The Trinity

The Trinity.  Hard to understand.  And difficult to explain.  But I’m so thankful for God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

Trinitarians have been accused of believing in three God’s but the Scriptures make it clear:  “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4)!  Perhaps the most poignant illustration of the “Three in One” occurs at the baptism of Jesus. “After  being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).  

God the Father spoke from heaven, God the Son came up out of the water, and God the Spirit descended as a dove.  Three in One!

While the Scriptures make it clear that we worship only One, we affirm that He’s one God, eternally existent in three Persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Another explanation uses the word “role” to discuss the Trinity.  Perhaps these are feeble attempts to explain the unexplainable!

How do we teach children about the Trinity?  My wife uses the following object lesson, which helps bring clarity to this wonderful mystery:  She places a pan full of ice on the stove.  Within a few minutes of course, the ice begins to melt and then boils, releasing steam into the air.  The ice is gone, the steam evaporates and water remains in the bottom of the pan.  Then she says, “It’s all water, but in three different forms!”  

I remember how the Trinity operated in my life during my boyhood to draw me into saving grace.  I was always fascinated by the stories of the Old Testament, where I heard about the holiness of God along with His righteous judgments.  I often stared into the sky, feeling the love of the God of nature wash over me.  The Old Testament prophets spoke eloquently and with detailed accuracy of He Who was to come -- God the Son.  Isaiah 53 beautifully foretells the coming of the Suffering Servant!   

Then, when I went to Sunday School and church, I learned about Jesus, Who declares in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”  He was God.  During those formative years, God the Spirit continually convinced me that I needed a Savior.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit were all active agents in bringing me to salvation.  How wonderful!

How I praise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for working in my life!  I love and worship the Lord for His constant and faithful presence.  While the doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the New Testament (the word “Trinity” cannot be found), it possesses a triadic understanding of God and contains countless verses that support Trinitarian doctrine.  Following are five:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 8:19).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5).

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called into one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ, and be sprinkled with His blood.  May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:2).

Completely understand the Godhead?  Not really!  Love them?  Absolutely!

While in church, we sometimes sing:

“Father, I adore You.  Lay my life beforeYou.  How I love You.”

“Jesus, I adore you.  Lay my life before You.  How I love You.”  And finally, with gusto…

“Spirit, I adore You.  Lay my life before You.  How I love You!”

Oh, worship Him today!  Let the Spirit touch you.  He will draw you to Jesus, Who will present you to the Father, all because of Jesus’ precious blood!  

Where Is God?

During times of tragedy people often ask, “Where is God in all of this?”  And I think it’s an honest question.  One that begs a response!

To be sure, life can be difficult and even overwhelming at times.  We need help from above!  We need One greater than we to carry us through such times.  I love David’s prayer in Psalm 63:1-3, “Hear my cry O God; give heed to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a refuge for me.”

During heart-wrenching times we need to know that someone cares, that someone is “there.”  So, where is the Lord when circumstances come crashing down around us?  When the doctor’s report is hard to accept?  When loved ones face their mortality?  When we face substantial losses of all kinds?

Another psalm, one of my favorites, reminds us that God is NEAR during these times.  “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).  His presence is near and dear! 

My friend, we can live without a lot of things in this world, but we cannot live without His wonderful presence.  His presence sustains us when the storms of life threaten to harm or even destroy us.  I can’t imagine not having Jesus in my life.  To turn to anyone or anything else constitutes a cheap substitute.  No one, nowhere, no how can replace the life-giving presence of God! 

Again, I ask, “Where is the Lord?”  And again, I say, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

Song writer Gordon Jensen beautifully answered this question when he penned the lyrics of “The Mention of His Name.”

“In the very thought of Jesus His presence can be found.

He’s as close as the mention of His Name.  

There is never any distance between my Lord and me.  

He’s as close as the mention of His Name.”

“In my hour of struggle so many times I’ve found 

He’s as close as the mention of His Name. 

Just to breathe the Name of Jesus can turn everything around.  

He’s as close as the mention of His Name.”

How wonderfully true!  Take time today to pull up on YouTube JanetPascal singing this powerful song.  She sings under a powerful anointing.  His presence will fill your heart!

Christmas is coming and with it comes another confirmation that God is with us.  As a matter of fact, the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Christ Child 600 years before Bethlehem’s baby was born:  “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (7:14).

Centuries later the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to a perplexed Joseph and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” 

And then the angel quoted Isaiah: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, WHICH TRANSLATED MEANS, ‘GOD WITH US.’” (Matthew 1:21,23).

So again, where’s God?  He’s with us!  At Christmas and every day!

     

Where Did God Come From?

“In the beginning God…” This opening line of the Bible continues to intrigue me.  Have you ever noticed that God never attempts to explain or defend His existence in the Scriptures?  I remember asking my mom when I was a kid, “Where did God come from?  Who made God?”

Perhaps like you, natural curiosity drove me to wonder. As humans, we understand beginnings from endings.  I was born on March 9, 1956 (beginning) and someday I will die (ending), as far as this life is concerned.

Ours is a walk of faith.  We believe in those things “not seen.”  Humans are driven to believe in something or Someone bigger and more powerful.  Innately, we “believe in” and seek after those things beyond us.  The Atheist says, “There is no God.”  The Agnostic says, “I’m not sure.  The jury is still out.”  The Humanist says, “I am a god!”  The Christian says, “In the beginning God…” On and on the philosophers of this world wax eloquently! 

I’m not a theologian, but this one thing I believe:  Creation necessitates a Creator and designs presuppose a Designer.  In my mind, to believe that a cosmic blast of some sort brought what we know into existence requires more faith than to believe “In the beginning God…”

We read the phrase, “In the beginning” at least twice in the Scriptures:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Our God has no beginning and no ending.  He’s always been!  Jesus WAS before Bethlehem!  That little boy was Bethlehem’s Baby and eternity’s God!  There’s never been a time when Jesus wasn’t!  Do you understand?  I don’t either, but I believe it.  If our God were easy to understand, He wouldn’t be much of a God.

Genesis 1:1 and John 1:12 are best understood in the context of eternity.  Both are timeless.  The word “beginning” in both verses perhaps is best interpreted, “In eternity past…” Eternity suggests no beginning and no ending.   Those who love Jesus Christ and have trusted Him for their soul’s salvation will spend eternity with Him.  We will never die again. We will live forever! 

When I think about all this, my mind is taken to inexplicable heights.  But in my heart, I believe that “God has set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  In every human soul is a God-given awareness that there is “something more” than this transient world.  And with that awareness comes a hope that we can one day find a fulfillment not afforded by the “vanity” in this world.  This I believe!