Every once in a while there really is a “topic of the week”. This week, it seems to have been the Trinity.
Actually, it was a difficult week, with a lot of sickness in the family. No, no hospitalization, but enough to make it very difficult to get things done. Hopefully we’re on the upswing now.
I had some interesting interactions with people this week. First, someone telling me off for the use of the word “persons” when talking about God. He told me I should only use “biblical phrases”.
Of course, “biblical phrases” is not a biblical phrase. In fact, neither the word “biblical” nor “Bible” can be found in the Bible. Meanwhile, he used chapters and verses (both later additions to the Scriptures), and used all Spanish – not a single Greek or Hebrew word!
So he broke his own rules – and rightly so – in order to summarize and clarify what he meant and what he thought the Bible meant.
I also had a conversation with – appropriately enough, three people at once, who also rejected the biblical teaching about the Trinity. They most helpfully shared several verses showing that there is a distinction between God (the Father) and Jesus (the Son), and I wondered just how much they understood exactly what the Trinity even is.
Probably unwisely, though not ungraciously, I tried to point out that if they’re going to talk to people who believe as I do they should realize that we completely accept that there’s a distinction between Jesus and God the Father – and that this is an argument for the Trinity, not against it.
Knowing God as triune is a doorway into many great truths about our Great God and Saviour. It seems that a lot of us are tempted to be satisfied with a few “vital statistics” about God, and we don’t really want to get to know Him more – ignoring the richness of what He has shared about Himself.
It’s a bountiful experience to worship the Triune God. It’s also a challenge. It seems that we haven’t ever come close to living up to the words of worship that we read in the New Testament – as the writers interweave truths about the Three Persons of the Godhead so skillfully. Do you know a worship song or two anything like this? (emphasis mine)
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 20-25
Or this?
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
I’ve been doing a Bible study with the Sunday morning music group, and – as has been planned for a while – tonight’s topic was the Trinity. We went over the basics, but also looked at the worship of the Triune God.
Something to think about tomorrow – are we worshipping in 3D? Or are we satisfied with a 2 dimensional view of God? The Apostles sure weren’t.
Between that and preparing to lead worship at the first conference, there have been a lot of books and Bibles open all over the place!
The second concert was lots of fun because it was in our own neighbourhood. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel with people in our own community.
See that guy? That’s Nick, and he was videotaping the whole time. He has put together some excellent videos from the perspective of a short term missionary here in Mexico City.
