Post by Zac Loh on Dec 3, 2008 12:26:01 GMT -5
Let me approach this by giving a brief and uncomplicated understanding of The Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three distinctively divine persons. The Father is divine. So is the Son. And so is the Holy Spirit.
We say that `there is One God’ because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit completely agree with one another. Even though there are three, they are always in pure unity. They are virtually One.
An extremely simple way to portray the Trinity is to have three identical rings hanging on a rod. On one side horizontally, we see three rings hanging on a rod. When we look at it at an angle after turning horizontally at exactly ninety degrees, we see one rod and one ring. Three divine persons in one accord. They are not identical but they are One.
The Trinity is eternally existing, a time concept that our human minds cannot grasp (by the way, `is’ and `are’ when applied to God are relative!).
The Trinity is One in essence. They are not composites. Even though they are distinct, they are so much alike. They share qualities.
How can it be? How can they be distinctly different from each other - and yet always, and completely, and purely, agree? The three can become one, and then, they can be separated into three? Of course, no human being can do these!
It does not make any mathematical sense. Remember, the divine is beyond our human mathematical formulae and grammatical laws. Human languages and terms are utterly inadequate for God.
It can be fuzzy. It can be mind-boggling. Our puny mind cannot fathom God.
Observe an ant. Can the ant understand us? My, we cannot even understand each other at times!
Some people think they can understand God, and attempt to do so. They cannot even measure the universe, how can they understand the Creator of the universe?
We can only know God in what He reveals to us, which is very much already. We can only understand God in what He chooses to be understood, which is as much as the human mind can comprehend. And He Himself helps us in our knowledge and understanding. So please do not try to understand everything about God. Only the ignorant still do so.
I like how Pastor Benny Hinn had illustrated it. A varsity student questioned the existence of God at a campus meeting. The student agreed with Benny Hinn that the earth, compared to the universe, is only a small pencil dot in a piece of paper.
Pastor Benny Hinn asked, “So, how small is a human being in that dot?”
“Can we, then, question the Creator of the universe?”
Here are a few basic scriptures:
• The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (Matthew 3:16-17).
• The Father and the Son are distinctive (Matthew 17:4-5).
• The Son and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (2 Corinthians 13:14).
• The Father and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (John 14:16).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are One – always completely agree (John 16:13-15).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are One in essence (Matthew 10:20 & Romans 8:9-16).
• There is One God (Mark 12:29).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are God (Matthew 28:19).
• The Father is a person (John 16:27).
• The Son is a person (John 17:24).
• The Holy Spirit is a person (John 16:13 & Ephesians 4:30).
• God is looking for a relationship (1 Corinthians 13:13).
We can talk about it whole day long, until the cow comes home. But what we want is the Father to be with us, the Son to be with us, the Holy Spirit to be with us. Are you with the Father, are you with the Son, and are you with the Holy Spirit?
Where is God in your life? Are you hungry for God?
Let’s worship God by giving Him our knowledge piece-by-piece. Let’s give Him what we do, all our pursuits, and all our life.
We say that `there is One God’ because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit completely agree with one another. Even though there are three, they are always in pure unity. They are virtually One.
An extremely simple way to portray the Trinity is to have three identical rings hanging on a rod. On one side horizontally, we see three rings hanging on a rod. When we look at it at an angle after turning horizontally at exactly ninety degrees, we see one rod and one ring. Three divine persons in one accord. They are not identical but they are One.
The Trinity is eternally existing, a time concept that our human minds cannot grasp (by the way, `is’ and `are’ when applied to God are relative!).
The Trinity is One in essence. They are not composites. Even though they are distinct, they are so much alike. They share qualities.
How can it be? How can they be distinctly different from each other - and yet always, and completely, and purely, agree? The three can become one, and then, they can be separated into three? Of course, no human being can do these!
It does not make any mathematical sense. Remember, the divine is beyond our human mathematical formulae and grammatical laws. Human languages and terms are utterly inadequate for God.
It can be fuzzy. It can be mind-boggling. Our puny mind cannot fathom God.
Observe an ant. Can the ant understand us? My, we cannot even understand each other at times!
Some people think they can understand God, and attempt to do so. They cannot even measure the universe, how can they understand the Creator of the universe?
We can only know God in what He reveals to us, which is very much already. We can only understand God in what He chooses to be understood, which is as much as the human mind can comprehend. And He Himself helps us in our knowledge and understanding. So please do not try to understand everything about God. Only the ignorant still do so.
I like how Pastor Benny Hinn had illustrated it. A varsity student questioned the existence of God at a campus meeting. The student agreed with Benny Hinn that the earth, compared to the universe, is only a small pencil dot in a piece of paper.
Pastor Benny Hinn asked, “So, how small is a human being in that dot?”
“Can we, then, question the Creator of the universe?”
Here are a few basic scriptures:
• The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (Matthew 3:16-17).
• The Father and the Son are distinctive (Matthew 17:4-5).
• The Son and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (2 Corinthians 13:14).
• The Father and the Holy Spirit are distinctive (John 14:16).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are One – always completely agree (John 16:13-15).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are One in essence (Matthew 10:20 & Romans 8:9-16).
• There is One God (Mark 12:29).
• The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are God (Matthew 28:19).
• The Father is a person (John 16:27).
• The Son is a person (John 17:24).
• The Holy Spirit is a person (John 16:13 & Ephesians 4:30).
• God is looking for a relationship (1 Corinthians 13:13).
We can talk about it whole day long, until the cow comes home. But what we want is the Father to be with us, the Son to be with us, the Holy Spirit to be with us. Are you with the Father, are you with the Son, and are you with the Holy Spirit?
Where is God in your life? Are you hungry for God?
Let’s worship God by giving Him our knowledge piece-by-piece. Let’s give Him what we do, all our pursuits, and all our life.