1 Corinthians 2:9 it says “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” At one time I read this verse and decided that since I can’t imagine it all, I won’t even try.
I should have read the next verse which says, “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” If the greatest commandment is to love God then my greatest pursuit should be to get to know God better (and if God is as great as I’ve heard, then knowing Him better would automatically result in my loving Him more).
I know I can’t figure God out, so my vision of God will only be what He reveals to me. But He will only reveal Himself to me as I actively consider His Greatness. In 2 Timothy 2:7 as Paul is writing God’s Words in scripture he says to Timothy, “Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.”
If I want to understand more of God, I’m going to have to think about what God says about Himself in scripture and then trust Him to give me understanding. James said it this way, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
So in reference to my friend’s question about the trinity in an earlier post, why did God decide to express Himself as a trinity (one God existing as three persons)? God does not give us a definitive answer to this question in scripture so my answer will only be MY answer.
It is however one of those questions that has the potential to stretch your understanding of God as you prayerfully and scripturally meditate upon it.
Here’s “my take” on why God chose to express Himself as three persons (instead of two or four). In fact I have a one-word answer. Community.
As you read The Bible you will find that community is something God values very highly. When we enjoy community on this earth, we do so because a true experience of community is an expression of God’s character (as all truly good things are).
I believe God expresses Himself as three persons is because that is the smallest number of persons with which you can experience full community. Contrary what you may have heard in a sermon, God did not create us because He was lonely. God has always existed (and always will exist) in perfect community with Himself.
Well, that’s “my take” on the subject. I’d love to hear yours (that’s what the comments section below is for).
What could you do to better reflect the character of God by living more deeply in community with others?
Great post Roy. I have never thought about the Trinity being God’s form of community with Himself, but now it makes perfect sense. Thanks for expanding my view of God and community.
I am thinking something different. I’m thinking we are His community or family. He provided 3 to help us develop a relationship with Him. One would not and did not work and He knew it from the begining and it played out perfectly. Three allows us to connect with Him. We needed the visual example of Christ here on earth, the Holy Spirit to link us to Him and His Word/Him to complete the relationship opportunity…Hey, do you ever re-comment back? I’d love to hear from ya!
Mark, I would agree that the different persons of the trinity help us develop a relationship with God as you described. However God did not need us to experience community. He has always experienced community with Himself in “eternity past” (before He created time or the heavens and the earth). After God created a “beginning” He then graciously invited us into the community that He was already experiencing with Himself.
Hey Roy I agree with you. Someone asked one time what do you think it was like back before God first said let there be light? It seemed to me, not dark and lonely, but like the Trinity God was so overflowing with agape love/fellowship that He (they) maybe wanted to pour it out and share it with some created beings?
Did you ever hear that that word “transform” in the verse that says “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” is the same one used when Jesus was transfigured? That transfigured my life when I heard it. Was too good to be true so I checked a concordance myself just to be sure. Hallelujah.