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Trinity Sermon: Galatians 4:4-6
Let me ask you a question and let’s see where your mind goes. ‘What was God doing before the creation of the world?’ What do you think God was up to when there was no universe to run, no people to care for. Just God, nothing else. What was that like?
Well the wrong answer to that question is basically to think about one solitary god.
God was not lonely before creation, He wasn’t bored, He wasn’t just itching to get on and create since He had only His thoughts for company!
No, what was God doing before creation?
They were enjoying one another. Who’s they?
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Is that who you were thinking about when I asked my question? Or were you thinking about some other god – a god who is not Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
This morning we will learn that God is not, and never has been, lonely or aloof or self-centred or brooding or solitary or bored. God is and always has been, loving and giving and other-centred and relational and sociable, companionable, friendly. Because the real God is the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christians call this relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit the trinity (and I’ll tell you why in a second). And this God, the trinity, is the living and true God.
But that other, solitary, self-centred god is not really God at all.
That god is simply an imaginary idea that reflects our own culture and times. Other people in other times have imagined – perhaps – lots of different gods and warring people have imagined warring gods. Sensual people have imagined sensual gods. Intellectual people have imagined that God is ‘an eternal mind’. And touchy feely people have imagined God as ‘pure energy which we tap into’. None of this tells you about the real God – instead it tells you a lot about the people who offer their opinion. It’s like the heavens are a gigantic mirror, we look up but all we really see is ourselves. God has to tell us about God. And we just have to listen and discard all our own opinions on the matter.
I’m convinced that most of the problems people claim to have with the trinity, are because they want to have the trinity AND the god of philosophy, or the god of our popular imagination. For most of us it’s an attempt to MIX the trinity with the solitary, self-centred god. And you just can’t do it.
So let’s allow God’s Word – the Bible – to tell us who He really is. And let’s be prepared to let go of your own dearest ideas of god. And be shaped again by God’s Word…
Read the whole sermon here..
Read my brief Trinity article here.
Here’s another sermon on Trinity to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, 2012.
And here’s the wonderful Mike Reeves on Trinity – unmissable!
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This reminded me of this:
http://www.credenda.org/issues/17-4thema.php
The catechism appeals to me — if oyu have time to read it, what do you think?
Just listened to it.
Really excellent. Thank you.
Hellow sir
I am in India among lot of followers of idol worshipers. If any body wants me to encourage the hope of life among the ruining lives, please contact me. I am doing my service among the Hindus. If you please cooperate. I will go ahead.
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[...] Our God, most fundamentally, is trinity. He is One and Three. God’s One-ness and Three-ness are not un-coordinated perspectives. Rather the Oneness of God simply is the communion of these concrete and particular Persons. To approach God’s oneness in this way guards against many errors and brings many benefits. It also sheds light on how our own communities should be, whether that’s marriage, family or church. [...]
I have enjoyed the writings of Jurgen Moltmann The Coming of God. Could you please help me as I can not contact Moltmann I need to know what book of his were he deals with the theology of the Fall as in Genesis.
Please note: My computer will not pick up all grammar and spelling error, as I am dyslexic I ask for your understanding with my written communication with you.
Hi Garry,
God in Creation is a good place to start.
Are you studying the fall for a particular reason? Are you a student or is this just personal interest?
Yes, I am studying (student of life) but I’ve been studying for approximately 35 years.
A particular reason well, I have be taught from many fundamental churches and being poorer for it.
Motltmann said too much of man and too little of God.
Don’t get me wrong, there were moments when God’s spirit moved on me.
A particular reason I am looking at the fall is as followed:
The assumption is made that we fell because God made us perfect, my problem with that assumption is, how someone can be perfect have the potential to fall. We are told that he made things good. Not perfect.
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