The Trinity

Although the word ‘trinity’ is not mentioned in scripture, the Bible is full of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is in total control of the three.  An illustration of the trinity could be an orange divided equally into three. Each part will have orange slices, pips and juice. God is equal with the Son and is equal with the Spirit. God is in overall control. When the disciples said to Jesus ‘When will you return?’ He replied, ‘Only the Father knows.’

There are three ways into an earthly family: being born into it naturally, marrying into it or being adopted into it. This happens when you become a believer (John 3:16). We come into a family. The New Testament describes coming into church. In John 1 we are born into the family. When we believe we receive the nature of a son. When we are adopted, we receive the position of a son. Paul says we are adopted by God into the church. God said the church is like a bride – one day, we the church will be the bride.

What is God doing now? All around the world thousands are coming to faith in Jesus today. They are being born into the family. God is actively adopting them and bringing them security. When Jesus finished work on earth He returned to heaven. What is He doing now? In John 17 we read the priestly prayer. Jesus is God’s love gift to the world. Christians are the Father’s love gift to Jesus.

What security we have does not depend on us, it depends on God. God will not allow any of those He has given to Jesus to be lost. What is Jesus’ activity in heaven? He has gone there as a high priest, He is actively being our High Priest right now. Jesus reminds God of the sacrifice He made. Jesus is there not only as a priest, as our solicitor, He is our top advocate. When I mess up, Jesus forgives. Part of our nature is still sinful but Jesus pleads for our security. God is in overall control.

God the Holy Spirit. In the Greek the word ‘spirit’ is ‘pneuma.’ We read of the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2. Throughout the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon people. They travelled and were good at using stones. Abraham took some rubble and built an altar to worship God and offer sacrifice to God. Jacob set up a stone altar when he wrestled with God. John 1 is a replica of Genesis 1. Jesus gave work to the Holy Spirit to carry on what He had started. The Holy Spirit is our paracelete, the one who comes alongside to help you and keep you safe.

We see the trinity in the grace. Grace in Welsh is ‘cymdeithas’ – the society of the Holy Spirit. Interesting – it’s a building society. The Holy Spirit assists us in the building of God’s church. The Holy Spirit came upon the patriarchs as they built stone altars to worship God. The church is living stones. He takes the rubble of my life and your life and He is dressing the stone and making it fit. How wonderful is that! We are a society of believers, made to fit in that temple. The Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Jesus is coming back. We’ve been marked with a seal, a deposit (Ephesians 1). We have confidence, assurance, knowing we have security in the trinity.