“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19)
Deuteronomy 6:4 clearly states: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” But in Matthew 28 and a lot of other places, we read about God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. How should we understand this? Is God one, or are there three Gods?
Throughout history, people have struggled find the right words for this paradox that theologians call “trinity”. In 451 AD, the western church described the different “persons” of the Godhead as “unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably” connected (Chalcedoniaon Creed). They are one, but they are also three.
In the end, these are all words that express certain aspects of the trinity, but don’t fully grasp it. God is beyond our understanding. More important than understanding God, is “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) That is amazing: this magnificent, triune God wants to dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:14-17).
Does He already dwell in your heart?