Pondering God (Part 18)

18 May. Continuing our study of God. His nature. His being. Probably the hardest of all concepts. He is Tri-une. God in three persons, blessed Trinity. I remember when Pam and John were witnessing to me in Volker Park in Kansas City in 1971. I told them I was Jewish. Immediately one of them turned in their Bible to Genesis chapter 1. They quoted verse 26, "God said, 'Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness...' " And thus I should believe in their Jesus, they asserted since God was plural. Wait, I grew up learning in an Orthodox Jewish school and synagogue. God was one. That number I knew like the back of my hand. Echad. One. Not two.
We even sing in the Adon Olam (a closing prayer often sung in synagogue prayer services), v'hu echad, v'ein sheni. He's one, and not two. OK, so this business of the multi-god just didn't jive. I'm Jewish. Check. There's only one God. Check. Jesus is God... nope!
But over time, and with more and more study of the Older and of course the Newer Testament also, I have found God is three-yet-one. (Isa 48.12-16, Proverbs 30.1-4 and so many more) And that compound unity is fascinating in its implications. 

It means God is in Himself community.
It means God in Himself displays unity and humility and servitude and acquiescence.
It means God in Himself shows us how to live and how to get along with one another in Australia, in Israel, or wherever we are just now.

It means when the Father turned His face away from His only begotten Son at the time of the crucifixion in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago that the penalty of our sin could be finally dealt with. It means we can be eternally forgiven because of the death of Yeshua. 

Without the sinless Son of God Himself dying for us, we would have remained without hope. 

Thank you, Father, Son and Ruach Hakodesh for your love and mercy and in your unity, your teaching to us of community.
God is indeed Echad. He is One.