Short
Answer Version
If
we are to examine who Jesus is, it is a good idea to talk about how He fits into relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit a little
bit.
Jesus said "I and My Father are one". He also said, "He that has seen me has seen the Father". He taught both unity with God the Father, and identification with Him.
The people to whom Jesus spoke, already had a concept of God and the Holy Spirit because of the Old Testament verses. John the Baptist also taught about the Holy Spirit, predicting that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Jesus taught more about the Holy Spirit, saying He is "the Comforter" or "Helper", "the Spirit of Truth", and the one who would glorify Jesus and the Father.
When the time came to reveal it, Jesus had no hesitation calling Himself the Son of God. He admitted it plainly even though He knew it would be considered a statement that would probably get Him killed. It would be taken as a statement that He was God Himself.
The word "Trinity" was conceived by early New Testament scholars to describe
the way the Bible portrays God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy
Spirit as one. The word "Trinity" never appears in the Bible.
Long
Answer Version
Here is a rather lengthy examination of the subject of the Trinity for the more curious readers.
In
mathematics, the value of one rarely equals three, but not so with God. If you tend to think in mathematical absolutes keep in mind that the laws
of mathematics were designed by this same God. They do not govern Him.
He governs them. The same applies to the laws of physics and nature.
Here
are some insights to help give you a comfort level with the thought of a three-in-one
God. You can think of Him as only one God. He is a Father, a Savior, and a
Comforter in our lives. He is not bound by time or space. He is not limited to the boundaries of human comprehension. He is omnipotent, which means all-powerful.
Since God is omnipotent, it is possible for us to think of Him as beyond our ability to fathom. Because of that, it is possible for Him to be Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. He revealed Himself clearly in the Old Testament as both Father God and the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of the Lord.
The first two verses of the Bible say, ''In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.'' Even though this could be interpreted to support the idea that God and the Spirit of God were two names for one God. But that interpretation is problematic. The word "And" points to a difference between ''God'' and ''the Spirit of God''.
Fifteen other times in the Old Testament, the moniker ''Spirit of God'' was used pointedly. Ordinarily it was associated with the Spirit coming in power on an Old Testament believer, such as a king or prophet.
It was a mystery until Jesus came and explained to us that God was not simply one or two but all three. Yet God is also One. He made it clear that we are not to confuse Him with the idea of multiple gods, an idea that was common outside Israel. He is not a polytheistic God, but a monotheistic God.
God
once told a man named Moses that His name is YHWH (in the Hebrew language),
which translated means “I Am” or “I Am that I Am”.
The name “Jesus” also means “I Am”, but with a
little more description. The name “Jesus” means “I Am
is Salvation”.
The Comforter I mentioned is a real person too. He
is often called, “The Spirit of I Am” in the Bible, which
gets translated “The Spirit of the Lord”.
Do you see the connection? There are three “I Am” persons.
The word “Trinity” speaks of the three persons in unity literally,
meaning three-in-one.
Jesus
told His followers to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus used
the name "I Am" in talking about Himself at least nine times in the first four books of
the New Testament.
It
is evident in the original language that He presented Himself as the great
I Am. For example he said,"Before Abraham was born I Am", "I
am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except
through me". He also said many other statements indicating His divinity,
such as "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father".
By the way, you don’t have to grasp this information about the Trinity
fully, to be saved. I didn't. In fact, I had never even heard that Jesus
was God when I asked Him to be my Savior. I thought He was only
the Son of God. I had just previously found out I could receive Him as
my personal Lord and Savior. But my early knowledge gap did not stop God
from saving me and straightening me out later.
What
about the Holy Spirit? Who is He? By observation, I can tell you one aspect
of Him is that He is a go-between. The Holy Spirit can reveal the attributes
of Jesus and the Father directly to our hearts, and He also reveals His
own personhood and ways of thinking. The Bible says He leads us into all
truth.
The Bible calls the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of Jesus Christ" in Philippians 1:19.
That designation further shows His connectedness of identity to Jesus in the Trinity.
Paul the apostle also wrote,
"when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Who is the Spirit? "the Lord is the Spirit".
The Holy Spirit reveals truth and frees people from bondage to misguided ways of living.
After believing in Jesus and starting relationship with Him, many of the things not originally understand will start to make better sense. You start to become a spiritual person. Therefore, spiritual things begin to become clear. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Even
before you are saved, the Holy Spirit can start making Jesus real to you.
The night I first heard about receiving Jesus as my personal Lord and
Savior, I went home and I could feel Jesus on the doorstep to my heart,
on the verge of coming in. Out of fear and selfishness, I didn’t
let Him come in until three days later.
The
Bible mentions a phenomenon of coming to Jesus because the Father is drawing
you. I was a person who actually felt that take place three days before
I got saved. I didn’t know yet that the Bible had a name for it.
The
Holy Spirit is no less powerful than the Father or Son. The earth's creation
is partially attributed to Him in the Bible (Such as in the first verse
of the Bible, Genesis 1:1). In fact, all three persons of the Trinity
were said to be involved when you compare the first chapter in Genesis
with the first chapter of the gospel of John.
The
Holy Spirit is mighty to do many wonderful things on the earth. He also
reveals Himself in a sweet presence that shows God's gentle love for us.
In
one of the opening statements to this website, I suggested some words
to say in prayer to be saved by believing in Jesus. They included, “Please
come into my life and make yourself real to me.” If you really want
to know who God is, that prayer will start the ball rolling.
You will be born again by the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. You will also
be spiritually adopted by God the Father, and rescued by the atonement
of Jesus (found in His death and resurrection). The intimate fatherly
wisdom and undying love comfort us. All three are called comforters in
the Bible.
We
see the Trinity portrayed in many Bible verses, such as Luke 1:35, when
the Angel mentioned all three persons to Mary as taking part in the birth
of Jesus. In that verse the Angel Gabriel differentiated the persons of
the Trinity calling the Father "The Most High", also sometimes
translated "the Majesty on High". It was His power and the Holy
Spirit who came on Mary when Jesus, the Son of God was conceived as a
human.
But
Jesus existed previously in the "form of God" (Phillipians 2:6).
The Trinity existed for all eternity past, and will always exist. What
we have covered here is just the tip of the iceberg about who Jesus is,
and how the Father and Spirit interrelate. The Bible has much more to
say on the subject, as does the Holy Spirit who glorifies Jesus and the
Father to us as He leads us into spiritual truth.
A few years ago, even though I thoroughly believed in the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and the same, I was having a difficult time when I prayed, trying to sort out to whom I should address my prayers.
I usually prayed to the Father, in Jesus' name. Sometimes I prayed to Jesus, and sometimes I spoke with the Holy Spirit. But it became a little confusing and frustrating to me, knowing whether I was doing it correctly. I expressed this to God one time when I was feeling especially close to Him. He gave me an answer, a way around my concern. I heard Him say, "Just call me Trinity."
I was totally aware that He was providing me with a wise solution, but that it was found nowhere in the Bible. I did what He said and it removed my blockage whenever I started to feel the frustration I had experienced before.
Now, I feel free to picture Him as Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I address Him in any of these ways, as well as "Trinity", "Lord", "God", and other fond names, knowing He understands my heart is inclined toward Him.
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