#7154

"Jesus, His Father, and The Holy Spirit", The Triune God

  After describing "the Fall of Mankind" the writer if Genesis places Abraham, and thus Israel, within the context of God's redemptive plan. The assumption in Genesis, and in the whole Bible is that the Creator wants to be in relationship with humanity and in that relationship the Lord is determined to bless His creation with fullness and life.

The Lord even takes responsibility for the human side of the relationship. He says, "I will be your God and you will be my people." God does not say it as a invitation. We could interpret it this way: "I will be your God, and I will see to it that you come to know me and live in my fellowship."  

When we look at the life of Christ from a human vantage point, we see a relationship between God, the Father, on one side and Jesus, the Son on the other. The Holy Spirit  is right there in the middle of it all.
From Genesis through Revelation , the Spirit works  behind the scenes, not whimsically or arbitrarily as if by her own plan, but in tandem with the larger purpose of the Lord--fellowship with the human race.

When we speak of as "the bond of love" between the Father and the Son, we as Christians run the risk of making the Spirit something less than her own person. That is a problem throughout Christian history; The Holy Spirit has been impersonalized, and the power of her force taken for granted. 

She speaks, informs, leads, guides,and instructs. She evaluates, appoints leaders, makes decisions, and gives gifts---words of wisdom, of knowledge and faith, gifts of healing. She inspires witness to Jesus, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; makes known the mystery of Christ; cries "Abba! Father!" in our hearts; and bears fruit in human life. She strengthens, helps our weakness, comforts, brings liberty and freedom, gives friendship, fills with joy, and produces life and  peace.

When Jesus saysthat he and the Father are one, or that if you have seen him you have seen the Father, he is not saying that he is the Father. Jesus remains his own person, as do the Father and the Holy Spirit, yet their fellowship is so nuclouded that they dwell in one another; and they dwell in one another to such a degree that, for lack of a better way of saying it, they live in utter union--oneness.

God, who needs nothing created us in order that He might love us and perfect us. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  love us for our benefit, not  to increase their membership rolls, or to make themselves look good, or to gain anything we might give them.