Light, Life and Love...Trinity
J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R.*
Sometimes I find that non-Catholic Christians have a better grasp
of the importance of Light, Life, Love as a Triune Truth
than do Catholics. What is really lamentable is that we
have a greater gift to share; a fuller, richer,
real and substantial understanding
of Jesus Christ as Light, Life
and Love in the
and Love in the
Eucharist.
Thank you
Pastor Bristow!
Light – Life – Love
One day when I had been assigned to give a Wednesday night devotional, I sat on the patio to think about a subject pertaining to God. I began by considering the question, “What are three words that help describe the awesomeness of God?” Almost immediately three words came into my mind—all three beginning with the letter “L”! The words were “LIGHT,” “LIFE,” and “LOVE.” Then it occurred to me that these three words are important throughout the Bible.
Therefore, would you please study with me the importance of these three words as they relate to God?
GOD AND LIGHT
Almost immediately the Bible begins with God and light. As Moses recorded the days of creation, on the first day and the first thing that God made was light. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Then as we read further to the fourth day of creation, we learn that God resumed the subject of light. “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). Therefore, light is essential for all the other things in God’s creation.
Almost immediately the Bible begins with God and light. As Moses recorded the days of creation, on the first day and the first thing that God made was light. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Then as we read further to the fourth day of creation, we learn that God resumed the subject of light. “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). Therefore, light is essential for all the other things in God’s creation.
However, the Bible gives even a greater importance to light, because light is used to describe God. Centuries later, the Holy Spirit guided the apostle John to write, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
Before Jesus made His appearance on this earth, Malachi, the last recorded Old Testament prophet announced, “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2). When the apostle John introduced Jesus as the Word in his book, he wrote: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
The sinful world did not like this light from heaven exposing their darkness on earth, but this did not stop Jesus from shining. He taught: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
All through His ministry, Jesus showed the world the light of God. In fact, He identified Himself as being the “light of the world,” John 8:12, and taught His disciples to be reflectors of His light (Matthew 5:14-16). Christians are also commanded to walk in the light of God so they can enjoy fellowship with one another and the cleansing blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). Without doubt, light is an essential word to describe God!
GOD AND LIFE
After God made light, He then used His power to make life. From the smallest creature to the largest animals that roam the land and swim in the sea, God gave all of them life. But God saved the best until the last. On the sixth and last day of creation, 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” (Genesis 1:26). Man would be more than the animals—he would be in the image of God.
Therefore, God followed the following procedure in making man. First of all, he made him a physical body from the dust, and then gave him an eternal Soul. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Thus, the animals had only physical life, but man had both physical and eternal life.
When God made man and woman, He placed them in a beautiful, growing, watered, garden that He had prepared for them. The garden had all kinds of trees, but the center attraction of it was the tree of life. In fact, there was only one tree that God declared to be off limits to this first couple; it was the tree of death (Genesis 2:17). Therefore, they had a choice between life and death.
Perhaps the saddest thing recorded in the Bible is the fact that this first couple chose death—they obeyed the serpent and disobeyed God. The important question now is, “How will the God of light, life, and love respond?”
Here is the answer, Adam and Eve, along with all generations must face the certainty of physical death—”in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). This is the sad news! However, there is also some good news. God also promised spiritual life through the seed of woman (Genesis 3:15).
GOD AND LOVE
Why didn’t God let Adam and Eve die? After all, they had chosen death! The only way to answer this question is that He was motivated by love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But the question might be asked, “Did the love of God overcome the fact that this first couple had become sinners?” Yes, God’s love was demonstrated regardless of this fact! “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Always keep in mind that God Himself IS LOVE! The apostle John verifies this truth: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:7-10).
As Jesus went about teaching His message of salvation, He lived and taught love. Love your enemies, love your brethren, love the Father, and to His disciples, love one another. Among the things He wanted to leave with His disciples was the importance of love. When the world saw them, Jesus wanted them to be identified by love.
As Jesus went about teaching His message of salvation, He lived and taught love. Love your enemies, love your brethren, love the Father, and to His disciples, love one another. Among the things He wanted to leave with His disciples was the importance of love. When the world saw them, Jesus wanted them to be identified by love.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35). Love had existed in the Old Testament, but Jesus exalted it to its greatest heights. He chose love as the badge for all who followed Him to wear. In this sense, Jesus identified love as a new commandment.
The apostle Paul taught the exalted kind of love that was lived and commanded by Jesus. Before expressing what love will do, Paul showed its importance and how love affects all the acts of Christianity: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
The apostle Paul taught the exalted kind of love that was lived and commanded by Jesus. Before expressing what love will do, Paul showed its importance and how love affects all the acts of Christianity: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Therefore, among the many words that can be used to describe the greatness of God, surely the words LIGHT, LIFE, and LOVE would describe Him best!
+ + +
And from the following site, I find a confirmation of sorts from another Christian, Earl Jackson, a Baptist pastor for over 35 years: http://www.amazingdoctrines.com/def-trinity.html
One.
The three persons of the Godhead have a numerical essence of one. That means they equally share the same divine essence or nature. All the attributes of God belong to each of the three persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each possess all the substance and all the attributes of deity. The plurality of the Godhead is therefore not a plurality essences, but a plurality of personal distinction. God is not Three and One, but Three in one.
The three persons of the Godhead have a numerical essence of one. That means they equally share the same divine essence or nature. All the attributes of God belong to each of the three persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each possess all the substance and all the attributes of deity. The plurality of the Godhead is therefore not a plurality essences, but a plurality of personal distinction. God is not Three and One, but Three in one.
The false teachers misrepresent this doctrine as tri-theism. They say 1+1+1=3 but this is the wrong mathematical formula. The correct formula is not addition but multiplication. 1X1X1=1.
Sincerely yours in Jesus and Mary,
Mike Rizzio
Imitate Mary
Become like Jesus
Live for the Triune God
Seek the Light of Our Lord Jesus Christ
See you on the High Ground!
* - J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R. stands for:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph;
O Beata Trinitas;
St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael
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