Trinity

Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked his disciples to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit(see Matthew 28:19,20)? The theologians of historical Christianity describe this mystery as the Trinity: God is one, but there are three persons in the Godhead; and all three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are all the same substance.

When I was in theological training we asked professor Dr. Mack Stokes to explain the Trinity so that we could better understand it. He answered us "God is three in one. Is not this a contradiction? No, but it is a mystery. There is only one God. But, on the basis of the Bible, Christians across the centuries have urged that we say more than that. Like Philip in John 14 we keep asking, 'Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.' For the one true God is revealed in different ways in relation to our lives.

"For example, we use several identities of a person to reveal who he or she is. We ask 'Who is that man standing over there?' Someone else says, 'He is the manager of this rail road. He sees that the trains run on time and do not crash. He is more than the manager, he is the owner of this railroad. And more important than that he is my dad.' He is only one man, but he lives as a manager, the owner, and my dad.

"The one true God is revealed in different ways in relation to our lives. So, in struggling to express this fact, Christians have recognized three interrelated but distinct kinds of activities in which God is engaged. What are they?...God is one being with at least three structural differentiations...They are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (1) God the Father is Creator and Sustainer of the universeand He maintains the creation. (2) God the Son is the redeemer and the re-creator of our souls. God has come to us as Jesus Christ, the incarnate One. In Jesus God has revealed His personal and loving character. (3) God the Holy Spirit is experienced by us as God in our hearts and minds. God is experienced as very present in the community of prayer and faith where Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord. God as the Holy Spirit is especially experienced by us in the mission of the Church. It is God as the Spirit who inspires us to share the Gospel with others, and who gives us gifts of the Spirit to enable us to fulfill Christ's mission in the world."(see pp.43,44; MAJOR UNITED METHODIST BELIEFS, Mack Stokes).

Find a place apart today and focus on Matthew 28:19, 20. Pray that your heart, mind, and soul will be more open to understanding who and what God is.

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