Divine Wisdom in the Trinity

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)

This passage was written in challenging times. We, too, are living in difficult times. The Colossians Church and the fledgling offshoot of Judaism called Christianity are having an identity crisis. The Jews vehemently denied the Messiahship of Jesus Christ. The false prophets of Gnosticism were influencing the Gentile churches in its many forms. One characteristic of Gnosticism was the Greek idea that the body was corrupt and kept humans from fully expressing the true holiness of the soul. This understanding denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus because they believed the true Messiah would not retain a body its corruption. Therefore, Jesus could not be the Messiah.

In this Colossians passage, the writer is affirming Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus, the Messiah, was with God at the beginning of creation. Jesus, like the Parent and Holy Spirit, was active in the act of creation. All things in heaven, like the angels and heavenly host, were “created through him and for him.” Jesus had dominion over all heaven. Likewise, no ruler, kingdom, or army has power over Jesus. For this reason alone, both the Jewish and Gentile understandings are inaccurate. Colossians affirm Jesus as Messiah and describe what the Church would later describe as the Trinity.

The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, but there are many places in the Old Testament and passages like this in the New Testament that describe the Trinity without using the term. The Trinity is how God relates to human beings. God the Parent creates and provides wisdom. God the Son sets our example and redeems all of God’s creation. God the Holy Spirit sustains and renews creation. Together, three in one, God can guide us through sin and death and bring us to life eternal.

Today, spend a little time considering your understanding of God. Then, pray for the church. Like the early church, Christianity struggles with false prophets and warped theology. Then, ask God to nurture your faith so you can attend church school classes and learn more about the faith you profess. It takes each person of faith to work together to overcome ideas about God that drive us away from the true nature of God’s love and intimacy. Pray for the wisdom extolled by the divine Parent, the example conveyed by the Son, and the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit. Struggle to keep our understanding of God from degrading into heresy. Any generation that ceases to respect the need for theological truth could cost us true faith for all time. Pray that God will give you the passion to be a student of the Bible and the study of our faith.

This devotion was originally printed in Oct. of 2017