Trinity - the importance and necessity

The essence of God is relationship. Without the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit, there is no God (or love). The oneness of God is a oneness of relationship; a union of three. Even though each of the three persons of the Godhead is God, they are God together and not God separately or independently and individually without or outside of relationship i.e., God is one being. 

None of the persons of the Godhead stands alone, independent of each other, by virtue of the fact that to be fully the God He is, He must be God in relationship, making all three persons necessary for "Godness" to exist.

When the Bible says that God is love it is because He is relationship. And not just any kind of relationship but one defined by love i.e. the giving and receiving of glory/value/worth/honor. A relationship in which each is equally and mutually valued/loved/honored by the other.

Because the Son issues forth from the Father and the Spirit issues forth from the Father and the Son, they are all God. So in this sense everything issues forth from only one God as Father, yet God cannot be Father without the Son, and the relationship between the Father and the Son is bound together and expressed in, by, and through the Spirit, who is love. There is no relationship between the Father and the Son without the Spirit. 

God is Spirit, and God is Love. And He is all these because He is relationship. And because He is relationship, He is all these.

For a much fuller discussion of this click here

For a discussion on the source of love, click here

For a discussion on the "dependence" of God, click here. 

A heart loved is a mind and will freed

We cannot see clearly or choose wisely until we trust we are ¹fully loved. To the degree we trust we are, is the degree to which we will see clearly and choose wisely.

In order to best get on in life we usually think what we need most is right understanding, facts, knowledge, and right choices. That knowledge and choice are the most important things. However, these can not occur until things are first addressed at a much more fundamental level; the level of our heart-spirit.

We are primarily relational beings, not just rational and willful. By that I mean we are designed to be in relationship first and foremost. We are created in the image of our Creator to receive love via relationship in the same way our Creator does. Thinking and choosing only work correctly when the core defining aspect of who we are is intact. 

To illustrate, think of

those times you went to the grocery store when you were starving versus when you were full. Did this affect what was most appealing to you and the choices you made while shopping? Wasn't it easier to rationalize buying more processed food that could be consumed quickly versus something more healthy that took time to prepare; something that required delayed gratification? 

Just like with physical hunger, our reasoning and choices are affected and driven by our emotional and spiritual state as well. When we are spiritually and emotionally starved we make poor choices vs when we are spiritually and emotionally full. 

And what kind of relationship do we need - for not just any relationship works and gives us what we most need spiritually and emotionally. 

Because we were created for infinite love from the Source, inconsistent love from others, including self-love, alone doesn't work because it doesn't fully give us what we are designed for and must have. 

Why is this? Because we were designed to be in a relationship with a ²being that is infinite, constant, never failing, and never-ending love. In short, we were designed for a relationship with the God of infinite love. Therefore only a relationship with this God will do i.e. it fits who we are; who God made us to be. 

Right knowledge and right choices are certainly important but occur only when we are in an unobstructed relationship with someone who can give us infinite love i.e. we can not make right choices and obtain true understanding without being freely loved first. As long as we are not loved fully, our knowledge, choices, desires, etc are skewed towards that which we think (believe) works best at satisfying our need to feel worthwhile, important, significant... in a word, loved.

This raises the question of why we do not always feel fully loved if we are a child of God. Well, in fact, we are fully loved. Love has been fully displayed and extended to us in Christ, but if we do not receive but reject this love (Jn 3:17-18) by not believing in it, we will not partake of it. Why? 

We are in such deep (and hidden) pain we will not entrust ourselves to the love of another but prefer to take care of ourselves, "thank you very much." To fully engage in this infinite love, we have to give up our attempts at "self-love" and must entrust ourselves to another instead. But not just anyone but to our all-wise all-powerful and all-loving Creator. For now that occurs by faith i.e. we see God through a glass dimly.

And that other person is not someone we can control. Which is our challenge. Control is the opposite of trust. 

Christ himself told us that His Father so loved us that he sent me (Christ) to this broken world of pain and suffering to bring you (or anyone who trusts him) everlasting life. You're not believing this (trusting what Christ said and did) in itself proves you refuse to entrust yourself to (and actually reject) the source of all love and life?

If you, by faith, do not accept the proof of his love, you will not experience this love that is offered and demonstrated by Christ in what he did on your behalf.

And what he did was remove the barrier our (your) rejection of God put between us (you) and Him so that he might restore you back to a right standing and you might experience his infinite love again. Until then, everything is skewed; all knowledge, all choices, all desires, all perceptions (remember the grocery store analogy) etc. 

For a discussion on what enables us to deny ourselves, click here. 

For a discussion on being transformed by God's glory, click here. 

For a discussion on the necessity of judgment click here.

_________________________________________Footnotes:

¹Even though we are fully loved in and by Christ objectively, our trust in that love (i.e. our subjective involvement/ participation) does not equal and match the strength of that love (i.e. the objective reality of it), so we might experience it fully.

²God doesn't just love this way, He is this way by virtue of his being a relational being within the Father, Son, and Spirit. This is why both God and Christ described themselves as "I AM" i.e. infinite, self-existent, and self-sustaining. And we are made in God's image, i.e. designed for that infinite love/ relationship.

What made America great?

Unity amidst diversity is what has made America unique.

The unifying factor has been the common fundamental ¹values that drove men and women to leave their homeland and establish a new country. Ever since America's founding, these same values have drawn men and women here over the years from every part of the world. The same values ²embodied in our founding documents.

The diversity has been the richness of our various cultural backgrounds.

So while we are different (described as a melting pot) culturally, we have also been the same i.e. had the same basic common values. On the great seal of the United States is the phrase "E Pluribus Unum" which in Latin means "out of many, one." Many nations and cultures but one united by the same values and a common goal -  freedom to carry out our lives as we see fit under God's guidance and direction. 

Both unity and diversity made America great and strong. We all marched to the same drummer (i.e. had the same common values/goals) while bringing a richness and variety of resources, cultures, and skills in pursuit of this common cause. All of which blended to show the richness and diversity of God himself and how each of us uniquely reflected his image.

Both are necessary for America to continue to be great and strong. However, we have drifted from our common values over time which has been the glue that has held us together in all our diversity.

Freedom was the primary common value that moved our forefathers to come. The main one among the very earliest settlers was being free to worship and serve God as they believed he had called them to, without government interference. And not just any God, but the God who says loving Him with all our heart first is the most important thing, and out of this loving our neighbor. According to the bible (often derided in today's culture), the pursuit of this is good and right; not pursuing it is destructive. All other freedoms flowed from this.

In all that America has offered, we have never guaranteed happiness, only the freedom to pursue happiness. (Think of the Will Smith movie "The Pursuit of Happiness").

This is not theory but our history. Yet some today -- not the vast majority but a tireless, driven and loud minority (politically, not ethnically) -- want to throw away the common values our country was founded on that have proven to make us the bastion of liberty and flourishing over the years.

The foundational value of what made America great is we recognized God is great. This was the primary value held by the vast majority of Americans. It should be mentioned that the "Great Awakening" had occurred only 30 years prior to the Declaration of Independence. The fundamental values of that awakening were still fresh in the hearts and minds of many Americans. 

A free people must be self-governed to remain free. The governing principle/values of loving God with all we are and have and our neighbor as ourselves is what keeps and makes us free. These internal governing principles/values minimized the need for external governing, allowing maximum freedom. Our need to return to greatness is not rooted in a political, economic, and cultural solution but a spiritual one. We can not love God and others -- treat others with value -- as we are designed to until we know the love of God ourselves, individually and as a nation i.e. we won't and can't value others unless we understand how God values/loves us, demonstrated in Him sending His Son to restore us back to Him. 

If we, as a people, are to continue to be the country where men and women are free to develop their abilities to the maximum of their potential for the glory of God we must return to those common values of loving God and neighbor that made us strong from the beginning. In short, we need a spiritual awakening, not just a political or moral change. Political and moral change is the fruit of loving God with all we are and have. This starts with God's people - i.e. the "church" universal - first. 

¹For a further discussion on values, culture and racism, click here. 

²Though racism was a part of our society in the beginning, it was the founding principle that all men are created equal that eventually lead to the black man being recognized as someone with the same rights and dignity as every other citizen. The HBO series on John Adams is an excellent recounting of how the compromise of this principle was an unfortunate, destructive, and unwanted part of our beginning for many.  

Knowing God's word… A matter of the heart

Depending on how awakened our hearts are to God and his great love will determine how we interpret and read his word(s). 

If we have experienced none of His love, we will see scripture as a bunch of rules and regulations given to us to win his love. It will be more of an owners manual than a love letter. 

This results either in:

• Guilt, shame, and condemnation because it reminds us of our failure to live by (obey) His word(s) or
• Self-righteousness because we think superficial/external conformity is true obedience - hint, it is not.

If we have truly seen/experienced God's love to any degree, we will see scripture as his loving guidance and direction to the degree we have seen/experienced His love. 

How we view scripture is more a matter of the heart than the mind.

The more of his love we experience, the more this will be true, and the more God's word/Commandments will bring us joy and be embraced with delight. 

Psa 119:14,16,24,35,47,70,77,92,143,174

In short, legalism and the misunderstanding of God's Commandments/words/direction are nothing more than the fruit of not believing, knowing, and experiencing the goodness of God and the greatness of His personal and infinite love for us.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." - John the apostle of Jesus 1Jn 5:3  

Enjoying life… Rejecting the giver of it

Being disconnected from the Source of life and love can only result in pain and suffering. Why? Because we were not designed to operate apart from our Creator/Source, no more than the body was designed to function without food and water. To go without these, we die i.e. we experience pain and suffering.

To go without spiritual life (a sense of meaning/purpose/value) and love we also die. But this is a spiritual and emotional death that does not immediately result in physical death. 

Because our disconnection does not result in immediate physical death we continue to operate and seek life (a sense of meaning/purpose/value) the best way we know how, but on our own terms, not Gods (the very God who gives and sustains all things we enjoy).

Our disconnection is total in the sense of our trust in God. We have totally rejected him.

However we are not totally disconnected from the benefits of creation. We can still see, hear, smell, taste and feel the good gifts of this life. But we no longer view them as gifts from our Creator (due to our distrust and rejection of him). We view them as resources to use (and often abuse) as we see fit without any regard to God the giver.

Passion, trust and the glory of God... how they are connected?

Passion (e.g. longing/desire/ emotions/affections) and trust are closely connected.

By that I mean we want and long for most is what we most ¹believe is in our best interest. The more we believe, the more passionately we go after (pursue) something. 

That belief at times is so great, our confidence (conviction) so strong, we know we will get what we desire. It is as if we ²will into existence what we believe. 

When we have this kind of faith it translates into strong and compelling affections and actions. We are blessed when our passion for God is at such a level of emotion, it drives our actions/obedience to and for Him.

Acting for his glory first

However, often our emotions are nowhere to be found. We simply choose to act because we believe - know by faith - what we are doing is for his glory, the good of others, and our ³ultimate good. Sometimes the only thing we have to move us to action is knowing it is an action that honors/glorifies God, blesses others, and strengthens our union with him. We rightly conclude there is no immediate reward for us in acting. 

In fact, this may involve actions resulting in just the opposite; actions that are dishonoring to and for us; actions that may likely cause us hardship and loss - not *unlike when Christ took action i.e. his eventually going to the cross, after asking God in the Garden of Gethsemane to remove the "cup" of his impending suffering and death.  

But we are told in scripture that we sometimes must die to live; die to our immediate gain so we might better honor God - which eventually results in our long-term gain; gain that far exceeds any present loss. For pressing into and experiencing God is ultimately our greatest reward/gain. To act in this way is a greater act of faith, for there is no immediate or even long term earthly reward in doing so. This only offers a reward after death. 

This was the characteristics of the saints listed at the end of Heb 11. 

All obedience is acting by faith

The key is how much do we believe/trust in God and whether the actions He calls us to are ultimately the best actions.

And what is the nature of our faith? It isn't in a particular outcome that we bring about through our independent efforts but a belief that the direction He calls us to and the results He will bring about through them is the best possible outcome there is i.e. actions dependent on his leading and the results he provides/promises.

The greater our belief/faith/trust these things are so, the stronger and more driven our emotions will be i.e. the greater our desire, longing, motivation and confidence to act. Or as a friend commented in reading this, the more *inspired we are to act or in acting. 

*(foot note: the Greek word for "inspired" is θεόπνευστος or theopneustos

theh-op'-nyoo-stos and means: divinely breathed in: - given by inspiration of God. [Strongs Greek Dictionary]. 

If you break the word down it basically means "in spirited" or indwelt by the Spirit or breath of God. Breath that comes forth from the passion of God. The passionate love between the Father and Son that sends forth the Spirit of love.  

For a further discussion on inspiration click here. 

We have little awareness of why we desire what we do.

In truth we often have no idea where our desires and longings to act come from. We simply know we want whatever it is we want.

But if we peel back the layers we will discover we want what we want because we believe (either from prior experience or the experience of others) it will give us what we most need and believe is best for us. But this is based on short term gratification which is not necessarily what is best.

And what is it we need that is best? In a word it's love. Usually it looks more like having what we want simply makes us feel good about ourselves. But why does it make us feel good? Because when we get what we seek we feel important, valued, we matter, have purpose and meaning etc... in a word, we are loved (granted it's only self love but self love is better than no love at all).

The problem is what we usually seek (i.e. which is usually everything but God) never actually gives us what we truly need. Why? Because what we really seek is to feel good about ourselves all the time, not just for the moment when we feel that temporary rush of getting what we are after. This is why we repeatedly keep going after whatever it is we believe will give us this. It only works for a short time so we must keep coming back for more.

What we really need is permanent, never changing, constant love (which makes perfect sense since we were created to be loved by the Infinite).

But, guess what? Nothing in this world can give us this. Only the Source of eternal, never changing, constant love will do (i.e. love that is not dependent on or determined by what we do or don't do). Why? Because we were created for infinite, constant and permanent love, not temporary love.

Defining "best interest"

All action is action based on what we believe is in our best interest. However we must define "best interest."

There is our best immediate interest.

And

There is our best long term/eternal interest.

Sometimes God will call us to action that will have a more immediate benefit. These type actions are the easiest to take for they have the most immediate gratification which creates greater excitement and emotion. When we are excited we are energized/inspired/passionate, making the action easier. 

However God often calls us to take action simply because it honors him and offers no immediate benefit. In fact it may result in immediate loss. This kind of action still has benefit to us, but only long term, and therefore far harder to carry out because this kind of action is more purely by faith i.e. in the belief it is in our best interest long term even if not short term. There is little to no short-term benefit.

As our faith grows we can experience emotion even in this kind of faith but only when our faith is strong enough. The stronger our faith the greater our emotions/inspiration will be, even in the absence of immediate gain or gratification.

My experience has been that as we mature God seeks action more and more based on faith in long term reward not immediate award. Why? Because he knows this requires greater faith. And greater faith causes us to press closer into Him and draw our strength from Him; who he is versus what he does for us in the moment. In other words our faith in the character of God moves us to action not in anticipation and excitement over immediate benefit.

Great trust requires great love

This kind of faith requires great love/passion for God which can only be sustained and flow out of great love from God (vs. excitement over immediate benefit/reward). We cannot live by this kind of faith if we don't have total trust/confidence in God's infinite love for us.

We cannot experience this great love for us without a clear and great vision of the love demonstrated to us in Christ.

And that love is demonstrated most clearly and fully in the work of Christ on our behalf; his death burial and resurrection. The work by which he has secured for us a love from God that has nothing to do with what we do or don't do. This kind of faith exalts Christ and his work done on our behalf. The work that completely and infinitely restores us to the Fathers love.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly - vs earthly - places,

Rom 8:30-32  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

________________________________

¹Actually from our point of view we pursue anything that gives us the most gratification. I use "believe" because what is actually most gratifying is knowing God. Because we refuse to believe this we pursue things or others thinking the will give long term satisfaction when they don't. What they give us is temporary satisfaction when lasting satisfaction is available.

²Ultimately God must bring this about but our trust in God is so great it results in God empowering us to accomplish far more than we could on our own. 

³This involves delayed gratification. We do not experience the immediate reward of our pursuit but we trust the ultimate reward is greater.

A common challenge for the evangelical church

The issue with the typical evangelical church is they have the right form but are often missing substance; the right motivation. There is a lot directed toward the head (right doctrine/ information) and the will (doing the "right" thing) but not the heart.

Given our natural inclination to be our own god (the essence of our original and ongoing rebellion), we must be ever-vigilant over our hearts. After all, we are cautioned that the heart is desperately sick (or wicked). 

Because our hearts are still fallen (even as his children) we are naturally inclined to focus on form (law/commands/right behavior) and lose sight of the substance (intent) that brings about that form/fruit. Therefore, many endeavors (churches, schools, ministries, etc.) start out well but only decline and deteriorate into a shell of their original self i.e. they/we lose sight of the good heart and passion that birthed and drove the action/behavior/ministry to begin with, like the Ephesian church in revelation, who lost sight of their 1st love.

This is also why unbelievers can hide in and be a part of a church and never experience saving faith. They can hide behind "right-thinking" and "right-doing" without ever looking at their heart. They hide behind "correct doctrine" and "righteous" behavior and find comfort and a false sense of security in these instead of depending on the gift of righteousness God provides for us only in and through Christ. As a result, they can do and say all the "right" things for the wrong reasons. 

Possibly one of the scariest passages in all the bible for church goers is...

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The prescribed thinking and behavior of a church may be perfectly spot on but our hearts are so rebellious and so inclined and committed to being our god that we can and often do use the best things (even prayer or the very commandments of God) for the wrong reasons and miss the importance and necessity of the gospel completely i.e. the grace and love of God extended to us only through Christ.

Right doctrine and "right behavior" do not automatically indicate a right (righteous) heart.

To act without total trust and dependence on the Father and passionate love for Him can be an act merely of the will and not of the heart i.e. not out of love for God and the desire to increase His honor and notoriety. Actions that only engage the will and not the heart lead to pride and arrogance and away from humility. This results in the classic, "do as I say, not as I do" approach to others i.e. the hypocrisy that often plagues otherwise "good" evangelical churches. 

This also eventually leads to burnout and can lead to disillusionment with the church and unfortunately sometimes even burnout with God. For more discussion on this point, click here and here. 

In truth we are to engage all three; the heart, the head, and the will. But the last two can only be pursued correctly to the degree the heart is first engaged properly and fully.

Mat 15:8  "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 

1Sam 15:22  And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 

For more discussion on the difference between head and heart knowledge click here.