When preaching I think the hardest part is going from concept to
sermon. It is easy to say, “oooo that would make a good sermon,” jot
down a line or two and a scripture and think that when I come back to
it, poof I will have a ready-made sermon. But it never seems to work out
like I think it will. Sometimes that one great idea may spin off into
oblivion, other times it splits into many ideas, none of which seem
particularly good as I start typing. This morning though, the concept is
the hard part of the sermon. I want to talk the Trinity and try to put
it in to terms of things that we do understand, more or less.
When I say The Trinity, I am speaking about the three-part
Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A concept that has baffled
Christians for more than two thousand years. In John 10:30 Christ
confounded with the idea of two distinct parts of only one God “I and my
Father are one.” But the Church must accept and believe the idea that
three distinct beings that are all also the same being. The concept is
just so far beyond man’s experience or comprehension. So, we try to
depict it in terms that we can understand, or in other words, simplify
God’s very nature to something we can actually identify with. There are
many examples that have been used, I am partial to the cherry pie
example, but I use it a lot, so we will use the book example this
morning. This example says:
The Trinity is as easy
to understand as a book, chapter 1 is God the Father, chapter 2 is God
the Son, and chapter 3 is God the Spirit. While each chapter is distinct
from the others, they are all part of the same book.
And while such illustrations provide us with a way to
conceptualize the Trinity, but actual understanding of the the concept
still sits beyond us.
This morning I am going to look at two other Biblical
trinities in hopes that by looking at these other trinities, we can,
perhaps, gain a better understanding of our God.
The first trinity I want us to look at is actually the one
that I personally have the hardest time with. I call it the human
trinity. Now I know that is a strange term. But the concept is a
scriptural one. The link between the idea of The Trinity and the “human
trinity.” Goes back to the very beginning. Literally.
Turn to:
Genesis 1:26
26Then
God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.”
In English, the words “in our likeness” and “in our image” sound
like repetition. A photo, painting, or sculpture can be referred by
either term, an image, or a likeness, in our language they are synonyms.
But when we go to the original language, we see two terms that are
distinct from one another in meaning, usage, and even gender. The root
of the first word here is “tselem.” This word is masculine and has the
near universal usage referring to something’s physical appearance. But
the second word, the word which we will be focusing on for a couple of
minutes this morning has “demooth” as its root. This word is feminine
and used to refer to the make up of the two things being compared, in
Genesis 1:26 the things being compared are God and man.
Examples of usage of the two words might look like:
For “tselem:”
My son looks just like
me.
For “demooth:”
My son has the same
mannerisms (behaviors, or spirit) as me.
So why is that important for a lesson on understanding The Trinity
through this “human trinity?” Understanding that we are made not only
in the image of God but also in His likeness, in a trinity, can help us
understand the concept of three distinct parts yet one whole.
While God is Father, Son, and Spirit; we are body, mind, and
spirit. Another way to say it would be mechanical, electrical, and
spiritual. We have a purely mechanical part of our body, and if it fails
the purely electrical part of our bodies also fails and vice versa. But
we also have a spiritual self that is distinct from both parts and is
the part of us that will live for all of time in one of two
destinations. And while that sounds almost like something out of a
science fiction novel it is used in many places throughout Scripture.
Here are three examples:
Deuteronomy 6:5
5You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Matthew 22:37
37Jesus
said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole
spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The idea that I am made of three parts is still an idea that I
struggle to comprehend, after all, I am, simply put, me. Conceptualizing
that I am made of three distinct parts is so strange to me. But there is
a reason that we were created this way. If we can come to understand
this concept within ourselves perhaps, we can also come to a deeper
understanding of God.
While understanding the human trinity, might give us direct
insight into the idea of three parts in one being, it does not however
give us a great insight into three distinct individuals that make up one
whole. However, God did give us another avenue that we might come to an
understanding of this concept. How three distinct individuals could make
one greater thing.
Turn to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9Two are better than one, Because they have a good
reward for their labor.
10For
if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is
alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.
11Again,
if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm
alone?
12Though
one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a
threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Notice that very last sentence. “A threefold cord is not quickly
broken.” This section is referring to two people overcoming challenges
that one cannot, so where does this last line fit. Well, the most
obvious answer is most often the correct answer. So, I do not want to
shock anyone here, but the third strand of the rope here is God. This
verse shows that putting God into a relationship makes it far stronger.
There is a relationship that is perhaps the best earthly
demonstration of The Trinity, better than coming to an understanding of
our personal three-part nature, better than a book or a cherry pie any
other illustration. The relationship is marriage.
If you look through Scripture, you will see marriage used
nearly if not literally from the first page to the last. If you turn to
Genesis 2:24, and Revelation 22:17: (hint: look at the first and last
page of your Bible)
Genesis 2:24
24Therefore
a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
they shall become one flesh.
Revelation 22:17
17And
the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!”
And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of
life freely.
And throughout Scripture marriage is used to describe God’s
relationship with Christ, Christ’s relationship with man, and the
church’s relationship to Christ, and more.
1 Corinthians 11:3
3But I want you to know that the head of every man is
Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Ephesians 5:22-33
22Wives,
submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the
husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and
He is the Savior of the body. 24Therefore, just as the church
is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in
everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also
loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26that He might
sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that
He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
blemish. 28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their
own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one
ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the
Lord does the church. 30For we are members of His body, of
His flesh and of His bones. 31“For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh.” 32This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let each one
of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife
see that she respects her husband.
And the list of verses goes on and on. The reason is simple.
Marriage is something everyone should have a strong understanding of;
and one relationship where two people plus God create something greater
than the sum of the people involved. Marriage is the ultimate example of
the three stranded cord. Which is why marriage is probably the best
earthly example of the Trinity.
Perhaps that is why it is one of the things that the world
devalues so much. Here are just four examples of that devaluation:
Marriage is described as
a purely legal status of a relationship.
Marriage is described as
completely unnecessary because two people who love one another do not
need a piece of paper.
Marriage is an archaic
establishment that limits us to certain gender defined roles.
That we are animals and
the idea that two people would be monogamously bound for life is counter
to nature.
Yet, contrary to the world’s portrayal of marriage, when one
is in a proper God centered marriage, marriage elevates both husband and
wife. In that kind of marriage, you will find that three strand cord.
And as in Ecclesiastes when one partner is weak the other will take up
the slack, and when both partners are weak, if they have God as that
third strand, then He will carry them through. I know that sounds like
a greeting card. But having lived through it I can testify to its truth.
I am not saying Robyn and I have a perfect marriage, because
we do not. if for no other reason, I am a part of it. But we have by
clinging to one another and God made it through some very rough times.
And this morning I want to take you into a point in my marriage where
this illustration of the marriage as a trinity, of a three corded rope,
defined, and sustained Robyn and I’s marriage. You have all met my
Thomas and know of his accident. This accident and Thomas’ lasting
disability statistically should have been a death knell for my marriage.
Here are the statistics to support that sentence:
41-55% of marriages end
in divorce.
Marriages with children
of special needs have a 10-20% increase in divorce. Meaning 50-75% of
those end in divorce.
Marriages with a tragedy
to a child where one parent was responsible for the accident have are
30% more likely to end in divorce. A whopping 70-85%!
Add together the
disability, with the tragedy, the likelihood of Robyn and I’s divorce
should have been 91 - 105%.
Why tell you that? Well, because Robyn and I both reached that
point where all we could do individually was as the saying goes, tie a
knot at the end of our rope and hold on to God. We also were fortunate
in that we both put God as the center of our marriage. In spite of
blaming ourselves, in spite of not understanding what the other was
feeling, in spite of not knowing how to tell the other what we were
individually feeling, in spite of sleepless nights, differing reactions
to Thomas’s new challenges, we both came to the point that all we could
do was place it at God’s feet and let him carry it all, us individually,
our parts of our marriage, and our load cares. Eventually we found one
thing that we could tell each other that they understood that we could
not do it without God’s, and their help. And from there we were able to
wrap the three strands of the cord back together, but if we had not had
that third strand, there would have been nothing to hold us to one
another.
That is why I can say from experience if you want to have an
example of three distinct individuals make up one greater whole then
Godly marriage is perhaps the best example you can find on earth. You
have the husband who is charged to lead the wife, through his sacrifice
for her as Christ leads the church.
Ephesians 5:25
25Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself
for her
The wife who is charged to obey her husband as the Church obeys
Christ
Ephesians 5:24
24Therefore,
just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in everything.
God who sustains and guides them both.
Romans 15:5-6
5Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be
like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6that
you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
I alone could not be the person I am when I stand with my wife,
and together we would not be who we are together if we did not put God
at the center of our relationship. I am still me; she is still herself,
and God is still God. But when those three are put into one thing you
get a marriage that has withstood all that the world has yet to throw at
it, and with God at its center it will last till death do us part.
I know I have given two vastly different examples of earthly
trinities this morning.
That we are one being with three parts, body, mind, spirit, as
God is one being with three parts Father, Son, and Spirit.
And that strong Godly marriages show how three individuals
make one whole, husband + wife + God = one marriage, as the trinity is
three distinct parts, Father, Son, and Spirit, yet all God.
Perhaps by coming to an understanding of both of these
examples we will have a stronger more personal way to explain the
Trinity, than a book or a cherry pie. Then when someone says, “I do not
understand the concept of the Trinity.” We will have an answer ready.
If this is the morning’s lesson has helped you make the decision
to put on Christ in baptism or you have needs of the church, please come
forward as we stand and sing.
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