listen to the thunder of the Athanasian Creed from the early church: “Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic [historic Christian] faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity.”

Christians today might cringe at this ancient audacity. Surely salvation cannot depend on believing a specific doctrine; it’s just about trusting in God, isn’t it? But is that quite right?

I agree with the Creed. Let me explain what I mean by believing in the Trinity to be saved. Salvation is like marriage: What are the chances of George ever marrying Trudy after this exchange on the way home after a date?

Trudy: “There’s something you need to know about me. My birthday is an important part of who I am. My mother died giving birth to me, and so it’s a sacred day of the year for me.”

George: “Well, that’s how you see it. The way I see it, your birthday is just a date on the calendar. I don’t remember mere facts like that, I just want a woman in my life, for sex and to do woman things.”

Trudy: “Pull over now; I’m getting out.”

Salvation is like entering a marriage with God. Being Father, Son and Spirit in unity is infinitely more vital to who God is than Trudy’s birthday is to her. It’s the most personal thing we can know or say about God. Trinity is God breathing and thinking and acting. It’s what God believes is wonderful about God.

Salvation is the opportunity we are given to live in the Trinity. To be careless here has the same buffoonery about it that our suddenly-single George displayed. Salvation is not just about having a “god” in our life to do godlike things for us; it’s being taken up into the life of the Father through the atoning work of the Son and the wooing of the Spirit. If I act as though Trinity is some optional ornament to add to faith later, God has every right to say, “pull over, I’m walking home.”

But back to our couple. Say George responds differently and instead vows to take that birthday off work for the rest of his life. Marriage follows. Now, would he ever fully know what that birthday means to Trudy in the depths of her heart? No, probably not. And if one year he mistakenly forgot the birthday, would she instantly divorce him? No, probably not. And if later in life he got dementia and never remembered it again, would Trudy leave him for a clear-minded man? No, probably not. Likewise, God has abundant grace for hapless sinners who struggle to grasp him and cast themselves on his mercy.

But God has at least as much self-respect as Trudy and knows when he is being used. Just like George cannot expect marriage to Trudy if he only loves “women,” so we cannot have a relationship with God if we treat him like some vague “higher power.”

 Believing in the Trinity involves repenting, turning away from our general notions of god and embracing the real shape of the One who calls us into his life.

If you desire to know God as Trinity do a Bible study with your pastor. It could save your soul.