I love you, You are my friend.

*Disclaimer: I don't claim to be speaking the Absolute Truth in this post, but just interesting speculation on a topic that I find difficult to grasp*

If there's one concept in my faith that will continue to baffle nonbelievers and even some believers, it's the Trinity. There are times when I think about it and I can't seem to wrap my head around the idea of One God and Three persons. It's an idea that separates our faith from "Christian" cults like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. I guess logically, it makes no sense. How can there be three persons in one God "persona"? It's not that there are three separate Gods. He's one, but yet He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I guess to deepen confusion, in the Gospels, Jesus was definitely walking around and being "human" while there was still a "God" up in Heaven, expressing his approval of His son. And on the cross, didn't Jesus cry out to "The Father"? So how can this be one God? I guess it would entirely make sense that God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are definitely three separate people. I mean, the word "Trinity" doesn't even appear once in the Word. It's only implied by the pronoun "we" in certain verses throughout. 

I'm going to shamelessly borrow what I learned and read in The Shack by WM. Paul Young. I think most of what I read in this book really shed a very logical light on difficult topics. The Trinity was one of them. As some of you might know, this book is a "memoir" of sorts about a man named Mack who gets to spend a weekend with God in a remote cabin where his daughter was allegedly murdered. There, he is able to ask God questions about anything and everything he's always had doubts about when it came to his faith. And ultimately, Mack comes to terms with his loss, which has caused great pain that has created a rift between him and God. 

But back to the Trinity. First of all, we will never be able to grasp the wonder of God's nature. We are like a small cup. The Knowledge of God and His workings are the water in a large pitcher. We can only understand so much, but there's so much about God that will always remain mysterious to us. Besides, who will want to worship a God that is fully comprehended?

"We are not three gods, and we are not talking about one god with three attitudes, like a man who is a husband, father, and worker. I am one God and I am three persons, and each of the three is fully and entirely the one."

If God were simply one God and only one Person, then we would be missing something essential. We would be missing love and relationship. Love and relationship is possibly for us only because God Himself is the relationship. Love isn't the limitation, but rather God IS love. 1st John can confirm this. 

This is where it got somewhat confusing, but yet made sense to me. 

God would not be capable of love if He did not have a relationship within Himself. If we had a One-person God, he might only be able to love out of his limitations, which means he could act without love. And that is NOT our God. Our God CANNOT ACT APART FROM LOVE. 

The Trinity is a perfect representation of Love, the Love that IS God. The Father, the Son, and Spirit are all essential to each other, and all Persons love each other very much. SO much love, in fact, that their relationship makes them ONE. 

Whoaa. It reminds me of how man and wife become united in one flesh when they are married and love each very much. But God Himself is PERFECT Love, meaning God has PERFECT Unity, within Himself. 

Each three Personas also had three different "functions" which ultimately made ONE perfect plan for us. God the Father created the world and concocted the master plan. God the son came to our world, became fully human, yet fully God, and lived a life here on earth as we should live, in perfect harmony with God the Father (at least until He took the cup of wrath for us). Through his death and resurrected, the Son executed the master plan. The Spirit is ultimately God working through us actively. All things are possible because of the Spirit working through us, growing us daily, allowing us to produce fruit. 

So to recap, the Trinity is a concept of ONE God, but with three Persons in perfect relationship with each other as to represent PERFECT LOVE, which is GOD. Because God = Love. And because of this, God loves us unconditionally and perfectly. That's why He would send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us to save us from eternal separation from His Love. And in turn, we are able to have love and relationships within our own lives with our future spouses, children, family, and friends (as imperfect as it is) We love because God loved first.

All I have to say to this is, wow. Love is seriously what it's all about.