Trinity and Humanity

What do you believe God thinks about you?

Many of us have heard the words “God loves you” for most of our Christian lives. We know the verses. We sing the songs. We say the words. But somewhere beneath all of that, we may still wonder: Does God really like me? We can sometimes imagine God as distant or disappointed, or even think of Jesus as the One who came to convince an otherwise reluctant Father to love and accept us. But that is not the Father Jesus reveals.

Jesus tells us: “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”— John 14:9 CSB

Jesus does not come to change the Father’s mind about us; He comes from the Father and reveals Him to us. The compassion, welcome, grace, and love we see in Jesus reveal what God is truly like.

Theologian Thomas F. Torrance expressed this beautifully: “There is thus no God behind the back of Jesus Christ, but only this God whose face we see in the face of the Lord Jesus.” — Thomas F. Torrance, The Christian Doctrine of God

That is profoundly Good News. The Father we meet in Jesus is the Father who has always loved us. The Son did not come to make the Father gracious; He came because the Father is gracious.

The Gospel Begins With God

The Gospel does not begin with humanity trying to find its way back to God. It begins with God coming to us. The Father sends the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Son assumes our humanity and enters fully into our broken condition. Through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus reconciles humanity to God, and by the Holy Spirit, we are invited to participate in the Son’s communion with His Father. Our relationship with God, then, does not begin with making ourselves lovable enough, faithful enough, religious enough, or good enough. It begins with who God is, and what He has done for us in Jesus Christ.

As Scripture tells us: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”— 1 John 4:9–10 CSB. God’s grace comes first. Our response comes afterward.

The Father Loves—and Likes—YOU!

That is why “The Father Loves and Likes You” is more than the title of an event. It points us toward the Good News revealed in Jesus Christ. The Father doesn’t love you reluctantly or merely tolerate you. In Jesus Christ, we discover that the Father truly loves and likes humanity and graciously desires our participation in His life. There is something wonderfully personal about the word ‘likes’. It is not meant as a sentimental claim about God, but to express the personal and relational character of His love which is, His gracious desire for us to share in His life and communion.

At Jesus’ baptism, the Father declares: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” — Matthew 3:17 CSB

Jesus is eternally the beloved Son of the Father. And through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we are graciously adopted as God’s children and invited to participate in the Son’s communion with His Father. The Christian life, then, is not an anxious attempt to persuade God to accept us. It is learning to live in the reality of the grace that has already come to us in Jesus Christ. We worship and love because He first loved us. We serve because He first served us. We give because He first gave Himself to us. And we share the Gospel because this Good News is simply too good to keep to ourselves.

A Celebration of the Gospel

It is this Good News that is at the heart of The Father Loves and Likes You Celebration – A Gospel Celebration Weekend, hosted by New Life Fellowship, October 15–18, 2026, in Ocean City, Maryland.

This weekend is about more than attending another Christian event. It is an opportunity to gather around Jesus Christ and the Gospel. To worship, learn, ask questions, fellowship, celebrate, and grow together in our understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Throughout the weekend, guest teachers and pastors will help us explore the Gospel and what it means to live in the reality of who God has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ. There will be teaching sessions, opportunities for questions and responses, worship and prayer, fellowship, Sunday worship, and even an evening to simply enjoy being together at The Great Dinner Dance.

The Gospel doesn’t merely give us something to study. It gives us Someone to know, a life to participate in, and something worth celebrating.

Reflective Moment

When you imagine God looking at you, what do you see on His face? Disappointment? Distance? Reluctant acceptance? Or are you learning to see the Father through Jesus?

Jesus tells us, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.” Look at Jesus, welcoming sinners, touching the untouchable, giving Himself for the world, and rising victorious over sin and death. This is the Father, Jesus reveals. What might change if you truly believed that the Father does not merely tolerate you, but in Jesus Christ has graciously drawn you near? This is Good News to receive, a life to participate in, and a Gospel worth celebrating.

You’re Invited!

The Father Loves and Likes You Celebration – A Gospel Celebration Weekend, October 15–18, 2026 | Ocean City, Maryland

We would love for you to join us for this special weekend centered on Jesus Christ and the Good News of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with Gospel teaching, worship, prayer, fellowship, questions and responses, and celebration.

Registration Is Currently FREE!

Early Registration is complimentary through September 15, 2026. Beginning September 16, registration will be $150, so we encourage you to register early and reserve your place for the Celebration.

REGISTER FOR THE CELEBRATION
https://www.newlifebaltimore.org/events

Explore the Celebration Booklet

Want to know more about the weekend? Our Celebration Booklet has everything you need to know in one place, including our speakers, teaching and worship, weekend highlights, The Great Dinner Dance, hotel information, things to do while you’re in Ocean City, and more.

VIEW THE CELEBRATION BOOKLET
https://tinyurl.com/FLLUC-Booklet

Reserve Your Hotel Room

The Celebration will be held at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, 6600 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland 21842.

Please remember that hotel accommodations are not included with Celebration registration and must be reserved separately. A special group reservation link is available for Celebration attendees. Rooms are limited, so we encourage you to make your hotel reservation early.

RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM
https://tinyurl.com/NLFHolidayInn

We hope you’ll join us in Ocean City as we gather around the Gospel, grow together in our understanding of who God has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ, and celebrate the Good News that the Father loves—and likes—you!

Hosted by New Life Fellowship

Centered on Jesus Christ • Participating in the Life of the Trinity