It's Time for this Month's.... "Theology is Fun!" -Brian

I'm totally serious... depending on how this goes. I'm planning on posting a "Theology is Fun!" post once a month! These will be light-hearted yet serious descriptions and applications of what is often seen as boring and technical theology. Because as my Christian Theology professor Dr. Charles always says, "Theology is a matter of life and death!" I'd like to add to that by claiming theology is useful and impacting! ...and yes, fun!

This Month's Topic - "The Trinity"

Don't give up and go back to Facebook just yet! Yes, the Trinity can be made incredibly confusing and complex... truth be told, no one can fully understand it, let alone explain it! So attempts to do so become quite burdensome... trust me, I wrote 17 pages on it last semester! However, I did discover while writing that paper that the Trinity provides us with some AWESOME aspects of who God is, aspects that directly affect our view, response and worship of Him.

The Boring Foundational Part

I'll make this quick and painless, and maybe even interesting. The Trinity is the result of God's triune nature, composed of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Triune meaning He has three persons, but exists as one God. It's like an egg... and then again it isn't. An egg is an egg and God is God... an egg's yolk is not its shell, and its shell is not its white, just as the Son is not the Father, the Father is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father.

Confused yet?

Ok, there really is no good illustration for God's triune nature... especially and egg. Because the truth is there's NOTHING like it! The main thing is to know that we have ONE God, who exists as three different persons. Those persons are all equal, and all equally divine. How awesome.

The Fun and Exciting Application

So often the Trinity is portrayed to be a concept that we're simply supposed to know. Might this reflect the larger attitude within some of us that God is simply someone to be understood? Theology is no longer "fun" to many because it's simply become big words and definitions that only scholars and pastors enjoy learning! So here is how understanding the Trinity causes our walk with Christ and the furthering of His kingdom SO INCREDIBLE!

THE FATHER - EVERLASTING GLORY, INCREDIBLE LOVE

Ever read the Old Testament and put yourself in the place of the Israelites? If you do, you might find yourself viewing God as someone who's huge, powerful, and ready to strike at the first sign of evil, whether it’s inside or outside of His people. The Father God of the Old Testament gets a lot of criticism from atheists, who use His immense anger and wrath as grounds for His lack of love. Hmm... sounds familiar, like the often used phrase "If God is loving, why....." but that's for another day. Truth is, God the Father is so great, so holy, and so eternally mighty, that the sin and defiance of the law was something that could not exist within Him and His people. But He did not simply destroy the world out of anger, but instead made an incredible sacrifice out of love. God the Father is not only majestic, holy, almighty, eternal, glorious, and wonderful as the Old Testament constantly claims, but also loving and compassionate, proven through the sacrifice of Christ, who is....

THE SON - SACRIFICE AND MEDIATOR

Unlike the lambs sacrificed in the Old Testament, the sacrificial Lamb that we have in Christ was completely aware of what was required of Him. Aside from Isaac (who ended up being released of his sacrificial duties), Jesus was the only human required to be purposefully sacrificed by God. The Son testifies to the self-denial of God (Philippians 2:6-7). However though this love is selfless in a way, it is at the same time concerned with the glorification of Christ, as God exists to be glorified. God saved us... those who were created in His image... for the purpose of glorifying Himself and bringing about His kingdom! Christ represents the awesome connection between God and man. We are not merely creations of God, but creations in His image! Christ is the fullness of God contained within the appearance and form of man, a mediator between the Father and ourselves.

THE SPIRIT - PRESENCE OF GOD ON EARTH

The Son ascended from earth, but The Spirit descended to God's people. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God within every believer, making the will of God known and bringing about the kingdom through our lives. God does not simply exist as one who cannot be seen or known, or as one who once was with us but has since left. The Spirit testifies to the fact that God is forever with us, even now in the midst of our imperfect bodies, living within an imperfect world.

FINAL PRAYER

Triune God,

My hope for this writing is that it would increase our amazement at who you are. The awesomeness of the Father, the sacrifice and mediation of the Son, and the presence and guidance of the Spirit all blend together to give us a glimpse, yes, but  an awe-inspiring glimpse of your glorious existence. I hope and pray that we would let this revelation of who you are impact our lives in a real way, seen through our attitude, thoughts, and actions.

Amen.