Lose The Trinity And What Have You Left? 

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

Noted Theologian Karl Rahner once lamented that if you took the doctrine of the Trinity out of modern Christianity, most churches and religious literature would remain unchanged. That’s a scary prediction, but it did get me thinking about how important this concept really is.

The doctrine of the Trinity proclaims the mystery that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are fully God and personally distinct from one another. The God of the universe, revealed through the incarnation, is really a communion in which there is a continual giving and receiving of holy love and glory to and from one another. And while this doctrine can seem kind of ‘heady’ at first, it’s crucial to our understanding of every other core Christian concept—from creation to atonement and redemption.

But this doctrine should also have a transformative affect on our daily lives. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we finally go to sleep, our Triune God is calling us into this fellowship. He’s not an old man on the mountain who forces us to come to him. Instead, our relational God came down to us—the Father sending the Son, who remained in one being with the Father and Spirit, and took on our flesh to dwell among us. By his atoning sacrifice, the Son has redeemed humanity and brought us back into communion with God. And as the Holy Spirit continues to minister, our Heavenly Father calls us to join him. Accepting this mercy should transform us into living channels of his grace, inviting others into the fellowship and communion of our Triune God.

I know it can be hard fully to understand this doctrine. But I believe that we’re called to wrestle with this mystery, continually seeking the face of our Father by our relationship with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I can tell you from experience, it’s well worth the effort!

Prayer
Holy Father, Jesus taught us to pray always to you. But he always acknowledged the Second Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and allowed Thomas to acknowledge him as God. Taken together, and with the many scriptures in the New Testament, the Trinity is just a name human beings have given to embrace this understanding. But to understand it is to understand more fully our God. Help us in our understanding, mighty Father. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen 

Study by Joseph Tkach

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About the Author:
Joseph Tkach is the President of Grace Communion International (the Denominational name of The Worldwide Church of God UK), and resides in California, USA. You are welcome to attend one of our local Church congregations located throughout the UK and Ireland.  For details of your nearest local congregation, check on our website, www.wcg.org.uk under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.

Contact:
Email:  admin@daybyday.org.uk