Wednesday, November 20, 2013

TRINITY SUNDAY--24

I have just been in church on the Sunday called Trinity Sunday. The minister seemed to struggle with the Trinity, as if he were trying to present the entire Trinity in half an hour.

What if we were to read what Jesus said about believing in Him, His Father and the Holy Spirit? Could we find a singular path into the Trinity which does not overwhelm us?

I think we can.
Let's begin with the famous John 3.16. Jesus said He came to humanity because His Father sent Him. What would He mean at this time by, 'believes in Him'? It can only be that the Father sent Jesus, that the world would be saved through Jesus. Jesus goes on in John 3.18 to say that if someone doesn't believe in Jesus, he doesn't believe in the Father. He's judged already because what is at stake is belief in the Father and the Son.

In John 3.35,36 indicates the Father has given all things to the Son, so that not believing in the Son is not believing in the Father.

Then in the next chapter, John 4.21 that worship is worshiping the Father. In fact, the Father is seeking worshipers. He even declares the Father to be spirit, thus uniting the Son with the Father with the Spirit.
In John 5 Jesus unites His work with the Father. John 5.17 says--My Father is working until now and I Myself am working. He will say the same thing two verses later, 5.19. The religious Jews understood what Jesus was saying, they accuse Him of making God the Father His own Father; they were absolutely right but could not swallow it.

And in John 5.20 Jesus says He not only does what the Father is doing but if you could see the works of Jesus you could see the works of the Father. In fact, whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father. This is revealation of an exalted order. What this means is to believe in the Father is eternal life, to refuse to believe in the Son is to reject eternal life.
Later in His life, Jesus will make this so plain it is raw. In John 15.23 He says--He who hates Me hates the Father, also.

And then Jesus goes even further. He says eternal life, being saved, is believing in the Father. In John 16. 27 says--The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father. So believing in the Son is believing in the Father. And believing in the Father is eternal life

That is why we study the Trinity.

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