The God Who Is Love: Understanding The Trinity

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Part 1 – The Mystery of Love

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There are some truths in Scripture so deep, so radiant, that human language strains to carry them. The Trinity is one of those truths. It is not a puzzle for theologians to argue; it is a window through which redeemed hearts catch a glimpse of God’s own inner life—a God who is, in His very being, love shared.

I have found that when people hear the word Trinity, they often tighten up. Some think of controversy. Some recall church fights or Internet debates. Others simply shake their heads: “Three in one? I can’t figure that out.”

Today, I want to take us away from fear and friction, and into worship. Because the doctrine of the Trinity isn’t about arithmetic—it’s about relationship.

> “God is love.” — 1 John 4:8

Love, by its very nature, requires more than one. Before there was a universe, before there were angels or humans, love already existed—because within the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always loved one another in perfect harmony. The Trinity means that love did not begin with creation; creation began because of love.

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1. Why This Matters

For some, the word Trinity has become the dividing line of Adventist history. It is true that many of our early pioneers were non-trinitarian. They were coming out of other Protestant streams that distrusted creeds and wanted to honor the unity of God. But as our movement kept searching the Scriptures, something beautiful happened: they began to see Jesus more clearly—fully divine, not a created being, not a lesser deity.

They saw the Spirit not as a mere force, but as the personal presence of Christ with His people. And the clearer Christ became, the more fully the triune love of God came into focus.

The doctrine of the Trinity didn’t come from philosophy—it came from encounter. The apostles experienced the Father speaking, the Son redeeming, the Spirit empowering. They met one God in three persons working together for their salvation.

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2. The Father’s Heart

Let’s start where Jesus always starts—with the Father.

When the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, His first word was “Father.”

If that’s all we ever knew, it would already be astonishing: the infinite Creator invites us into His own family language. He could have said, “Pray like this: O Majestic Force of the Cosmos.” Instead He said, “Our Father in heaven.”

The Father is the fountainhead of love. Every good and perfect gift flows from Him. He is not distant, not moody, not waiting for us to earn His favor. Jesus said, “The Father Himself loves you.” (John 16:27)

But love always seeks to be shared, and so the Father gives Himself—He sends His Son.

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3. The Son’s Grace

When the Word became flesh, the invisible God became touchable. In Christ we see what the Father’s heart looks like in human skin. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

He didn’t come to change God’s mind about us; He came to reveal God’s mind toward us. The cross was not the Son persuading the Father to love the world—it was the Father’s love expressed through the Son.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16)

And that’s where the Trinity becomes personal. At Calvary, the Son is offering Himself to the Father on our behalf, and the Spirit is empowering the sacrifice.

Salvation is not a solo act; it is God working in concert with Himself—love planned by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and applied by the Spirit.

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4. The Spirit’s Fellowship

Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter.” (John 14:16)

Another—not different, but of the same kind. When the Spirit came at Pentecost, it wasn’t a substitute for Jesus; it was Jesus in a new mode of presence. The Spirit makes the Father’s love and the Son’s grace real within us.

Every time a heart is convicted, every time Scripture comes alive, every time forgiveness becomes more than a word—that’s the Spirit bearing witness to the living Christ.

Paul closed his Corinthian letter with the blessing we still use today:

> “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14

That’s not a formula to memorize; it’s an experience to live.

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5. One God, Working Together

We don’t worship three gods. We worship one God who is Father, Son, and Spirit—distinct in person, united in purpose, one in essence, one in love.

You can see this unity everywhere in Scripture:

At Jesus’ baptism—the Father speaks, the Son stands in the water, the Spirit descends like a dove.