Catechisms week 3

How many persons are their in God?

Q: How many persons are there in God?

A: There are three persons in one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REVIEW:

What is our only hope in life and death?

That we are not our own, but we belong to God

Romans 14:7–8 “7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

What is God?

God is the creator of everyone and everything.

Psalm 86:8–10 “8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

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Today we are going to ask:

How many persons are there in God?

A - There are 3 persons in one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 “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.”

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ILLUSTRATION:

What is an Egg?

Shell, Yolk, White

How would you describe an egg without those 3 parts? yet they are all one egg right?

What is Water?

Gas, Liquid, Solid (Steam, water, Ice)

What is Light?

Radio Waves, Visible Light, Gamma Rays.

Yet are all of these Light?

ASK:

What is Pantheism?

Is Christianity Monotheistic or Pantheistic?

How do we explain the difference in terms of the trinity?

Trinity means Tri-Unity.

Tri - means three

Unity - means one.

There is only one God. Read Deuteronomy 6:4 “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

2. God is three persons Read 2 Corinthians 13:14 “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.”

3. Each person is fully God

Father as God (Philippians 1:2 “2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” )

Jesus as God (Titus 2:13 “13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” )

Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3–4 “3 Then 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? 4 Didn’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.”” )

Each person is not 1/3 God. They are each God.

4. Each person of the Trinity is different from the others.

The Father sent the Son into the World

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Thus the Father cannot be the Son.

The Son returned to the Father

John 16:10 “10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;”

The Father and the Son sent the HS into the world

John 14:26 “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.”

Acts 2:33 “33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

5. The three persons of the Trinity relate eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What does all this mean?

Read 2 Corinthians 13:8–14 “8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. 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.”

Here Paul is writing to the church in Corinth.

He is preparing to visit them.

The church in Corinth had lots of problem… lots of sins, cultural issues, etc…

Constantly in the letters to Corinth, Paul is challenging them to live for Christ.

That’s what He’s doing here.

“We are weak… but you are strong…”

“Encourage, be of one mind, live in peace… God is with you.”

Finally in that last verse he says “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Paul is trying to show the Corinthians how important God is for their lives and relationships with one another.

Here, he mentions the 3 persons of God too.

Let’s examine that more closely for a moment:

Jesus

The one who displays God’s grace clearly.

Grace is getting something we don’t deserve.

The person in the Trinity who reveals God’s grace to us.

Because of Christ, we have the constant reminder that as we have received Grace, we have the opportunity to show His grace to others.

How many times have you needed grace from someone this week?

I need it every day.

We can be both the receiver of grace and the giver of Grace.

Are you are gracious person, eager to give it to others?

Because of Jesus… we can be.

May we seek that part of God to be an active part of our character.

2. The Father.

Paul says “The love of God” here to describe the Father.

I hope you all know the love of a good earthly dad.

There’s nothing like your dad pulling you in close and saying “I love you son”

The creator of the universe wants to be known as that.

As we bear God’s image, those made in his image, we have an opportunity also to show God’s love.

Love sometimes means we tell people something they don’t want to hear.

For example… is it loving to share the truth of the gospel with someone or loving to withhold it from them?

The scary part, it doesn’t feel loving to tell someone that their sin may condemn them to hell… and saying it so bluntly may not be loving…

BUT to never tell them, to pretend they are ok… that’s certainly not loving either.

The most loving thing we can do is care for someone’s Spirit.

This is the Father at work in us… showing love to those around us.

3. The Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 “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 1:3–7 “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

The Holy Spirit draws us into friendship with God and comforts us.

By the Holy Spirit, we can also comfort one another.

Grace, Love, Friendship, and Comfort are all parts of God.

Each person of God demonstrates these characteristics in unique ways.

Are we seeking the Triune God and experiencing these characteristics?

Are we eager to share God with those around us too? His grace, love, friendship, and comfort?

Let’s grab a few friends, circle up, and discuss a few questions before we go.