THE TRINITY

GOD

In the final analysis, what we think about God helps to determine how we pray, how we view what is happening in the world and how we think concerning matters such as suffering, evil and death.

For Christians however, much of what is known about God is derived from what is written in the Bible, which is made up of stories and statements of belief drawn from the experiences of the people who have come to be known as the People of the Book (the Bible), the People of God, God’s People, Israel. These people were, of course, not only from the Middle East or the land of Canaan, but also from Africa and South Eastern Europe.

HOW IS GOD KNOWN?

God thus revealed Himself as the Creator of all things. As such He was the only God. The prophets largely proclaimed this monotheism. Not only was God the only God, but He was also a Holy God.

THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

THE HOLINESS OF GOD
Holiness refers to the awful majesty and purity of God, the high and lofty one, who inherits eternity. It denotes the transcendental separateness and apartness of the divine from the creature, and is the ground of human reverence and adoration. The sense of our utter creatureliness and finitude in the presence of the Holy One drives us to humble ourselves before His awful majesty and grandeur. This is the Biblical conception of the Holiness of God.

GOD THE CREATOR
The first thing that the Bible makes known about God, is that He is the author of all creation. This is addressed in the first two chapters of Genesis. This is why every statement about God to which believers subscribe begins with the affirmation of what is referred to as the sovereignty of God.

GOD IS SPIRIT
It is stated by Jesus and reported in John 4:24, that God is not an object that can be seen, touched or represented in anything finite. As spirit, God is not only available everywhere to those who seek His help, but can be reached everywhere, under any circumstances, by those who need Hi help in any way.

GOD IS INFINITE
The sovereign Lord of all creation is ‘infinite’. This means that He is not limited to time or circumstance. God remains as God was before creation. He causes change, but He Himself does not under-go change.

GOD IS PERFECT IN BEING
Unlike human beings and other forms of creation, God can always be depended upon to honor His word or commitment. In other words, God cannot be faulted. The perfect, ‘one’ God, directs all things to good, as Paul reminds his readers in 1 Corinthians 1:24-30.

GOD IS ALL-POWERFUL
God’s power is never used out of arrogance, or in order to coerce persons into doing something they are not willing to do. God’s power is controlled by Hid law, whereby He is committed to doing the best by His creation. God’s power is supremely manifested in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

GOD IS JUST
God can be depended upon to deal fairly with everyone. In other words, God cannot act out of malice towards any or fail to indicate those who are unfairly dealt with by others.

GOD’S SUPREME REVELATION
God, who became a person in Jesus Christ, makes it possible, through the Holy Church, for persons to come to know God, respond to Him and have contact with Him through prayers and faith.

The greatest revelation of God at any time, is the only Begotten Son, who is the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (See also John 1:24, Hebrews 1: 1-2)

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JESUS CHRIST

FAITH IN CHRIST
Faith in Christ means (among other things) a belief in His resurrected presence in our lives, a relationship of trust in Him for our life – both now and always, and acceptance of Him as Lord of our life.

JESUS OF NAZARETH
The writers of the New Testament present Jesus of Nazareth (a human being like us) as the Son of God. Our faith in Him tends to emphasize His divinity. That is natural because it is that which has the power to save.

Jesus lived the life God intended for us when we were created. Another thing that we learn from Jesus’ life is the depth of God’s love for us.

First, as we have noted, Jesus was a human being just like us. He was born and grew up, learned to walk and to talk, went to school, and learned a trade to support Himself. He became hungry and tired; He could be angry or sad or happy or fearful. Although He understood human nature very well, He did not know everything. He spent large amounts of time in prayer in order to receive direction and guidance form His Father. His absolute dependence on God for strength and guidance was the secret of His power, this should be a guide for our own life.

Second, after the resurrection, the disciples understood that His death was part of God’s plan to save sinful people. But it is also clear from the Gospels that He was killed because He extended the grace of God to those who the leaders of Israel had condemned as beyond all hope.

Third, His life calls people to follow Him.

THE WORK OF CHRIST
Although the New Testament clearly speaks of it as part of the plan of God, Christ’s agony in the garden of Gethsemane clearly shows that Jesus could have walked away from it if He had chosen to. However, at great personal cost, He chose to embrace it.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT
In the teachings of the Church and in Christian theology, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is the one whom God used both in nature and in the human heart.

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
For this work, members of the fellowship are given the necessary equipment. They are endowed with certain gifts which the New Testament calls charisma – meaning ‘a free and undeserved gift’ or a ‘gift of grace’.

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place in some dramatic or supernatural form. It does not always happen the same way.

Experience of Baptism in the Holy Spirit may vary; they may not be outwardly ‘dramatic’. However, in all cases, there is supernatural element in it.

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