One, Two, Three

Bible Reading: John 10:30; 14:16-20, 26

“Mom, what does ‘Trinity’ mean?” Kelsey asked one afternoon. “Pastor Banks mentioned it in his sermon this morning.”

“It means that God the Father, God the Son—that’s Jesus—and God the Holy Spirit are three persons, yet they are one God,” explained Mom. “The word ‘Trinity’ isn’t found in the Bible, but the idea of one God in three persons is found in several places. I’ll show you a few of them.”

Just then the doorbell rang. It was Mom’s sister, who had come to drop off some tools she had borrowed. Kelsey grabbed a book and read on the couch while Mom and Aunt Lilliana chatted in the kitchen.

Aunt Lilliana had just left when Dad hurried into the room. “Honey, have you seen my black jacket?” he asked Kelsey’s mother.

“I think I saw it in a closet recently,” said Mom. “I’ll go look.”

A little while later, Mom came back into the room and reached for her Bible. “Now,” she said, “let’s see if I can find some verses and think of an example to help you understand the Trinity.”

Kelsey smiled. “Actually, I already thought of an example—you!”

“Me!” said Mom, looking puzzled.

Kelsey nodded. “You’re just one person,” she said, “but you’re Aunt Lilliana’s sister, Dad’s wife, and my mother—one, two, three! As a sister, wife, and mother, you do different things for all three of us, but you’re still just one you.”

Mom laughed. “Well,” she said, “that’s not quite how it works, but I’m glad to see you’re thinking it through. The Trinity is more than just one person being different things to different people—the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, yet still one God. It’s hard for us to understand because God is beyond our complete understanding. The important thing for us to remember is that even though we can’t understand everything about God, He knows everything about us—and He loves us anyway! He loves us so much He sent God the Son—Jesus—to die to save us from sin and God the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts so we could be with Him forever.” – Lois A. Teufel

How About You?

Do you find the Trinity hard to understand? That’s because God is bigger than what our human minds can fully grasp. So don’t worry if you don’t understand God completely. Keep learning all you can, and remember that the most important things the Bible says about Him are things you can understand—that He loves you, died for you, and will always be with you.

Today’s Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God is “three-in-one”