Who is God? Part 4: How God Manifests Himself


[NEW!  You can now access an audio version of this blog entry HERE.  Enjoy!]

Today we continue in a series entitled ‘Who is God?’  So far we have covered:
·      Part 1: The Importance and Meaning of Knowing God
·      Part 2: God’s Revelation
·      Part 3: The Attributes of God
o   Part 3a: Incommunicable
o   Part 3b: Communicable
o   Part 3c: Relational

Today we continue with a deeper dive into how God manifests Himself in the Trinity.  In Part 1 we explored the ways that God reveals Himself by means of general and special revelation.  If you haven’t already, I recommend you check that out before reading further!

The Bible describes God as one God in three persons, described historically as the Trinity.  The word “Trinity” is never used in the Bible, but it is clearly described throughout.  Matthew 3:16-17 is but one example:

"After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."”

The Trinity is not something that can be fully explained by anyone, but is a rich mystery of God’s nature.  It forms the basis for all human relationships, and tells us that God did not create us to fulfill a relational need He had within Himself, but to manifest His nature in our relationships!

We will not seek to unpack this mystery today, other than to highlight some key points of each member of the Trinity:
·      Father: The ruling head of the Trinity (1 Corinthians 11:3).
·      Son: Reveals the Father in human form and fully submitted to Him in word and deed (John 1:14-18, John 14:6-11).
·      Holy Spirit: Convicts unbelievers of sin (John 16:7-8), makes them alive in Christ (John 3:3-7), and dwells in them as believers (John 14:15-20).

This is an area commended for lifelong, adventurous study!

In His Grip,

Mark

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