WHAT DO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS BELIEVE?

2: TRINITY

Hello! For those who already read this chapter, I rewrote it. Took a version that explained more. I was blessed and enlightened reading with this chapter. Stay and be blessed with this chapter!

The Godhead

At Calvary almost everyone rejected Jesus Only a few recognized who Jesus really was-among them, the dying thief who called Him Lord (Luke 23:42), and the Roman soldier who said,"'Truly this Man was the Son of God!. . . (Mark 15:39).When John wrote, "He came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11), he was thinking not merely of the crowd atthe cross, or even of Israel, but of every generation that has lived. Except for a handful, all humanity, like that raucous crowd at Calvary, has failed to recognize in Jesus their God and Saviour. This failure, humanity's greatest and most tragic, shows that humanity's knowledge of God is radically deficient.Knowledge of GodThe many theories attempting to explain God, and the many arguments for and against His existence, show that human wisdom cannot penetrate the divine. Depending on human wisdom alone to learn about God is like using a magnifying glass to study the constellations. Hence, to many, God's wisdom is a "hidden wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:7). To them God is a mystery. Paul wrote, "None of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8). One of the most basic commandments of Scripture is to love "God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37; cf. Deut. 6:5). We cannot love someone we know nothing about, yet we cannot by searching find out the deep things of God (Job 11:7).

How then can we come to know and love the Creator? God Can Be Known. Realizing the human predicament, God, in His love and compassion, reached out to us through the Bible. It reveals that "Christianity is not a record of a man's quest for God; it is the product of God's revelation of Himself and His purposes to man."1
This self-revelation is designed to bridge the gulf between a rebellious world and a caring God. The manifestation of God's greatest love came through His supreme revelation, Jesus Christ, His Son. Through Jesus we can know the Father. As John states, "'The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true'" (1 John 5:20).And Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).This is good news. Although it is impossible to know God completely, the Scriptures afford a practical knowledge of Him that is sufficient for us to enter into a saving relationship with Him. Obtaining a Knowledge of God.Unlike other knowledge, the knowledge of God is as much a matter of the heart as it is of the brain. It involves the whole person, not just the intellect. There must be an openness to the Holy Spirit and a willingness to do God's will (John 7:17; cf. Matt. 11:27). Jesus said, "'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'" (Matt. 5:8).Unbelievers, therefore, cannot understand God. Paul exclaimed,"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:20, 21, NIV).The way we learn to know God from the Bible differs from all other methods of acquiring knowledge. We cannot place ourselves above God and treat Him as an object to be analyzed and quantified. In our search for a knowledge of God we must submit to the authority of His self-revelation-the Bible. Since the Bible is its own interpreter, we must subject ourselves to the principles and methods it provides. Without these Biblical guidelines we cannot know God.Why did so many of the people of Jesus' day fail to see God's self-revelation in Jesus? Because they refused to subject themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures, they misinterpreted God's message and crucified their Saviour. Their problem was not one of intellect. It was their closed hearts that darkened their minds, resulting in eternal loss.

The Existence of God

There are two major sources of evidence for the existence of God. The book of nature and the Scriptures.Evidence From Creation.Everyone can learn of God through nature and human experience. David wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). John maintained that God's revelation, including nature, enlightens everyone (John 1:9). And Paul claimed, "Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20).Human behavior also gives evidence for God's existence. In the Athenian worship of the "unknown God," Paul saw evidence of a belief in God. Said he, "The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23). Paul also said the behavior of non-Christians revealed the witnessof "their conscience" and showed that God's law is written "in their hearts" (Rom. 2:14, 15). This intuition that God exists is found even among those who have no access to the Bible. This general revelation of God led to a number of classical rational arguments for the existence of God.