Children often try to confirm the love of their parents by asking them and finding out the size of their love. And parents usually say to them that they love them like the heaven and earth. And the children want to see the evidence of the love of parents.
When their birthday comes, they want to receive a present from their parents. And there is one principle about the present they want to receive especially when they are young. That is, they try to fathom the size of their parents’ love through the size of the present they receive. When the present is big, it means to them that the love of the parents are big. When the present is small, however, they get disappointed thinking that his parents do not love him much.
Spiritually, we are like the children in the story. When we become the children of God, we expect a big present from God: a higher position, more financial rewards, bigger house, etc.. When we do not get these things, we get disappointed, thinking that God does not love me. We truly are like a child yet.
Let us correctly understand the size of the love of God through the presents they gives us. In the Book of Ezekiel, through the story of one person, we can know the size of the present God prepared for his people when they were born in heaven.
Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day we were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mound of God; you walked among the fiery stones, from the day you were created.
Parents prepare all the good things for the child that are to be born. Likewise, God prepared all the good things for the children who were to be born. And all those things were given to them on the day they were created. Then can we say that our heavenly parents loved us? Yes, they must have loved us very much.
What about now? We sinned against God while in heaven. We were cast down to this earth, the land of sin and death because of the evil things we did. We are destined to die. However, God gave his life to save our life. Is this love small and should we get disappointed? And he prepared heaven for the day we would go back to God and he prepared royal thrones in heaven that we may rule over the universe as kings and queens. Is this present small that we should get disappointed? Definitely not!!
God has prepared something we can never imagine as the bible says: “No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
This is the present God has prepared for us. God truly loves us all.
When we look at the politicians, their policies and thoughts change all the time. In part, it is caused by the changes in environment. Since our environment changes all the time, our thought and plans change too. Today’s environment is different from the yesterday’s and tomorrow’s.
The environment for our faith is the same. Our faith of today is different from that of a year ago due to the changes in the environment. Even though we might think we are keeping the faith just like ten years ago, we might be drifting away from God by the tide of the world. That is why we have to examine our faith always by studying and obeying the words of God.
In the changing states of water, we can see
three different forms: Liquid (Water), Solid (Ice), and Gas (Vapor). Even
though they exist in the three different forms according to the temperature,
actually they are the same in substance, that is, H2O.
It is the same with the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have worked in three different forms in three different ages. In fact, however, they are the same and one God. Therefore, we can define the basic concept of the trinity like this:
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are not different, but one and the same God. A theological term for this is the “Trinity.”
From the video sermon, “The Trinity”
The changing states of water: Water, Ice, and Vapor
God the Father and God the Son
Let us first think about God the Father
Jehovah and God the Son Jesus. According to the prophecies of the bible, Jesus
was God the Father Jehovah who appeared as man in the flesh. In the Book of
Isaiah, God prophesied His appearance as man in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6). And the
prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus by coming as son. (Luke 1:31)
Therefore, the disciples of Jesus Christ
boldly proclaimed that Jesus was God the Father Jehovah himself. They argued
that Jesus was God himself even though he appeared in the form of man.
(Philippians 2:5, Romans 9:5) Paul said, “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them
is traced the human ancestry of Christ,
who is God over all, forever praised! Amen”.
We can confirm this through the creation
work. According to the book of Isaiah, God the Creator is God the Father
Jehovah. He was the one who created all things. (Isaiah 44:24) However, Paul
testifies that it is Jesus God the Son who created all things. (Colossians
1:15) Through this we can understand that God the Father Jehovah and God the
Son Jesus are actually one and same just as water and ice are one and same.
God the Father and God the Holy Spirit
Who knows all the secrets and deep things
of man hidden deep down in the heart? It is only the man himself. No one else
knows the hidden secrets of the man just like the saying, “We can search the
water as deep as 10 meters, but we cannot fathom the heart of man even though
it is only 10 inch deep”. The one who can search the deep things of a man is
the man himself and his spirit. In the same way, the bible says the Spirit of
God search even the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit (or the Holy Spirit) searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (or the Holy Spirit).
Therefore, we can say that God the Father
and God the Holy Spirit are the same as the water and vapor are the same.
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
Parakletos or Counselor (Advocate)
Finally, let us think about God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit. To understand this, first let us study about a Greek word,
“parakletos or παράκλητος”. “Parakletos” is usually translated as “Counselor” or “Advocate” in
the bible.
Dictionary defines “parakletos” like this:
summoned, called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid; one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor; of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
In this sense, a parakletos is the one who
was called or summoned to plead and intercede for us. And through the
intercession of the parakletos, our sins can be pardoned by God.
Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the One and Same God
Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ as Parakletos
And the bible says we have two entities who
can work as parakletos for our sins, that is, God the Son Jesus and God the
Holy Spirit. (1 John 2:1, John 14:26) In the epistle, John testifies that God the
Son Jesus is the Advocate or Parakletos who plead for us in our stead to God so
that we can be forgiven of our sins. However, in the Gospel of John, Jesus
prophesies that the Holy Spirit would come as Counselor or “Parakletos”.
Then do we have two different Counselors or Parakletos? No, it cannot be. According to the bible, the only Counselor who intercedes for our sins is Jesus Christ himself. (Romans 8:34)
Hebrews 7:23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Through this we can understand the Holy Spirit who would appear to us as Parakletos is God the Son Jesus who would come again for the second time as Parakletos. Therefore, we can say that God the Son Jesus and God the Holy Spirit are one and same according to the prophecies of the bible as in vapor and ice in the changing states of water.
Conclusion
Through all these things we can clearly see
the true meaning of the Trinity. Water can exist in three different states
according to the temperature without any change in its essential substance.
Likewise, God works in different forms, names, and places to complete the 6000
years of the salvation work. Once he worked as Father Jehovah sending his
prophets to his people. 2000 years ago, God himself came as prophet, king, and
high priest for the salvation of his people in the name of Jesus.
Now in our time, to fulfill the prophecies
of the bible, God himself came again in the name of Christ Ahnsahnghong to
complete the 6000 years of the salvation work. Even though he appeared as man
in the flesh from the east in the land of Korea, we have to understand that he
is none other than God himself who is testified in the bible.
