Today we had a speaker come in that started talking about the character and nature of God. This man is a truly inspiring individual and already my eyes have been opened so much! There were a few things discussed today that I really wanted to share…
The Trinity
This subject has always been taboo in my life as well as in Christianity as a whole. I know that everything that I have ever heard and learned about the Godhead never really sunk in and made since to me, and the subject has never become practical to my life. This view, on the other hand, makes so much sense to me and I feel like it has opened my eyes so much!
God is made up of three distinct personalities, or distinct characters: God (the Father), Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. So, there are three distinct personalities, but they are all somehow one. I have heard many analogies of this in the past, a couple being a man can be all son, father, and husband at the same time, but he is still one; or I have also heard that an apple is one as a whole, but also has a core, the meat, and then the skin, all serving different functions. I’m not saying that there isn’t any truth to these analogies, but I can honestly say that still nothing clicked within me. I didn’t understand why Jesus would pray to his father, and relate that to me as a daughter praying to myself as a mother.
Here is what our teacher taught today. You might want to at least take it into consideration.
The Trinity are all made up of the same ‘substance’ so to speak, but are not the same being, but they are exactly united in mind and spirit. In being one, they are inseparable, co-existent, and co-eternal. The trinity also does not operate as a hierarchy but as all equal. To better imagine the separation of the three all at once is in the baptism of Christ. Try and imagine the picture of God in the flesh, Jesus, coming up from baptism. There he was in the water, with the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove, and a voice coming out of Heaven speaking out saying, “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Can you see all three of them at once? They are all different persons, and they all have different roles.
The best way to describe this 3 in one is it is like an ultimately united community. Jesus prayed a prayer over his disciples in John, “that they may be as one as we are one.” Imagine only three of the disciples, all called humankind, but are all meant to serve different functions. The only straight way to explain it is that Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit are all not each other, but they are all God.
Here are 3 statements that help to show the function of each character, and how to apply them to our everyday lives.
3 statements
• God is Spirit – Holy Spirit (the transporter or messenger between heaven and earth)
• God is Light – Jesus (the word in flesh)
• God is Love – Father (foundation of creation and supreme ruler over the universe)
All too often, many individuals and churches as a whole will lean too much on one personality of God, while missing out on the perfect balance on the 3 personalities of God. I have to admit, before coming to DTS, I leaned way too much solely on God the Father and his love, feeling the love of the world and the love of mankind, kind of much like the hippies, while missing out on Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We need to know all 3 personalities to lead a true Christian life. In throwing out Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I have been a struggling Christian consequently.
Here is a further note:
There is an essential problem in believing in the doctrine of "twoness" If we just believe that the Holy Spirit is some random godly ghost that is a gift sent to us by God that is supposed to only help us and guide us, then we don't believe that the Spirit of God is actually living and dwelling within us. The trinity is the belief that God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all God, but they are different, individual, separate beings of God with different essential functions and roles in making up the Kingdom of God. So all three actually make up God. We have to know that God, or that the Spirit of God, actually lives in us in order to be set free. The Holy Spirit isn't just some gift of a holy guidance counselor coming to dwell with us, it is the very spirit of God, and Christ living in us! That means we are just like Christ in the eyes of God the Father. Isn't that a HUGE difference. The bible says that we as the church and as individuals are temples of God, or dwelling places of God, so to take care of our bodies, right? That means that God is in us!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Kellie, this is the doctrine I had the greatest struggle with after leaving CGT. I was afraid to even consider another explanation of the Godhead because I had been so indoctrinated by the "two" belief. Not to mention, the doctrine of a Triune God was mocked as illogical and nonsensical from the pulpit my entire life. I realized I had a fear of considering it.
ReplyDeleteI never attempted to understand the scriptural foundation for it while there. But since leaving, I have studied this probably more than any other major doctrine in my desire to understand and know the truth. It dawned on me that if my old church did not even have salvation right, it was possible they had nothing right.
I've since learned that the Bible is FULL of scriptures supporting the Trinity. The difficulty in wrapping my mind around it is no longer an obstacle for me because I realized that my finite mind cannot even comprehend how God had no beginning, but I still believe it to be true based on the Word of God.
I have discovered there are far more scriptures that support the doctrine of a Triune God than what I once believed, but I had to open my mind and learn the scriptural support before I could even begin to consider it. I now see that it is all through the Bible.
The first thing I became convinced of was Christ's divinity; that He was God in the flesh and not a creation. Certain scriptures were lightbulbs to me. I won't list them all, but one was that Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. Only God is Lord of the Sabbath. A created being could not make that claim. There are also numerous passages where Jesus is referred to as God (as well as the Holy Spirit). And then I began to see all the places where the Holy Spirit had personal attributes and functions. The Holy Spirit is always called He; never "it."
Finally, I realized that God the Father was never alone in the universe. He has existed eternally in relationship with the Son and the Holy Spirit. He did not create us out of need or because he was lonely. He is complete within Himself and within the relationship of the Godhead. He is all-sufficient. He did not NEED a creation. He wanted to SHARE the relationship He enjoyed within the Godhead. If God were singular and existed alone, it could not be true that His nature was love. His nature would have been power without relationship. There is perfect love and unity within the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And just as you described in Jesus' baptism, the three were present in one setting, all performing a different role.
John says that the Word WAS God and the Word WAS WITH God and the Word became flesh. So there is no mistaking that the Word is/was Jesus. If Jesus was a creation, how in the world could it be true that the Word WAS God? A creation cannot be God. Not to mention, if God existed, His Word also had to exist. He would not need to create a being to be His Word. The more I studied this, the more nonsensical my former beliefs became.
I could go on and on with examples. The Bible tells us there is One God; and yet Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also referred to as God. They are obviously three persons of one essence. They are equal in value but positional in their relationship. The Holy Spirit's role is to glorify and point us to Christ. Christ's role is to glorify the Father. And the Father gives glory to the Son. The Trinity is a divine relationship. And it is a beautiful picture for us.
I've heard people say that Oneness and Trinitarian beliefs sound the same to them. But if that is the case, the Trinity has not been explained to them by someone who understands it. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of relationship.
Sorry to be so longwinded! But this is a fascinating subject to me and I was excited to see that you had written about it.
AMEN!! :) Everything that you said is so true, and when we start to grasp this reality, it changes our whole perspective of the Kingdom, at least for me it does! Because of the knowing that the very spirit of Christ is in me, I can now understand my righteous standing with God, and how we really are his children. His love for us and our authority in this world makes so much more sense this way, and salvation has come alive!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Shari! Thank you for your thoughts and expanding on this subject matter!