The Trinity
The Trinity
The mystery of the Trinity is great! The word itself does not exist in the Bible but it does describe the being of God. At the onset of the Bible the mystery is made known in verses like Genesis 1:26 when God says, “Let Us make man in Our own image.” Jesus say’s to the disciples to go and baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In short, go teach them the truth about God.
Introducing: The Father
The first person of God is the source of all knowledge, power, wisdom, truth, and justice. He is the heart of God. The first person is the originator and establisher of love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. All compassion, grace, and mercy find its origination in the first person. The first person never had a beginning and will never have an end as His life is eternal. The human description that God uses to help us understand the first person is Father. With it comes tenderness because of His life giving and life sustaining nature. All things that God delights in doing originates from the Father. All that God creates is created out of the heart of the Father.
Introducing: The Son
The second person of God has always existed along with the first person of God. The second person has always been the visual outflow of the first person – Hebrews 1:3. The first person sends forth Himself through the mediation of the second person. The name Son best describes the second person as by virtue of His relationship with the first person, He is the heir of all that the first person is. Jesus said in John 16:15, “all that the Father owns is mine.” The name son speaks of an heir. The Son of God is the visible representation of all that the first person is.
Introducing: The Spirit
The third person of God proceeds from the first through the second. The third person is the silent partner in the Trinity as He functions to make the second person known who then makes the first person known. The best name to describe the third person is Spirit because He cannot be seen but He also owns the nature of the Father and the Son. The very nature of God originates from the Father, is made visible by the Son, who is empowered by the Spirit. The Spirit is the One who makes all things that the Son is visible, understood, and desired in order for the Son to make all things that the Father is known. The Spirit does all that the Son tells Him to do in accord with the will of the Father.
All three members of the Trinity function in different roles and are distinct from one another but give life to the one true God. Each distinct person needs the other. They function in a manner of providing life for one another. You see this work out in that the Father gives life to the Son by the power of His Spirit who gives life to the Son who then gives life to the Father. It is a circle of trust and if any one member of the trinity would cease to exist, they would all cease to exist and God would not be God. The Trinity sets the foundation for all that God is and expects of us as well. Next week we will explore how we relate to God and how the nature of the Trinity helps us understand the Gospel.
Scripture references: Matthew 3:17; John 14,15 and 16; Hebrews 1:2-5, 1 Peter 1:2
