was on the charge of blasphemy,
because he claimed to be God.
He is the only person who ever
chose to be born and chose to die
and to rise again. There are those
who may choose how or when to die,
but ultimately death is not a choice
– we all have to go some time. But
Jesus had never sinned, and so
never deserved death – it had no
right or power over him unless he
allowed it. We believe… in the Trinity
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul tells us The Trinity is the seemingly para- Jesus said he had been sent by the
that, ‘In Christ all the fullness of the doxical belief that there is one God, Father and that, when he returned
Deity lives in bodily form.’ But instead yet he exists as three persons – the to the Father, he would send the
of asserting his authority over hu- Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit Spirit to be with his followers. Jesus
manity, he washed his followers’ feet – and each person is fully God. referred to the Spirit as ‘he’ – not ‘it’,
and chose to take the punishment and told the disciples to baptise peo-
for all mankind’s sin by dying on the Although the word ‘Trinity’ is not ple not just in the name of the Father
cross. Why? To save the whole world found in the Bible, what it means most and the Son, but the Holy Spirit too.
from God’s judgment – if we turn definitely is. Although it is difficult to
from living life our own way and put understand, it is significant because So the early Christians had to come
Jesus in charge of our lives. it shapes the way we think about God to terms with a God who was beyond
and how we respond to him. It is the their, and our, natural understanding.
When someone asked the great distinctive and all-comprehensive The biblical record is clear: there is
scientist Sir James Simpson, who doctrine of the Christian faith. only one God, but he exists as three
pioneered the use of chloroform, persons, each of whom is God, and
‘What do you regard as your great- When Jesus was on earth, he did each works together in unity – even
est discovery?’, he was expected to things that previously were only at- though they differ from each other.
say it was chloroform. But Simpson tributed to God. For example, he for-
answered, ‘My greatest discovery gave people their sins, he accepted Many illustrations of the Trinity have
was that Jesus Christ is my Saviour.’ people’s worship, and he said that, been suggested – for example, that
He wrote, ‘In Christ you will find a like God, he existed before Abraham water exists as ice, as liquid and as
companion, a friend, a brother who – the ancestor of the Jews – was steam – but all are still water. But
loves you with a greater love than a even born. And his miracles proved no analogy fully explains the Trinity.
human heart can conceive.’ that even nature obeyed him. Ultimately, we have to accept that we
can only know as much about God
Have you experienced that? The So if Jesus is God, and the Father as he has chosen to reveal to us in
amazing truth is that you can have a is God, then there are at least two the Bible.
personal relationship with the Creator persons who are the one God. But it
of the universe – through Jesus. It’s doesn’t stop there. Jesus’ teaching As created beings, we will never fully
what life is all about – and it’s why life clearly indicated that there is a third understand the Creator in this life.
is empty, if you don’t know him. person in God. But he has promised that all Chris-
tians will understand far more when
See page 33/34 if you would like to we meet him face to face in heaven!
know how to become a Christian.
www.elim.org.uk 9
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