Reading Scripture: Matthew 28:19
Verse to Memorize: Matthew 28:19
Reference: 2 Corinthians 13:14
Goal: To help believers clearly understand the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and God’s will so that they can increase their faith and reach perfect salvation.
Matthew 28:19
“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
God the Trinity is one triune God뾉od the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God, who we believe is the only one true God, has different status as three Entities. The status of God the Father is a father, that of Jesus the Holy Son is a son, and that of the Holy Spirit is a helper. But, since they are One, we call God the Holy Trinity.
This is a very important doctrine in Christianity, and it is a mighty word on the origin of God the Creator. It is hard to be understood by men’s limited thinking and theory, but to the extent we understand God the Trinity we come to realize the heart and will of God and receive answers and blessings.
1. God’s providence for human cultivation
God said in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM”. It means that nobody gave birth to and made Him. In other words, He existed since before the beginning. His existence transcends human recognizance and imagination; He has existed since before everlasting and will exist after everlasting
God existed alone in the form of Light that has the voice in the vast universe (John 1:1; 1 John 1:5). At a certain point, He wanted beings that can share love, and designed the plan of ‘Human Cultivation’ to gain true children.
The first thing God did for the human cultivation is to divide the space. He divided it into the spiritual world and the fleshly world because there needs to be the fleshly world for people with fleshly bodies to live in. Then, God came to live as God the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us that God the Son was begotten by God (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 5:5) and that the Holy Spirit came from God (John 15:2; Galatians 4:6). God begot God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as if He had made His other Selves. This was a necessary process for human cultivation.
However, Jesus God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not creatures who God made but had the form of God. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one with God the Father but exist independently and play different roles for human cultivation. Still, they are one in heart, thought, and power, so we express Them God the Trinity.
2. God the Trinity’s entity and rank
As God the Father is omnipotent and omniscient, so are Jesus God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They feel and want the same that God the Father wants. In other words, joy and pain that God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are feeling are felt by God the Father in the same way. Nevertheless, Each of Them has His own personality according to His role. God the Son Jesus clearly received the heart of God the Father, but the divine nature is revealed more in Him so He shows more divine dignity and justice. But the human nature is more revealed in God the Holy Spirit, so He shows more gentleness, delicate care, and mercy.
As said, the Holy Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one with God the Father but They are independent entities but have distinctive personalities, clear ranks, and different roles. God the Father is the first in the rank, and God the Son Jesus is the next. And God the Holy Spirit is the next, serving God the Father and God the Son with love.
3. Roles of God the Trinity
God the Trinity has proceeded in conducting the process of the works of human cultivation together. Each of the Triune God has been fulfilling each individual role and achieving all the providence of the human cultivation including the Creation and salvation. Then, what are the roles of the Triune God뾉od the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
1) God the Son, Jesus: The works of opening the way of salvation
The role of God the Son, Jesus, is that of role as the Savior, that is, to open the way of salvation for mankind who had all become sinners. Jesus, who is the Son of God, came to the earth in the form of man and became the Savior for mankind because He was qualified to become the Savior who saves sinners in accordance with the spiritual law.
To become the Savior for all mankind, the first qualification is that he must be a man; the second is that He must not be Adam’s descendant; the third is that He must have spiritual power; and the fourth and last is that He must have love. Though Jesus was born with a human body, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Virgin Mary. He was not born as a combination of man’s sperm and woman’s egg, so He had no original sin that was inherited from parents. And, since He lived only by the Word of God, He had no self-committed sins. Such Jesus was crucified, shedding blood and the price of His precious blood was paid for us so we could be forgiven of our sins.
All mankind, since Adam disobeyed God, was destined to fall into Hell and if Jesus had not played the role as the Savior, they would still be in the same destiny and the goal of the human cultivation could not have been accomplished. Therefore, God prepared God the Son, Jesus, who was able to function in the role as the Savior to accomplish the goal. He opened the way for anyone who believes in the Lord and the fact that the Son of God was hung on the wooden cross, shed blood, and died without any sin to be forgiven of all their sins and gain the right to become God’s children.
2) The Holy Spirit: The role of perfecting the process of salvation
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the human cultivation? He perfects the salvation people have gained through God the Son Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives faith to those who have accepted Jesus Christ and leads them to Heaven in the conducting of their lives.
The distinctive character of the Holy Spirit is that He works by dividing out His countless spirits of His original form while remaining at a point as the Holy Spirit and these spirits that come out from Him have the same heart and power and perform His ministry at the same time all around the world.
Of course, God the Father and God the Son as well as God the Holy Spirit can cause their spirits to be divided. But in particular, the ministry of God the Holy Spirit requires this division of spirits. When we accept the Lord, the spirits divided from the Holy Spirit enter into our hearts. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, gives us spiritual faith to receive salvation, and guides us to attain to the full measure of faith just like a private tutor.
The Holy Spirit diligently gives us realization in the truth, laments for God’s children who are committing sins, and helps them repent and live in the will of God (Romans 8:26). He also gives us the inspiration and fullness of the Holy Spirit and various kinds of gifts. By doing so, He encourages us to cast away sins and allows us to experience God’s work. It is the role of the Holy Spirit.
3) God the Father: The role of supervising the whole process of human cultivation
God the Father is the supervisor of this grand plan of human cultivation. He is the Creator, the Ruler of all creatures and creation, and He is the Judge at the Final Judgment.
In accomplishing the providence of human cultivation for gaining true children, the roles of God the Trinity are clearly separated in the order, but They still work for it at the same time. 1 John 5:8 reads, “The Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” ‘Water’ symbolizes the ministry of God who is the Word, and ‘Blood’ stands for the ministry of the Lord who shed blood on the cross.
That is, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, in other words, the Triune God is in agreement performing the ministry and gives His children who believes Him the proof of salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, “?baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Apostle Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” Jesus and Paul baptized and blessed people in the name of God the Trinity.
Thus, I hope you will become God’s true children in the works of God the Trinity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit And receive everything they ask for and reach perfect salvation.
