Matthew 3:16-17 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.””
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that testify”
Acts 2:33 “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
Please allow me to share something about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I want to share a view that helps me. DISCLAIMER: This NOT doctrine! Not in any way! NOT Doctrine! If it helps you, than it does. Awesome! It blesses me. If you think it is not worth the brain space to remember it, then delete it. This is just me sharing with you.
We understand what a father is. We know that Dad was the only one who loved us as well as Mom (just maybe could not express it as well). We know that Dad worked hard to provide for his family, that is built into Dads. We know that Dads modeled strength to their children, both daughters and sons, with equal, though specific instruction and focus. Sure we ran to Moms when we got hurt, but we could have just as equally ran to Dad and he would have loved on us and kissed our boo-boos too! It is true that no-one should mess with a mama-bears cubs, but a person messes with their life, or at least risks a good beating, if you mess with Daddy’s kids. Daddy is also our creator, protector, provider, teacher, and lover of us straight to the depth of our beings, of our souls. Although no earthly Dad is perfect, we love him and only hope that we can be as good a parent as he has been. Good Dads, loving Dads, represent God to us.
Jesus is the Son of God. He always was, is and has always been God. Jesus is the first born of God. Although He, as God. was never created, He did allow Himself to be born as a man. He was fully God and also fully man. The man nature of Jesus was created by the Triune God, which means that He as God was also part of His own creation. He was born in the flesh through the honored and blessed Mary, with God the Father as His Father. The God side of Him was fully God, with all the fullness of God the Father being God. He is the first born of God. God in the flesh, living in flesh, and revealing God to us. Jesus was born, because of His God nature, stronger than the sin nature that all of us inherited from Adam and Eve. So Jesus lived a sinless life. He set aside the His divine power to be subject to the very things that we are subject to, but still, He as fully God, and did not sin. He paved the way for us. He was the first born among mankind to die to self (becoming flesh for our sake) and He was the first born of those born of man to enter Heaven as a full citizen of Heaven. It is true that all who belong to Jesus are sons and daughters of God, but it is Jesus who came first and made the way. He was the only one capable of being The Way. None of us, as children through Him, could do what He did. Only He was a person who as being fully God and fully man was able to do what He did.
Now Jesus is our brother and our friend. He is our big brother. As first-borns are apt to be, He was an example to us. Younger children, if they have a good older brother, are apt to follow the ways of that brother (not an absolute but a generality). (Unfortunately, if the first born has a bad track, his younger siblings may also follow that bad example.) In biblical times the son was the offspring that inherited the estate of his father. He either inherited the full estate or twice as much as his siblings (Double portion). If he inherited the entire estate it was not that his siblings received nothing, but that as the ceded head of the family, he took care of the family as his father had. He received not just the estate, but the position as head of the family. So, in the time of Jesus, the Jews understood this tradition. The eldest represented his father. It was supposed to be that if someone would see the son, he would know what the father was like. In this way the son honored the father. A modern vernacular has been of an offspring being just like their parent is being the “spitting image” of their parent. Like spit comes from a person so does offspring come from the essence of their parent. We know that offspring carry the DNA of their parents. The DNA of a child to a parent is not exact, but it is extremely close. So close that a parent may be identified by the child’s DNA. DNA identifies family and it is used by police to solve crimes. Jesus was more than the spitting image of God. He was God in the flesh. He was fully worthy, and fully able to, in every way, represent God to us. Since He is one with God, since the will of the Father is the same as His will, He fully expresses the will of God the Father to us and the love of God for us. He can because He and the Father are fully one, though being fully distinct. Men have, more so in the past, followed this example, except the sons of men are not always exact representatives of their fathers. Most clearly different is that the sons are not the fathers in every way, they are distinct and different. Yet Jesus is fully God, He is fully one, in every way, with God. So Jesus fulfills the will of God to us, for us and in us. He is our older Brother, who is our Savior and Lord, and who is our great example. Like a good older brother, He loves us, protects us, guides us and helps us. He gives the riches of the Father to us. And the Father has so ordained Him to do. Jesus is our Brother in so many more ways than we could explain, and also our God. Jesus our Brother, how amazing is God!
God has given men and women different roles. Not unequal roles, different roles. The roles of men are to represent God the Father to us. Women and men represent Jesus. So are women left out of a distinct role? NO way! How dear, beautiful and tender is the role of women who represent to us the role of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is as fully God as God the Father and God the Son. As certainly as women and men both represent both God the Father and God the Son, both also are gifted of God the Holy Spirit. The truth is, just as God is one and cannot be divided, the same is true of the natures of God in all our lives. God the Father, Jesus who is God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all within all of us. There is no distinction between our genders. They, He, is One and therefore the fullness of God was equally part of our creation, our salvation, and our sanctifying. Yet, we see different roles for all of his children. Equal, but different. Although men and women are loving, nurturing and caring, and they both are providers and protectors, it is indisputable that the very nature of men and women is different. Regardless of the opinions of those who would now-a-days say otherwise. Women represent the Holy Spirit to us. Remembering that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and Son, but the same, so is how the Holy Spirit dwells in the nature of women. When most think of their parents, who is most often thought of as being tender, loving, teaching and those who feed us? In most homes, we would ascribe these characteristics to our moms. Though as children, we could have, when skinning our knee, run to Dad, most often we ran to Mama. Generally, Dads were strong and didn’t often know how to be as tender as mom did. Most can remember both parents tenderly loving them, but truly when we think of laying our hurt or wearied heads on a lap, it was mom’s that we settled upon. Moms often breastfed us, then prepared meals for us and for the whole family. Moms put us on their laps and read to us. Mom was, at least in the past, more often “around” to talk to and learn from, whether in body or temperament. We knew that Dads “took care of” us, but if we think back to our early childhood, we may mention that both took care of us, but usually Mom is the person we put first in that role. God designed us that way. All of us do, but women most represent the Holy Spirit. When we were kids and mad at Dad because He was being strict, we might run to Mom and complain about Dad. Mom would tell us to not be angry with our father because he loves us and does what he thinks is best for us. Mom was the more quiet and gentle guidance that we needed. When we were young in the Lord and became angry with how we felt God was taking care of us, it is the Holy Spirit who brings us peace and healing, who reminds us that God is good and that He loves us. The Holy Spirit guides us back to a right relationship with Jesus who then points us to the Father. Good moms represent the Holy Spirit to us. Moms represent God to us every bit as much as men.
So God gave men and women roles to live out. Parents are two who became one. God is three in One who are the same and yet distinct. Would we eliminate the role of the Father or the Holy Spirit in our lives and claim only Jesus essential? No way! That is heresy! We need all three as surely as we need the one. It is the same with parents who are two who are one. It is against the ordained way of God to say one parent is more important than the other. It is against the way of God to say that one can be discarded as long as we have the other. We cannot say that Dads are more important than Moms and we cannot say that Moms are more important than Dads. Both Moms and Dads are equally essential and equally vital. In this way they are examples of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who though One, are distinct and all play a vital role to us.
Okay, I think all the foregoing is biblically based. If it helps you, if it blesses you, then great! Praise God! If not, then delete it. To all, men and women, priests and priestesses of the Lord Jesus Christ ““‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26
I did not, as I usually do, cite verses for most points, contact me by email, or text, or PM me. I will be happy to do so. The reason I did not provide more scriptures is because of the length of this devotion. Though it is long, I pray the blessing are also long.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”