Paradox—it’s one of God’s specialties.
- Jesus was full of grace and truth.
- The eternal God came to earth as a helpless baby.
- God didn’t speak in thunder or gale-force winds, but in a still, small voice.
- The wisdom of man is foolishness to God. The wisdom of God is foolishness to man.
- We’re asked to trust in things we cannot see, to hope in things we cannot fully grasp.
- Jesus was in God, and God in him. He and the Father are one. Yet he had to leave to allow the Spirit to be with us.
God is Jesus is the Spirit is the Father is God. How can we wrap our heads around it? We can’t.
In an attempt to make the reality of the trinity practical, Leonard Allen talked about the tendencies we all have to lean more heavily on one or two aspects of the trinity than the others. Some churches emphasize the Risen Savior, others the Creator God, still others, the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet God is all three at once.
What happens if we de-emphasize one of God’s holy personalities? We fall into heresy.
If we don’t put enough emphasis on God the Father, we fail to recognize his absolute power and authority. We think we can manipulate him to do anything we ask of him. We seek to form him in our own image. We expect him to fulfill all our fondest wishes. If we use “the Prayer of Jabez” or “Health and Wealth Gospel” as formulas for success, we might fall into these types of heresies.
If we ignore the importance of Jesus as our Risen Savior, we cannot learn from his servant leadership. Thus, we give ourselves the authority to judge those around us. We might seek after spiritual thrills and experiences instead of dedicating ourselves to walk in his footsteps in both exciting times and in trials. We give ourselves permission to look down on others who have lesser understanding or lesser spiritual gifts.
If we say that the Holy Spirit has finished its work, we burden ourselves with the responsibility of interpreting God’s perfect design for our lives. We may come to the belief that if we just try harder, we can earn our way to heaven. Or that if we figure out exactly what the Bible means, we can follow it to the letter. In some cases, we elevate the Bible to equal standing with God and, like the Pharisees of John 5, we diligently search the scriptures hoping to find life in them, but we fail to acknowledge the true life giver.
1 comment:
This is a neat thread. I am wishing I had attended these sessions, and I am glad you are sharing some of the material. I am finding it interesting to think about and certainly a topic worth some Berean level study. Thanks, Patty, for the challenge.
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