God, Triune, and our All in All. The God of the Bible is unlike any other depiction of God. Only in the God of the Bible do we see God revealed as a personal, triune God. From the Scriptures, we learn that God is one Being in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Godhead are eternal and co-equal, each with a role in creation and our salvation. In all our religions, God is presented as one Person. Even if other religions profess Christ, they deny his eternality and/or deity. This is the marker of false Christianity! Consider the following:
“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
“When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).
“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
Not only is our God three in One, but our God is personal, relating to us in every relational capacity. He is our all in all. No other religion says this! For example, some wrongfully say that Allah (of Islam) is simply another name for God. However, it only takes a small amount of research to quickly learn how untrue this statement is! Not only does the Islamic faith deny the deity of Jesus (and therefore the triune God of the Bible), but the God of Islam is not personal and does not relate to his creation as a Father, but only as a distant creator and judge. Be it Allah, Buddha, Confucius, or the “energy of the universe,” none of them relate to us! None of them resemble anything like who our God is to us. Consider:
God is our Father. To be united with Christ is to be in him. As Colossians 3:3 says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Through union with Christ we now become children of God, forever adopted into His family. Think of it! Because Christ is the Son of God, through our union with him we become sons and daughters of God! As His children we can confidently and unashamedly bear our souls to Him in prayer, knowing that He hears and cares for us. We can also know that as our perfect Heavenly Father, He works all things for our good and His glory. His heart toward us is always that of a loving Father!
God is our Comforter and Counselor. 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes God as “the God of all comfort.” What a beautiful description of the God who loves us. He knows just how hard life can be, and how we struggle with sin, loss, worries, and discouragement. During these times, He has promised to come to us as One who lifts us up; as One who brings hope and peace to our troubled souls. After all, Jesus himself promised to give rest to all those who come to him weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28). One last consideration: the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter and Counselor – and whoever is united with Christ has the Spirit within him (John 14:26, 1 John 4:2). Indeed, our wonderful triune God has promised comfort to His people.
Jesus is our Bridegroom, Brother, Friend, and Shepherd. I love how many ways Jesus relates to us! He is the bridegroom who rejoices over his bride, loving, protecting, and sanctifying her (Matthew 9:15, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7-9). Yet, he is also our elder brother because through him we are a fellow heir and child of the Father (see also Hebrews 2:11, Romans 8:29, and Mark 3:34). In this role, our Savior leads and protects us and shares his inheritance with us! Still, he is also a faithful friend who consistently walks with us and who demonstrated there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for his friends (John 15:13). Lastly, he is our shepherd who tenderly brings back the strayed, binds up the injured, and strengthens the weak (Ezekiel 34:16).
I am so thankful to be loved by a triune God who cares for and relates to me in all of these ways! Again, no other religion offers this because no other religion presents God as He truly is. Only the God of the Bible depicts the immeasurable love of God and all He is to us. In Him, we have a God who is truly our all in all.
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