PEP Talks for Churches offers a fresh and relevant way of relating to God, the Gospel, and faith in general.
This talk started with an innocent question from a friend nearly a decade ago. My friend simply asked if I believed in the Trinity. Although I did, I was unable to articulate my faith and this led me down a path of reflection, study, and epiphany that has changed the course of my life.
Now, after years of study, I have come to view the individual persons of the Trinitarian Godhead ‘like‘ truth, love, and hope… but not just the words and concepts as you and I know them. Instead, these are loaded words which contain much deeper meaning than at first glance. (By the way, I chose the word ‘like‘ very carefully.)
As an adult, my relationship to (i.e. understanding and ability to demonstrate) truth, love, and hope is optimistic at best. Put plainly, I strive to know as much of the truth as I can, I try to love well, and I hope for the best. But to be honest, I know I have fallen short of the infinite maximums of such words and have only experienced a fraction of all that’s possible… ‘like‘ a relative sort of truth, a selfish/imperfect form of love, and a conditional, even despairing, sense of hope. Perhaps you feel the same way?
In short, I view the Trinity using the following framework:
- God the Father is like Absolute Truth (as opposed to the sliver of relative truth we see).
- God the Son is like Perfect Love (as opposed to the ways we have overused and even perverted the word ‘love’).
- God the Holy Spirit is like Infinite Hope (as opposed to the limited hope we allow ourselves to believe in).
- And each is like the other, supporting one another, revealing one another, dependent upon one another. None exist independently from the others.
So, when the Bible says in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…“ I understand this to mean, “Share Truth, Love Others, and Offer Hope.” Put another way, “Therefore go and invite all nations into relationship with God the Father (by sharing truth), God the Son (by loving others), and God the Holy Spirit (by offering hope).“
Suffice it to say, this framework has served me well and I am excited to share this good news with all those who will listen. So, I intentionally fill my cup with His Word, His Truth, His Love, and His Hope. Now, I’m ready to serve others from His overflow. Want to know more?
