ODJ: the Trinity

June 15, 2014 

READ: 1 Peter 1:1-2 

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2).

Today, some churches will observe Trinity Sunday as a way to remember and honour the Holy Trinity—our triune God consisting of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three, and yet one God. The word Trinity is not found in the Bible. But the New Testament reveals a triune God (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 12:3-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 3:14; Hebrews 10:29; 1 Peter 1:2).

Although the apostle Peter didn’t use the word Trinity, he certainly wrote about our three-in-one God. In a set of clauses, Peter described what each Person of the Trinity did to save us (v.2):

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago. You belong to God, not by chance or human merit, but by God’s sovereign and unconditional choice. It should blow your mind that God set His love upon you and purposefully chose you to be His child long before you were born and the world was created (Psalm 139:13-16; Ephesians 1:4-5).

His Spirit has made you holy. Peter says that the Holy Spirit is moulding, shaping and maturing you (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He’s making you holy and transforming you more and more into Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29).

You have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Peter affirmed the basis of our salvation. Our becoming God’s children and our growth in holiness is possible because of what Jesus did on the cross, for in the shedding of His blood He made it possible for God to forgive our sin (Hebrews 9:22).

Whether your church observes Trinity Sunday or not, we can all be thankful that the persons of the Godhead are intricately and intimately involved with us: we have been chosen, consecrated and cleansed! —K.T. Sim
Mark 1:1-13 ‹365-day plan