Category Archives: Who is God?

Who is God and who are we in him?

Trinity: A Difficult Doctrine

August 10, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

One of the most difficult and hard to accept doctrine for some is the doctrine of the Trinity. It seems to be against human logic. Just what is it all about? How come others don’t seem to accept it while others embrace it?

Here’s the doctrine: God is one divine being who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Another way of saying it is: God is one divine being in three persons. That really makes some people go crazy and say that this doctrine is of the devil and is a doctrine of demons. And it’s quite confusing, they will quickly say!

A Matter of Revelation

That is really sad when people’s minds are closed to the revelation of Scripture. How did this doctrine come about anyway? How come Trinitarians believe in this Triune God? Well, it is simply this: It is the revelation of Scripture—so we accept it even though we may not fully understand it. And what does the Bible say? Well, here is the revelation of God from Scripture:

God is one.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.

Trust in God’s Revelation

The above facts/truths can all be found in Scripture. There may not be an explicit statement which says that “God is a Trinity” but this idea or concept is implied and can be derived and deduced from Scripture. It is the revelation of God through the Bible. Thus the early Christians—in their effort to guard against heresy—formulated this doctrine that God is one divine Being who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is the revelation of Scripture.

Thus, it is a matter of trust and faith in God that what he says in Scripture is true though one may not fully understand it. We just have to accept that some things about God’s nature may not be fully understood and is beyond our finite human understanding to fully comprehend at this time but instead it is to be accepted because it is something revealed in Scripture. God is uncreated and lives in a different dimension (or multi-dimensions). We cannot limit God and try to understand him within the limits of our three dimensional world. God is beyond our finite minds to fully comprehend. It is a paradox.

God has not left us in the dark though. We can only know who God is through the revelation of Jesus Christ. “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (NIV Matthew 11:27). Knowing Jesus is knowing God.

Who is God?

God is Spirit

July 31, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

According to Jesus, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). But what is spirit? Well, the New Testament was written in Greek and the word used here for spirit is pneuma which simply means wind. The word pneuma is where we get the term, pneumatic pump, as an example. The English word, spirit itself comes from the Latin word, spiritus which also means wind or breath. Even the Hebrew word, ruach for spirit also means wind or breath. So it all means essentially the same thing, wind or breath. So, is Jesus then saying that God is wind or breath literally? Of course not. It’s descriptive or figurative language—not literal.

Unfortunately, some people think that the Bible must always be interpreted literally and that could be problematic at times when interpreting Scripture.

God, Time and Space

Whenever we talk about God, let us remember that God created everything—visible and invisible (Col. 1:16). He created time and space and he is not bound by it. He is outside and not subject to time and space—the realm of the natural, physical world. Matter or energy is created by God whether it’s visible or invisible. God is not limited by time and space. He is outside of it—“outside the box,” so to speak. So when we talk about God and Spirit, let’s not put limitations on God and place him—“inside the box.”

When Jesus said that God is Spirit, he meant that God is invisible because that is one of God’s qualities or attributes. It doesn’t mean God is part of matter or energy or that God is literally wind. The ancient people did not have precise words to describe the unlimited God. Human language is limited to describe God fully. Even today, our human language is inadequate to fully describe God and so therefore we can only use inadequate, insufficient descriptive or figurative language to describe our infinite and unlimited God. That is why Jesus said God is Spirit (wind) using the language of his day.

When Jesus said “God is Spirit,” I take it to mean the very opposite of matter or energy. It take it to mean that Spirit means non-matter. It is infinite, it is one whole, indivisible. No one has seen the Father. He is Spirit. The Word is Spirit too. And the Holy Spirit is of course also Spirit. They are one, indivisible, infinite. That is why the Bible says God is one. God is one divine being in three persons: Father, Son and Spirit. Now do I fully and completely understand this concept? Of course not. I can’t. It’s beyond my human comprehension because God is not part of the created order. He is “outside the box” and is beyond my human comprehension. He lives in a different dimension which I could not fathom. But I believe it.

Why? Because that is what God reveals in Scripture. I believe it even though I don’t understand it fully and completely because that is the revelation from Scripture. This is the difference between relying on pure human logic and trusting on God’s Word because that is what he reveals in Scripture whether one understands it or not. To me, to trust God’s Word that God is one divine being who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the logical thing to do. Trust in God’s Word. That’s logic.

Life & Love, Photography, Who is God?

Jesus and Little Children

June 19, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16)

Life & Love, Photography, Who is God?

“The Poor You Will Always Have With You”

June 12, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.” (NIV Mark 14:7a). Such is this world’s condition since the Fall of Adam. There is unequal distribution of wealth, some are rich and some are poor. The Lord will set things right in his own good time. In the meantime, we are encouraged to help the poor, the widows and the fatherless — those who are needy if we can.

These young Aetas, come to the city during Christmas time to beg for alms. It is always heart-breaking to see the poor in their poverty. In this photo, the two boys smiled not expecting that I had a camera focused on them as they approached me. It surprised them I guess. The other boy was kind of shy and hid behind the boy in front of him.

Life & Love, Who is God?

The Ministry of Being

June 6, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

I once attended a seminar conducted by Dr. Shelley Trebesch, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, that really opened my eyes to the difference between the ministry of doing as opposed to the ministry of being. In attendance were top ministry leaders of my denomination who came from all over the globe to attend this seminar in Tagaytay, north of Manila. I forgot now what year it was but maybe in the year 2000. Dr. Trebesch also came all the way from the US to conduct that seminar.

Striving for Excellence to be Saved

Having grown up in a church where doing good works for salvation was once of great importance, it was just but natural for me to focus on performance—on doing the very best I can—for the Lord. Striving for excellence was the thing to do. I’m not saying it’s bad to strive for excellence. In fact, Paul said that we have been created in Christ to do good works (Eph. 2:10). But I gained a little bit more wisdom when Dr. Trebesch began to explain what she meant in the context of personal growth and development of a person.

Ministry of Doing

She described the “ministry of doing” as that kind of ministry where you do things for the sake of doing it. But your heart is not really in it. It’s a busy life of doing a lot of things—lots of activities—because there’s a lot of ministry goals that need to be accomplished or there are lots of things that need to be done. As she began to explain it, I thought about my situation back then as a full-time pastor (I’m now retired). A pastor’s daily schedule of activities can be quite challenging and overwhelming at times. And this applies to other ministry workers and missionaries as well. And if we do ministry without a heart, this can wear a person out in the long run and may be a cause for ministry burnout especially when the person turns out to be a “square peg in a round hole.” Are you in the ministry where you ought to belong right now? Or are you just going through the motions because you have to? This can be a real cause of much stress, frustration and heartaches.

Ministry of Being

The “ministry of being” on the other hand is different, according Dr. Trebesch. You do things because you love to do it. You love to do things because it reflects just who you are. That’s your “being.” Or, you’re just being who you really are. You love to do it because that’s who you are inside out. It’s you and you’re not just faking it or going through the motions. You’re not forced to do it because you need to do it. You’re not just busy for the sake of keeping busy. You love to do it because you enjoy doing it. It’s a ministry with a heart, with a purpose and with love. You minister to others based on who you are in Jesus Christ. You enjoy doing it. You love to do it and you love building relationships with others. That’s who you are—your being in Jesus Christ. That where your heart is. That’s the ministry of being.

Understanding the difference between the ministry of doing as opposed to the ministry of being was kind of liberating for me. It’s good to know that I do things because I like to do it because that’s who I am in Jesus Christ. I gained a little bit more wisdom during that seminar many years ago.

Len Joson