The Trinity...Who Cares?

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Stuck. Doesn't that word just sound like what it describes? Kind of like "ewww" or "blah blah blah" or even "doo-hickey".

Stuck brings up images of trapped, caught, or jammed...and I can think of a lot of Christians who are just that: stuck in their relationship with God. Unable to move forward and feeling trapped in an endless cycle of church-prayer-bible study that is going nowhere fast. Caught in the feeling that they will never experience new highs in their walk with Christ. Jammed at the source of their spiritual life, leaving their prayers sounding like never ending static.

Have you ever felt that way? Like you used to be locked into your relationship with God with digital quality, but now you keep trying to tune in-but never able to get that station back.

You're not alone, and I have definitely been there as well. So can I let you in on a little secret that should definitely not be kept secret? This is going to sound very strange, but one of the best ways to move higher in your experience with God is to look deeper in to who He is.

In short, you need Trinity.

Got Trinity? Most Christians don't. "Don't bore me with all that confusing three in one stuff, besides it doesn't make any difference anyway."

I beg to differ. It is one of the most important truths in Christianity. In fact, if you take it out of Christianity, you don't have Christianity anymore-and if you take it out of the Christian experience, you're left with an experience that's...well, stuck.

How do you get "unstuck"? You dig. So let's dig deeper into God's word on this subject so we can dig out of the "God rut" we so often get stuck in. But before we dig in, there are two things we need to shovel off the surface:

First of all, forget the crazy conspiracy nut Da Vinci Code theory that the Trinity is a man made idea that was "approved" at a Church Council many years after the church began. Please...the doctrine of the Trinity is THE nature of God, revealed plainly in His Word, and discovered by Christians over the years. Discovering and naming something does not equal making it up people. That's like saying someone "made up" diamonds because they found them while digging around one day. The Church Fathers simply affirmed and articulated what had been around from eternity past.

Second, forget "the-word-Trinity-isn't-in-the-Bible-so-it-can't-be-true" line of thinking. The word "grandfather" isn't either, but the Bible talks a lot about people's father's father (which is grandfather for those of you playing along at home). There are many things that are true about the nature of God that we have "labeled" simply for the sake of understanding. The label may not be in the Bible, but the idea behind it is!

Now on to the digging:

There is one God: Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5 (and many others-but you can dig into those later!) Christians do not believe in three gods, we believe in one God-just as the Bible reveals.

The Trinity consists of three Persons: Genesis 1:1; 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8; 48:16; 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17; Matt 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14. Let's look specifically at some of these passages. In Genesis 1:1, the plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for "us" is used. In the original Hebrew language "Elohim" and "us" can only refer to more than two. This is where we often get confused, because in English, you only have two forms, singular and plural. In Hebrew, you have three forms: singular, dual, and plural. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun "us" are Hebrew plural forms-and must be referring to at least three. Hmmm, I wonder what three they could be talking about? Maybe the same three that the Bible goes on to describe:

The Father is God: John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2.

The Son is God: John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20.

The Holy Spirit is God: Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16

So you have one God who consists of three co-existing and co-eternal persons-and instead of denying or dismissing this truth because it's too complex for us to wrap our tiny brains around, we should spend our time deepening our knowledge of it by wrapping our eternal souls around it. If you can get a grasp on what this means, it will radically change your walk with God-which is a journey you'll have to figure out for yourself, but here are a few tips to get you started:

There is one God, not a bunch of competing and conflicting deities that all have their own agenda for the universe. This means He's in complete control of everything, and you can trust Him with everything.

We have a heavenly Father, so no matter what our earthly father is/was like, we have a perfect one who will never leave us or forsake us.

We have a Savior who is both God and human, which means there is no temptation or trial we can go through that He hasn't been through already.

We have a Spirit living inside us who is none other than God Himself, which means we are never, ever, alone. He is always there to cheer, comfort, encourage, guide, and a hundred other things that only God can do.

Which reminds me of something only you can do-with the help of the Triune God, of course...and that is to get "unstuck".

You dig?

Head: What you need to know about this truth

There is one God who consists of three co-equal and co-eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Digging deeper into this truth will radically change your Christian life.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

I'm pretty sure everyone on the planet is seeking a certain level of love, acceptance, and companionship. The amazing thing about the amazing truth of the Trinity is that it meets every one of those needs. The one God of the universe who created us loves us unconditionally, and proved it by coming to earth as Jesus Christ, dying on the cross and coming back from the dead...talk about love and acceptance! And companionship? God Himself lives inside us-which means we have the whole Trinity with us at all times! Loneliness is a lie of the devil, because you...got Trinity!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

This truth is simply too good to be kept to yourself. This is the news that people are dying to hear! There is a Father who loves them, there is a Son who died for them, and there is a Spirit who offers to live inside them. Make a list of three people that you will first pray for, then share the gospel with over the next 48 hours.