As Christians we have a unique set of beliefs, not least of which is the nature of our God. We believe in a God that is triune—that is three in one. Our God is the Holy Trinity—three distinct persons in one all powerful God. The three persons of the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are faithfully confessed by the three creeds of our Church, the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. But why?
What difference does the Trinity make? The Bible does not even contain the word Trinity so why does the Christian Church hold so strongly to such a belief? How do issues of the Trinity relate to my life? How does a Triune God help me deal with rebellious children, a crumbling marriage, the loss of a loved one, or illness and disease? These are all good and valid questions and the Trinity makes all the difference for every single one of them.
Here’s the point: God loves us completely and so he comes to us in every way we need him. Look at how the Trinity works: Number one: God the Father is the creator and designer of all life. He loves us so much that he comes to us as the nurturing Father wanting to give us everything. All life, and every blessing in it, has been provided by God the Father. But our rebellion, our sin, our desire to be like God, (that same sinfulness we inherited from Adam and Eve) has ruined everything that was given to us. Sin has broken our world. This is what causes the hurt and struggle in our lives. Disobedient children, crumbling marriages, resentment at work, suffering, illness and death—all of these things are the results of sin. We are now broken, lost in our shattered world headed for our final destination, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But God loves us completely so, number two, he comes to you and me as God the Son. He came to us as one of us, as Jesus. He is our brother, our peer, the only Son of God the Father, and he redeems us. God the Son willingly gives up his life for you, for me, for all of humanity. The Son saves us from our sins and because of his sacrifice God declares to us, “You are forgiven.” By the work of our savior we are freed from the punishment of hell and given admission into eternal life in heaven. We have been redeemed by the love of God in the sacrifice of the Son.
Eternal life in heaven is an amazing gift but we still have to deal with the results of sin in this life. Thankfully we have a God who loves us completely and so number 3, God comes to us here and now as the Holy Spirit. The forgiveness we gained in Christ is placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He delivers the love of God to our hearts and then he dwells there. God loves us so completely that he does not leave us. He lives inside of us to guide and direct us with his love.
And when we gather with other believers who live by this love, we experience the Church. The Holy Spirit is visible here. In church you get Word and Sacraments. The scripture is preached, baptism is administered, and the Lord’s Supper is distributed. These are the places God has promised his grace is present. Through these works of the Holy Spirit we are continually nourished with God’s love.
And now as the Church, a community of people with God in their hearts, the Holy Spirit works through us to sustain our lives and the lives of those around us. We comfort those dealing with loss and grief. We provide care and assistance for those struggling with illness and disease. We reach out in forgiveness to our spouse instead of harboring grievances and pain. We show love and encouragement to our children instead of judgment and wrath. As children and employees we treat all authorities with respect and dignity. We show mercy to those who wrong us as we provide forgiveness instead of anger. And what is the end result? Our lives are better from the service of others, and God makes the lives of others better through us.
The bottom line is we have a God who loves us completely. First he provides life as the caring, creating Father, then he redeems life through the service of the Son and third, he sustains life through the on-going work of the Holy Spirit. Our God comes to us as three distinct persons and yet he is one God—a God who cares for you and for me. We do not have a God who is distant or unconcerned with our lives. We have a God who cares for us deeply and is intimately involved in our lives. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit equally provide for needs in our lives because they are one. We do not worship three Gods that provide different blessings. No, we worship the One True God who reaches out to us in three distinct ways to provide for our whole life-created, redeemed, and sustained. The Trinity is important because it is the confession of the Church—our confession, as it declares the truth about a God who loves us completely. You are cared for in every possible need by one God-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is this Holy Trinity that provides you with all that you have and all that you will ever need, in this life and beyond. He is One God in Three persons, to love you completely—in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.
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