Saturday, May 17, 2008

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Even a casual reading of the Bible will reveal two truths about God: first that there is only one God, and second that there are three unique Persons that together comprise the godhead. In the Old Testament, Moses made it clear to Israel that there is only one God; in Deuteronomy 6:4 he says, Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Through the prophet Isaiah, God Himself makes this claim: Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one (Isaiah 44:8). Yet when man is created in Genesis, God speaks as if there is more than one Person involved in this act of creation; He is quoted as saying, Let us make man in our image (Genesis 1:26).

In John 14:26, Jesus clarifies just who the "we" represents; the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. It is these three Persons together, forming one God, whom we approach for new life in holy baptism, because Jesus commanded go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

So God is one, yet He is made of three Persons. So what? Why do we need to know something that we can’t understand, a concept that makes our heads hurt if we think too much about it? The hymn "Oh, that I Had a Thousand Voices" (by Johann Mentzer) does a nice job explaining the role each Person of the godhead plays in our lives, and why we can be joyfully grateful to have the Triune God as our God.

Verses 2 through 4 speak of the three Persons of the Trinity. Verse 2 addresses itself to God the Father: Dear Father, endless praise I render for soul and body, strangely joined; I praise Thee, Guardian kind and tender, for all the noble joys I find so richly spread on every side, and freely for my use supplied. The hymn writer suggests that we experience God’s goodness through the Father in at least three ways.

First he speaks about soul and body, strangely joined; this is a poetic way of speaking about the miracle of birth. Scientists can explain how the DNA strands of a mother and a father get spliced together to form a unique new human being; what they cannot explain is how that human being gains a sense of self, of individuality and self-awareness. Scientists cannot explain where our souls come from, or how they become attached to our bodies. This is the miracle of conception—and it only happens because of the Father’s mysterious power. David praises God for this in Psalm 139:13--you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

The second benefit we claim from the Father is found in the words Guardian, kind and tender. The Father created us, and the Father also acts to preserve we His creations from destruction. How many times have you escaped a brush with death? Have you narrowly missed being hit by a car while walking across a street? Have you survived hitting a deer? Have you recovered from a heart attack? Are you in remission from cancer? If God the Father were not constantly looking out for us, it is likely that none of us would still be alive today. In Psalm 18:2, David speaks of the Father this way: He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge.

The third benefit is found in the words all the noble joys I find so richly spread on every side, and freely for my use supplied. God the Father not only made us, not only protects us, but He also lavishes His gifts upon us throughout our lives. Martin Luther listed these many blessings this way: food and clothing, house and home, fields and flocks, money and property, a pious spouse and good children, trustworthy servants, godly and faithful rulers, good government, seasonable weather, peace and health, order and honor, good friends and faithful neighbors. These good things do not come into our lives by accident; James reminds us that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17). And God gives these gifts to us for free; you cannot purchase a religious spouse or good children; you cannot buy seasonable weather or honor or peace.

Verse 3 speaks of the blessings we receive from Jesus, the Son of God the Father: I praise Thee, Savior, whose compassion did bring Thee down to ransom me; Thy pitying heart sought my salvation, though keenest woes were heaped on Thee. Brought me from bondage full release, made me Thine own, and gave me peace. Jesus came down from the glories of heaven to live among the filthy evils of our sinful world. He did this for one reason only—His great compassion for us. Everything in this world is tainted with sin. Everything that we do is tainted with sin. When we make love and create children, our love is tainted by sin and the children conceived of that love are tainted with sin as well. We were all conceived in sin. We all grew up surrounded by sin and filled with sin. Selfish desires, evil impulses, thoughtless words and loveless actions were all that we knew about how life should be. For we sinners, life is an endless struggle as we compete with each other to see who wins the booby prize for being the most miserably self-centered human being.

Jesus’ pity for us moved Him to come to us and teach us a better way. He taught us that It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). He taught us that we can lead lives filled with peace and joy if we follow two simple principles: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself' (Luke 10:27).

But our Lord knew that even with the wisdom of His teachings we could never live the life of giving love that God expects of us, so Jesus offered Himself to the Father to take the punishment for our sins. He ransomed us; He bought us freedom from the evil domination of sin by giving up His own precious, holy blood in exchange. By dying on the cross as our heavenly substitute, Jesus has made us His own, and has secured for us a peaceful relationship with God. In Colossians 1:19-20, Paul affirms: God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things…by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Verse 4 speaks of the Holy Spirit: Glory and praise, still onward reaching, be Thine, O Spirit of all grace, whose holy power and faithful teaching, give me among Thy saints a place. Whate’er of good by me is done, is wrought by grace divine alone. The hymn writer lists two ways by which the Spirit changes our lives.

The first is summed up in the phrase, whose holy power and faithful teaching, give me among Thy saints a place. The only way that we can have a saving relationship with Jesus is through the gift of faith given us by the Holy Spirit. Paul says it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). And the way that the Spirit gives us this gift is through preaching and teaching from the Scriptures; Romans 10:17 tells us faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. When we are immersed in the Word of God through preaching and Bible study, the Spirit builds faith in us and this faith connects us with Jesus, who offers us salvation and a place with the saints who are with Him in heaven.

The other way the Spirit impacts our lives is this: Whate’er of good by me is done, is wrought by grace divine alone. On our own, we are unable to do anything that pleases God; Paul says those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 8:8). But when the Spirit of God takes up residence within us, things change. Philippians chapter 2 explains how we are able, as Christians, to start loving each other as God desires: it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. When we speak loving words, when we perform acts of Christian charity, we are being motivated and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit.

Given birth, protection, and blessings. Given rebirth into a life where sin and death are not the controlling factors. Being connected to God by faith, and enabled to act as God’s representatives while still here on earth. These are the blessings that come to those who know and trust in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we add up all these wonderful blessings, we have to agree with the hymn writer, who enthuses: Oh, that I had a thousand voices, to praise my God with thousand tongues! My heart, which in the Lord rejoices, would then proclaim in grateful songs to all, wherever I might be, what great things God hath done for me (verse 1).
Shall I not, then, be filled with gladness? Shall I not praise Thee evermore, and triumph over fear and sadness, e’en when my cup of woe runs o’er? Though heaven and earth shall pass away, Thy loving-kindness stands for aye (verse 5).

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