Trinity and Humanity

“Are you trying to charm Jesus into liking you?! Are you trying to con the Spirit into blessing you?!”

I’ll never forget these words from my mentor as he elaborated on the Good News of Jesus, and and turned my ”upside down” worldview about the Father ”right side up”!! It makes me laugh NOW! I have to admit that when I first grasped it, though, I was TOTALLY EMBARRASSED and vulnerable ”to the core” for a minute!

Lest you misunderstand, this embarrassment DIDN’T come from my mentor or the Holy Spirit! They were just speaking to me about the Reality of Jesus Christ and shining the Light of Truth, and it was overthrowing my little kingdom of blindness! After all, who wants to lose their little kingdom, when it’s the “only” security blanket they have?? Let’s be clear! The Father, Son and Holy Spirit NEVER condemn us (Romans 8:1!) After all, by God’s grace, we are ALL included in Jesus! (John 14:20) It can’t be otherwise with Jesus as our Permanent Sustainer/Creator! (John 1:1-5) Condemnation, then, can ONLY be our share in the lies of the Evil one, and our self-imposed human blindness! (John 8:44, Matt 6:22-23!)

So here is a goal you can scratch off your spiritual goal list because of Who Jesus Christ is: Scratch, FOREVER, the goal of “Trying to Keep God Off My Back!” (Yikes!)

I can hear you now, “I have NEVER had such a goal in my life!” Well, you may not have ever written such a statement, literally, but I’ll bet the farm it has been a basic motive behind some of the spiritual goals you HAVE written, such as “Pray more”, “Study more”, “Fast more”, and “Attend more bible studies.” (Some of you are probably still challenging my accusation in “‘your’ love for God,” but C’mon! You’ve bought into the same “Gospel” I have, haven’t you?? (I hope not!) You know – the “gospel” that says,

“You are a sinner! The Father is angry when sinners break his laws and somebody’s got to pay (God is going to take out his wrath on someone!!!) Jesus is kind, loving and died for you, and will keep God off your back IF you will only promise to follow his example and pray more, study more, fast more, and attend more bible studies!” THEN, even the Holy Spirit will join you in your holiness and see that you get to heaven (but ONLY if you cry out for forgiveness continually and try exceedingly hard not to break any more of God’s laws and REMAIN holy!) Maybe!”

The devastating impact of that LIE is why I wrote “Yikes!!!” above!

Can’t you feel how FAR that “gospel” is from the GOOD NEWS given us in The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and revealed in Jesus?? Don’t you see how MUCH some of our religious goals are only an attempt to keep God off our backs (and on to Jesus’ back????) Can’t you realize how we split up the personality of the One God in Three Persons and turn Him into a Jekyll and Hyde weirdo? The Triune God is the SAME in Being, Communion and Love! (2 Cor 13:14) No wonder you are STILL so up and down, insecure, and “torn apart” in your relationship with ”God” even though you have set goals for, and accomplished, many religious things for years!!!

AGAIN, to take Jesus seriously, is to believe that humanity has been Included and Adopted into the Life of Triune God in Him from the foundation of the world!

It is also to take seriously that Jesus ascended to the Father with US, with YOU, 2000 years ago, and says that the goal of keeping God off your back has never had a reason for being on anyone’s list, even in a hidden way!!! In Jesus everyone has already been made righteous; YOU have been SANCTIFIED, and redeemed! (Check it out in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.) Ha-Ha! Triune God is not only NOT on our external backs BUT dwelling intimately within you, and sustaining your very being whether you “pray more, study more, fast more, and attend bible study more” OR NOT!! You are acceptable AS IS!

Now, If you still want to set spiritual goal in these areas…GREAT!!! I DO!

I set goals about these things because I realize the Truth of our lives in Jesus! I do them because I know that I graciously share in the Divine/Human life of Jesus! I PARTICIPATE in more prayer, more bible, more fasting, and more bible studies because, in the Creative Genius of The Trinity, there are countless and myriad ways of experiencing God’s love, INCLUDING THESE!!! Ha-Ha!!!

Our One God in Three Persons CANNOT, and WILL NOT be conned or charmed into liking you because of any actions you do or don’t do! (Col 2:20-23) He has Always loved and liked you, and He always will! (Mark 12:29, Romans 8:38-39)

~ Timothy Brassell