What is the Triune God Like

Benchmark paper 21 November 2021 Today and everywhere there exists many worldviews, the basis of these worldviews can depend on many things. For Christians, the worldview exists in understanding the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and Jesus’s resurrection. The foundation is Christianity is found in the Bible, which is the timeline of Christianity, which answers questions such as “who is God?”, “what is the purpose of humanity?”, “why are we here?”, “who is Jesus?”, and many more. Within a great understanding of Christian worldview, we find our purpose to become God-serving people who rest our lives on God thanks to the salvation and redemption of Jesus Christ. Once that is understood, it is easier to live a life in the Lord’s light. In the triune of God, otherwise known as the Trinity, it is understood that God exists in three forms yet there is still only one God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are included in the triune; essentially these three people exist as one and as each other. In 2 Corinthians 13:14, all three members of Trinity are mentioned by Paul: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” In this verse, Paul is describing each member of the Trinity’s definite characteristics. The Son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed his life to cover all sins which is why his grace is very important in Christianity. God’s love for us is described as eternal and unwaivering which is why Paul mentions the love of God. The Holy Spirit can be known as God’s presence which is why fellowship is mentioned, because the Holy Spirit is a way in which God communicates with us and speaks to us. God exists as a triune of persons and has always existed as a triune. It’s important to understand the Trinity in order to understand God and all His creations. In Christianity, it is understood that God is the ultimate creator of the universe, thus “God’s supremacy is displayed in his creative acts (Ma, 2007)”. Since He is the creator of all, He rules over all. He created everything with beauty in mind, but when it comes to humans, he specifically created each and every one of us in His image. Each human has a purpose designed by God in which He is in complete control over. Because of this, humans are superior and dominant to other creations. Human nature is deemed as sinful due to the fall led by Adam and Eve. “ Humanity was created to have life, but the fall introduced sin into the world, which led to the entrance of death in the world (Grand Canyon, 2020)”. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobey God’s orders to not eat the fruit from the Garden of Eden by instead listening to the evil serpent. This created a broken relationship between humanity and God. In Genesis 3:16-19, God punishes humanity for disobeying His orders; some of these punishments we see today are the pain experienced in pregnancy, the struggle of work, and conflict between man and woman. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12, NLT)”. Sin is rooted in the acts of Adam and Eve; therefore, sin is inevitable. Jesus Christ is a very important figure in Christianity, he is the reason why our sins are continuously covered and forgiven. Jesus was the son of the virgin Mary, placed by God to be the Messiah. He was essentially a perfect being; being sent by God to be His one and only son, he never sinned, he healed, he taught the gospel, he loved, and did things only God can do. Jesus’s identity is bestowed in his authority as the Lord of the Sabbath, and over death and sin. “Jesus’s character exemplifies compassion, mercy, and faithfulness to God and his disciples. These attributes further show Jesus’s unique identity as the Son of God (Grand Canyon, 2020)”. Shown in his unique character, Jesus’s kingdom purpose was to redeem humanity from death and sin. He did this through ministry, healing, and exorcisms in which the gospel was proclaimed. Jesus’s grace and redemption is shown by his death on the cross, which was his sacrifice to cover our sins. Just like his death, his resurrection demonstrates his redemption for us; the resurrection represents the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Though our sins are continuously forgiven and covered by the grace of God, sin still roams the earth which means it’s nearly impossible to live sinless. In order to steer away from sin as much as possible, it’s important as Christians to live like Jesus; to embody his compassion, love, mercy and faith to God. In Christianity, followers must also give their life to the Lord in order to be saved from death and sin, also known as salvation. Not by just believing in God are you saved but seeking a relationship with God; “…you cannot have a relationship without vulnerability, trust, and the willingness to give over control (Watts, 2004)”. To be saved, repentance and faith are also needed. “ Repentance is a necessary response to the gospel, as it is the condition for forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Grand Canyon, 2020)”. As I said, sin is inevitable but repentance overturns sin. Faith alone cannot save, but specifically faith in God; faith is the acting of accepting Christ as our savior and letting him reign control. In faith, we are saved by Jesus’s grace. Grace is defined as a gift from God that is not deserved but still given. Though we continually sin, we are given grace through salvation. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:9, NLT)”. As humans, we do not deserve the Lord’s salvation, yet we still receive it through is His love for us. The nature of God, nature of humanity, nature of Jesus, and restoration all form the basis of Christianity, and they all go hand in hand. Knowing who God is, what His purposes are, and his creations are vital in Christianity. It is also important to know how humanity was shaped by the early acts of Adam and Eve and how God responded to that. Roaming evil existed since the beginning of God’s creation and essentially the purpose of being a Christian is to turn away from sin by being saved from the Lord. Jesus is also an essential part of Christianity; he was God’s sent son who embodied perfect qualities and wanted to redeem humanity by his endless love. By knowing who Jesus is and understanding his purpose, understanding redemption must be known. Thanks to redemption, we are given a chance to be saved from worldly things by God. By being a Christian, knowing how humanity was shaped is important because it lets us recognize what is right and what is wrong and why things are the way they are. Though it can be worrisome to think that sin surrounds us, being a believer and follower in Christ makes it easier to stray away from sinful things, it also makes it easier to recognize those things. As a Christian, we are called to be as perfect as possible, embodying love, compassion, mercy, and faith just as Jesus; this makes good people who motivate other people to be good. In Christian worldview, salvation is a very important ideal in which we are given a chance, as humans, to be saved from death and sin. Salvation is much different from other concepts in other worldviews, some may not even believe in salvation and others may believe salvation is achieved in different ways. Without salvation, we are not motivated to repent ourselves of our sins and be faithful to God. Those outside of Christianity may find a lot of Christian concepts hard to grasp; there are many conflicting thoughts about who God is, whether He is real, who Jesus is and what his purpose was, heaven and hell, the history in the Bible, and many more. It is hard to tell why there are so many people that question Christianity, but it comes down to what they were taught, whether they are religious or not. All religions have different beliefs which is also why many question our religion. As Christians, the foundation of our faith is beheld in the Bible which is God’s word. There are many aspects that go into the Christian worldview, but the basis of faith is held in the understanding and knowing God, humanity, Jesus, and the restoration. Understanding these things elevates our faith and serves as a reminder of our purpose. Though the history of Christianity is complex and long, it is important to those things in order to understand the “why’s”, “how’s”, and “what’s”. We are called to share the Lord’s light by spreading his gospel just as Jesus did. Even though we are all on Earth right now, it is important to serve to the greater purpose given by God.