Jesus introduced us to a vision of God that is breathtaking. The God He introduces us to, is not alone. This God is a relationship of Father, Son and Spirit; a Lover, a Beloved, and the Spirit of truth in a bond of love between them.
The Fatherhood of God is not, in the first instance, a generic fatherhood of all creation, but a specific Fatherhood of the uniquely begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The Father we come to know through Jesus, is not a cosmic patriarchal figure, but the Father of Jesus. It is only in coming to know the Father of Jesus, that we come to know this Father as our Father.
Neither is the sonship he reveals a generic sonship to begin with, but the very specific sonship of Jesus, the Beloved of the Father. It is only in knowing the Sonship of Jesus, that we come to discover our inclusion in that Sonship.
The Spirit, Whom Jesus asks the Father to send, and Whom the Father sends, is not any spirit. She is the Spirit that proceeds from the Father of this Son.
Union and Distinction
Jesus reveals that God is a dynamic relationship of love. God is Father, Son and Spirit and has always existed in this form. It is in this relationship of union, of these distinct persons, that God is One. God is One, not One-and-the-same, but rather, One-and-distinct.
Jesus reveals the God of love … but love cannot exist in isolation. If God was One-and-the-same, a singularity, then He could not be love. Distinction is what makes love possible. The Father, Son and Spirit fully partake in one another’s beings, yet they are not dissolved into a monotheistic God, their tri-identity remains.
Love within God.
Love is the one essential quality that makes God, God. To love is God’s freedom. To love is God’s justice. To love in new and surprising ways, is God’s creativity.
This is why you are here! The love within the Godhead is the love of ‘like’ for ‘like’ within Himself. In God’s freedom, He wanted to extend this love to ‘likeness’ within ‘another’. “And Elohim said: Let us make man in our image and likeness”.
In creation, God expressed Himself beyond Himself. So although creation is intimately upheld and sustained by Him, it is ‘other’ from Him. Creation and the Creator are not one and the same. Creation is distinct for the Creator. This does not mean that He is removed, uninvolved or not present in creation. On the contrary, Jesus reveals a God Who is here, Who is more intimately involved than what we ever imagined, more present than what we are aware of. Yet, He remains distinct … and it is this very distinction that makes romance possible.
In creation and specifically in man, the love of God finds opportunity to flow beyond the Godhead. It has freedom to be expressed to another … even towards the extreme ‘other’: towards enemies.
(This articles follows on from Part 1 … read more)
WOW! How this speaks volumes to and gives validity to who I am as a person because of “Who’s I am”! We are made from his substance so therefore undeniably “like” him, having an equality that gives basis to intimacy. And if that doesn’t take your breath away, we are each uniquely made in Love which gives us the freedom to express the awesome Creator’s “likeness” with individuality…forever intertwined we are; beautiful tapestry.
I also really love this part:
“She is the Spirit that proceeds from the Father of this Son.” I am fascinated with my own recent discovery that the Godhead has a female aspect! This is more confirmation that we are ALL fully represented with equivalence and this revelation is helping me to see the solidity of my true sense of worth. Love values me, gives me value, and causes me to value others.
Thank you Andre! 🙂