Sermon Snippet – One God in Three Persons – Part IV
INTRODUCTION –As a central part of the “simplicity [singleness of purpose] that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3), we have been considering the doctrine of the Trinity, One God in Three Persons. We have seen that, for God to be God, He must be absolutely different from us and must be Triune if He is to be eternally relational in His essential character and therefore relational to us. Because analogies cannot work well due to God’s distinctiveness (what theologians call His “otherness), we must have instruction and insight on this subject directly from Scripture. The Cross provides us with the greatest example of clarity regarding the Trinity (Luke 23:44-46).
1. AT THE CROSS, WE SEE THE WORK OF GOD THE SON
(See the message from two weeks ago.)
2. AT THE CROSS, WE SEE THE WORK OF GOD THE FATHER
(See last week’s message.)
3. AT THE CROSS, WE SEE THE WORK OF GOD THE SPIRIT
In John 16:13, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” and says that “He will guide you into all truth.” We find specific evidence of this fact in the statements of faith of both the thief (Luke 23:39-43) and the centurian (Luke 23:47). The former was Jewish; the latter was Gentile (non-Jewish). God the Holy Spirit was guiding people of these two groups (the great divide at that time in Israel) into the truth of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:11-22 is an outstanding commentary on the power of the Gospel to end such manmade divisions. We should note that verse 18 is overtly Trinitarian. Thus, God the Holy Spirit is actively involved in the divine ministry of reconciliation (verse 16), a transformed relationship with God (as we discussed last week from II Corinthians 5:14-21).
Returning to Luke 23:46, we must insist that “Spirit” means more than life, more than the inner being. A literal translation of Jesus’ words is as follows: “Father, into the hands of You I commit the Spirit of Me.” The same Greek word for “Spirit” is used in Matthew 3:16-17 at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry: “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’” This visible demonstration confirms that God the Holy Spirit was completely involved in the work of God the Son. We also note the fullness of the Trinitarian teaching of these verses.
Did the Holy Spirit ever depart from Jesus? No, He did not, until the Son voluntarily gave up His life. Thus, throughout the agony of our Savior on the Cross, the Holy Spirit was doing the work that He always does: “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify Me [Jesus]” (John 16:14a). The thief, the centurian, and others (Luke 23:48-49) are ample evidences of this ongoing ministry of God the Holy Spirit at the Cross.
CONCLUSION – The work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit at the Cross reveals both perfect, harmonious unity and perfect diversity of responsibilities (or, as the theologians say, “offices”). The thoroughness of this blessed activity assures us that through faith in the finished work of Jesus we are eternally saved from our sins into the heavenly family of God. May each of us enter into this certainty, and may we live each day in gratitude, joy, and expectation.