Unknown (13:22)
It is one God in three persons. So the Holy Spirit is also a person. The Trinity asserts that there is only one God, but that God is experienced and understood as three distinct persons. Yeah, this is so cool, guys. God is so cool. Co equal and co eternal. Each person of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is fully God. It's not a piece of God or a part of God. Jesus is in a piece of God and the Holy Spirit is in a piece of God and the Father is in a piece of God. And then like, it's not like a puzzle piece where it's like one third, one third, one third. It's like all fully three persons are all fully God, possessing the same divine attributes and nature. They are also co eternal, meaning they have always existed and will always exist together. That also makes me think of the beginning of John where it says. Let me go to it really quick. In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. But what this is saying is that everything of God, including Jesus, Holy Spirit, even the Word of God, God, it all existed. And it has always existed. Even before time was created by God and the earth and Heaven was created. He has always existed. They have always existed and will always exist together. Consubstantial. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share the same essence or substance, while they are one in essence. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have distinct roles and functions in God's relationship with humanity. So the Father, often seen as the source and origin of the Godhead, the One who begets the Son, the Son who is Jesus, the Word made flesh, who came to earth as a human being in the form of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the bond of love between the Father and Son, who inspires and empowers believers. It's important to understand that the Trinity is not a split personality or three separate Gods. They are distinct persons, but they are one God working together in unity. The Trinity is a profound mystery that we may not fully grasp, but it's a core belief of Christianity teaching us about the nature of God. So also I believe that the Lord, that God has allowed these three parts of him that are fully God, it's all one God. It's God. But I think that he's allowed this for further understanding for us, to teach us more about the nature of God. And so I think breaking that down for us is also a way for us to, like, receive God and see those different sides of him through the Trinity. The concept of the Trinity is revealed throughout the Bible, not in one single verse, but through various passages that point to the distinct roles and natures of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Instead of focusing on how, it's more helpful to focus on the who and why of the Trinity. It's about understanding that God is a relational God, a God who loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. That is so beautiful and so true. All right, so let's start with the Father. I just want to break down the three parts of the Trinity and what those roles should represent for us believers walking with God, believing in the Trinity. But like, what do each. We understand now that there are different roles and kind of different sides of God's face and his heart in having relationship with him through the Trinity. What are their roles then, I think is what we should discuss next. In the Trinity, you can see the Father as the originated source and first principle of life, the Creator and sustainer of all things, and the One who eternally begets the Son and breathes the Holy Spirit. So the Father is the ultimate source of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible, and the One who sustains and governs the universe. The Father eternally breathes the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of love between the Father and the Son. The Trinity is not a mathematical equation, but rather a relational reality where three distinct persons are one God. The best way that I've understood how to see the Father is literally like a dad. He's the Source, he is the Creator. He is the one who is in charge. He's in power. He is the one sitting on the throne, and Jesus is at the right hand of Him. But I also see him like, as a father, you know, where he is the One to provide. When you think about who you are as like a little girl or a little boy, and you just naturally rely on your Father to provide, you know, or your parents. But it's like when you think about a dad, that is typically the role is that dad provides. And I think that that's also why God asks us to have childlike faith, is that when you think about a child, they're not worrying about the very things that they just know will be provided for them. When you're a kid and you're kind of naive to those things, you don't worry about those things. It's because you understand, like, oh, well, my dad, my parents, like, it's that type of dependency that God encourages when he says childlike faith. It's a faith where you don't worry. It's a faith where you believe that your father is going to, you know, that he is actually, you know, that your father is going to provide, you know, and you may not know about all the moving pieces and the things that, that may have to happen to have that thing, that very thing provided for you. You know, just as you were a kid, like dinner was always on the table. Maybe you didn't always know everything that your parents were doing behind the scenes to make that happen, but you just, you didn't worry about it because you were just a kid, you know, like, you were just outside playing with your friends. There was no worry. You just trusted and you knew that your parents were going to provide, right? That your father would provide. And so I think that's a lot of what God asks us to do when we have that childlike faith and seeing him as a true father who provides. And so that has been something that's been actually very new for me to walk through is like seeing Abba father as a father who provides. So I, like I said, kind of would always just go to Jesus for everything. I'd be like, Jesus, please provide. And what's so sweet is like Jesus still would, you know, or he low key would be like looking at the father saying, hey, Ali, you know, and, and they're all there with me. But I was never directly going to the father. When I needed something, I would always go to Jesus, which was great. But I felt Jesus being like, hey, I want you to know my father though. Like, this is great, Al, and I'm here for you and I love you and I'm happy to even pass the word. But like, you gotta know my father. So that has been something I've been actively like practicing. Is that when I need something or if something needs to be, or I just, I need that security of a father. Like, I need that security of like God, I need you to provide for me right now. And it doesn't have to always just be things. It's like, I need you to provide peace for me right now. You know, and then he breathes the Holy Spirit, and then the Holy Spirit is the comforter. And so I don't want to get too ahead of myself. We'll get to that. But if I'm ever like, I need you, God, it's the Father that I go to because he's the ultimate provider. Even the word father could be triggering for a lot of us that might not be an easy relationship in our lives. If I'm speaking to someone right now who's like, I don't even know how to do that because my father just wasn't in my life. He wasn't present, or, you know, whatever that the circumstance may be, or you just didn't have a healthy relationship with your father, or you did. If you did, then this probably could be an easier thing for you to do. But for some of us, where maybe that's not as easy, I think seeing God as a father is, like, hard, you know, when your only other comparison to a father is your earthly father. And I think a lot of times God wants to show us that he is not like your earthly father. If you weren't treated in a way where you felt safe, provided for that, no matter what, he was going to, you know, be there to support you as a child, as you were his child. Like, you didn't have that type of support, whether it was emotionally or, you know, providing things physically like food on the table, whatever that looked like. It's very hard to separate the two when that's all, you know, through your earthly father. But I think a big challenge for a lot of us Christians where if we don't have the best relationships with our parents, that's a hard thing to separate. But God wants you to know that he isn't like your earthly father if this is something that's hard for you to do, that he is a father who will show up for you no matter what, not just sometimes, but, like, no matter what, he will always provide. And that is a wound in your heart that God will gladly patch up if you allow him. And it will also, I think, mend any resentment or, like, bitterness that you could even have towards, you know, your earthly father, if that is something that's hard for you. So, anyway, I feel like that's like a whole nother topic, but that is the father is provider dad, you know, And I think a Lot of times I would pray and I'd be like, father, but it wasn't like connecting to my heart, like saying that and allowing it to connect to my heart. I think that's the biggest thing that I've been walking through is like, no, he is my provider, though. No, he is my father. He is Abba. So anyway, so that's dad now. Jesus. Jesus is so special. I love Jesus because I feel like Jesus has always represented and is God, but like, in human form, he represented who God is and God's character in human form. And I think without Jesus, I don't know if God would have ever felt like that to us. I think that we almost needed God even though he's not. But, like, we needed God to be humanized in a way where he was a person, you know, and he is a person. And just showing us the characteristics and the heart of God is what Jesus has done for me in. In my journey. Oh, my gosh. I would not be here if it wasn't for Jesus and if it wasn't for God sending his one and only son for us to also have a relationship with Jesus. Like, what the heck? There's so many reasons to God sending the f. Sending his one and only son, but one of them for me is like, companionship. Like, Jesus is like best friend. Jesus is best friend. He is like best friend. He is brother. He walks with me in life. He's literally best friend.
