Grace Thoughts
GraceLife Thoughts: Love and Wrath (Part 6)
The word ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible.
I used to love saying that to Christians when I was an atheist with a radio talk show. It usually upset them, which caused them to get flustered on air. However, as I was to learn later, that does not mean the ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible. In fact, our current study is an example of the ‘Trinity’ working together to bring about the ‘salvation’ of people in the world who ‘believe’ in Jesus Christ.
Let’s go to our primary text.
The Trinity in John 3
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:5-7
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17
So, where’s the Trinity? God in Three Persons?
- God the Father
- God the Son
- God the Spirit
God the Father sent God the Son who sent God the Spirit. The purpose? The salvation of those whom the Father had given the Son (John 17). So, what about the Spirit?
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:7-15.
Okay, that’s all well and good, but where’s the Holy Spirit in John 3?
Nicodemus and the Holy Spirit
Nicodemus was a ‘ruler and teacher’ of the Jews. He was a Jewish scholar. He knew the Hebrew Bible inside and out. He knew all the religious rules – how to teach them and how to enforce them. [He was also a member of the Sanhedrin – the ruling council of Jews.] So, imagine his surprise when Jesus told him – ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus could not see how that was physically possible – ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Nicodemus, as smart and educated as he was, just didn’t get it.
As we saw earlier, ‘unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ Jesus was not talking about physical birth, which is what Nicodemus thought He meant. Jesus referred to being ‘born of the Spirit.’ That would occur as someone ‘believed’ in Jesus. They would not be ‘condemned’ (doomed to utter destruction) –
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus told His disciples on the night before He was arrested and crucified that He was going to return to His Father and send ‘another Helper’ to guide them into ‘all truth.’ The Holy Spirit would do three specific things when Jesus sent Him –
And when He has come, He will –
- convict the world of sin
- convict the world of righteousness
- convict the world of judgment:
What Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 connects directly to what Jesus told His disciples in John 16. No one could enter into the ‘Kingdom of God’ unless they were ‘born of the Spirit.’ The Spirit brings about that ‘new birth’ through the process of ‘convicting’ people of their sin because they ‘do not believe in me,’ of ‘righteousness’ because Jesus went ‘to His Father,’ and of ‘judgment’ because the ‘ruler of this world is judged.’
That’s what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world today. God ‘so loved the world’ that He ‘gave His only begotten Son’ that ‘whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ Jesus loved the world and His Father and laid down His life to ‘save that which was lost.’ The Holy Spirit loves the Son and the Father, and ‘convicts’ people of their sin and need of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
The Trinity working perfectly as One to bring about the salvation of those who will ‘believe.’
Wrath
Okay, but what about this ‘wrath’ thing? The series is titled ‘Love and Wrath,’ so where’s the wrath? We’ll get into that in Part Seven of our study.
[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
