The word Gospel is used about 124 times in the New Testament. The first time we see the word Gospel is in Matthew 4:23 and is repeated in Mark 1:35–39; Luke 4:44; 6:17–19, “23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” You see, Jesus came preaching the Kingdom, the Kingdom assumes that there is a king, and that king is Jesus! Jesus is described as the King of kings and the Lord of lords in several places in the Bible, and one place is Revelation 17:14, … for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”(Also, in 1 Timothy 6:15).
So here is the dilemma: Do we hunger and thirst for the promises of God, or do we pursue the one whom God has sent, Jesus Christ, who is also God in the flesh, or God incarnate?
Have faith in God!
Now here is a thought: When you believe the TRUTH about God, the windows of heaven will be open to you! An important truth is that we must embrace all that God has provided in Jesus, who is our salvation, and His Holy Spirit, which is the seal of our salvation and enables us to be more than conquerors in this life.
The Trinity
While the word trinity does not appear in the Bible, theologians coined the term to explain that the Godhead exists in three persons. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit; three persons in one. The Trinity is a concept that is difficult to comprehend as human beings because as humans, we are limited in our ability to understand the awesome power and nature of our Father in heaven.
Think about it, can you really understand or even imagine how God created the universe by simply speaking it into existence? When we encounter a truth we cannot fully comprehend, the Bible teaches that we must accept it by faith! I’m reminded of the verse in Isaiah chapter 55 that states that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways and thoughts or sometimes beyond our comprehension; therefore, we must receive them by faith. That means we don’t walk by our understanding; we walk in what God has revealed as true in His word, the Bible. This is what faith is built upon! Think about it, if you can comprehend it then you don’t need faith, it is logical, and you are able to grasp it. However, when God makes a promise that is so glorious and magnificent, yet you don’t know how it will be possible… that’s when faith kicks in. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith and not by sight.”
For example, every day we trust things we cannot fully explain. Most people do not understand how electricity works, yet they confidently flip a switch expecting the light to come on. In a similar way, faith means trusting what God has revealed even when our human understanding is limited.
Another example a pilot flying through thick clouds cannot rely solely on what he sees outside the window. He must trust the instruments guiding the aircraft. Likewise, believers must trust God’s Word, which is our instrument, even when circumstances appear confusing or uncertain.
There are three attributes that belong to God alone:
- God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful; nothing or no one is equal to Him in power and authority. He created the universe by simply speaking it into existence.
- God is omniscient. He is all-knowing. There is nothing that He does not know. God does not learn, as humans learn. He simply knows! He is not limited by time and space. He knows the past, the present, and the future.
Practical Illustration: Human knowledge constantly changes. Doctors revise treatments, technology becomes outdated, and people forget important details. God, however, never learns new information or discovers something He did not previously know. His wisdom is perfect and eternal.
- God is omnipresent. This means again that He is not limited by time and space, therefore, can be anywhere anytime, everywhere at the same time, and no place is hidden from him.
As we study the Bible, we find that these three characteristics, His omnipotent power, His omniscient knowledge, and His omnipresence, can be attributed to God the Father or Yahweh, to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Since as Christians, we believe in only one God, the God of the Bible, the one God exists eternally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Because God is infinite and we are finite, this concept of the Trinity is impossible to understand, and so by faith we must accept it as true.
Three in One
God the Father; in the Old Testament He was called Yahweh or Jehovah. Now, God, the Father is Spirit, John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Exodus 33:20, “and no one has seen His Face because God said that no man shall see my face and live.” So, no one can see God the Father.
God the Son is not some lesser person in the Godhead. Jesus is God incarnate who came to the earth with “skin on.” The term incarnate means in the flesh. Jesus is not simply a good man or a prophet of God; He is all of that, and more He is God.
Theologians use the term co-equal to describe the relationship between the three parts of the Trinity. Earlier I used the word incarnate to describe Jesus, God in the flesh. Now, listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:6-8, “who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (ESV). Jesus laid aside His deity to be an example to us as a human being. That doesn’t mean that He was not God; what it does mean is that for 33 ½ years He functioned as a human being. No different from you or me, Jesus experienced hunger, thirst, pain, and the rejection of many. He never resorted to His divine authority even while on the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” Luke 23:24. He fulfilled His mission on earth and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
For example, when believers go through seasons of loneliness, rejection, grief, or physical suffering, they can take comfort in knowing that Jesus personally understands human pain. He is not distant from our struggles; He walked through them Himself.
Even His disciples didn’t realize who He was until after the resurrection. Listen to this exchange between Jesus and Philip in John 14:7-11, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
Jesus’ statement is obvious. If you see me, you see the Father! Jesus and the Father are one. Jesus then says, if you can’t believe that we are one, then believe that I am from the Father because only God can promise salvation, heal the sick, and raise the dead, and I have done all these things.
God, the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit was in the beginning, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Holy Spirit is found in many places in the Old Testament, but it is not until we read the New Testament that we see the fullness of the character and the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
Recall from scripture that Jesus promised to send us a “Paraclete”, which is Greek for comforter, helper, advocate, and teacher. He promised that after He was resurrected, He would send us the Holy Spirit. He would not leave us as orphans! John 16:7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Paracletos) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” The Holy Spirit is mentioned about 119 times in the New Testament alone.
For example, a loving parent does not abandon a child to face life alone. In the same way, Jesus did not save believers and then leave them helpless. Through the Holy Spirit, God continually guides, comforts, convicts, and strengthens His people daily.
Personally, as for me, I like to think of the Trinity in this way:
- I am a son to my parents. As such, my parents see me as a son.
- I am a husband to my wife. Therefore, my wife sees me as a husband and not a son.
- I am a father to my children. My children don’t see me as a son or a husband but as a father.
In each of these three roles, I function differently and have authority depending on how each of these three groups sees me, yet I am still just one person. In a similar way, God is one; however, He functions and is seen in three different ways, depending on the relationship.
I know that some Christians have a hard time accepting the truth of the Trinity, and if you are one of them, then I would urge you to search the scriptures for yourself. Don’t just accept what I say or rely on traditions or practices for the truth. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Remember, it is the truth that will set you free.
