Theology Thursday - God the Trinity

The Trinity is one of the most difficult parts of our faith to understand fully. What does it really mean when we say that God is one God in three persons? On the one hand, we believe that there is one and only one God. On the other hand, we believe that we have known this one God in three distinct people - God the Father who created all the universe, Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to live among us as a human, and the Holy Spirit who sustains us and gives us life. That God is both one and three can seem like a paradox.

However we may try to make sense of this, our belief in the Trinity tells us something important about who God is and who God made us to be. God's nature is that of a loving relationship - the Father and the Son united by the bond of the Holy Spirit. Even before anything else existed, the Father and the Son loved each other. Simply put, God was, is, and forever will be love. God created the universe and all living things to extend that loving relationship to someone else. Thus, the act of creation itself was an act of love. The world around and we along with it were created out of love and were meant for good.

Because we were made in the image of God, we were made for relationship with God and with each other. Without loving relationships, we wither and grow weak. When we are in loving relationships, we are filled with the fullness of life and grow strong. Because of who God is, we are people whose purpose is to love and to be loved.

May the Creator of all things, the Redeemer of all good, and the Sustainer of all life bless you and keep you through the power of love today and forever more!

Things to Ponder: What relationships have been life-giving for you? How would you describe the love in those relationships? What hope does it give you that God is love? How might you change your relationships so that they might be more life-giving for you and others?