Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Implications of the Trinity

Onces again, i am posting lol. This is short talk i did for our committee meeting today, which went well by the way. Here it is:

The trinity, God himself is an awesome subject. God is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity and whose name is holy. The doctrine of the trinity is the glory of the Christian faith. It is drawn entirely from revelation. And it depends on the absolute truth of the sentences through which the scriptures teach us about God and his nature, his character, his purpose, his actions and promises. It was also believe by the Christians church from the beginning, for from the beginning believers acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and their God and prayed to him, though he had prayer to the father. Perhaps Matthew 28:19 best sums up the doctrine of the trinity. Go therefore and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.
The name of the Lord remains one name, yet now God is to be known as father, Son and Holy Spirit, Being distinct, personal and equal.
Now what are the implications of this in our personal relationship?
Well firstly personal relationship in ultimately reality and the basic requirement for establishment and maintenance of true personal relationship is other-person-centeredness. That is a genuine interest in the other person and his or hers welfare and the forwarding of that welfare by every appropriate means at one’s disposal. We see this in the trinity; God’s other-person-centeredness is complete, and active in conferring benefits on the other person all the time.
For example the father always gives the son everything, the son responds to the father; his response springs from his other-person-centeredness. The spirit too, is also other-person-centeredness within the trinity. He does not glorify himself but glorifies the son, just as the son does not seek his own glory but the fathers. This complete other-person-centeredness and mutual self-giving one to the other makes personal knowledge to each other possible.
Thus God’s centre of his activity is in the welfare of the other. It is also not just confined to the relations between the persons of trinity, but being basic to his nature of relationships, it also extends to his creation as we read in Psalm 145:9, “The lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all that he has made”.
This absolute other-person-centeredness is also the ground of our salvation, as we read Romans 5:8, “God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Therefore it is a great assurance to know that God is infinitely concerned with our welfare and with advancing it. His whole infinite being is absolutely and always centred on each of us, and he is always engaged in advancing our benefit.
Now since God is in personal relationships within himself it follows that true personal relationships is blissful and is the basis of happiness. This truth is confirmed in human experience. We find enjoyment is deepened when it is shared. We are to imitate God in being absolutely other-person-centeredness or another way of saying this, is LOVE, love in its biblical meaning.
While preparing this talk, personally it has rebuked me, and I grieve of my own sinfulness to be self-centred. But Friends lets make sure we are other-person-centred. And while this being the ground for our salvation; let’s make sure we show this love to our non-Christian friends.
Well, stayed tuned for our next exciting episode of the implications of the trinity in our next meeting.

We also had a guest speaker come in today who was a refugee from Iran, and became a Christian in villawood detention centre. It was really amazing how God work in people, in order for them to know him. He had a magnificant story which involved, going through jungles, crossing rivers of crocidiles, and converting from Islam to Christianity. It bring me Joy to see God working through people to bring about his promises, for the gospel to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.
Also been encouraged at church on sunday. We are really blessed to have faithful men and women in sydney who faithfully proclaim the Gospel. Prayers were really good, very scriptual and Christ focused :). Sermon was on stewardship, And it reminded us to serve :).
Please continue praying for my loneliness. It something i do struggle with..

May we delight in your purpose, and work to bring all things to their true end;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Laurence.

No comments: