Trinity and Humanity

As you’re encountered personally by God, Father, Son and Spirit, there’s no question that He loves to ask and/or stir up questions! UNDERSTATEMENT! (See God personally, or see him speaking and acting in the scriptures from Genesis to maps! Ha!)

In one sense, it probably appears crazy to even approach this subject. After all, when approaching any human authority there is an “intimidation factor” in questioning or answering them. You often think before asking: “Am I worth listening to?”, “Have I earned enough position power to ask this question without getting fired?” You often think before answering questions: “Is he REALLY asking me a question he wants me to answer or is he actually encouraging me to shut up and listen?”, “Is she asking because she really doesn’t know or is this a trap?” “Am I going to reveal that I’m smart, or dumb, or that I have completely forgotten what I promised to write down and remember (Gulp!)?”, etc.

Can you identify?! hahaha…  I can!

As I continue to relate to Jesus and the God Revealed in Him, I’m beginning to get clued in a little more about asking him meaningful questions and receiving his meaningful answers.

Let’s face it. It seems I must ask questions! That’s simply how relationship works. Unless I get to know the other, I can’t get to know the other. Good questions are ways I open myself in love to the other, to receive from them in self-giving, and encourage their self-giving. I learn about God by asking questions! On the other hand, God’s questions demand answers! I mean, is He not the most compelling Person in the room whether speaking or not? When God speaks, a response is demanded! Scripture says that “His word does not return void but accomplishes all that he sent it forth to do” and that “He spoke and earth existed”. Talk about compelling speech! BUT how do I respond to God – as living dirt?! How could living dirt like me possibly fill the gap between the question and answer of God, Who IS Life Himself?

ahhhh… That’s where the “One mediator between God and man, the Man Jesus Christ” steps in! Whew!

If you think carefully about how human life works, you would have to admit that you must be taught how to ask meaningful questions. Without being taught how to speak and think (whether formal or informally), you would have no clue as to how to form meaningful words and sentences, let alone ask meaningful questions with them! You must be taught how to answer or search for good, meaningful answers. That’s what school is all about, right?

And can we agree that, with the exception of some type of mental disability or involvement of evil, most of us are interested only in meaningful questions and answers? After all, if questions and answers aren’t meaning-full then they are meaning-less, and who wants meaning-less anything? hmpf!

Hint hint: It works similarly in our questioning and answering with God, only different and way better! God, Father, Son and Spirit must teach you how to ask Him meaningful questions AND He must teach you how to receive his meaningful answers, and how to search for them! Even more straight up and to the point, God must give you the meaningful questions to ask AND give the meaningful answers to receive, in your place and on your behalf! As he does all of this, graciously, you get to participate and cooperate with him in truly meaningful questions and answers – relationship!

The most clear Revelation of this is Jesus Christ because He is the fullness of God, Father, Son and Spirit, in flesh, and the one mediator between God and Man. Holding that together, let’s see how this works:

Jesus said “But what about you – who do you say that I Am?” Matt 16:15

Do you see in that wording God questioning and answering in a meaningful way, while at the same time teaching man how to question and answer too? You should!

Because of Who Jesus is as both God and Man in one and the same Person, without division or confusion, we can understand in this passage that:

1.) Jesus is God graciously giving man the right question to ask! 

2.) Jesus is Man receiving and asking the right question!

3.) Jesus is God giving man the meaningful answer to respond with – “I AM” 

4.) Jesus is Man receiving and responding to God with that meaningful answer – “You are ‘I AM'”

Wow! Can you see how Jesus, as God in our sinful flesh, corrects the meaningless questions sinful man would bring to God apart from God’s help? Can you see how Jesus, God in our sinful flesh, corrects the meaningless answers sinful man would give to God without his help?

This all means that it is no exaggeration to say that Jesus is literally all your Questions and Answers!

Let’s conclude by putting this into practice:

Jesus: “But what about you, who do you say that I Am?”

You and Me: “Ahhhhh, now I see! You are the Christ, the Son of the living God! You are telling me that the meaningful question for me to ask is “Who are you, Jesus?” You also just told told me that the meaningful answer from you is that you are God, the “I Am” – God, Father, Son and Spirit. Sooo…THAT is Who you are! You also told me who I am! You are God in union and relationship with man, sharing your love and life with me! You are INtimately with me and for me! That is so full of meaning! I now know my identity is safe and secure only in you! I used to ask my job, dead parent, money, and hobby, to give me security and meaning! Those questions, and their answers, were so meaningless! I now know to turn to you for my questions and answers regarding life’s meaning where I am truly secure! THANK YOU!”

Jesus: “You have asked and answered well! Yay!”

You and Me: “You have asked and answered well! Yay!”

In the Light of Who Jesus is, can you see why Jesus, in scripture, many times “appears” not to answer people’s questions directly as they asked? Jesus asks and answers only meaningful questions and, if they aren’t grounded in Who He is, they can’t truly be meaning-full! In fact they may even be non-questions! How can he answer those?! haha

Can you understand more clearly why Jesus responded to Peter’s answer with: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”? Matt 16:16-17

“Do you see why we often stumble in our questions to God and in receiving his answers to us?

Can you understand better why the Apostle John simply said to Jesus: “My Lord, you know!”? hahahaha

– tjbrassell