Episode 2893 - Lesson 13 - Thursday Sep. 24 - Our Triune God

Our Triune GodWhen reading 2 Corinthians 13:14, one may think that Christ is the only source of grace, God is the only source of love, and the Holy Spirit is the only source of fellowship, but nothing could be further from the truth.Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-4, 9; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 2 Corinthians 1:2, 12; Romans 8:35; Romans 15:30; Galatians 2:20; and Ephesians 3:19. What do these passages say about grace, love, and fellowship in connection with the members of the Trinity?The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work together for our salvation. Grace, love, and fellowship come not from only one but the Three Members of the Godhead. Yet, each One has specific functions in the history of salvation. Paul is aware of and emphasizes this teaching in his letters. For instance, the plan of salvation is told with an incredible economy of words in Galatians 4:4-6, with the respective participation of the Three Members of the Godhead. God the Father sent Jesus, which suggests that the Father is the Source of that plan (Gal. 4:4). The Son was born of a woman (Gal. 4:4), which is a reference to the Incarnation and points to the fulfillment of an ancient promise (Gen. 3:15). The Son redeemed and brought us back to the correct relationship with the Father, whom Satan had lied about (Gen. 3:5). And the Holy Spirit legitimizes our identity as children of God (Gal. 4:6).There are several other references to the Trinity in the Pauline letters. The three act together, enabling the church for mission (1 Cor. 12:4-6), giving us spiritual strength (Eph. 3:14-19), and promoting a profound unity among church members, one that replicates the unity that marks the very relationship of the members of the Godhead (Eph. 4:4-6). In Paul's understanding, not only is God triune, but also the three Persons of the Godhead work together for our salvation (Eph. 1:3, 13, 14). In Ephesians, Paul goes as far as to mention that we must be filled with the fullness of the Father (Eph. 3:19), the Son (Eph. 4:13), and the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).In bringing the correspondence with the Corinthians to a close (2 Cor. 13:14), Paul could not finish with a better ending--a promise that the three Dignitaries of the universe, the heavenly Trio, would be with us now and in the age to come.How should fellowship among church members reflect the lovely relationship of the Godhead?