In an uncertain world,
in a world with ubiquitous screens,
we need this.
The sky is one whole, the water another;
and between those two infinities
the soul of man is in loneliness.1
written more than a hundred years ago,
yet such an apt descriptor of today.
Yet God is never lonely.
He lives in a perfect community, the Trinity.
We have all heard someone close their prayer or pronounce a blessing with, 'in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,' right? That is the first way in which we have some knowledge of the notion called the Trinity-that while God is One, he is also three. Wait right there-'Holy Spirit, one of three?' What does that mean? Outside of 'the Church' we have never considered such a possibility, such an entity . . . and even though we entertain the concept, it is so very difficult to comprehend.
Truthfully, we will never fully grasp the Trinity,
yet understanding is vital to not just our
understanding of God,
but perhaps our emotional well-being as well.
The word "Trinity" comes from the Latin noun "trinitas" meaning "three are one."2 The Godhead eternally exists in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - - and these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, worthy of precisely the same honor, confidence, and obedience.
Let's look at how we see the Bible capture the 'us' and 'one' of God:
From Genesis, "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."3
"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."4
Notice: this was before the creation of human beings, so
when God was saying us, he was referring to the Trinity.
And then Moses: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!5
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."6
And from Paul, my beloved: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.7
All of those verses are illustrative of the trinity, eternal God, three in one.
One current day preacher and thinker penned, "I was raised in some ways to think of God as a proud, almost arrogant being who could get away with his pride because he was God. The doctrine of the Trinity tells me it is not so. God exists as Father, Son, and Spirit in a community of greater humility, servanthood, mutual submission, and delight than you and I can imagine. Three and yet One. Oneness is God's signature."8
All of us at times find ourselves living an isolated existence in a lonely world, and yet, we are meant for life with God, and life in his love with one another. We are meant to belong. . . to be a part of a community, and we have the greatest example of that in the Trinity.
But for now, ask God to teach you about the Holy Spirit, to open your mind to understand what he says about this little understood powerful person. Paul wrote to the church at Rome, 'we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.'9 Ohhhh, so that is how we feel the love of God! The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with God's great love. Man, but that's good!
Come, Holy Spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4LTXywFiM
Digging deeper together,
Christine DiGiacomo
Holy Spirit #2
1 - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish novelist, 1846-1916
2 - The Trinity Doctrine in Christianity, https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-the-trinity-700729
3 - Genesis 1.2
4 - Genesis 1.26
5 - Deuteronomy 6:4
6 - Matthew 28:18-19
7 - 2 Corinthians 13:14
8 - "In the Word: The 'Shyness' of God," John Ortberg, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/february5/32.66.html
9 - Romans 5.5b
