Have you ever noticed how many things in the Scripture and in life are put in to groups of three? Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; faith, hope, and charity, even celebrities seem to pass away in groups of three. The list goes on and on. Why do you think that is?
Historically and religiously, the number 3 has been considered a very sacred number. In Judaism, especially the Kabala cults, three along with one, seven, ten, and twelve are considered numbers of God, numbers that open the doorway to new and previously unknown Wisdom.
There is definitely some truth in the power of the number three. Our Almighty God is definitely the embodiment of this power. For not only is He one God, He is three personages in that one God. He is the Father, the Son (Our Savior Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, all rolled into one perfect package.
In our Scripture reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are presented with a triune of assurances upon our salvation. Faith, Peace, and Hope make up that triune. Let me reread verses 1 & 5 of Romans 5:
So then, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;… and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. (Romans 5:1&5 NJB).
Let me put this another way, because we have Faith in Jesus Christ, we are given Peace in the knowledge we are forgiven, and have found Hope through the love and assurance God has brought into our lives through the Holy Spirit.
In other words if we truly have our faith grounded in Jesus Christ, we should not have to worry about what tomorrow brings, because we know that He will provide for us no matter what. The reason we can be so sure of this is because He knows what is best for us, and what will best help us to grow in our lives spiritually.
Jesus said told the disciples in our Gospel reading for today that when the Holy Spirit is upon you he will lead you in the way of truth(John 16:13). In other words have faith, trust God because He will only lead you in what is right, and reveal more and more to you the true glory found in our Father in Heaven.
These three are much more than words. They are much more than just nice ideas. They represent the reassurance that God, Our Savior Jesus Christ, is ever present in our lives.
For we believe that God sent his son to us to bring about our salvation from ourselves. He came to save us from errors of our natural inclinations.
He came to bring about a joy to our lives in the knowledge that no matter what comes in life, no matter where we are in our walk in life, no matter the situation, God will always be with us.
Missionaries travel through out the World to bring this basic message to all the people. They travel to bring the “trinity” of salvation to all who will hear it.
This message is carried and shown to all sorts of people, whether locally through our missions be it Shesler Hall, Skow Cottage, or the food pantry; these represent the opportunity to bring the message of salvation.
It is an opportunity to help others to realize what Jesus Christ has done for them. So that they will know He is there for them no matter what they may have done in their lives. It is an opportunity to pass on the hope and assurance they can find by giving their lives totally over to Christ, knowing that all things they previously represented, will be forgotten.
Remember Paul wrote that when we realize we have been “justified through faith, we have peace with God…” We hear that term a lot, justified by faith. However, do we really know what it means to be justified? (accepted, pardoned, treated as just) So if justified means to be accepted then, what does justified through faith mean? What does justified by faith in the Christian sense mean? Would you agree that it means forgiven and accepted through our belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior? Moreover, that he died and was resurrected for the forgiveness of all our sins?
So then, if we are accepted by the belief we have in Jesus, that should give us the wholeness and security of mind, body, and spirit to know we are forgiven. More over, we should be filled with the expectation that God will never let us down. This is what our salvation buys for us: acceptance, wholeness, security, and great expectations of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In our world today, there is a lot of talk about what makes religions similar and what makes them different. In our passages for today we see, not religion, but a relationship with God. This is something that religion often times blocks, or inhibits. It does this by taking the focus off of God, off of our trust in Jesus Christ, and placing that focus on making sure the ritual is done in a certain way, when the true way is Jesus and worshipping Him from our hearts.
The words of assurance found in John and Romans, would be lost on people whose religions are works based. In fact, to give an example, in the Islamic religion, there is no reassurance of reaching Heaven. One can devoutly perform all the pillars of the Islam (declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage), and still not be guaranteed acceptance into Heaven.. The god they serve does not want a relationship with them; it wants only a servant to use.
The God we serve, the God of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Moses wants a relationship with us. He wants us to come to Him in faithful obedience because we know He will guide us and protect us. He is not a god that would strike us down with a lightning bolt because we made a wrong decision.
He is our Father who loves us, and wants us to do His will, not out of fear, but out of love for Him. This is why the “trinity of salvation” is so important to our understanding of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Faith, Hope, and Peace bring us into a closer and deeper relationship with Jesus. As our faith grows so does our hopes, and so does the peace we find in Him.
When we give our offering and when we come to the communion table today to share at the Lords’ Table, we should come not because we are supposed to, or because that it what is expected of us.
Rather, we should come because we love the Lord Our God. We should come because we trust God to lead our lives. We should come because we are justified through our faith in Christ. We have hope in the knowledge that He will never fail us, and peace in the understanding that we are forgiven and what ever happened in the past has been wiped away.
Finally, when we come to the Communion Table, we should come and joyfully receive the grace that God gives us. Not in little amounts, but with our whole heart and soul. Let the Holy Spirit fill us and lead us to where He wants us to go.
My challenge to you for the coming week is to look for opportunities to share and grow in the “trinity of salvation”. Take time to look into your own lives for areas where you can let Faith, Hope, and Peace thrive. Moreover, take time to share with others your faith in Christ to bring the promise of hope and peace to their lives. Remember the words of the Great Commission, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,(Matthew 28:19), Amen.
