Trinity

God is made up of three persons.  The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  Many metaphors are used to describe how it works.  Let me know what you think about this one.  The following is something that has been revealed to Darren by the Holy Spirit through his studies, and we've been working on it a little bit.  It's still in the works, so feedback is appreciated!

We are made in God's image. (Gen 1:27)  God, as previously stated, is three persons.  He has three entities within Himself.  We, also, have three vital parts to our being.  Let's consider these three parts, and name them Body, Spirit, Mind.  Let's draw out definitions for each.

Body: The physical part of our being.  The part that gets papercuts, has allergies, and carries out directives from the Mind.

Mind:  Different from the Brain, in that it is not physical.  The Mind is the product of Brain activity, it is not the organ itself, but a result of Brain activity.  We identify the Mind as the center of intelligence and "in charge."

Spirit:  The actions and behaviors that you have done throughout your life.  The result of your Mind and Body working together.  Your Spirit is your impact on the world.

You may have already drawn the conclusions between the proposed three parts of Man and the three entities of God.  Mind:Father.  Body:Jesus.  Spirit:Holy Spirit.

Now that we have defined the three parts of Man and paralleled them with the three persons of God, let's go further and see if we can make more clear how God works as three in one.

First, consider that Jesus, after rising again, had to go up to heaven before the Holy Spirit could come down to men.  Luke 24.  Why?  Why couldn't both the Spirit and Jesus be on earth and working with men at the same time?

Consider this.  The three parts of Man need each other to work together.  Without the Body, there is not, in effect, Spirit.  The Mind has directives to give, but without a Body to carry out those directives, there can be no impact on the world (Spirit).

Jesus went up to heaven before the Holy Spirit came down. (Acts 2:3)  God works on this world through the Holy Spirit.  The Father uses Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to the world.  Jesus HAD to be in heaven before the Holy Spirit could be sent to man because Jesus is the communication between the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is an obvious parallel to the part of man labeled "Body".  The Holy Spirit is paralyzed when Jesus is not part of the equation.  He exists, but without Jesus to communicate to him what the Father's directives are, he cannot act.  Without Jesus to relay the directives from the Father to the Holy Spirit, there is no impact of God onto man.  None.  Jesus' role is so vital.  Just as without the Body, the Mind cannot work at all on the world (leaving "Spirit"), without Jesus, God cannot make an impact on man.

Cool thoughts, huh?

I'd like to talk about Jesus a little more.  I'd like to delve more into Jesus' role and how that relates to his death on the cross.  These are my thoughts that stemmed from the above discussion with Darren.

Jesus came to earth to die and shed his blood for man so that man could be purified (If man so chooses) and be eternally with God instead of eternally in hell.  Why couldn't the Father or the Holy Spirit have done this?  Why specifically was the Son chosen?  Because each part of God has a SPECIFIC role.  The Son's specific role is to be a bridge.  He is a bridge between the Father and the Holy Spirit, and He is also a bridge between Man and God.  Man reaches out to his Maker (God) after the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Man would be unaware of God's working on his heart without the Holy Spirit.  Rather, Man would be unaware of God.  Jesus makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to work on Man.  Once the Holy Spirit has pricked the heart of Man and Man reaches out to the Father, Jesus is a bridge and a Way (John 14:6) for Man to talk with and commune with the Father.

I like that thought.  It gives me a lot of hope and security.  Each part of God has a specific role, and each part of God effects me in a specific way.