Why understanding God as Trinity is essential for understanding His love.
In the first module, we asked what posture we would have towards our First Love.
In the second module, we humbled ourselves before an incomprehensibly great God.
In the third module, we marveled and adored God, who is altogether lovely.
In the last module, we meditated on God as Creator.
In this module, we are going to focus on our Triune God of love.
Why does it matter that God is Triune? The theologian Michael Reeves says this:
Traditionally, Allah is said to have ninety-nine names, titles which describe him as he is in himself in eternity. One of them is "The Loving." But how could Allah be loving in eternity? Before he created there was nothing else in existence that he could love (and the title does not refer to self-centered love but love for others). > > Therein lies the problem: how can a solitary God be eternally and essentially loving when love involves loving another? … Everything changes when it comes to the Father, Son and Spirit. Here is a God who is not essentially lonely, but who has been loving for all eternity as the Father has loved the Son in the Spirit. Loving others is not a strange or novel thing for this God at all; it is at the root of who he is.
We say God is love. And we understand what this means by understanding that our First Love is Triune.
THREE IN ONE, ONE IN THREE, GOD OF MY SALVATION,
Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit. I adore thee as one Being, one Essence, one God in three distinct Persons, for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.
O Father, thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;
O Jesus, thou hast loved me and assumed my nature, shed thine own blood to wash away my sins, wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart, implanted there eternal life, revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee, for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
Amen.
How does God being Triune help us understand the importance of love?
The closing line of the prayer invites us to "live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name." What might change in your daily rhythms, your relationships, or your approach to prayer if you sought to engage all of life consciously rooted in the love and reality of Father, Son, and Spirit?
Reflect on how understanding the Trinity changes your view of God's love.
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