Communion With the Christ:: The Trinity: All the Fullness

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," Col:1:15-19

Concepts of God as being just One person to himself or that God is divine committee of sorts or that God is an ambiguous ethereal semi-conscious over-mind, this view, which can be found in some Hellenistic philosophies as well as Gnostic pagan beliefs or Pantheistic views, that this" semi-conscious" "life force" somehow guides the universe, rather than a personal God who is self-aware and is actively involved in the life of his creation, or some held a Pantheon of gods or demigods which hold the rule over the elements or places . There are as many, ideas as there were and are cultures.

The Shema

The people of Israel viewed God as one, and God revealed himself to Israel in this way, it became for the people of Israel an important distinction of their relationship to and with God and their understanding of the Great God.

"Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is One". Deut: 6:4

This Great Shema creed or profession of the people of Israel speaks to us regarding to the "oneness, wholeness and unity" which God has within himself. It is truly vital that we see that there is only One God and he is that One who, is from eternity past to eternity future that he is eternal.

Revelation

However, after the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the Scripture expressly states is the very One whom the people of Israel followed, is the one which the Shema calls "One God”. We can read of this in, the Gospel of St. John.

St. John of all the Apostles seemed to have had a deep insight into our Lord Jesus’ nature, Jesus being both fully God and fully human. That is, the creator God in Jesus became flesh, he assumed our own humanity and became "one of us" and entered his very creation for the redemption of the creation. Again, consider what this speaks to us about the great Creator who made us in "his images and likeness”, then takes on our humanity in Jesus.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men." Jhn: 1:1-4

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us"(14)

Jesus is truly "one of us”, God joins us in life. In Jesus, he has a firsthand view of the life that He created us to live. He also came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. In Jesus God reveled himself perfectly.

There is no time or space to speak fully of all that our Lord Jesus has accomplished for us, so we will focus here on just one aspect of his life, that of being the embodiment of God in the flesh. God incarnate, fully God yet fully human. Jesus' divinity remained undiminished in the incarnation.

All of God

It is necessary that we understand that in the incarnation that no "part" (for lack of a better term) of God is excluded. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit yet "one”, the very wholeness and oneness stated in the Shema Creed of Israel. That in Jesus "all of God" is present yet, he remains distinct.

Jesus, in his High Priestly prayer for believers throughout the ages address this "oneness" that Jesus has with the Father.

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me." Jhn: 17:20-21

The same "oneness" that God has, Jesus wants humanity to have as well through Him and the Holy Spirit.

One God, not Three

As the early Church moved across the face of the world preaching the Gospel, the message about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, proclaiming that there is one God, Christians began to face charges from pagan peoples who worshipped many gods that they preached about three Gods not one.

It became evident to the early Church that this God, the One God who is three "persons”, needed to be able to have a means of explanation regarding God’s nature. The Early Apostolic Church Fathers saw in the epistles of the Apostles that there was a grasp that God is "One and Three" and it was this view which informed their writings and that they saw clearly that in Jesus the Trinity was revealed, all of God was there in the person of Jesus.

They saw that the Apostles understood that God is "One in Three" not "Three in One”. "Three in One" is a concept called "Tritheism”, that is, three very separate "divine persons" who have chosen to cooperate and are in agreement. "One in three" is One God Who is revealed as three "persons”, there are great differences when they are understood.

Yet, as the early Church came into a progressive understanding, the Church attempted to explained the Trinity with the word “Perichoresis”, this is an ancient Greek word which means to joyfully dance in an eternal circle.

In Jesus

As time passed, understanding of God’s nature became more clearly in focus to what we understand today, that which we see St. Paul articulating in his epistles to the Colossians.

Here were Christians who were being influenced by the Gnostic teachers which sprang up in the early Church, many of them with distorted views and doctrines regarding Jesus Christ.

Speaking about God and his self-disclosure and oneness in Jesus, St. Paul writes:

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," Col:1:15-19

This shows us, that in Jesus we see God which we otherwise could not, and that in Jesus all that is God is found. God has left no "part of Himself out, " in Jesus, all of God is seen and perfectly revealed, here in the Son of God.

When we come to Jesus we are coming to "All of God”, he is wholly and fully there, in Jesus all of God is revealed to us. Jesus just does not just tell us about God He shows about God.

Everything of eternal value or import that God has for us we find nowhere else but in Jesus.

It was St. Paul's desire to convey this truth to us all, St. Paul saw it all in Jesus.

"I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments".Col:2:1-4

St. Paul also again teaches us that "all of God" is revealed in our Lord Jesus:

In Him ALL the Fullness of the Deity Dwells, in bodily form-(9)

That is, when we came to Jesus; we come to God in All His fullness.

The Veil Removed

St. Paul speaking again of the ever-expanding glorious revelation that is found about God when we come to Jesus, when we see him without obstructions nor distortions, when as St. Paul states "the veil is taken away"

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2Cor:312-18

When we turn to the Lord Jesus, the veil is taken away, that is, we being to see all that He is and all that God has for us through Jesus.

The Lord is the Spirit

The Lord is the Spirit, St. Paul is not just talking about understanding the difference between the Covenants, rather St. Paul is speaking about much more, St. Paul is talking about everything regarding God.

It is when we turn to the Lord, that is Jesus, that we gain the understanding that we need regarding all things relating to God including that the Lord is the Spirit, meaning there is an identical yet distinction with Jesus Christ. So much like Jesus as being Jesus, yet distinct, not less nor more but coequal.

St. Paul saying that through Jesus and a focus on Jesus we gain understanding about God.

So, if we want to understands what God wants to reveal about the Father or Holy Spirit it is in Christ that understand is found. So, if we want to know about God, in his fullness, that is, the Father, Son, Holy Spirit all we need do is look to Jesus.

It is in Jesus that God fully reveals himself to us in and through his Holy Son. In and through Jesus God demonstrates to us who he is, and in Jesus that life within the Trinity is revealed.

When we focus on Jesus the revelation grows progressively clear and the Trinity of God comes into focus. Sometimes the clarity of our understanding is beyond our means to express in any language of that is spoken.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Jesus address the oneness of God and that Jesus has showed us the Father with himself.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves “Jhn: 14:6-11

Jesus declares that a new relationship is available between humanity and God, which is found in himself, and through the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then continues Jesus' revelation to each who will but believe.

This new relationship has always been the intent of the Great God all through Jesus and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. God wants us to live in an eternal relationship with him.

In Jesus this relation is found and extended to others, that each and all of us as children of God.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. “

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John: 14:16-21,25-26

Through this new revelation the Great God, the Holy Trinity will forever be revealed to each and all will but freely receive it.

It is in Jesus that we have everything we need to know about God disclose. This means that if there is anything we need to know about Come to Jesus.

If we want to know about the Father, look to Jesus.

If we want to know the Son, look to Jesus.

If we want to know about the Holy Spirit, look to Jesus.

Jesus is the fullest, clearest revelation of who God is, we find that our God is truly one, for in Jesus all the Deity of the Trinity is embodied, Jesus shows us what no human language could adequality express. When we come to Jesus, we do not exclude the Father or The Holy Spirit, God in All his fullness is in Jesus.

Benediction: May we each and all ever come to our Lord Jesus through which the Holy trinity is revealed to us, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.