The Trinity and Jesus

The Trinity and Jesus.  Matthew 2+

For many Christians the Trinity has become something akin to their appendix: it’s there, but they’re not sure what its function is, they get by in life without it doing very much, and if they had to have it removed they wouldn’t be too distressed¹.  I wonder why.  Truth is, we cannot choose which part of God we wish to worship—he is three-in-one, and we do well to have a proper working understanding of such. 

[We are suspended between Matthew chapters two and three, but before we go into the ministry of Jesus Christ, we must dig a little deeper into our triune God.] 

While there's only one God, the Godhead consists of three distinct persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are equally omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, and unchanging, but each one has unique functions.²

What good would the work of Jesus on the cross do us, if the truth of it could not be appropriated to our hearts and souls?  That is the function of the Holy Spirit.  What would we know of forgiveness of our sins, if our hearts could not be cleansed and regenerated?  That too is the work of the Holy Spirit.  So the functions or roles of each are important!

Here are some things I know:

The Father > sent the Son, and the Son > sent the Spirit.

            We pray to God the Father because that is what Jesus told us to do.  In the prayer he taught us: “Our Father who art in Heaven …”³

With the psalmist we pray,

Give ear to my words, O LORD,

  consider my meditation. 

     Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God.

        For to you I will pray. 

            My voice you shall hear in the morning, O LORD.                                          

        In the morning, I will direct it to you, and I will look up.⁴

 With that heart, let us continue in prayer, asking God together about himself:  “Who are you, God?  Oh, I know we will never understand or grasp the fullness of your personhood, the Three-in-One, because we are finite creatures.  But because we have experienced the grace of Jesus, understanding what he did – to come and live among us – perfect God all the while, yet in the body of a man, who then suffered and died on the cross for our sins . . . because we have studied Jesus’ teaching, Jesus’ life and love of others, especially the disenfranchised, we seem to ‘get’ Jesus, Son of God. 

Jesus ~ even historians (non biblical sources) have documented that he was seen walking the earth after he had been mercilessly tortured, killed and put in a tomb; so we know that Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said he would, and walked the earth 40 more days.  Luke records in Acts chapter one how Jesus then ascended into Heaven, right before the eyes of those who loved him most.  O God, what a glorious homecoming it must have been for you and Jesus!  We know that Jesus sits at your right hand, God the Father,⁵ certainly not forgetting about us, but rather pleading to you on our behalf,⁶ praying for us. 

Of the future, one day Jesus will come a second time—how amazing that will be!⁷  And finally, all of us will stand before Jesus who will then judge us.⁸

Father, when it was time for Jesus to return to your side, you did not leave us alone; you sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter, Counselor, and Guide, so that we would never be without you.  How remarkable, how kind, how compassionate you are, o holy God.  But then it was Jesus who said,  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well!⁹

Thank you, dear God, for showing us yourself by sending us Jesus.  Grow within us the desire to know you more.  And because Jesus said, Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,¹⁰ we thank you in Jesus’ name for hearing our prayer, we thank you for Jesus, we thank you for your heart toward us, Father.  Amen.

^Christine

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^{1 - Robin Parry, Worshipping Trinity, Paternoster, 2005.               Study questions:  What do we learn about Jesus, the Savior, from the} 

^{2 – Jesus.org – Charles Stanley, “The Roles of the Trinity?”    references, #5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 listed?}

^{3 – The Lord’s Prayer , Matthew 6.9-13}

^{4 – Psalm 5.1-3}

^{5 – Mark 16.19}

^{6 –Romans 8.34}

^{7 – 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17}

^{8 - 1 Peter 4.5; Acts 10.42}

^{9 – John 14.7}

^{10 – John 16.24}