'Abba! Father!'

We are heirs, led by the Spirit, who cry out to God our Father, ‘Abba! Father!’ This passage is very Trinitarian: we are to identify with Jesus, be led by God the Spirit, and cry out to God our Father. How appropriate that on the week of Trinity Sunday the apostle Paul describes for us how we can live as Trinitarian people. We believe that God is three persons but do we approach faith as though we are forming a relationship with a God who interacts with humanity through three natures.

I know that for me it is hard to remember that God is one and three. My mind knows that God the Spirit is here with us but it is difficult to remember that God the Father and Son are also with us. Furthermore, it is almost mind boggling to recognize that when we pray to or listen for God the Father, God the Spirit and God’s the Son are present also. Moreover, when God the Spirit comforts us in a time of need God the Son and God the Father are also present. We may interact with God through one of God’s three natures, but, when we do, we interact with the one God of Israel.

 

Below are explanations for the Trinity that can be found on the United Methodist website:

We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God.

God

We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.

We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.

We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.

Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.

We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.

We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.)

We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.

We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13-14.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.

We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.

We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.