Spirit Food - September 2018

Session Seventy

You and I live in a three-dimensional world. All physical objects have a certain height, width, and depth. One person can look like someone else, or behave like someone else, or even sound like someone else; but a person cannot actually be the same as another person. They are distinct individuals.

God however, lives without the limitations of a three-dimensional universe. He is a spirit. (John 4:24) He is infinitely more complex than we are. That is why Jesus the Son can be different from the Father; and, yet the same. The Bible clearly speaks of: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet it emphasizes that there is only ONE God. (Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19-20, 20, Mark 12:29, John 1:14, and Acts 5:3-4.

All Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this – that is, if you have come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true – you need to believe what the Bible teaches.

The term: “Tri” meaning three, and “Unity” meaning one, Tri+Unity = Trinity. It is a way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God, that God is yet three “Persons” who have the same essence of deity.

The Bible contains numerous clear statements regarding the unity of God: Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us that “the Lord is one.” 1 Corinthians 8:4 adds that “there is no God but one.” 1 Timothy 2:5 explicitly says “there is one God.” All Christians heartily affirm this truth.

The Bible also contains clear statements regarding diversity within that unity. For instance, in the very first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1) we read “In the beginning God.” The Hebrew word for God is Elohiym, which is actually a plural form of the word El – meaning all three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It's a word that in other contexts is sometimes translated as “gods,” referring to heathen deities. Later in the same chapter we have one of the most striking statements of diversity-in-unity. In Genesis 1:26-27, it says: “Let us … in our image … So God created man in his own image. … he created him.” In Isaiah 48:16, it seems to explicitly refer to all three Persons of the Trinity: “And now the Sovereign LORD (the Father) has sent me (the Son), with his Spirit (the Holy Spirit).” All Three Persons are called God in different places in the Bible. Father – Galatians 1:1, Son – John 20:28, and Spirit – Acts 5:3-4.

All three Persons are associated together on an equal basis in numerous passages:

Jesus' baptism – Matthew 3:13-17 (voice of the Father, Son baptized, Spirit descending like a dove).

Salvation – 1 Peter 1:2 (chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus).

Sanctification – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (grace of the Lord Jesus, love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit).

Christian Baptism – Matthew 28:19 (baptized in one name, yet three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21 (strengthened by his Spirit, know the love of Christ, filled with the fullness of God).

Christian Growth – 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (chosen by God, loved by the Lord, sanctified by the Spirit).

Look at Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

It confirms science:

The five building blocks of creation

1. Time - In the beginning

2. Force - God (Elohiym – the Trinity)

3. Motion - created

4. Space - the heavens

5. Matter - the earth

So, what was God doing before He created the universe? Remember, He created time as we know it. The Trinity teaches us that before the foundation of the world, God was having fellowship within his own being. That's why the Bible tells us that the Father loves the Son (John 17:24). With our carnal nature, we may not currently understand that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have forever communicated and loved each other; however, as we deepen our relationship with Him, He reveals more and more to us about Himself.

We were created in the image and likeness of God! This is where the human desire for intimacy and communication comes from. We were made to communicate. That design is part of the image of God within

each of us.

At the climax of Jesus' suffering, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What do those strange, tortured words mean? In every other prayers Jesus prayed, he used the term “Father”; but at that moment, when he bore the full weight of the sins of the world, when all that is evil and wretched was received by Him in faith, we have only begun to understand. God – who cannot look upon sin – turned his back on his own Son. Jesus cries out, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me”, so we are able to cry out “My God, my God, why have you so blessed me.” He blessed us because He loves us! Jesus had been a perfect man in this world, and therefore could stand the full wrath of Almighty God as punishment for all of mankind's sin (past, present, and future), and still survive. He was not murdered. After He paid the price for sin, He said “It is finished”, bowed His head and gave up His Spirit. He was our sacrifice substitute – meaning He took our place on the cross. Only an infinite God could bear the sins of the world!

The Trinity should cause us to bow in humble adoration before a God who is greater than our human minds currently comprehend. Again, as we deepen our relationship with Him, He reveals more and more to us about Himself.

Your Brother In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Mark Krom, PhD, PsyD

Mark Krom Ministries