ADVENT 2015 - "TRINITY"

Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” -- Matthew 28:18-20

These were the important final words of instruction Jesus delivered to his disciples. They affirm the reality of the Trinity. The Trinity refers to the concept of three persons yet one in essence—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The word “Trinity” is not found in the Scriptures.  An explanation of the Trinity is told in Mark 1:10, 11 after Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River.  

“As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”  This is a fundamental principle found in the Gospels – Jesus is God’s divine Son.  All three members of the Trinity appear in the Scripture.  

The Trinity refers to the unique relationship of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:4, 5 Jesus gave the apostles this command: “’Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” In human form Jesus could physically be in only one place at a time limiting his teaching of the gospel.  Jesus had to be taken up into heaven so he could be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit.  This concept further revealed to the disciples in John 14:16, 17.  

“’And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you.’” The word Counselor gives us the idea of comfort and counsel in one.  Jesus used another name for the Holy Spirit in John 15:26, “’The Spirit of Truth.’” 

Counselor also shows the helping, encouraging, and strengthening work of the Holy Spirit. Spirit of truth conveys the teaching, illuminating, and reminding work of the Holy Spirit.  Both the head and the heart are served by the Holy Spirit.  Romans 5:5, 6 teaches us, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”  

All three members of the Trinity work together to bring us our salvation. Although the word Trinity is not used in Scripture, verses reveal it was believed and experienced.  An example is Paul’s farewell blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14. 

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”