Dear Children of God,
Words matter! How many times a day do you hear the word “God” thrown around? It gets used a lot. For most, unfortunately, it’s lost its meaning. Because “God” should never be used lightly. After all, how would you like it if your name were used as a routine exclamation, “Oh my Jim, that cake was amazing!”
For many the word “God” symbolizes a “divine” they believe in. But even then, “God” gets used lightly. We swear to “God,” pray to “God,” and believe in “God.” And that sounds good, but what do we really mean when we use the word “God?” The answer has eternal impacts.
God wants us to use it properly. So, He tells us, “The Lord is one;” (Deuteronomy 6:4); “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3); “(Baptize) them in the name of the Father … the Son … the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19); and Genesis 1:1-3 and John 1:1-3,14 also tell us the Father, Son (the Word made flesh), and Spirit were present at creation. Digging into God’s Word, God tells us He is one God and He is three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
So, when someone says, “I believe in God,” ask, “What do you mean by ‘God’?” If they answer, “The Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” they might understand who God really is. But, if they deny Jesus … or the Holy Spirit … or the Father … is God, they aren’t talking about the true God found in Holy Scriptures. Or, if they deny the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate persons of God indicating God was first the Father, then appeared as the Son, and finally returned as the Spirit they aren’t talking about the one true God either.
The one true God is three persons and one God – the Holy Trinity – confessed in the Creeds. It’s an unexplainable mystery. All other “god’s” are idols created by people who fail to ask the right question or understand the answer. Words matter!
In the Triune God’s Name,
Pastor Jim