It All Starts with the Threeness of God
NOTE: Christians have been taught to believe in the "Trinity" but I few of us understand what the Bible is reveal ing to us about God's nature. Understanding the "threeness" of God results in:
- Praise - God is truly awe-some! Almighty. Holy. Just. Pure. Love.
- ...and should influence our understanding of Prayer - As a tri-unty, God has-been / is-now / will-always-be in relationship; a fellowship of communion and communication. When we pray, we are being invited into the conversation of God: Sovereign, Savior, Spirit. Prayer starts with God. When we think Christianly about the Trinity, we prioritize listening to the Spirit over / before listing our needs/petitions.
This excerpt from Phil & Susan Del Re's Voice in the Wilderness newsletter helps me think more Christianly about the "threeness" of God
From the Voice in the Wilderness newsletter
Last week, I had an appointment with a specialist for back pain. He walked in with a long grey beard and a skull cap.
Amazingly, after three questions about my symptoms, he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I write Christian books! Then he asked me to explain one of my theological positions. So, here is what I said.
“Fortunately, for critical thinkers, there are only 5 major religions in the world, and they are mutually exclusive. The only thing they have in common is the fact that they have almost nothing in common. Let’s start at the top. Just consider the nature of God;
- Christianity teaches that God is: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the three distinct Persons make up the one God.
- Islam teaches the strictest form of Unitarian monotheism, and insists that the doctrine of the Trinity is blasphemy, a damnable heresy, and an obvious contradiction.
- Hinduism says there are 330 million gods.
- Buddhism doesn't believe in God at all, and Judaism rejects all of the above.
So, logically, they are either all wrong or one is right, and the others are wrong. Are we in agreement so far? He agrees.
“When Einstein discovered Relativity, his mathematical equation (math being a perfect science) demonstrated that time, space, and matter (which is energy) were not eternal but had a beginning! Amazingly, Einstein’s equation matched the biblical account of creation perfectly!
"The Bible starts out: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning (that’s time), God created (that’s energy), the heavens (that’s space), and the earth (that’s matter). That’s quite a coincidence! Time, space, and matter, the basis of science is a trinity of trinities! Time is a trinity—the past, the present and the future. The past is not the present, the present is not the future, and the future is not the past. One is not the other, all are part of the same, none can exist without the other, and yet each one is distinct! Space is a trinity.
"We live in a three-dimensional world—height, width, and depth. Height is not width, width is not depth, depth is not height. One is not the other, all are part of the same, none can exist without the other, and yet each one is distinct!
"Matter is made up of three primary components: protons, neutrons and electrons. A proton is not a neutron, a neutron is not an electron, and an electron is not a proton. One is not the other, all are part of the same, none can exist without the other (being a complete atom), and yet each one is distinct!
"I offered a few more examples from the human body (body, soul, spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:23), and the human brain (mind, will, emotions).
"I have demonstrated scientifically, mathematically and logically that the Trinity is not an unfathomable contradiction; there are tri-unities all around us that reflect the nature of our Creator.”
Then I explained. “The Old Testament provides 1,500 years of literal, historical, and theological context on the sacrificial system and the blood atonement. So, when Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, died as a sacrifice for sin this would all make sense and it does! Then, I gently I walked him through the moral law (5 of the Ten Commandments) showing how all of us have sinned and that is why all men die! And, you can’t find this in any other religion, philosophy, or system of thought. And, since God is perfectly holy, He must be perfectly just. If even one sin went unpunished He would be unjust! But, the bible also says God is love which means He is perfectly merciful. So, only the cross answers the question, how can God reconcile justice and mercy without compromising one or the other?
“And, for a worldview to satisfy the heart and mind it must answer the questions of origin, purpose, morality, and destiny. Only the biblical text provides the answers” (I provided examples).
My wife was sitting next to me praying for him! When I was done the best he could come up with was, “Well, that’s your creed.” In a gentle tone I said,
“Well, I was using the laws of science, mathematics, and logic. That’s not a creed. If I say this table is made of wood, that is not a creed, it’s a fact.” I’m due to see him again, so I’ll let you know how round two goes in our next letter!"
[Voice in the Wilderness @ Exodus20.com]
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Some notations to ponder . . .
Phil @Reimagine.Network