Trinity: Father, Spirit, Son...
...God-head - Three In One.
It is important to have a basic understanding of the Trinity if you want to have a relationship with the Almighty God. Yes...my friend... ...it is possible to have a meaningful relationship with God. In fact... ...He is very interested in having a relationship with you! So much so... ...that He paid a VERY HIGH price to make it possible. But...more on that later on. Right now... ...you and I will focus on three intriguing questions that will provide a means to grasping a mystery... ...of universal proportions. Universal proportions, you say? Yes. We're talking about God, here... ...it doesn't get any bigger than that. So...here are the three questions: * What is the Trinity? * Why does the Trinity exist? * What does the Trinity mean to me? ************************************************ If you are looking for a deep theological discussion, here... ...I'm afraid you will be very disappointed. We will only be scratching the surface of all that could be addressed regarding the Trinity. Only very basic ideas will be presented here. ************************************************ What Is The Trinity? The proper way to state the question above should probably be "Who" instead of "What"...is the Trinity?, because... ...in the most basic of terms... ...the Trinity is: * God the Father * God the Son * God the Spirit Although the "word trinity does not appear in the Bible...references to the Godhead do (1 Cor. 12:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2; Matt. 3:16-17)." "The Trinity is God's mystery. Every attempt to illustrate the Trinity is inadequate. Some people think of the Trinity in this way: God is like water. The chemical compound (H2O) comes in solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam). Each has specific functions. Ice cools, water quenches thirst,, and steam cooks and cleanses. Others picture three separate matches brought together as one flame and suggest that this illustrates God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that only one God works with His creation in the persons of Father / Creator, Son / Savior, and Spirit / Comforter. The Trinity shows God has personal relationships and expresses love within His own Being." (The Student Bible Dictionary, 2000, "Trinity") I have alluded to the Trinity elsewhere on this Web site in a weak attempt to try and explain it... ...but, I thought you might appreciate this definition from The Student Bible Dictionary, as well. Just remember... ...you and I are finite creatures... ...trying to understand an infinite God. There will be unanswered questions. *********************************************** Why Does the Trinity Exist? We cannot fully know the reason why the Godhead exists as they do... ...but, we do know that each Person of the Trinity fulfills very specific roles... ...each according to their place within the Godhead. ***A simplistic illustration of this thought would be the following story: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The King, the Prince, and the Letter The Father: A great King owns all the land of a foreign country across the seas. The Son: The great King has a Son who is Prince of His kingdom. One day, at a time chosen by the King... ...He calls His Son to Him. He informs the Prince that... ...He is going to send Him to this foreign land across the seas. In fact, He has had this planned for a very long time. So...obediently... ...the Son crosses the seas and arrives at this new land. He arrives in secret...with no fanfare... ...unseen by most of the population of the country. Almost no one knows He is there...or even who He is. He stays in this new land awhile... ...remaining mostly within a small region of the country... ...living among the people and becoming acquainted with their ways. Then...one day... ...He reveals who He is to the people of the are... ...and gathers around Him a small group of followers. The Prince begins to proclaim a message... ...in the name of the King... ...to the people of the region. The message is accepted by some... ...but not by all. Some actually begin to oppose the Son and the King's message. This opposition was anticipated by the King... ...so sufficient proof... ...validating the message from the King... ...had been prepared in advance. The Son presented the proof...but many remained unconvinced. This reaction was expected by the King, as well... ...so He had commanded His Son... ...that regardless of who accepts or rejects the message... ...it was to be proclaimed throughout the entire country. The opposition soon grows to be fierce. The Prince is brutally beaten by the people opposing Him... ...almost to the point of death. The Prince instructs His hand-picked group of followers... ...that He will be leaving soon. He informs them that He has chosen them... ...to continue proclaiming the message His Father..the King ...had given Him. He instructs them to wait at a given location... ...until they receive authorization from Him... ...to continue the proclamation of the message. The Son leaves the country and returns to His Father... ...having completed the work He was given to do while there. The Son is given authority... ...by the King... ...to call into action His select group of individuals... ...who are patiently waiting for word from Him. The Spirit: Letters were written authorizing the continued proclamation of the King's message. A great number of these letters were crafted... ...and were given to those chosen by the Son... ...and to all those who were willing... ...to join them in spreading the King's message... ...to the rest of the country. The letters were signed by the King and sent by the Son... ...and gave authority to those who received them... ...to speak in the name of the King. The letters were crafted in a manner that... ...all those in possession of them... ...would receive entrance into His kingdom... ...and citizenship as well... ...once their work was completed. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *** This simple story reveals the roles of... ...the Father (King)... ...the Son (Prince)... ...and the Spirit (Letter). The main idea I want to convey here... ...is that each individual element was needed.. ...to accomplish a specific task. The authority of the King... ...was given to the Son... ...who released it to His followers by letter. The authority remained unchanged... ...whether it came from the King...the Prince...or the Letter. The Trinity exists to fulfill certain roles that accomplish specific tasks. ********************************************* What Does the Trinity Mean to Me? Referring back to the simple story you just read... ...see where you might fit into the tale. You are in the "foreign country"... ...right now...my friend. You can choose to take the letter from the Prince... ...giving you authority to proclaim the message of the King... ...and gain special access to His kingdom... ...including citizenship. Or...you can be one who rejects the offer... ...in opposition to the King, His Son, and His Letter. Choosing to do nothing is the same as joining the opposition... ...you still don't have the letter. ************************************************ If you have read the previous pages entitled...
"The Name of God"
"Jesus: The Son of God"
"The Holy Spirit"
...you should know where I am going with this. ************************************************ *** This is what the Trinity means to you: Jesus is the Son of God... who came from heaven to the earth... ...in the form of a man. He proclaimed the message of the kingdom of heaven... ...that His Father told Him to proclaim. He gathered a group of followers (disciples) around Him... ...and taught them the message of the kingdom. Evil men rejected the message and the Prince of Peace... ...and killed Him. All this was anticipated by God the Father, the King. However... ...Jesus did not remain dead. He was brought back to life (resurrected) by the Father... ...after being dead for three days. ALL of these things were predicted... ...hundreds of years before they happened... ...in ancient writings that have been gathered together... ...called the Holy Scriptures, or Holy Bible. Jesus showed Himself to His followers many times after His resurrection... ...and continued to teach them. He commanded them to... ..."Go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them... ...in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy spirit." Matthew 28:19 (NCV) Friend...this is called the Great Commission... ...and Jesus is calling you to join Him in proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom. If you are willing to surrender your life to Him... ...He will send you His "Letter" of authority... ...the Holy Spirit. He will remain with you continually as a source of power... ...comfort...guidance...teaching... ...and as a promise of your acceptance into the kingdom of God. You will not only become a citizen of His kingdom... ...but you will be adopted into the family of God, as well! It all begins with your surrender to the Son... ...and your acceptance of His gif... ...of a new life with Him. It is a gift to you...that was paid for by Him... ...by His death. He loves you so much... ...that He gave His life for you. Will you give yours to Him? "Then Jesus said again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, I now send you.' After He said this, He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" John 20:21-22 If you would like to explore this further... ...please click the link below... ...and go to 'The Surrender." Blessings...friend!
Go to "Spirit" Reference Page
Go to "Christ" Reference Page
Go to "Worship" Reference Page
Leave "The Trinity" and go to "The Surrender"
Go to "Home Page"
Go to "The Hush"
Subscribe To The Overcomer Ezine Here
|
