Delighting in the Truth: The Trinity, by Pastor Charlie Handren

From January to March, we will be offering a series of devotionals on our Membership Affirmation of Faith. Our aim in this series is to help Glory of Christ Fellowship grow in our understanding of truth, our love of the God of truth, our love of one another, and our love of unbelievers. The Affirmation is made up of eight articles of faith, the first of which is entitled “The Trinity” and reads as follows:

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; and that these are the same divine essence and are equal in every divine perfection, but that they have different roles (Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6).

The reality of the Tri-unity of God is one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. How can God be one and also three? And if God is three, how can he be one? Various attempts have been made at explaining this truth, some of which emphasize the oneness of God and some of which emphasize the three-ness of God. Both extremes are errors, because the Bible clearly teaches that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) and that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons who share in the same divine essence: they are not simply various aspects or manifestations of the one God. As mysterious as it is, God is one being in community with himself, and this is the unifying center of all theological truth and worshipful living.

Indeed, while we most often hear the statement “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16) to mean that God is loving toward others, it more fundamentally means that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit delight in one another. And it is the love of God for God that is the center of the center of life, the fountain from which all other things came into being and are sustained in their being.

As you reflect on the reality of the Trinity, take some time to ponder the following questions, preferably along with other believers: (1) How can a better understanding of the Trinity help us to worship the God of truth? (2) How can a better understanding of the Trinity help us to love other believers? (3) How can a better understanding of the Trinity help us to gain a greater passion to share the gospel with unbelievers near and far?

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