3rd Time is the Charm

When one examines history, it seems that mankind has always had a ‘fixation” of sorts with the number “3”.

Instances of this can be found in many old colloquial sayings. These include “Two is company, three is a crowd,” “He’s three sheets to the wind,” and “Two out of three ain’t bad.”

Another example of our fascination with the number 3 can be found in the common saying, “The 3rd time is the charm”.

This saying denotes that one’s efforts are sometimes not successful until they have been attempted 3 times. This directly implies that the number 3 represents “completeness.”

“The 3rd time is the charm” is said to have appeared in print in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Letters to R.H. Horne,” written in 1839.

Here we find Browning writing, “The luck of the 3rd adventure, is proverbial”.

By declaring the “success” of one’s endeavors after the 3rd attempt to be “proverbial,” Browning implies that the idiom had been around for quite some time.

To this day, “The 3rd time is the charm” remains one of the most popular expressions incorporating the number “3”.

The idea that the number 3 indicates completeness, however, does not originate in old English folklore.

Its roots go much farther back than that.

Holy Scripture is replete with the concept that “completeness is characterized by the number 3.”

The Holy Trinity, God in 3 Persons

Even before the beginning of time with the Creation of the Universe, we find the Eternal God-Head existing in 3 distinct Personages: The Father, Son (Word), and Holy Spirit (I John 5:7). How a single entity, God, can exist with 3 distinct Personages is a mystery that has puzzled great thinkers and numerous theologians throughout the ages. There is an old adage that states, “He who denies the Trinity shall lose his soul, and he who seeks to understand the Trinity shall lose his mind.”

The Trinitarian God Head was complete with 3 distinct Personages before the Creation of the Universe. It would therefore follow that numerous aspects of the Physical Universe and Creation would also find their “completeness” in 3 distinct parts.

God the Father, the Planner and Architect of the Universe

In God’s Word, God the Father is presented as the Master Planner of Creation. All things are said to be “of” Him. God the Son is the implementer of that Plan, for all things are stated to be “through” Him (I Corinthians 8:6).

At the onset of Creation, we find God the Father designing a Physical Universe comprised of 3 parts: time, space, and matter. Matter itself is viewed within 3 dimensions: height, width, and depth.

We also find that God constructed the very fabric of matter itself to exist in one of 3 different states: solid, liquid, and gaseous.

The Universe itself is visualized in 3 primary colors: red, yellow, and blue; and 3 secondary colors: orange, green, and violet.

Scripture mentions 3 trees in the Garden of Eden associated with mankind. These are the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9), and the Fig Tree (Genesis 3:7).

In the outworking of human history, which was pre-determined by God the Father (Acts 2:23, 15:18), we find 3 righteous patriarchs before the Flood: Able, Enoch, and Noah. We also find 3 righteous patriarchs after the Flood: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Man himself was created to possess 3 parts: body, soul, and spirit. God the Father also determined that there would be 3 races or subgroups of mankind. Each subgroup would have a particular “bent” that would enable them to provide for the development of these 3 parts of man.

World history has shown that the needs of man’s spirit have been provided for through the efforts of the Semitic Race. All religious revelation, both true and false, has come to man through the efforts of the Semitic peoples.

The physical needs of man’s body have largely been met through the efforts of the Hamitic Race. This is evidenced, in this argument, by the historical contributions to the development of basic technology. Lastly, the needs of man’s soul or intellect have largely been met by the Japhetic Race through the development of philosophical systems. 

God the Son, Creator and Redeemer of the Universe

After God the Father had ordained and planned the events of human history, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, Jehovah, began to implement this Plan. This began with the Creation of the Physical Universe (Genesis 1:1).

After this, we find Jehovah, whom we now know as Jesus Christ, performing the visible interactions of the Godhead with mankind in the Old Testament record. “For no man hath seen God the Father at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him” (John 1:18).

The Number 3 Throughout the Life of Jesus Christ

When it came time for Him to be Incarnated as the Unique Person of the Universe, a being both Divine and Human, we again find the ways of God being accomplished in “3’s” throughout the course of Jesus’ life here on Earth:

3 gifts were brought to Him at His birth: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Jesus was separated from His parents for 3 days as a child while He was teaching in the Temple.

3 years was the length of His ministry.

3 people were raised from the dead by Jesus during the course of His ministry.

3 witnesses were with Him at His Transfiguration: Peter, John, and James.

3 times did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.

3 times did Peter deny Jesus.

3 authorities rejected Jesus and allowed Him to be crucified: the religious authorities, Herod, and Pilate.

3 crosses were present at Calvary.

3 inscriptions were on Jesus’ cross written in 3 different languages.

3 hours of darkness covered the earth during the Crucifixion.

Jesus died at 3 p.m., the 9th hour (Luke 23:44-46).

Jesus was in the lower parts of the earth for 3 days, just as Jonah had been 3 days in the belly of the whale.

3 times did Jesus meet with His disciples after His resurrection from the dead.

3 times did Jesus allow Peter to reaffirm Him after His resurrection.

The Number 3 and Biblical Completeness

These are just some of the numerous examples of how the Godhead has incorporated the usage of the number 3 in order to establish a sense of completeness in both the Universe and in the outworking of human history.

In the Eternal State, we are told that we will encounter 3 new and rewarding realities. These concern our visual, auditory, and emotional experiences:

For we are told that in the Eternal State, we will encounter 3 new and rewarding realities in our visual, auditory, and emotional experiences:

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart

of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” I Corinthians 2:9

This should prompt us all to recognize the fact that in all things concerning and pertaining to the ways of God, “The 3rd time is indeed the charm.”

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).

Related Studies from Paradigms Tossed

Continue exploring biblical patterns, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and the recurring themes God has woven throughout Scripture through these related studies:

Is Jesus Jehovah of the Old Testament?
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2030 Prophetic Time Table 5 – The Examination of the Passover Lamb
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Moses as a Type of Christ: Biblical Prophecy, the Rapture, and the Second Coming
Discover the many biblical parallels between Moses and Jesus Christ, including the important “third day” pattern connected with Mount Sinai and Christ’s return.

How God Brings Order Out of Chaos: From Genesis to Revelation
Explore the biblical pattern of creation, judgment, restoration, and God’s sovereign purpose from Genesis through the new creation described in Revelation.

The Foundation of Christian Theology: Understanding Judgment, Mercy, Faith, and God’s Purpose for Man
Examine foundational biblical themes concerning God’s purpose, the believer’s relationship with Him, and the larger structure of Christian theology.