2. A God Of Unity, Relationship And Love Series

IN GOD'S IMAGE 2 - A GOD OF UNITY, RELATIONSHIP AND LOVE

This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli

In his best selling book, “The Shack,” author William P. Young portrays God the Father as a big, buxom, motherly, black American woman.

• There have been many adjectives used to describe God over the centuries.

• But this was probably the first time He’s been described in these terms.

Last time we started a series on “In His Image,” based on the scripture, “Let us make man in our image”.

• We learned God lives in a completely different dimension to the one we humans occupy. He lives in eternity while we live in our restricted four-dimensional world of time and space.

• We also learned God has the capacity to bring a universe into existence out of nothing and sustain it with His word.

• However, despite the limitations of our four-dimensional world, there is one important aspect God has given to humans that transcends both dimensions and that is, the capacity for relationships.

• God has blessed humanity with a mind and consciousness which is unique in the four-dimensional world so we can relate to each other but also to reach out and relate personally with our Maker, Creator and Father.

• Of all God’s creation, it is only angels and humans who can “know” and “love.”

• The ability to relate to others spans both the spiritual and physical dimensions.

• This fact alone ought to tell us something about what God considers very important to Him.

• It tells us He is a relational God, as He wouldn’t have given us this capacity unless He wanted to relate to us.

• And despite the criticism leveled at William P. Young for describing God as a buxom, motherly, black American woman, I’m sure his intent was to help change people’s perception of the way God is normally portrayed.

• We rarely hear about this God whose very nature can be categorized as “relational”.

• Normally God’s nature is portrayed by words that accentuate God’s power and authority.

• Words like Omnipotent, Almighty, All-Powerful, Omniscient, Sovereign, All knowing, Wise, Holy and Just.

• These are all very important characteristics of God and we should not overlook them but sometimes there is the tendency to over emphasize these characteristics to the detriment of other important relational characteristics of God, such as Father, Savior, and Redeemer.

• The mysterious description of God being called a Trinity is, at heart, a relationship, a close loving intimate relationship between the three persons who comprise the Godhead.

• The relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit is so close they act as one without losing their individuality.

• The Doctrine of the Trinity is summed up in the simple phrase, “One God in three persons.”

• Or it might be less confusing to say, that the triune God is “one in being and three in divine Persons” as God is not one being and three beings; nor is God one person and three persons.

• Don’t ask me to explain how that is possible, it is a mystery in much the same way Eternal time and Chronological time is a mystery to those of us who live in the four-dimensional world of time and space.

• Our puny inferior brains cannot comprehend these spiritual mysteries.

• But someday when we are welcomed into that dimension with our new spiritual bodies with a mind to match, we will be able to comprehend how three can be one and one, three (1 John 3:2).

• Until then, we have to accept this reality on faith.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this as much has been written on the subject over the centuries, but just want go through a few scriptural references to show the dilemma the concept of the Trinity presented to the early New Testament church.