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christianity, Father, Form, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Son, Sunday Scripture, The Trinity, The Word
The Trinity is a basic foundation of Christianity. But for a lot of people, it’s one of the most difficult things to understand. I’ve heard a number of explanations, including the one about how God is like water — the same thing in three different forms. But that’s not how I understand the Trinity at all.
The Trinity is not three separate persons. The simplest way to understand this is to look at yourself first. As God is a Trinity, so are each and every one of us. The Bible says that we were made in God’s Image, Likeness and Form — three things that when united form a trinity.
We have a MIND, and with it, God gives us the ability to use reason and logic; to divide Truth from Falsehood.
We have a HEART, or DESIRE, and with it, we choose to love or to hate.
And each of us has a BODY, a physical form where our MIND and our HEART dwell. A place for our thoughts and desires to manifest.
Image, Likeness, and Form. God is a trinity and so are we.
The Trinity of God is of course Father, Spirit, Son. Father: The Image (Mind) of God is Truth; Spirit: The Likeness of God (His Desire, His Heart) is Love; and Son: God’s Form (physical body) is Jesus. Jesus is Truth and Love in flesh, the Messiah = Jesus the Christ. Remember, Christ is not a last name, it means Messiah, which in the Old Testament was to be God Himself in flesh. Jesus is not a man, nor is He the offspring of God; He is nothing created, He is the Creator. Father Truth filled with and displaying His Spirit which is Love, made visible in God’s One and Only Form, the Son, Jesus.
There are some Christians that actually teach AGAINST the Trinity, saying that it’s Jesus and only Jesus, end of story. Well, Jesus is God, YES, but there’s more to it than that. “Just Jesus, no trinity” would be a form without a mind and a heart. And when you understand the Trinity as I’ve explained it, you can see that you need all three parts to make the whole. God IS a trinity. WE are a trinity. Your mind is not the same as your desire. Your form is not your mind. They’re all separate, yet they come together as one.
John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only (the Only Begotten), who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus is the immortal God taking off His immortality, clothing Himself with mortality, crucified, and risen immortal once again. God is Truth and Love made visible in flesh. Jesus.
He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
~ Colossians 1:15-23
Note: Today’s Trinity paintings are: Sandro Botticelli’s “Holy Trinity” (1491-1493); Lucas Cranach the Elder’s “The Trinity” (1515); Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli’s (Il Giampietrino) “Christ with the Symbol of the Trinity” (16th century); and Hendrick van Balen’s “Holy Trinity” (1620s).
I just thought I’d say that I enjoy these posts as much as your other ones. You have a great talent at mixing the right words with the right images. Nicely done Wendy.
I really appreciate you saying that, Dan. Thank you!
Christian Cultual Revival, Resurgence Is Much Needed, Appreciated, Never Doubt
Indeed, I second Mr. Dan A., above, for Wendy’s great gift and talent for illustration–can’t get better than these old Renaissance/Baroque masters. Wendy’s also very good writer too for verbal expression–hence a true all-round artist. And being out-spoken for Christianity is very much needed these days, esp. for encouraging others for consideration and expression.
I’m not exaggerating a whit when I pt. out that satanism is rampant in West and USA too–something un-heard of and un-precedented in our entire Western hist., esp. in “hip-hop” and “rap” music, not to mention the typical Helly-wood movies evermore. There were always isolated instances, but not like we have today–an all-encompassing, full-fledged campaign, culture-wide. Lord knows we need more artists like Wendy, for sure.
To me, the real artistic touch is demonstrated in the DEPTH of spirit reflected in the (outward) expression and style. Anyone who sees and looks upon Wendy’s masterly illustrations cannot fail to be heavily impressed–but she backs-up these illustrations w. great ideas too.
So Wendy, seriously–don’t be surprised if u come to lead, even if only by example, an entire SCHOOL of illustrators and commentators–the satanists will first, of course, IGNORE u and pretend u don’t exist or aren’t significant; as u then begin to become noted by the people, then they will attack most intensely, esp. w. ridicule, this then just prior to stage of pretending they “knew” all about what it was u were telling them all along.
By all means, continue w. ur outstanding work: people not only appreciate it, we all NEED it urgently, it coming at precisely the critical moment in history of increasingly out-of-control satanism.
One other thing: Wendy u should seriously CONSIDER (just to start off with) beginning a YouTube channel–u’ve already got great blogs here archived which u could easily convert to U-tube expos for Christian expression/themes–other themes too. There’s no question u would quickly excel for viewership.
U-tube would multiply ur viewership/market/audience a HUNDRED-fold–I guarantee.
And don’t doubt there are good Christians ALREADY up there on u-tube who would quickly find out about u, these getting thousands upon thousands of views in matter of hrs.
See “Mark Dice” (just type into the search bar on u-tube), “vigilant Christian,” and “white rabbit”–there are many others too who are Christian-oriented. Look at number of views these afore-mentioned get, maybe even ck-out their shorter vids. “Vigilant Christian” gets several thousand views in just couple hrs fm posting his vids.
Don’t doubt u would be INSTANEOUS star, quickly building a large following. If I may advise, u could EASILY generate vids on pertinent subjects, but I’d emphasize the shorter the vid, generally, the better–as u can see fm aforementioned examples, given above.
Vigilant Christian is VERY simplistic and even childish for his vids, he enjoying hearing himself talk w. his many long vids (I don’t really like him that much, though he does good job pt-ing out the rampant satanism)–but look at number of views he gets!–u’re far more substantial, I think, for ur expo. A truly great artist to observe, though, is Mark Dice–he likes to keep it short and sweet, and folks love his vids.
Christian TRUTH: Necessary And Essential
Wendy: I’m not sure if Trinity is exactly the basic foundation of Christianity as there’s nothing specifically said in New Test., esp. Gospels, about it. The only thing we have about Christ being God fm Gosp.s seems to be fm JOHN’s, this obliquely–no other Gosp. says Christ is God.
I’ve always thought Trinity is product of the later Church, like concept of Purgatory, there being all the controversy and the Church Councils working to clarify things. And we know Christ came to clarify and restate the Mosaic Law, though not changing the essence of it–this explicitly against the Pharisees who insisted they would “interpret.”
Thus if we keep it simple, we see Christianity is about Christ who is TRUTH, the only way to Godly happiness (Gosp. JOHN 14:6), setting up the equation, truth = happiness. Holy Spirit then must connect w. TRUTH, reason and honesty being primary means within a sublime integrity.
Thus philosophically, we see Christ upholds the objective reality, God-created, necessary basis of truth–against the Pharisees, satanic liars (JOHN 8:44), who imagine they kill truth (Christ) as they please, who insist upon subjectivism always premised upon “good-evil” (Pelagian heresy) which so much intimidates children, esp. then in form of guilt and inferiority complex, leaving them traumatized for the rest of their lives, subject then to manipulation by means of psy-ops–as we see today.
Thus we have the present problem for understanding of “faith,” a word used by many, including Jews and Christians, but meaning diff. things, the Jews insisting it means “beleeeeeeeeeeeeeevin’,” but for Christians only properly meaning LOYALTY. For beleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevin’ doesn’t make anything true–which confusion, unfortunately, afflicts too many “Christians” nowadays.
If one considers, one sees how subjectivism and lies require “beleeeeeeeeeevin’,” whereas for Christians only LOYALTY is the proper virtue, most appropriate to the truth known and grasped by the honest and rational intellect.
And it’s great and inspiring thing for good Christians to be discussing subject of Christian Trinity as u do so forthrightly, encouraging the rest of us. For we here in USA are in truly horrible difficulty and predicament, and we desperately need a Christian revival and resurgence, people unified against the satanic power which is in-our-face blatant, rampant and raging.
Quite interesting. I will take it in slowly to see if I can digest it. It is always refreshing to visit your site Wendy. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Tawia. So glad you saw this post. I had you in mind as I wrote it, thinking about our previous conversation around Christmas time. I hope it was of some value to you!
Well, I appreciate the simplicity and the direct manner in which you explained the Trinity but I must be honest, I can’t say I am convinced. I will read it over again.
I was raised a catholic and the Trinity was taught quite differently and mystically. It comprised God the father, God the son, God the holy spirit. I am sure even the senior catechist at the time did not completely understand. The concept of trine gods also runs through many primitive cultures.
I will say you have even improved the explanation by making references to directly descernable things like heart, mind, desire etc. I think you have a gift Wendy. You do.
I enjoyed the paintings and the references you made to the scriptures. Not to exaggerate, but I find value in surfing through everything on your blog. Be well.
What’s the story this time? Ho ho ho–u’re just incapable of making a rational argument, aren’t u? Get a clue, kiddo, U’RE NO CHRISTIAN if u can’t handle truth, and if u can’t handle reasoning about it in rational manner. U’re pathetic, my dear–u need to do some serious praying.
Veracious poet: just above note by me at 9:54 am was NOT meant for u. I had an entry there which was taken-down.
Ah, there you are. I knew you’d come out once I called you on your lies. Where has all of your flattery gone? You, sir, have yourself a false idea. And I will not allow you to fill Tawia’s (or anyone else’s) head with your garbage teachings. The messages you’ve been spreading here on my blog are wrong. Continually answering other people’s comments as if this was YOUR blog is not acceptable.
You say truth is happiness and the Holy Spirit is reason. But our happiness and our reason have nothing to do with God, because man is not God. In your summation, God is completely expelled from reality. You call yourself a Christian? Yet you would remove God and replace Him with man? No. That teaching is a lie and you will not spread it here.
You can’t even stay on topic. Netanyahu? You want to bring politics to my site? I’ve never written here about politics, and I don’t want to. This site is about the things that interest me and the God I serve. Politics has no place here.
You think you speak as an intellectual, but you have no place for God as a living being external to His creation. But His creation is NOT God. You don’t understand the Gospel of God, so how can you understand the Trinity or anything else for that matter? You must first know God to love God. And if you know God and love God, you will acknowledge His appearing.
You say that everything comes from the New Testament, but everything comes from the OLD Testament. The New Testament is simply the Old Testament explained, fulfilling the revelation of TRUTH. You’ve got an extreme prejudice against the OT, which has instilled in you a dire hatred of a people, be they Jew or Gentile. Anyone who supports the OT in your mind is to be hated, or is evil, and that’s simply not true. The OT expounds upon the law, and the law is for lawbreakers. We still live in a world full of lawbreakers. But your hatred of the law would have the law removed, and lawbreakers set free to create chaos as they see fit. And all this in the absence of God, because in your world, you think man is God.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
You’re preaching a gospel that is not the gospel found in scripture. You claim to be a Christian and you claim to preach the gospel, but what you preach is incorrect. Therefore I will tell you one last time – stop it. If you reply to anyone other than me on my blog, your comment will be deleted immediately. If you want to have a discussion, fine. But ask your questions (one at a time) and stop writing me a full-length blog post every time you comment.
Wendy: when u mention Netanyahu, people don’t know what u’re talking about as u deleted my post which mentioned the subject, and by which post and mention they’d be able to judge for themselves whether and how it was appropriate. And u mis-represent, among many other things, what I say about Holy Spirit–it’s not ONLY reason, but which MUST entail it in order to grasp TRUTH (= Christ, Gosp. JOHN 14:6). I back-up what I say fm the text which is real and necessary foundation. And I say everything CHRISTIAN must necessarily come fm NT–that’s obvious, and folks can determine for themselves regardless ur assertions. Why do u imagine Veracious poet or anyone needs u to baby-sit them for info?–do u lack respect for people? Do u wonder what sort of man would marry someone like u who mis-represents (there’s a stronger word) in the way u do?
No one else needs to know what I’m talking about because I’m talking to YOU, and only YOU, Apollonian, in this comment. This discussion is between you and me — no one else is involved. I’m talking to YOU.
No one else needs to judge whether what you said about politics was appropriate or not. This is my blog and *I* am telling you it’s a topic that’s not welcome here.
I have love and respect for God and His Word, and I will protect God’s sheep from wolves in sheep’s clothing like you. Whether you like it or not.
And what kind of man are you that you are incapable of having a discussion with me without insulting me? First you call me pathetic and then you insinuate that I’m not marriage material? I don’t entertain spammers or bullies who think they can manipulate and control other people.
I asked nicely, and you wouldn’t listen — goodbye.
Thanks, Tawia, I really appreciate that you feel this way about my blog. I’ve always wanted this to be a place to talk about what I enjoy and what I believe, and it’s nice to think that others can enjoy it right along with me.
I definitely understand that there’s usually a very different explanation of the Trinity given, especially in churches and among their many denominations.
The Trinity is most assuredly, as you say, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But we need to look beyond the labels and identify what each of those “labels” is referring to. The most wonderful thing about the Bible is also the thing which makes it difficult to understand. Although we break the Bible down into smaller “books”, it’s very important that we read it as a whole. We can’t read just one or two books and draw a conclusion. The Bible — all 66 books together — is ONE book. And we have to read it as such.
So many people say, “Show me where it says this in the Bible,” thinking that there are always going to be specific verses which answer their question right out in the open. If I ask, “What colour is the dog?” then there should be a flat out answer somewhere, “The dog is black.” But more often than not, the answers are scattered throughout the scriptures. To answer one simple question “here”, you first need to understand three or four things over “there”. This is why I confidently say that understanding comes ONLY from God. Only He can open our minds to see and understand. But I promise you, the answers are there. They may only come with much study and diligence, but the Lord will help us understand if we’re willing to put in the effort.
I’m so happy to have met you — someone who WANTS to understand — and I pray that what little I do here on my blog will help you in some small way, even if it’s just to pique your interest. I don’t claim to teach anyone anything, but I have a desire to share what little wisdom the Lord has shared with me. And I try to do that to the best of my ability.
My best advice is to keep reading your Bible and don’t lose that hunger to know more. And always ask questions. Jesus once said that we should come to Him as little children. Well, what are little children like? FULL of questions and eager to learn. And I think that’s how God wants each of us to be too. This is the true meaning of “church”. “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am with them.”
God bless you, Tawia. You’re always welcome here!
Thanks. You are right, things must understood in whole not in parts. I think the Trinity touches on some basic psychological predispositions in us. To reason, to love, to be good and to seek truth etc. You are making me a better humanist. Keep up the good work Wendy. Be well.
Another terrific post, GF. So glad you’re continuing this monthly series of ones on religious topics. Quite a heady one this time out, but as you indicate, what could be more foundational to our faith than the Holy Trinity? And what could be more challenging? In fact, this post reminded me of a famous story about St. Augustine, the details of which I quoting here from the website “Tradition in Action”:
*******
The great Doctor of the Church St. Augustine of Hippo spent over 30 years working on his treatise De Trinitate [about the Holy Trinity], endeavoring to conceive an intelligible explanation for the mystery of the Trinity.
He was walking by the seashore one day contemplating and trying to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he saw a small boy running back and forth from the water to a spot on the seashore. The boy was using a sea shell to carry the water from the ocean and place it into a small hole in the sand.
The Bishop of Hippo approached him and asked, “My boy, what are doing?”
“I am trying to bring all the sea into this hole,” the boy replied with a sweet smile.
“But that is impossible, my dear child, the hole cannot contain all that water,” said Augustine.
The boy paused in his work, stood up, looked into the eyes of the Saint, and replied, “It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do – comprehend the immensity of the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your small intelligence.”
The Saint was absorbed by such a keen response from that child, and turned his eyes from him for a short while. When he glanced down to ask him something else, the boy had vanished.
Some say that it was an Angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson on pride in learning. Others affirm it was the Christ Child Himself who appeared to the Saint to remind him of the limits of human understanding before the great mysteries of our Faith.
*******
But just because we can’t fully appreciate this wonderful mystery in all its fullness (at least until we get to Heaven!) doesn’t mean we can’t prayerfully and fruitfully come to a better understanding of it — as you’ve shown here so beautifully. Thanks again for combining excellent writing with marvelous works of art. This one is a real treat. :)
what happened?–I thought I’d posted an entry for here–do I need to re-post?
Apollonian, have you ever read Acts 16:16-19?
“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.”
Here we find the story of a girl who believed the gospel Paul preached. She also was quick to tell people that Paul was preaching the truth and the way to God. Her problem was that within her dwelt a demon (a false idea) that the thoughts of her mind were of God when they were not. She was using Paul as a means of glorifying her own ability to express her own thoughts and ideas. Isaiah 55:7-9 and John 5:39-40 tell us that the thoughts of men which do not line up 100% with what the Word of God says, are wicked thoughts and are not thoughts from God.
You did post an entry and no, there’s no need to re-post it. I removed it.
I welcome discussion on my blog, and I encourage participation. I’m tolerant of people’s opinions, whether they be in agreement with mine or against them. And I want everyone who visits my blog to feel welcome and free to post comments. But there needs to be a certain etiquette that’s observed and upheld here.
I don’t appreciate you using my blog as a platform for sharing your ideas. You’re not participating in the discussions, you’re presuming to teach people your ideas rather than what the Word of God says, using my posts as your home base and your stepping stone. And that’s not acceptable. I will not let you hijack my blog. If you’re looking for a place to express yourself to the degree you do here, then it’s time for you to consider starting your own blog. I appreciate fellowship where there’s an exchange of ideas conducive to what the Scriptures tell us, but I think it’s time that you understood what you’re doing wrong. We who preach the Gospel are not fortune-tellers. God bless.
Please Clarify Ur Objection(s)
Wendy: u tell us, “I welcome discussion on my blog, and I encourage participation. I’m tolerant of people’s opinions, whether they be in agreement with mine or against them. And I want everyone who visits my blog to feel welcome and free to post comments.”
So then why did u remove my entry?–why didn’t or don’t u simply address the pt.s made in that entry?–isn’t that proper, rational behavior and dialectic? But then we see u introduce something about “etiquette”–which evidently has something to do w. ur last paragraph.
In that last paragraph u write, “I don’t appreciate you using my blog as a platform for sharing your ideas”–which seems to totally contradict ur above sentences which I quoted.
THEN u assert I’m “not participating in the discussions”?–so what did I fail to discuss?–u don’t say, do u?–is this rational?
For example, if u say Trinity is “basic foundation of Christianity,” don’t u think u need a reference in New Test. and Gospel text?–where does Christ say he’s God the Son?–not that I deny Christ’s Godliness, but I do suggest u ought in reason to found ur assertions in actual text.
But then we come to ur assertion I’m “presuming to teach people [my] ideas rather than what the Word of God says”–BUT u don’t say how or why what I say is contrary to, or other than “Word of God.”
THEN u say, “…I think it’s time that you understood what you’re doing wrong”–which begs same question as I note just above–u don’t say how or why what I say is contrary to, or other than “Word of God.”
“[U]sing my posts as your home base and your stepping stone”–isn’t this simply the normal, rational manner of dialectic and discussion?–what’s the actual problem?
I suspect there’s something more specific, which maybe u’re not getting, which perhaps u don’t like so much–why don’t u tell us about it?–isn’t that rational manner of dialectic/discussion?
Thanks, Boss. I thought this was an important one to do. The first and greatest command is to love God, and how can we truly love Him if we don’t first learn who He is? It’s only God who can open our minds to understand such things, and He says that He will give understanding to anyone who asks with a sincere heart. I definitely think we’re meant to understand many things that others have deemed not understandable, but we can only do it if God opens our minds to learn. Wisdom comes from God alone. And that’s why we search the scriptures diligently and have fellowship together. It’s all about learning what God has to teach us. Thanks for your continued support, my friend. :)
Wendy,
Thank you for this wonderful post. The trinity is a difficult concept introduced it in a very approachable way. I enjoy your posts, especially the art select.
Thank you, Mark, very nice to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
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