Understanding The Trinity
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Before I explain the Trinity, I will start with something much more simple, us.
We are taught that we are basically three in one. Body, mind and soul, or physical, mental and emotional. All three make up one person. We easily grasp this concept, yet we struggle with the knowledge that God is also three yet one. Just for the record no one can fully understand the Trinity. We have finite minds and they are very limited in our way of thinking. We think we understand eternity but we can't really understand it until we are living it. Our eyes see a horizon, and it draws a line in our mind. We can get an idea, but we can never understand until we stand before God.

If you want to see a form of separation of the mortal selves watch someone who is on a strict diet or giving up an addiction. Their physical self tells them they need food or the drug, but their mind tells them not to give into the craving. After a time their emotions start acting up and they may get cranky.

Now let's look at the Godhead or Trinity. Unlike humans, these three are in perfect harmony. Also unlike humans, God is actually three, yet one. Look at 1 John 5:7 "For these three bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one".

Notice it doesnn't say they are like one. Rather they are one. It also doesn't say they agree as one as the spirit, water and blood in verse eight. It states very plain that they are one.

First we will look at the Father. Ephesians 4:6 "One God and Father of all and through all and in you all". That tells us that the Father is above everything. There is none higher than the Father.

Going back to 1 John 5:7 the second mentioned is the Word. Just who is the Word? The gospel of John answers this for us. In chapter one verse one "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God".

The word was with God and the Word was God, did you catch that? How did he manage that? Talk about being beside yourself. He was with God and He was God. That sounds like two separate beings to me. But yet they are still one.

That still doesn't answer who the Word is. Drop down to verse fourteen. "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Now we are getting somewhere, the Word was made into the form of a human, or made flesh. 1 John 4:2 "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God". Now we see that the Word is Jesus.

Jesus went to John the Baptist and was baptized by him. Matthew 3:17 "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". The Word is Jesus who is the Son of God.
John 10:30 "I and my Father are one". No likes there. The Father and Son are one.

Now we come to the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. Let's start with 1 Corinthians 6:19. This verse tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in us, which we have of God. Interesting to note, it says we have of God and not from God. This is not a gift we get from God for being Christians. The Holy Ghost is a part of God that lives inside of us as a result of being a Christian.

I explained it to my children like this God the Father saw that we were hopelessly lost. Being first a just God, he knew we must pay for our sins. His heart was broken for He longed for us to be with Him always. So He took His heart and made it flesh and sent it to earth. This is His Son Jesus. In doing this He provided a way that we might be saved.

John 7:39 tells us that the Holy Ghost was not yet given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. The Holy Ghost would be given after Jesus rises from the dead and ascends into heaven. Jesus speaks of the Holy Ghost as being the Comforter, in John 14:26, which the Father will send in my (Jesus) name.

In Hebrews 13:5 we have a promise from God that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. John 14:18, Jesus says "I will never leave you comfortless".

I like to think of the Holy Ghost as being God's arms holding us. There is nothing more comforting for a small child than a warm hug from their father.

Comedian, Mike Warnke, explains the Trinity like a cherry pie. Take the cherry pie and cut it into three pieces. You can see the cuts in the crust but not in the filling.

We as humans cannot take in the whole magnitude of God. I believe that He gives Himself to us in portions that we can better handle. Remember Moses.

Let's expand upon the pie theory for a moment. Take the warm pie and label each slice 1, 2 and 3. Take the number 2 slice and put it on a plate. Is there a division so that you can just take the filling that belongs to that slice? Keep only one slice of pie on the plate at a time. Take the number 3 slice and put it on the plate. In order not to have two slices of pie on the plate you must first return the number 2 slice to the pie dish. Notice how the filling from the 1 and 2 slices merge back together as if they were never separated.

We may never truly understand the Trinity until are in heaven. Some things we are not to understand. We just have to accept them. We accept the fact that God is real on faith. By faith we believe his word to be true. By faith we must also trust in the Trinity.






Copyright© 2003 Regina Mahaffy