2025-05-09
Good morning Dear Ones,
So far, we have looked at the issues of surrendering to the Lord, beginning one’s faith journey with baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit commands me to discuss our Trinitarian God and why He deserves our worship. Most people are either brought up to believe there is a God, or the circumstances of their lives lead them to the search for inner peace that believing in God gives them. Either way, to be a Christian, they must be baptized, which an outer commitment of an inner transformation that is taking place. The baptism itself is a ritual that doesn’t make the change; it is just a symbol of it. RO 6: 5-7, “For if we have been united with Him (Christ) in death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” This doesn’t mean that we can no longer sin. Instead, it means we no longer want to sin. The question arises: What about infant baptism?
Infant baptism is more the commitment of one’s parents that they will rear the infant as a believer. However, each of us at some point in our lives must leave their parents’ sphere of influence and decide how he will live his adult life. To be a true believer, he must live in conformity with RO 6: 11, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Many will join a class to study the Scriptures, giving themselves the opportunity to gain an understanding of just what a gift they are to us from God. God wants us to know Him well. It is He Who allows the circumstances of our lives to lead us to Him—His way of seeking and choosing us first. JN 15: 16-17, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in My name, the Father will give you. This is My command: Love each other.”
One who follows this path is not only conforming to God’s will but also to his own. He soon hears the phrase, “God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.” Unlike any human or other being on earth or in heaven, God, the Father, can’t be seen and is the ultimate Decider of all things. If one thinks of a huge company, it must have someone who is the CEO (chief executive officer) who makes the decisions. That is God’s main function, and His will stands [IS 46: 9-10]. This eternal truth is aptly expressed in GN 1: 27a, where we are reminded that we were created in Their own image…” If the use of that pronoun confuses, God is referring to His trinitarian nature here. God is a Being that is one (as stated in DT 6: 4) but has three Personalities, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So then, if we can’t see God, the Father, how do we know He exists? We know this because we see His influence. He is the One Who created His plan for all other beings on earth and in heaven. The next question is: Who is Jesus Christ?
Much more is said about Him directly in the New Testament. COL 1: 15, “God the Son is the visible image of the invisible God (the Father), the Firstborn of all creation.” This is a clear reference to Jesus Christ, also known as the Son. He is all over the OT too, but His name isn’t given. How do we know this? By the second phrase of this citation, “…the Firstborn of all creation.” The Lord Jesus is like the vice president in charge of redemption in my metaphor. He was commanded by the Father to do the physical work of creating the world [1 COR 8: 6], to exert His influence indirectly through the history of the OT [JN 1: 14], and to make the quintessential atoning sacrifice on the cross depicted in the NT [JN 3: 16]. The Father, then, resurrected Him to His rightful place of honor in heaven. In case the connection between Christ and the Father should be forgotten, God reminds us of it in JN 14: 10-11, “…I am in the Father, and the Father is in me…” [see also JN 10: 30].
PRAYER: O Lord, we seek to better understand Your nature and unique ways of influencing us for our eternal benefit. There is no darkness (evil) in You [I JN 1: 5], even though You allow evil to challenge us for always-righteous reasons. We live in a fallen world but are encouraged to remember 1 JN 4: 4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One [Holy Spirit] Who is in you is greater than the one (the spirit who doesn’t acknowledge Jesus) who is in the world.” Throughout mankind’s history, darkness and sin have been with us. However, You never give true believers challenges that are great enough to break our resolve to stand firm in our faith [1 COR 10: 13]. There is no question that Your intention is to separate the righteous from those who aren’t [MT 25: 32]. We are determined to rely on faith and to trust You. You deserve our loyalty, love, thanksgiving, and praise forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Space doesn’t permit me to discuss the Holy Spirit today, so at His behest, He will be the subject of next week’s devotion. If you are not familiar with some of the Bible citations I’ve given, please take the time to look them up. It is fundamental to God’s plan of salvation that all true believers will be brought back to His side in heaven. We are left with this hope of resurrection in many places in the Scripture. Let me close with RO 15: 13, a citation that my congregation has made reciting a weekly tradition. “May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025; All Rights Reserved.
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