“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the eaters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; ….” Genesis 1:1-4a (NASB)

I believe in one God who has manifested Godself in Three Persons, often referred to as Father, Son and Holy Spirit or as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Father, Son and Holy Spirit speak of the trinity in relational terms. Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer speak of the trinity with regard to the vocations of God. I believe in one God who has revealed Godself to us in these three ways. No matter how scholars try to explain the trinity, the explanations are always flawed focusing on the relational characteristics of God to the minimization of the vocational aspects or vice versa. The tension that exists is God is God, but God the Father is not God the Son, God the Son is not God the Holy Spirit, and God the Spirit is not God the Father. The bottom line is that the Trinity is a mystery and will remain a mystery until God chooses to reveal how this can be and how this works!

That being said, I believe this mystery is first pointed out to us in the opening verses of Genesis 1. “In the beginning God created …” is how the opening verse of the Holy Bible begins. Then we read “the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” And then we read, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light….” As a Christian, I interpret these verses through the lens of the New Testament, particularly the Prologue to the Gospel according to John. In John 1:1-3, we read these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” The evangelist John is speaking of the coexistence of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit from the beginning. Jesus Christ is the Word. Looking back at Genesis, the Word that was spoken was: “Let there be ….” With those words spoken: light, heaven, the earth and the seas, all kinds of vegetation, the sun, moon and stars, sea creatures and birds of the air, animals and finally humankind came into being. Creation and the Trinity are mysteries to me, but I do believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and God as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. I believe in one God in three persons. I am a Christian. I am monotheistic (believing in one God) and I am Trinitarian in my belief. It’s still a mystery to me!

Prayer

The prayer I offer today is the closing stanza of the first hymn that is found in our hymnbook, Glory to God. 

“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea. Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”