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Many of us experience difficulty in trusting God with our lives because we don’t know Him well. Let’s examine God’s TRIUNE NATURE as there is confusion about the TRINITY: GOD IN 3 PERSONS! “Trinity”, a Latin word meaning: “3 in the unity of one”, is the theological term used describing God’s revelation to us, about Himself in the “Bible”. Being mere humans, we’ll never fully comprehend GODS’ inimitable Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience and Uniqueness; except as revealed in His Word! (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Three fundamental truths about the Trinity are: (1) The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons; (2) Each is fully God; and; (3) There is ONLY ONE GOD. Three DIVINE PERSONS, equal in every way, who have been in relationship with one another eternally, each performing a different role within the Godhead in order to bring humanity back into a good relationship with God. God the Father, began the process to bring everyone back to Himself; God the Son, chose to become human, was subject to the Father and was led by the Holy Spirit while on earth; He died on the cross for the remediation of our sins; God the Holy Spirit, chose to enlighten/empower the Church established by Christ, bringing Glory to the Son. Despite their varying roles, we are clearly taught, throughout the Old and New Testament, that while there are 3 Persons in the Bible called Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they are – ONE GOD.

What does this mean for us today? The Trinity teaches us the importance of being in relationship with one another. God has never been by Himself, but has ALWAYS been a community of three persons, and we learn that ‘God is love’. For LOVE to exist there has to be communication, self-giving and sharing, which requires at least 2 persons being involved! IF GOD consists of only ONE PERSON rather than three, He could NOT BE ‘LOVE’ the way the Bible says He is, because He would not have anyone to ‘love’. Therefore, either God is not love (a contradiction in Scripture) or GOD is more than one person; another powerful evidence for the Trinity.

We learn that long before God created the universe and mankind, the three members of the Godhead existed in an unceasing state of perfect love, joy and delight, loving and enjoying each other. It was God’s love that compelled Him to create man – NOT because He was lonely, bored, needed cheap labour to care for our planet, or any other reason. HIS LOVE compelled Him to share the incredible richness and fullness of community as the Trinity experiences. God then broadened the circle, creating human beings in His own image, and this is why we have this deep hunger and thirst within us for intimacy and meaningful relationships like the Holy Trinity have enjoyed forever. We are taught by the Trinity that we were never meant to strive alone in our Christian Faith. Jesus knew the importance of being in relationship with others, not only for companionship AND to help fulfill the mission His heavenly Father had given Him. We NEED the encouragement and prayers of others to grow spiritually and to fulfill God’s call and purpose in our lives, holding each other accountable as we emulate the Trinity in striving to be ‘others centred’!

May we achieve this goal to the Glory of GOD, and for the sake of a world that desperately needs the Jesus we know and love!

Study Questions

IN - PURSUE RELATIONSHIP

What makes you use the internet, even if you do not fully understand how it works?
What is your reaction when you hear about one God in three persons? How would you briefly describe or explain this trinitarian relationship?

UP - PURSUE GOD

Read Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19; John 14:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14. How do these verses support the truth of the “Trinity” – God is one Being in three Persons?
How do the verses below prove that each person – Father, Son, and Spirit – is God?
- Isaiah 64:8; Colossians 1:15-17; Job 33:4 (Creator)
- 1 John 3:20; John 16:29-30; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (All Knowing)
- Exodus 3:13-14; John 8:54-56 (God the Father)
- Isaiah 44:6; John 1:1,14; Revelations 1:5-8 (God the Son)
- Acts 5:3-4; 13:2 (God the Holy Spirit)

OUT - PURSUE MISSION

How does the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit inspire you to grow closer to God? How does this help you accomplish His mission?
How does the loving relationship of the three persons in one God guide you to show humility and put others first in your community?

Personal Reflection

Reflect on the perfect love shared between the Father, Son, and Spirit. Let that love inspire you to put others first in your relationships. Ask God to help you grow in love and humility each day. Consider inviting someone to join your community group or reach out to communitygroups@cschurch.ca to find one.

The Word (NIV)

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

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,

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Colossians 1:15-17¹⁵The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

1 John 3:20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

John 16:29-30²⁹Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

1 Corinthians 2:10-11¹⁰these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Exodus 3:13-14¹³Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

John 8:54-56⁵⁴Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

John 1:1,14¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Revelations 1:5-8⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Acts 5:3-4³Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? ⁴Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

This Week's Writers: Asha Phillips, Mark Eckstein, Elsa Henderson, David McMillin, Jorel Quemuel, Alfred Samson and Jem Ong