The Trinity
Three faces…….three aspects of God.
They are one……but they are not the same.
As one, they are God. When we pray to God…….we address all three. The common thread that they share is love. All three hope for and work for our wellbeing. All three seek relationship. All three want our company………in paradise……for eternity.
But, how we respond to each face of the Trinity is unique:
God……the Father
The Father is, in many ways, the archetype for our parents. He is sovereign. His power and authority are absolute. He makes the rules. He expects obedience. He rewards obedience and he punishes rebellion. He created us. He protects us. He provides for us. He loves us. In return, he demands our attention, honor, and respect. He knows that this is the path to a successful, fulfilling life in this temporal world. He created and defines paradise. He has established the criteria for our judgment at the end of our physical life. The Father is not to be trifled with. In addition to paradise…….he has created hell. Hell is not a metaphor. It is a place of burning eternal pain. We ignore, dishonor, or disrespect the Father at our peril. In a word, the Father is the Boss.
God…….the Son
The Son is a kinder, gentler face of God. The Son has enormous authority over the temporal world. But…….even the Son operates under the Father’s sovereignty. The Son is our teacher. He translates God’s desires for us into a practical plan for living. He shows us what a proper relationship with the Father looks like. He shows us what a proper relationship with other people looks like. The Son does not contradict the father. Everthing that the Son teaches amplifies and clarifies the desires of the Father. When we obey the Son…….we are obeying the Father. When we honor the Son……..when we worship the Son…….we honor and worship the Father.
God…….the Spirit
At Pentecost, Jesus…….the Son…….left our temporal world in physical form. He gave us…….as his representative…….the Spirit. The Spirit is a non-physical manifestation of the Son…….just as the Son is a physical manifestation of the Father. The Spirit is a gift from the Son to his followers. It is his reward to those who choose to obey, honor, and respect him…….and in the process to honor, obey, and respect the Father. The Spirit indwells in all believers. Non-believers do not have the Spirit in their hearts. That is why they behave the way they do.
So……here is the key to life…….to paradise…….to eternity.
The criteria for spending eternity in paradise is to obey, honor, and respect God…….all three of him. The hallmark of this relationship is the presence of the Spirit……..inside of your heart. Given the eternal consequences……..there is nothing more important in your life. Examine yourself for the presence of the spirit.
Paradise is not promised to those who:
are good people
watch their carbon footprint
identify as Christians
tithe
are generous
go to church every Sunday……and sometimes on Wednesday
pray the rosary
Paradise is promised to those who obey, honor, and respect God.Those who obey, honor, and respect God live their lives with the Spirit in their heart.
Do you possess the Spirit?
Nothing else matters.
“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Jesus explaining the Father, Son, and Spirit, John 14: 23-27, ESV