Tri-Power God

I recently wrote an article mentioning that some people don’t believe in the three-fold nature of God. They correctly point out that the word “trinity” is not in the Bible. What they seem to ignore is the repeated mention either by name or by appearance of three entities represented also God. I asked in that article if refusing to believe in the trinity was sufficient cause to exclude one from God’s saving grace. I’m not sure, but I do know that there are some basic facts that must be accepted for salvation. (See How Wrong Can You Be )

I also know that denying what the Bible clearly describes as the three-fold nature of God hinders one’s ability to experience the fullness of the godhead. Understanding that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit provides three distinct avenues of access to the one God. We see glimpses of multiple approaches in the Old Testament. The Yahweh God of Israel declared Himself to be one; at the same time, He gave or withheld His Spirit at various times. There are also mentions of the Angel of the Yahweh which in context can be seen to be God Himself. The Psalms and the prophets often speak of the coming of a Servant or a Son who would have the attributes of God as well.

In the New Testament, the distinctiveness of each presentation of God becomes more easily understood. For example, Jesus, the self-declared Son of God, prayed often to His Father. He directed His disciples to ask nothing more of Him after He left, but they were to ask the Father in His name. James encourages asking for wisdom from God and a few verses later identifies “the Father of lights” as the one who gives “every good and every perfect gift.” In his epistles, Paul uses the phrase “God and Father” a dozen times; James, Peter, and John use the same phrase once each. If you search for “God and Father” in the New Testament, you will find numerous ways to bless and be blessed by your heavenly Father.

None of that is to say that you cannot pray to Jesus. When you remember all that He did as the Incarnate Son of God, you will find many things to say to Him. First and foremost is naturally to thank Him for His unbelievable willingness to go to the Cross to bear your sins. The shame and pain He endured was for the joy set before Him; that joy was knowing that the curse of Adam’s sin had been removed – the curse that you bore as Adam’s descendant. As if that isn’t enough, think of all the things He demonstrated by living a human life perfectly pleasing to God. As Paul says, we have a model to imitate to please God as Jesus did. Finally, you cannot forget the teachings recorded in God’s Word, without which we would have little guidance on the path of righteousness. Those things and more should lead you to speak to Jesus Himself with awe and thankfulness.

What I am about to suggest may sound foreign to some, but I believe it is part of experiencing the fullness of God: we should also pray to the Holy Spirit. First, He is a being with personhood – a person with mind, emotions, and a will. Most anti-trinitarians deny this aspect of the Holy Spirit; they consider the Spirit to be an “it,” a power or force. I will grant them that in the Greek of the New Testament the pronoun used for “Spirit” is neuter in gender. However, a deeper knowledge of the language reveals that pronouns must agree in gender and number with their antecedent. Because “spirit” is neuter, the pronoun referring to spirit must also be neuter.

But gender is only a linguistic matter; it has nothing to do with the reality the word represents. The truth is that the Holy Spirit is neither masculine nor feminine. Shockingly, neither is God the Father. We attach masculine attributes to “Father” because in our human mind, a father must be male. In truth, that is just another way that our infinite Yahweh God bows down to our level so that we might get a peek at who He is. (See God Made Small) In eternity prior to His incarnation, the Son was not masculine either, in my opinion. However, He now exists in eternity future as the exalted, glorified human Son. Whether He will appear masculine is unclear. His disciples certainly recognized the man they spent three years with when He returned after His resurrection. I don’t know if that will be the case when we join Him in Glory.

I hope I made the point that the Holy Spirit is a person. As such, we can speak to Him as we would speak to any other person. And we should have much to say. Jesus promised that the Spirit would guide us into truth; thank you, Spirit. Paul asserts that the Spirit grants us the fruit necessary to live a godly life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Thank you, Spirit. Paul also says several times that as Christians, we are all given supernatural gifts to do the work God requires of us in the body of Christ. Thank you, Spirit. We are told that the Holy Spirit confirms to our spirit that we are God’s children. Thank you, Spirit. The Holy Spirit in us is the down payment on our eventual glorification. Thank you, Spirit.

Because it is impossible to please God apart from the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, and because we are told time and again to walk in the spirit, pray in the spirit, be led by the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, and more, asking the Spirit directly to help us is a legitimate request. I don’t mean to suggest that if we ask the Father for help from His Spirit or thank God for Jesus it won’t be accepted. I imagine you can pray a “generic” prayer, and Heaven will direct it to the correct person. What I am saying is that your prayer life can be enriched by a fuller understanding of to Whom you are praying. Our God is infinitely powerful to answer any prayer offered within His will. For me, imagining the tri-power of God adds another dimension to my prayers. Why not tri it?