On the Trinity

Father’s Day & Mother’s Day

Celebration of love poured out.

Trinity Sunday is a celebration of love poured out as well.

Therefore,...

What is it there for? What is this transition pointing to?

Paul spends the first four chapters teaching what it means to be justified by faith.

Justification is being made right before God. It is being declared innocent.

Faith is our belief and trust held together.

1:16-17

The New International Version Chapter 1

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,g because it is the power of Godh that brings salvation to everyone who believes:i first to the Jew,j then to the Gentile.k 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealedl—a righteousness that is by faithm from first to last,e just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”f n

The New International Version Chapter 1

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,g because it is the power of Godh that brings salvation to everyone who believes:i first to the Jew,j then to the Gentile.k 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealedl—a righteousness that is by faithm from first to last,e just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”f n

c

1:18-ff

Our problem

Ch. 2

God’s judgment

Ch 3

All have sinned

Ch. 4

Abraham is the father of faith that justifies.

Our passage summarizes these four chapters and declares

that we have peace with God (shalom) &

we can gain access to God

We can now boast in the glory of God

We were previously declared to have fallen short of it. But now because of the work of the cross we can boast in that glory. WHY?

HOPE-Faith that the the promises of God will come to be.

Shameless Hope

God’s love that is his nature is poured out to us. This is the mystery of the Trinity.

“In the Trinity, the Father is the one who loves, the principle and source of all; the Son is the one who is loved; and the Holy Spirit is the love with which they love.” He goes on to describe the Holy Spirit as “nothing other than the love of God, love in Person….” -Cantelemessa

The union between the Father and the Son is such a live concrete thing that this union itself is also a Person. You know that among human beings, when they get together in a family, or a club, or a trade union, people talk about the ‘spirit’ of that family, or club, or trade union. It is as if a sort of communal personality came into existence. Of course, it is not a real person: it is only rather like a person. What grows out of the joint life of the Father and the Son is a real Person, is in fact the Third of the three Persons who are God. -Lewis

The union between the Father and the Son is such a live concrete thing that this union itself is also a Person. You know that among human beings, when they get together in a family, or a club, or a trade union, people talk about the ‘spirit’ of that family, or club, or trade union. It is as if a sort of communal personality came into existence. Of course, it is not a real person: it is only rather like a person. What grows out of the joint life of the Father and the Son is a real Person, is in fact the Third of the three Persons who are God.[1]

Hope Lost & Hope Regained

My week of disappointing news

[1] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 175; NB: The HS is not a force or a loving feeling. The HS is a distinct person within the Triune Godhead who is equally powerful, eternal, and divine.

Just time to give up because this is just too much…too painful…to hard

But hope does not put us to shame because it is perfect. It is rooted in the love…the nature of God which is perfect.

Remember, “God demonstrates his love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (5:8)

This is God’s love poured out for us. This is the love of God that saves us, gives us standing before the throne of God, gives us hope.

I invite you to put your trust in him this morning.