Trinity and Humanity

God the Father, Son and Spirit not only love and like You, BUT, He Loves You more than He Loves Himself!

I can almost hear the paternalistic objections now, “This guy sure is filled with a bunch of hyperbole, isn’t he?”, “I can appreciate his having a great enthusiasm and love for God but he sure does exaggerate things a lot, doesn’t he?!!”

Ha-Ha! Knowing where most of us have come from in our typical hearing of God’s “Good News” (including myself!), I can understand your having such hopeful complaints! I call them “hopeful complaints” because I believe that we really (deep within our souls!) hope these kinds of things are true, and so we ask them with a question. On the other hand we are afraid to believe such lavish and good things, so we have to try to excuse them away as “hyperbole”.

Well, it is one thing for a generally optimistic personality like mine to say this kind of thing, but how about hearing it from a “dry”, theologian?

I say that “tongue-in-cheek” because the theologian I am referring to was as excited as anyone about the Good News of Jesus Christ, however, many who read his works consider them “dry” as his language is more academic and scholarly. But, in honor of  one of my spiritual mentors, and an acknowledged great, modern day theologian, who died not long ago, the late Thomas Forsyth Torrance (www.tftorrance.org), I would like to quote directly from one of his books on the Trinity:

It is in the Cross of Christ that the utterly astonishing nature of the Love that God is has been fully disclosed, for in refusing to spare his own Son whom he delivered up for us all, God has revealed that He loves us more than he loves himself. ~ The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being, Three Persons (T&T Clark) p. 5.

Well, how is that for theological backup and credibility? He begins one of the great, modern day books on the Trinity by emphasizing that the Father, Son, and Spirit, love us MORE than God loves Himself. He goes on to repeat this many times in his elaboration on the Trinity, and uses scriptures like Romans 8:31, Acts 20:28, and others, to prove it scripturally. Not being as articulate, schooled in Greek and theological language, and in Christological depth as Torrance is, I want to challenge you to embrace that God the Trinity does indeed love you more than he loves himself with a few thoughts and scriptures of my own:

1.) Haven’t you heard of a mother in real-life or in the movies utter those famous words “I love that child more than I love my own life!!” I would even bet money some of you have said it, and some of you more than once!! Some even say it about their dogs and other pets! Now you know I am tellin’ the truth, AND, you are not more loving than God!!

2.) Haven’t you read or heard of the scripture where Paul says:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” ~ Philippians 2:3,4 NRSV [emphasis mine]

3.) And isn’t one of the beliefs of those who believe the scriptures:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever. Amen ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

Can you not see through these life experiences and scriptures the point and possibility of God the Trinity loving us more than he loves himself?!

Well, where in the world do human beings (especially mothers it seems!) even get the inspiration of thinking that they have more love for someone else than they do for themselves? Aren’t the scriptures clear that only “God IS Love” (I John 4:16)? If you share in the kind of love that God IS, doesn’t that point you to the fact that God is already living in you, sharing this kind of love with, in, and through you?!

Isn’t esteeming others above your own self something that believers believe actually flows from the life of Christ and is shared with us (Phil. 2:5-10)? Don’t you even know of others (besides Christians!), who ALSO share in this kind of esteem and love for others above self? Again, isn’t this proof that the Triune God has adopted and dwells in and with all of us in Jesus? That God the Father, Son and Spirit shares with us the love that loves others above self???

Isn’t the above passage in Ephesians challenging us at every turn to KNOW that whatever we think about the Triune God is already thinking that is too small??? If we think God is bad, he is really very good. If we think God is very good, he is very, very, very good. If we think he is very, very, very good, he is very good to infinity and beyond! And if we think and believe that God the Trinity loves us, isn’t the Holy Spirit, through Paul, in the book of Ephesians, telling us that that God DOES love us more than he loves himself?!

And if we can begin to embrace, as sinful human beings, that God the Trinity loves us more than he loves Himself, then how much does he ACTUALLY and REALLY love us?????

I am afraid that the answer to that question is so delightful, mind staggering and true, that we cannot possibly or fully comprehend it. And that is exactly the testimony of the Trinity through scripture isn’t it:

May you know the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. ~ Ephesians 3:19

In the vernacular, “May we put this Good News in our believing pipes and smoke it!” ’cause God IS Love!

(By the way, if “I” want you to know something so good, Who REALLY wants you to know this and believe it?! After all, even I can only share in love thoughts like this that are shared graciously with me, too! )

~ Tim Brassell