Let’s Talk about Trinity
Notes
Transcript
Today is Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday of ordinary on the Liturgical Calendar.
We enter into a season where there are no special Sundays like Advent or Easter.
Our focus today is the godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is the word of God for the people of God…
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Various thoughts on the Trinity — Develop
3in1 — 3 Persons; One divine Godhead
Not three gods but one God in three persons.— You: (Body, Soul, Spirit)
Trinity in The Old Testament
Trinity in The Old Testament
R.C. Sproul wrote, “From the first page of Scripture we find unambiguous declaration that there are no limits on the reign and authority of the Lord God.” — R.C. Sproul
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The word God here is Elohim.— develop
There was one God present yes but he was pleural. Father was there, Spirit was there verse 2; Son was there — John 1:1,14
You need the shema to hep you Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
It was a matter of utmost importance that the nature of God, His unity and uniqueness be taught to the next generation perpetually for all generations — Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The truth about God was to permeate all parts of the community for all generations.
R.C. Sproul, “The danger for Israel was the corruption that came from pursuing false gods.”
There was to be no other god in Israel except Yahweh, how did Israel do?
Trinity in The New Testament
Trinity in The New Testament
The doctrine as we know it is established in the New Testament
One of my go to passages is the seven ones and three alls of — Ephesians 4:4-6
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Develop this passage
I found something interesting in John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
“With” seems insignificant but what John is sayin in the Greek is that the word was is closest possible relationship to God.
Also in the phrase “The word was God” can in the Greek is reversible — The Word was God, God was the Word
Through the pages of the New Testament it is clear that Jesus, the Son of God, is one of the Triune God.
Then there is the Holy Spirit who has God’s attributes
Holiness Matthew 12:32
And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Eternal — Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
There are so many other passages I could go to to show that what we call the doctrine of the Trinity while the word itself may not appear the idea and doctrine of 3 persons in one Godhead is taught.
The Trinity and The Church
The Trinity and The Church
Eternal community and Church as community — develop this
Meaning the church is a community of communion.
Samuel Powell wrote, “Being a community of communion also means being a community of reconciliation.” — Samuel Powell
We have been given the task of bringing reconciliation to sinners — 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Only when we recognize that we have been given that ministry by God can the church realize its nature as a community of communion.
As a community of communion there should be oneness. — the Shema, the seven ones, develop this point
make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Conclusion
Thinking about unity in diversity — “Unity in diversity, in the community of the Trinity.” (Anonymous)
Somewhere along the way the church has failed to engage with the doctrine of 3in1, so many fail to understand any part of it and cannot defend the doctrine in any way — 1 Peter 3:15
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;
A final lesson to consider is that in the Trinity they are fully known and fully kept in their community.
Can you imagine a community of Christians where everyone is fully known and fully kept?
I wonder if that is even possible, it should be in our relationship with God, it is also the desire of God for the church — Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
That is what I mean when I encourage us often — In community weekly, life change happens in small groups
The Trinity is our example of what a community of communion is supposed to be like. — One unified body with many members
Wouldn’t you like to join the body of Christ?
To be part of building the kingdom on earth as it is heaven?
