Sunday, April 22, 2012

Trinity 101


Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. How is everyone doing? I pray that you all find this blog in good health and spirits. I am currently in Elkridge, MD. I pretty much had yesterday and today off as far as not having any runs. Of course, it never feels like a day off when I am away from home. In fact, it is torture. But, it does offer me some time to get things done in the truck and to relax. Today, I want to write a blog that someone has requested. Actually, that someone was my wife. My wife does struggle with the trinity, which many people do. I have even heard people who said they know the trinity get it wrong. It is very difficult to understand because God is spirit and we are human. We really don't understand the spirit world. My wife is very smart though. She does understand a lot about what the Bible says and she has grasped a lot within a very short time that she has been a Christian. It amazes me. She also asked a very very good question one day while we were talking about the trinity. A question that everyone should ask when they don't understand something someone is saying when it comes to the Bible. "How do you know that what you are saying is true. Show me in the Bible." I was amazed and very pleased. We will never understand everything in the Bible. Well, not in this lifetime anyway. There are things that puzzle me. When someone tries to show us what they say is true in the Bible and we struggle with it. We may have to give up on trying to understand it and simply ask, "OK, just show me where in the Bible does it say that." If it is in the Bible then we may have to just accept it as fact without understanding it. But if the person can't show it in the Bible, then we shouldn't accept it. Do watch out though, there are things in the Bible that can appear to be one thing, but when you understand the context, it is something totally different. Be sure you understand the Books of the Bible and the events going on. For instance, a very popular thing used is that God approved slavery. This is false, you have to understand what God was saying and doing and the events of the time to understand the laws of Moses time. This blog is for those that are struggling with understanding the trinity. I am not going to go into the trinity real deep and will try to keep it real simple. I will first show where in the Bible it shows that God is three spirits in one and then give you an example of how this works using the earth family. The Bible references I will use will show that the trinity is true and the human example will hopefully help you understand. The trinity is something that I do hold passionate cause it does show God's love for us. Understanding the love of that the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father is just amazing. And then seeing how this is supposed to be put into action in our family really helps me out in so many ways. My relationship with God has grown so much since my understanding of the trinity. I see why Jesus showing this while on earth was so important. Jesus always made it clear when He was talking about the Father or if He was talking about himself. He also clearly talked about the Holy Spirit. He always talked about the Father as another "person" and the Holy Spirit as another "person" If you believe that all three are the same "person" then you would have to say Jesus had multi-personality. Which, I don't think He did. Let me give you a few examples. John 5:42-44 "but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[a]? Anyone who has done jobs where you go and represent someone or a company knows what it means when you go in the name of that person or company means. You are able to do anything as if you were that person or company. As a truck driver, I have lawyers who work in my name. If I get a ticket, I don't have to go to court at all. The lawyer goes in my name. They are able to make deals for me and sign any papers in my name. Here, Jesus is saying that He has come to earth "IN MY FATHER'S NAME." Now, if God is one spirit, how could He come in His own name? It would make no sense at all to say such a thing. That would be like me going to court and telling the judge that I have come in Joseph's name. I would probably have everyone stunned for awhile. lol Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Here He speaks of Father. He didn't say God or speak of Himself. He specified "Father." He does this again in many passages like Matthew 5:45, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:4, Matthew 6:8, Matthew 6:6 and many many other passages. If God was one spirit, Jesus would have said "me" instead of "Father" Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Something interesting in this passage. Notice that people run to Jesus saying "Lord, Lord" and then Jesus says that only those who do the will of "His Father" will enter the kingdom. In this passage, Jesus is clearly saying that He is Lord and that the Father is in heaven. Matthew 10:20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. The spirit of the Father that is referred to here is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is speaking of the Holy Sprit as a separate sprit and not as Himself. Matthew 10:37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Here is one of many passages where Jesus speaks of Himself and not the Father or the Holy Spirit. Notice that He is saying that we are not to love our father (earth father) or mothers more then Him (Jesus). Matthew 11:25 - 27 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Jesus was speaking to His Father in heaven here. He didn't speak to Himself. He also clearly says "all things have been committed to me (Jesus) by my (Jesus) Father. The only way we can know the Father is through the Son, Jesus Christ. And in another passage you will see that the only way to know Jesus Christ is through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Again, two different spirits here. Jesus says you have to do the will of His (Jesus) Father in order to be His (Jesus) brother and sister and mother. Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. This is the unforgivable sin which is also called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It is the only unforgivable sin. Notice that we can speak against Jesus and the Father and be forgiven. But if we speak against the Holy Spirit, we will not be forgiven. Another indication that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate spirits. There is a reason why it is important not to speak against the Holy Spirit and why that sin can't be forgiven. Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, We are baptized in the name of three different spirits Mark 3:29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” This is the same thing said in Matthew 12 Matthew 3:16 - 17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." Here you had all three spirits. The Son (Jesus), the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God), and the Father (the voice from heaven). This wasn't one spirit playing all three parts of God. Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Again, two spirits of God here. The Holy Sprit and Jesus. Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will." Some of Jesus' prayers can be argued that He was just setting an example for us. But there are other, like this one, that we can't say that. This was a real plea He was making to His Father. And if you read the whole story, you know that no one was watching Him do this prayer. Another good example of a bunch of prayers Jesus did that can't be said to be an example were the one Jesus did every morning. Jesus was the Son who was here on earth in the flesh. He had feelings. He was afraid to die and His flesh didn't want to die. He was asking His Father to not let it happen but then says if it has to then let it be. The morning prayers Jesus did was cause Jesus did miss the relationship that He had with His Father in heaven. Think about it. The Father, Son (which was the Word), and the Holy Spirit lived together since .... well .... forever. Now, He is on earth and don't have that personal contact anymore. So, He made it a point to get up early and pray. These are just a very small amount of verses that show that God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three spirits in one. Now, you may have heard people use the following as a way to explain this: I am a man. I am a father to my kids, a husband to my wife and a son to my parents but I am one man. This is a poor example of the trinity cause I am one body with three different responsibilities. I have never spoke to my daughter telling her that I do the husbands will like Jesus has told His disciples that He does His Fathers will. God isn't one spirit with three different responsibilities. God is three different spirits. Each Spirit is Different with different responsibilities and the three work together for the same goal. Here is an illustration I like to use: My wife and I are individuals and two different people. We each have different responsibilities, but as husband and wife, we are one and we are the Jones Family. Two people with one goal in life and one in spirit. We both love to spend time together and to talk. We both want what is best for our family and work together to make sure that our family is OK. Nothing can take us apart. We are two people who are one. I am my wife and she is me. The Father, Son, and Holy Sprit are three who are one God. The three have the same goals and work together. They love each others company and communicate all the time. They love each other. I pray that this has been helpful. Take care and God Bless Love, The Oklahoma Tomcat Follow me at www.twitter.com/oktomcat Friend me at www.facebook.com/oktomcat watch my videos at www.youtube.com/oktomcat read my blogs at http://theoklahomatomcat.blogspot.com

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