Month: September 2018

God reveals Himself in Persons

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

The third type of media God uses to come to us, besides events and words, is PERSONS. God Himself is a person so it doesn’t shock us that persons are a significant form of God revealing Himself to us.

Think of it this way… in general revelation God displays His Lordship attribute of control over all things in this universe. In special revelation God demonstrates His Lordship attribute of authority over all things, including His plan to save the world. In personal revelation God demonstrates His Lordship attribute of presence among us.

Theophany is one of those ten-dollar seminary words that pastors like to use. It just means: those times when God takes on a physical form to communicate with mankind. See these passages for examples: Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 21:17-20; or Exodus 23:31. There are many more, but this is just a sample. The form God takes might be of a man, angel, or heavenly being surrounded by the host of heaven itself.

The most significant theophany is the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to specifically, and in person, helps us all to see and know God personally. In Jesus God dwelt among us (John 1:14). All the apostles saw Him, including the apostle Paul. They touched Him, they handled Him (1 John 1:1-3). If you saw Jesus, He said you were seeing the Father (John 14:9).

At Pentecost, God also revealed Himself as the Holy Spirit. Each of those first receivers of God’s Spirit were empowered in specific ways to speak the truth of God in love to others who would also believe. And each of these new believers also received this same Holy Spirit of God inside themselves.

So here’s the thing.

The most important, the most significant, the most powerful revelation of God happens when a person formally an enemy of God, surrenders to God’s LORDSHIP, and finds new life, eternal life, in Jesus. At that very moment God begins to write His own word inside that persons heart.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.“ They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

This action on God’s part in theological terms is called “illumination.” It is like a light in your home on a dimmer switch. When you first turn the light on it’s low setting, while the bulb is shining, it isn’t that bright. But as you give it more electricity, the bulb gets brighter and brighter. The Holy Spirit inside of us is the first illumination. The more we turn to God’s Word, to God in person, the Holy Spirit’s power is released in our hearts and minds, making us more and more like Jesus.  We have all the Spirit we’re ever going to need.  What we must do is learn to yield to the Spirit’s leading, surrender to the Spirit’s power, and trust in God’s Lordship over us.

The more we turn to God’s Word, the more illuminated we become, the more we come to love it, and it becomes the central focus of our world.

This is what it means to serve God as Lord.

 

 

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

 

Take a Breath…

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

This week the whole world was exposed to nothing less than shock and awe, as people all over the globe watched their televisions, computers, and mobile devices portraying the fulfilled prophecy of the words of Jesus Christ, the Sovereign God of the Universe.  What prophecy?

Matthew 24:9-12
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”

Each one of you who read this article, and who have watched these events unfold before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, you will have your own opinions and views of what happened.  But I’ll proclaim to you now, it is the most clear evidence I have ever seen of a prophecy fulfilled… most people’s love has grown ice cold.  It has become now not just a #metoo movement for women.  I watched as men and women betrayed one another, and hated one another… on national television, in the eyes of God and the whole country… and didn’t even blink.  Now that’s cold.

What are we to do?

I can offer only these two Bible verses, for now…

Matthew 24:42
Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

 

James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Watch and pray.

Take a breath… then Watch and Pray…

Media: Words of God

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

We’ve been talking about the Word of God as powerful, authoritative, and self-expression. We’ve looked at how God’s Word is at work in the world through His plans, His decrees, and His dwelling among us. And last time we introduced the “means” or MEDIA through which God reveals His Word in events, words, and people. I wrote about how God reveals Himself in nature and history, or general revelation. I introduced God’s revelation in redemptive history – the gospel story of salvation. And finished with the concept of how God reveals Himself in miracles.

Whew! That’s a lot of information. Now we look at Word media. In a general way the words of God come to us in two ways: written and spoken. However, this too limits our understanding of how God truly wants to reveal Himself to us. So we’ll look at four broader categories to see the importance and purpose of God speaking to humanity through His Words.

God’s voice

There are times in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, where people hear God’s voice and words directly spoken to them. In the Garden, Adam and Eve knew the tragic nature of their choice when they heard God call out, “Where are you?”[Genesis 3:9] All the people of Israel gathered around the foot of Mount Sinai in the desert and heard God’s voice giving instructions to Moses for their benefit. [Deuteronomy 5:22-33]. Whoever was present at the time John the baptizer baptized Jesus, heard the voice from heaven “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” [Matthew 3:17] And the apostles who accompanied Jesus up the mountain heard the same statement. But this time it also came with a decree! “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” [Matthew 17:5] In just these four examples of God’s audible voice speaking to people on earth, we can see clearly they carry the control, authority, and presence of God as LORD. What becomes obvious in even a cursory reading of these passages is the Diving voice of God is to be obeyed without doubt, exception, or debate.

God’s voice spoken through Prophets and Apostles

Men of God, chosen by God Himself, were appointed to pass on these words to us. This sometimes can become a sticky wicket, when many claim that these writer’s words are a little bit less authoritative because of the human element involved. They suggest these a slight imperfection in the process of God speaking to the prophet and their own communication with humanity. But if you really want to know how God feels about this false teaching, read Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Jeremiah 1:16-19; Ezekiel 13:2-3,17. Here’s what you will discover. The prophet is a substitute for God’s voice. The people of Israel are so full of fear that ask Moses to bring God’s word to them. In the Deuteronomy passage [18:18] God’s give the definition of a true prophet: “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” What’s really scary about this is verse 19:

“It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

Without the divine voice of God, spoken through the Prophets and Apostles we are sadly lost. Peter made his own declaration when he said to Jesus [John 6:68], “Lord to who shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” Paul the apostle had his own encounter with Jesus, became an apostle, and wrote that what he preached came directly from Jesus.

Galatian 1:11-12
Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ

God’s voice as the written Word

So is God’s voice in written form, or spoken form through the Prophets and Apostles, something less than divine? Does the media of the Word somehow remove the dynamic power and grace of theVoice of God when written or spoken by the Prophets and Apostles? Why should there be some distinction between what people heard Paul preach, and the letters that he wrote to those same churches? I suggest the Deuteronomy 18 passage above crosses the lines of time and space and applies equally to all of Scripture.

God’s voice through Preaching and Teaching

Here’s the thing. What about teachers and preachers today? Do their words have the same authority as the divine voice of God? Make no mistake here, the answer is NO.

There is no promise in Scripture that declares future pastors/teachers/elders or even seminary professors will carry with them the same authority reserved for the apostles of the Bible. This is so evident, that only a very few would be found worldwide who would claim this for themselves.

But maybe you’ve heard this saying before:

“The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.”

Huh?

This means that while the preacher speaking the words is fatally flawed, imperfect, and maybe full of errors himself… when this human person communicates God’s Words truthfully, the words spoken lose none of their original authority.

The preacher who utters spiritual truth from the Bible carries the same authority on his/her lips that were on the lips of the Apostle Paul.

God’s word will always have ultimate authority, regardless the medium … even if that medium is a sinful human being.

You need to trust me here, I speak from experience. As a pastor/teacher my job is not to utter opinion, or just make vague observations, but to speak the truth according to God’s Word. In doing so I find Him to be LORD. And as Lord, God is in control, has absolute authority, and is present now among us.

+++++++++++++++++++

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

 

 

 

 

God’s Media

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

What do … Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, Reddit, Snapchat, WhatApp, Quaroa, Vine, Periscope, BizSugar, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Digg, and Viber, all have in common? These are the most popular social media sites on which people of all ages communicate today. If you’re over a certain age, you may only know two or three of these names. If you’re younger, or more tech-savvy you may know and use all these sites.

When I was growing up, and someone used the term “media”, my mind went to TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, films, or recordings. These were the primary means of getting information for me. With the onset of the internet, and data moving at lightning speeds to a plethora of mobile devices, “media” becomes something like a quagmire of indecipherable voices and messages.

God also uses a wide variety of media (means) to communicate with humanity. There are times when God might speak directly, His voice booming from Mount Sinai in Exodus 20. You could say God used sound waves, carried on the wind, to reach the eardrums of His people. Every single time God desires to communicate with humans He finds some means in His own creation to do so.

For simplicity I’ve broken all these means down into three categories: events, words, and persons. We’ll begin with events first.

Events

Psalm 19:1 says,
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Romans 1:18-32 also gives a great rendition of how God proclaims Himself in nature and in general history. You might want to spend some time with this passage of Scripture.

These kinds of “events”or  revelations from God are called “natural” or “general” revelation, because they are meant for every single person who has lived, is living, or will ever live upon the earth.

Simply by looking at creation, every person has the created capacity within themselves to see God clearly, and nobody can claim that God hasn’t revealed Himself with clarity.

Even in this simplistic revelation of nature/history we are able to not just know about Him, but to know Him personally. These natural revelations teach us about God’s nature (control, authority, and presence), but not the specifics of redemption. We see these and come to know who God is, that He exists, but this general revelation doesn’t tell us how to be saved.

It is God’s Word (Scripture) that tells the story of salvation through Christ, beginning all the way back in the Garden at creation (Genesis 3:15). This is followed by a long recitation of different covenants God makes with man [Noah, Abraham, Moses, David… then Jesus Christ]. All of these events (stories) from the Bible, in contrast with General Revelation, tell us about God’s saving purposes for mankind.

This revelation was made known in the history of man, and we know it now only when we read about these events (found in the Bible) as they happened in the past.

One of the main media (means) of Events where God reveals Himself is in God’s miracles. Miracles are signs/events which demonstrate God’s Lordship. For a quick review of miracles, click here.

Next time we’ll look at another media (means):     WORDS.

+++++++++++++===================

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

God’s Word at work in our world

Dr. J.D. Wilkins2 Comments

The previous three articles provide a simple look at what God’s word is: powerful, authoritative, and self-expression. Today we’ll see these three ideas in what God does.

God’s Word makes plans.

We talked about this in the context of God’s Lordship attribute of control. God determines what will happen according to His own plans, then decrees it to be done. In His Lordship, God has the power to bring these plans to pass, controlling all that happens.

God’s Word speaks.

God not only plans and controls the earth and all its creatures, but also speaks to them as one person speaks to another person. I don’t just mean metaphorically. God’s Word speaks to angels and men, but also to the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, and every part of nature. When God speaks, His words carry absolute authority, demonstrating that God is Lord of all.

Where God’s Word is… that is God’s dwelling place.

While Jesus was physically on the planet, housed in human flesh, He was limited to be in one place at one time. This is why the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is so significant. If Jesus wanted to be present with Mary and Martha before Lazarus died, Jesus would have to leave where He was and travel to Bethany.

We know that Jesus could have healed Lazarus from a distance by the POWER of His spoken Word. But that was not in God’s PLANS. So Jesus was in CONTROL by staying where He was, in order to demonstrate His ultimate control, authority, and presence when He did raise Lazarus from that tomb. [John 11:1-46]   Jesus told Mary, (11:25-26)

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John wrote of Jesus in John 1:1, describing Jesus as the Word, and the Word was God. This means Jesus was God housed in human flesh, and bound in some ways because of it. This explains what Paul meant in Philippians 2:5-7. One of the things Jesus emptied out to become human was His omnipresence, He couldn’t be everywhere at one time. But in His resurrected body, Jesus could now be omnipresent again, as God, fulfilling this wonderful promise:

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.

So, God’s Word is His dwelling place on earth, demonstrating His Lordship attribute of abiding presence, among His people of faith.

Next time we’ll begin looking at the “how” or the “means” God uses to communicate His Word to us.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

God’s Word is Self-Expression

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

So far we’ve seen how powerful God’s word is, and established the authority of God’s word. Now we’ll look at how God expresses Himself through His word.

If the question is, “What KIND of god is God?”, then you have to dig into Scripture. It is the Word of God that reveals God’s heart, mind and will. When you search the Scripture you find God actions are the spoken Word of God revealed in an event of God’s power (like creation or judgment). God also differentiates Himself from all other God’s because He speaks. All the idols man can create are just “dumb” (mute), yet God by nature is The Word.

Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal and said, 1 Kings 18:24

“Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.

Go ahead and read the rest of that chapter and see how powerful God’s word is!

When God speaks He demonstrates different attributes, which are unique to Himself:

  • Righteous (Psalm 119:7)
  • Faithful (Psalm 119:86)
  • Wonderful (Psalm 119:129)
  • Holy (2 Timothy 3:15)
  • Eternal (Psalm 119:89)
  • Omnipotent (Genesis 18:14; Isaiah 55:11)
  • Perfect (Psalm 19:7)

Scripture teaches that God alone is to be worshiped and praised. However, the psalmist writes

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?” [Psalm 56:4]

So the Word which David praised (worshiped) is God. He was worshiping the being described in John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

We are going to look further at this truth, where the Word is talking about Jesus, in a future study. The point I’m making here is that the Word identifies God’s speech with God because it takes us all the way back to creation. In Genesis God’s spoken word “let there be…” made it all. It ties directly to John 1:3

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

Let me be as simple and practical as I can. When we meet God’s speech, we meet God face to face. We should be more like David and receive God’s word with praise and worship.

Just one more thing…

Don’t try to know God apart from His Word, and don’t try to read the Word without realizing you are indeed in the presence of God. Don’t look at the Bible as an assignment. Instead, open your heart and mind to the word like Samuel, and say, “speak Lord, your servant hears.”

Get out of the habit of taking God’s word for granted, so God can bless you with clear understanding. And get ready, because when you meet God’s word in these ways… you will never be the same again.

==========================================

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

God’s Word is Authoritative

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Last time we looked at the power of God’s word, in creating the world and controlling the world through God’s spoken word. Today I’ll explore how God’s word is authoritative. Unfortunately for too long some teachers/preachers/scholars have understood and thought of God’s word as only power. However, God’s word is also language. Why is this important? If God’s word is only power but not language, then it cannot speak authoritatively to us on a personal level. Which is exactly what liberal theology is about today, a word without authority.

Look again at the creation story and you’ll see God’s word had meaning and authority, not just power. God didn’t just bring all things into being, God also named them… light God called “day”, darkness God called “night.” On five separate events of creation, God calls created things by the names He gave them. When God controls the course of nature it is not only powerful, but also wise (Psalm 104:24).

So, here’s the thing.

God’s spoken word, (meaningful speech), is authoritative over all His creatures. Remember, because God is LORD, His speech is authoritative, and His creatures are obligated to obey Him. We can really only do this correctly when we believe Him. The entirety of Scripture is the story of how God speaks, and how man responds to what God says… either in obedience, or rebellion.

The Fall… demonstrates the first humans disobeying God’s word, and the consequences which result. Yet, over and over and over, time and again, God continues to send His word into the world to communicate with mankind.   Sometimes people do hear, believe, and obey: Noah built an ark, Abram left his home country to become the father of many nations. And other times people disobey God’s authoritative word and suffer extreme consequences. So the main question is whether people will hear, comprehend, believe God’s word at authoritative, and be obedient.

Let’s not leave out the New Testament version of this truth.

Matthew 7:26
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

For those living in the world today the words of Jesus must be our foundation. We are to hear them, read them for ourselves, understand them, believe them, and act obediently to what they convey. Here’s a short list of the authoritative words of Jesus to live by:

Matthew 7:21-29
Mark 8:38
Luke 8:21; 9:26
John 5:24; 6:63, 68; 8:31, 37, 43, 47; 12:47-50; 14:10, 15, 21, 23-24; 15:3, 7, 10, 14; 17:6, 14, 17 1 Timothy 6:3-4
1 John 2:3-5; 3:22; 5:2-3;
2 John 6; and
Revelation 12:17; 14:12

Simply put, to be a true Christ-follower, to be a genuine person of faith, means that we come under the meaningful, authoritative word of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and all those prophets and apostles who recorded that word through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Surrendering to the authoritative word of God means we believe it, and act in obedience to it.

##################

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

Define: Word of God

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Having laid our foundational tenets that God is Lord, and the attributes of His lordship are control, authority, and presence among us, we’ve also established that God reveals Himself. And when God reveals Himself it is as LORD.

Now we’ll look at how God speaks to us. It is only when we grasp His Lordship, that we can understand how God speaks to us, then discern what He is saying.  A natural question that arises is: “What does the phrase ‘Word of God’ actually mean?”

In these articles I desire that you see what I mean as I write about the word of God. Now yes, the Bible is God’s Word, but the Word of God is more than just the Bible.  Because God doesn’t just speak to us in the Bible, He also speaks to us through creation [Psalm 19:1; Romans 1]. At times God speaks to people from heaven, or in a burning bush, or in a dream. We cannot believe that Jesus only spoke the red-letter words in the gospels, for surely there was more to His comments and teachings than are recorded in the gospels. In fact John the Apostle says so… “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” [John 21:25]

So, here’s the thing. We need a much larger definition of “word of God” than just the Bible. And, this definition should show there is a relationship between God’s word and His Lordship. I read one definition a few years back and think it captures the concept I’m trying to teach.

God’s word is His powerful, authoritative self-expression.

You can easily see how this definition fits with the tenets of God’s Lordship. Look how His power reveals He is in control, authoritative reveals His authority, and self-expression reveals His presence here and now.  Over the next few articles we’ll look at each of these three points of interest in more detail.

First, God’s word is powerful.

The Word of God reveals, communicates, illuminates, and illustrates all that God would have us know about Him. For example Scripture teaches that God created the world by speaking (His word).

Psalm 33:6-9
The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

When we talked about God’s providence, it was in the context that God controls the world comprehensively for both the evil people and the good people of humanity. So, for instance how does God control the weather and the seasons on earth? Yes, you guessed it, by speaking His word.

Psalm 147:15-18
He sends his orders to the world—how swiftly his word flies!
He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold?
Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.

So God, by His word, created the world, and by His word, He controls the world. In the New Testament it says that when God’s word in the Gospel is preached, it is not just communication, but it is also POWER.

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

 

1 Thessalonians 1:5
… because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

Here are a few other resource scriptures to see God’s word is powerful: Jeremiah 23:29; Ephesians 6:17; Isaiah 49:2. But maybe my all-time favorite regarding the Word of God and it’s power, is Isaiah 55:11.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

We should never take the Word of God for granted by treating it like just another abstract textbook of instructional do’s and don’ts. When a person ignores it, or just listens to it being read but they are disobedient in their hearts, just like Israel, they will become hardened against God’s word.

On the other hand, if we could respond like the young prophet named Samuel, when He heard God’s voice, Samuel simply said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” When a person reads/hears this Word and receives and applies this Word, God’s power will be in your life, and on your behalf, and will do in you and around you exactly what God intends (Isaiah 55:11 above).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, or send to your email list.  Thanks.

God is One; God is Three; the Three are One

Dr. J.D. Wilkins2 Comments

It’s been a few days since my last article where we looked at different Models which illustrate some aspect of the Trinity. Rather than overwhelm you, I took a couple of extra days to let these ideas sink in. Someone might say, “Why are you spending so much time on this difficult topic?” The simplest answer is: to establish the link that LORDSHIP applies equally to all three of the “three in One.”

When we lay the foundation that God is in Control, God is Authoritative for all of life, and God is present with us in real time, each of these foundational thoughts apply equally to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit… because the Three are One.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

God is One

The tendency is to think of God as three persons, but the concept of “Triune” is the Three are One. The Israelites knew there was only one being worthy of worship, as opposed to the thoughts of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians and Canaanites who all worshipped many different gods. Hebrew thought was that only one person can be fully in control of the world, speak with absolute authority, and yet, still be intimately involved in the life of His people whom He called by name. Since there can only be one Lord, there can only be one Savior… Jonah says, “For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.” [2:9]

God is Three

The Bible teaches that the LORD is three persons. Look at this image through David’s eyes.

Psalm 33:6
The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.

God the Father spoke, the God the Holy Spirit (breathed) the word (God the Son – John 1:1), and all the stars were born.

In this one verse we see the One true God, in three separate images, all taking part in the creation story.

WOW! That is exciting to me! Do you want to see another one… a little less detailed, but where the same principle applies?

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”

Do you see it? “Let US… to be LIKE Us.” Don’t confuse “like us” to mean “little gods.” We’ll discuss this more in a later article, but for now just see the Triune God active as ONE in all of creation: Father, Son, and Spirit – One LORD of all.

The Three are One

There are many different scriptures through which we can see the three-ness of God, or the Triune God. But one of my absolute favorites is Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus says:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

The attribute of AUTHORITY is absolutely God’s, so Jesus is saying out loud for all to hear, that He is God. Then Jesus lists the other two persons of the Trinity in His command for baptizing new believers. And finally, I AM translates all the way back to God revealing Himself (Three in ONE) to Moses:

Exodus 3:14
God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

Here’s another good reference from the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Grace, love, and fellowship… Son, Father, Spirit… One LORD.

The conclusion of the early church patriarchs, the men and women of faith who planted the first churches in and around Jerusalem, all believed the Father, the Son and the Spirit are each one fully God… one LORD

Each of the three persons have the attributes of God as Lord equally:  control, authority, presence.

######################################

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, share on FaceBook or send to your email list.  Thanks.

3 in 1 – Models

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Before you read this article, I need to warn you.  The challenge I have taken on is to discuss complicated theological thoughts in a way that the person sitting in a Bible study can understand it while never having been trained at Seminaries like most pastors.  In tackling this challenge, I still have to provide a basis for the information.  Theology is the study of God.  When we study God, we find the concept of the “Trinity,” Father, Son, and Spirit, all throughout Scripture.  Seeing God in three persons acting in the Bible is not the difficult part.  Seeing them as all being God, and all being ONE God… well, that’s a horse of another color.

Today I’m asking you just stay with me.  If something confuses you, or if you have a question, please feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to provide an answer.

I heard once the Irish shamrock was the best illustration of the trinity:  One plant, Three leaves.  In the most simplistic way possible this really isn’t a bad image, but there’s a problem with every Trinitarian model, and it is seen in the shamrock too.  You can tear the shamrock into three pieces, but not the Trinity.  You may have seen the egg image [yolk/egg white/shell = Father/Son/Spirit], or the apple explanation [core/flesh/skin] as images for the Trinity.  Each of these illustrations are good to a point, but could never comprehensively help us understand the complicated relationship of the Trinity.

This is the problem not just with visual images, but more sophisticated models of the Trinity as well.  There are two primary theological models used today to explain the Trinity to the human mind, the “psychological model” and the “social model.”

Psychological model of the Trinity

This model was developed by Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.).  He believed the Trinity was like a great mind.  Our human minds consist of: intellect, memory, and will.  Yet, we only have one mind.  So, when we know ourselves… we are the “knower, the known, and the knowledge” all at the same time.  Augustine argued that God has a mind too, and when God knows Himself, God’s thoughts of Himself are so perfect that the thought itself is God.  His argument then is that the three persons of the Trinity are: God-the knower, known, and knowledge.  Sounds good but there’s a problem.  What about relationships?  We contend God is three PERSONS, so the model here speaks to God’s one-ness but not to His three-ness… His substance as three persons.

Social model of the Trinity

You can Google “Cappadocian fathers” and discover Basil the Great (330-379 A.D.) Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 A.D., and Basil’s younger brother), and Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389 A.D.) who represent some of the patriarchs of Christian thought.  In the fourth century these men developed what is now called the “social model” explaining the Trinity.  Simply put, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons, and they relate to one another in love.  It is an interpersonal model.  It is also often used as a model for human society, where my dad, me, and my son in relationship represent an image of God’s three-ness.  But it doesn’t help us understand God’s one-ness.  The Cappadocians began with three separate images of God, but found it difficult to explain how God is one.

Over the centuries different theologians from Protestant and Roman Catholic schools would argue the merits of both these models to explain the Trinity, and never come to any consensus on either.  I’ve tried over the years to find a good image to use as a simple way to understand the Trinity.   In closing today, I offer this as the most simple, but most factual view of the Trinity.

TrinityOn the outside of the triangle, God is three separate persons.
On the inside of the triangle, each person is equally God, all having LORDSHIP attributes: the control, authority and presence we’ve been discussing so far.

Next time we will look more at this triangle, and dive deeper into this mystery.

##############################

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, share on FaceBook or send to your email list.  Thanks.

The Trinity and Lordship

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Up to now we’ve been looking at how God reveals Himself in the Bible through His actions, and His own nature and character revealed in descriptions of His attributes.  All of this corresponds to our tenets that: God is in control, God speaks authoritatively to all mankind, and His promise to be present with us always.  Now we’ll spend a few days to approach the concept of how God reveals Himself in three separate means, or persons, we call the Trinity.  God’s promise to be with us always is seen best in this doctrinal thought: God is three in One.

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

This topic is mysterious indeed, and I would never presume I understand better than other theologians who have written on this topic.  I just want to make it easier to understand, without getting bogged down in technical terms or theological protocols often driven by different denominational instruction.

Here are the basic declarations we can find in Scripture:

  • God is one
  • God is three
  • The three persons are each one fully God
  • Each of the three persons is distinct from the others
  • The three persons are eternally related as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

At the end of this topical search for truth in the Bible, I hope that you will be confident in your understanding of the Trinity.  Well, as confident as any one person could possibly be regarding a mysterious truth that only God alone can know fully.

Over the next several posts we’ll look at models and illustrations explaining the Trinity.  And we’ll look at least briefly at each one of the declarations above.

After my years of study on this topic I agree mostly with Athanasius (296-373 a.d.), bishop of Alexandria, a great hero of the faith.  Athanasius was a defender of the concepts of the Trinity given voice in the Nicene Creed which was written 2 years after his death.  He suffered horrible acts of persecution by Arian heretics for his views about the Trinity.  Why would he do this?  Who would suffer hardship and persecution for philosophical terminology?  For Athanasius the important issues of the Trinity were pretty basic and simple.  In his mind this belief (the Trinity) is the firm foundation of worship and salvation.

Worship…

If Jesus, as Son of God, is only a creature… then we are guilty of idolatry.  At the time of his death Christians had already worshiped Jesus as God for 400 years.  Athanasius said Jesus is worthy of worship ONLY if He is equal to the Father.

Salvation…

If the Arians were right, he said, then we are placing our hope of salvation in the life and hands of a mere creature.  ONLY if Jesus is equal to the Father, is He capable of saving us from sin.

Next time we’ll talk about models and illustrations of the Trinity.

###########

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, share on FaceBook or send to your email list.  Thanks.

God’s Attributes of Power

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

God is LORD of all.  The basic tenets of this faith statement include: God is in control, has authority over all things, and is ever present with us.  We’ve examined God’s attributes of Love, and Knowledge, and finish this section with a look at God’s attributes of Power.

God’s power is so dominate and extensive trained theologians describe it with the word “Omnipotence.”  Why can’t they just say “God can do anything”?  Well, because you might find it difficult to believe, but there are some things God CANNOT do.

  • Titus 1:1-2 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness–in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
  • Numbers 23:19  God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

God cannot lie.  In fact, God is Holy, Good, and Love so God cannot do anything evil.  God cannot do something logically contradictory [like making round squares] since He is always consistent in His words and actions.  God cannot do anything contrary to His nature as God [see Numbers 23:19 above] like buy a suite or celebrate His birthday.  God had no birthday, He was, is, and always will be God.

So it seems our dilemma in knowing God better, and understanding the enormity of His power, is to arrive in general terms that help us see Him as He wants us to see Him.  That God is omnipotent is a clear teaching of Scripture [Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 32:17].  These verses also imply God has a will… the ability to choose.  After choosing whatever He “wills” to do, God has the power to do it.

God reveals Himself in the Bible by helping us see His “will” in three basic ways.  First God makes DECREES which declare His will in unmistakable ways.  [See what Joseph says to his brothers about their actions toward him – Genesis 50:20].  The decrees of God’s will in the Bible will always come to pass. Listen to how Paul says it to the Roman church:  “What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory…” [Romans 9:22-23] .

Second, God has a Preceptive will.  We refer to this when we say God has PRECEPTS.  Precepts are revealed as God’s values, which often take the place of commandments to us and for us.  Whatever God has decreed will happen whether we agree with it, or believe it or not.  However, God’s precepts are those things that we can choose to line up with, or not.  When we violate God’s precepts, this is called “sin.”  As an example look at 1 Timothy 2:3-4, This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.    See, God wants all people to be saved… but not all will choose this precept for themselves.  The sin that condemns them is their own unbelief of this simple truth.

Third, there is Divine Vocation (theological term) which means basically “God’s will for our lives.”  So how do we find God’s will for us?  Look no further than the verse we just examined, 1 Timothy 2:3-4.  If you want to see another one, re-read John 3:16.  God’s grace and forgiveness, direction, mercy and power are available to every person who submits to God as Lord (Jesus as LORD).

God is Lord of time and space, He is Lord of everything everywhere.  This power is on display in all the realms of scripture: eternity past, the present on earth, and the infinite realm of eternity future.

Ok, here’s the thing.  while the Bible says that God is unchangeable in some ways [Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17]… Scripture also presents God as changeable in other ways.  God spared Nineveh (just as He said He would), when the city repented and turned to Him for deliverance.   We can see these two separate thoughts better if we say “it is God’s unchanging will to relent in this way.”  God placed a condition on Nineveh, “repent or be destroyed.”  They repented, God did not destroy them.

Not only is God unchanging, omnipotent, and ever-present with us… God has no needs according to Paul addressing the people of Athens in Acts 17:24-30.

Just a reminder, again, when we examine all these attributes of God, we are also defining the attributes of Jesus Christ the LORD.

Next time we’ll begin looking at the topic of the “Trinity,”  God as Three in ONE.

 

############

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, share on FaceBook or send to your email list.  Thanks.

 

 

God’s Attributes … of Knowledge

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

The ATTRIBUTES of God which demonstrate His control, authority, and presence are:  LOVE, KNOWLEDGE, and POWER.  Last time, we looked at God’s attribute of love, seen in His allegiance, affection and action.

Today we dive into God’s attribute of KNOWLEDGE, which from a purely Biblical view must include: SPEECH, TRUTH and WISDOM.

When we think of SPEECH as a divine attribute we must make an important distinction here.  The Supreme Being of the Bible (God) is the only divine being that communicates truth about Himself to His creatures.  In polytheistic religions (many gods) the gods do speak, but none is the supreme being.  In Hinduism while there is a supreme being, he is silent.  Speech happens between two persons and that’s what makes this attribute of God such a blessing to us.  God speaks to us.  God desires to help us know Him, and His knowledge, in our own minds and in our hearts.

TRUTH in scripture is found in three contexts.  First, God is the truth.  In other words He is the true God and not a false god [Jeremiah 10:9-10; 1 John 5:20].  In the Bible God always speaks the truth.  God never lies, never makes a mistake in His speech [Titus 1:2].  And finally, God does the truth (action) representing Himself as the God of all goodness and love  – Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.“

Regarding God’s attribute of knowledge (generally) the Bible clearly represents God as omniscient (all-knowing).  Here’s just a few verses as a reference point:

  • Psalm 147:4
  • John 21:17
  • Hebrews 4:12-13
  • 1 John 5:20

In addition to knowing all things, God also understands all things, even to discerning (knowing) the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. (all of us!)  The deduction we make from this knowledge is that everything happens by His wise plans, since He knows all.

There is a group of people today called “open theists” who say God does NOT know the future completely and exhaustively as I suggest here.  Some go on to say that God makes mistakes all the time in saying what will happen.  In Deuteronomy 18:21-22 there is a prophet’s test.  Simply put, if a prophet’s words prove false… they can’t come from God, since God is never wrong about the future or anything else.  We might simply extend this test then to God.  In Isaiah 41:21-23, this great prophet speaks God’s words challenging the ancient false gods of the surrounding peoples to predict the future, all the while, knowing they cannot do it.  Only God knows what is going to happen.

Open theists say God is ignorant, using scripture itself to assign this charge.  As a proof-text, they use Genesis 18:20-21 which says “Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’”

“See,” they say, “if God is all-knowing, why is He suggesting here He needs to find out for Himself?”  Is God ignorant in this passage?

They have lifted this verse “out of context” because the point of the story where it is found, is about Abraham praying for God to spare these cities.  Abraham bargains with God, “will you save the cities if only 50 righteous men can be found?  How about 40?  20? 10?” And God’s reply is always, “yes.”  “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”… ““For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”  It was never about God being ignorant, it was about God KNOWING there were not 10 righteous men to be found in all of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Being truth, and having all-knowledge then leads to God’s KNOWLEDGE attribute of WISDOM.  Wisdom is that enhanced form of knowledge that takes all the strands of information, understands the significance of each one, and relates them into a practical relevance or application.  We might label this as it is in my Bible: the Doxology.

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
Amen.

One last reminder for today…

Everything the Bible reveals about God, remains true about JESUS!  He is God.

As God is love, knowledge and wisdom… so is Jesus.

Next time we’ll examine God’s attribute of POWER.

#########################

If you enjoy this series of articles, please re-post, share on FaceBook or send to your email list.  Thanks.