God is not a learner!
During worship I had these thoughts: God is not a learner! There is nothing he doesn't know. Ergo, there's nothing I can hide from him or sin that I can ignore...because he can't! This is both sobering and ridiculously freeing. Bondage to sin? Why? Fear of confessing sin is (like most things I do) absolutely ridiculous because God already knows it. He wants my confession, but he already has the knowledge.
Today's sermon was about the Trinity. Did you know that the word "trinity" can't be found in the Bible? I thought that was interesting. It's such a vital part to my doctrine...but I guess it's a human term applied to a divine concept that none of us can comprehend, so it'll have to do. Unless we want to use a name of Ent-ish proportions that would take 5 minutes just to pronounce. Our Assistant Pastor, Joel, taught on 2 Corinthians 13:14, and here are my notes.
- How does the Bible reveal the Trinity?
- Through relationships:
- Father
- Son
- Holy Spirit
- These all remind us of the kind of relationships we have with God
- There is only ONE true God
- This one true God exists as 3 distinct persons
- God the Father
- God the Son (Jesus Christ)
- God the Holy Spirit
- Each of these persons is fully divine
- Grace, love, and fellowship-these are the relationships that exist in the Trinity (from the verbs in the verse referenced earlier)
- God is Love
- Christ is Grace
- Holy Spirit is fellowship
- All of these words are relational! The Trinity exists in perfect harmony-it has perfect relationships.
- What kind of words do I use to describe the Trinity? I don't know. I never really tried to describe it...I just shook my head in human bewilderment.
- Receive the Trinity's gracious invitation
- The Gospel is the only invitation we'll get to be part of this relationship.
- How can this happen? Christ's forgiveness.
- Marvel at the astounding cost of the invitation! Not just the redemption, but the love that initiated it and the fellowship that comes with it
I wish I knew ancient Hebrew! I wish I could read the Psalms in their original language! Better yet...I'm excited for heaven. Time upon endless time no longer exists: I will be able to do what I want without being concerned with time!
Another thought: I realize now that I do see a three-fold relationship with God. They are my lover, my master, and my friend. It would be wrong to emphasize one relationship over the other, but they will play different and changing roles in the seasons of my life.
2 comments:
"Here's a thought I just had...would it be more accurate to refer to God as 'them?' . . . What do you all think?"
I have to say no. I was going to respond to this earlier, listing reasons, etc. I even pulled out Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. (You might want to read his chapter on the Trinity.) But then I remembered that this is a comment, not a thesis, so I'd better leave it simple. :-) So here's my simplest reason: the Bible never refers to God as "them," and it doubtless would if it were more accurate.
Yeah...I'm not quite sure what pronoun to use in reference to God anymore. Now I see why some languages have separate pronouns for deities. Interesting...
I'll have to see if Systematic Theology is in my family's library. Thanks for the suggestion!
bshda
Bears, Silly, Have Drawn Arms
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