Water: nature’s holy trinity

ice-water-steam

Water – drinking it is only second to breathing air as necessary for human life.  The earth is covered in water over 70% of its surface.  Our body largely consists of water.  In the womb we are suspended in water.  When we are baptized, we emerge from water, re-born.  Water is the essence of our physical being.  

This past week we celebrated the mystery of the Holy Trinity – One God, Three Persons.  Most of it is too deep for me to hold on to, and is normally where my faith needs to fill in the gaps.  But, a few years ago it came to me that there is a very common physical element that can be used as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity – water.  I don’t know of any other natural element that can exist on the surface of the planet in all three physical states: solid/ice, liquid/water, gas/vapor.  And can you think of a more appropriate metaphor?  So, although the essence of water is the same on an atomic level, its physical properties can vary depending on its surroundings, and how or what is interacting with it.  Sounds a little like God to me.  The essence of God exists in all Three of the Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit.   C.S. Lewis puts it this way: 

“…The ordinary Christian begins to enter into the life of the three personal God when he draws near to Christ and begins to pray to the Father through Christ – using Christ as our mediator.  So when you pray it is God the Spirit inside that motivates you, it is Christ standing beside you, supporting you, and it is God the Father receiving that prayer.  All united as one to help us in our relationship with Him…

(I thought that this clip of our visit to Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast of Israel might be an appropriate image.  I felt that the juxtaposition of the great expanse of the Mediterranean Sea and Herod’s aqueduct built 2000 years ago was pretty ironic.)

 

 

9 thoughts on “Water: nature’s holy trinity

  1. “…and it is God’s Holy Spirit which dwells within you that moves you to do just that….”
    🙂 Yes, the spirit of the Father and Jesus, Amen!

    My third child Lily is 4 today, she likes being outside with Dad and the chickens.
    Bryan

  2. “……Time to go outside and thank God for His creation.”

    …and it is God’s Holy Spirit which dwells within you that moves you to do just that….

  3. “Here are a couple pf scripture points that you should consider before you totally discount the power of the Holy Spirit in your life…”

    I believe in The Fathers spirit and Jesus’s spirit, it is these that Jesus is talking about when he says the Father and Jesus will live in us, not the third part of a trinity.(and beg your pardon but your first post is all about “Trinity”)

    Matthew 12:31-32 …… either in this age or in the age to come.
    Yes I believe the bible, blasphemy against the Spirit (God’s spirit) will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come. BUT it doesn’t say forever! just in this age and the next age.

    And what is the BLASPHEMY? It is totally rejecting God’s influence in our lives and that won’t be pardoned (which mean you will have to complete your sentence (judgment)). When God’s judgments come the people learn righteousness, Isaiah. When everyone has been judged and learn righteousness then every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord to the glory of God.

    God is 100% victorious in everything he does and that includes saving everyone.

    AND that is the “POWER” that lives in us.

    Time to go outside and thank God for His creation.
    Bryan.

  4. From your post- “… and what a bout John 14:26:”
    What about it?
    “I am going, and I AM COMING TO YOU” (Jn. 14:27). In these verses Jesus states it clearly that he is the “comforter”.(gk-“parakleetos!”) (from verse 26.)

    I John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an “advocate” (“parakleetos!”) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

    1 Corinthians 8:5-6(NIV)
    5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

    The Bible countless time describes the relationship between the Father and the Son but never a relationship between the Son and a holy spirit.

    The Spirit is the Fathers spirit and/or Jesus spirit.

    The Bible is clear and easy to understand as long as we don’t take what the pulpit says as “gospel”

    There is no trinity-the Bible doesn’t even give a hint of one.

    The cottonwood trees are filling the air with…..cotton, and the choke cherries are next to bloom
    Bryan

    P.S. Just having fun-what do I know?

    • On that we can agree – ‘What do we know?’ Again, I am not advocating the worship of the Holy Spirit as a god I am simply saying that the Holy Spirit is one of the three ways that our one God has manifested himself to us – what is to say that there aren’t more manifestations – The Jews have over twenty different names for the very same God. Here are a couple pf scripture points that you should consider before you totally discount the power of the Holy Spirit in your life…

      John 16:5
      5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

      Matthew 12:31-32
      31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

      How do you deny that?

  5. Let’s take a breath – I’m not sure we are at odds here…I am not saying that there are three individual beings that we call God…I am saying that our One God is manifested in these three entities – or better – relationships.- here are a few references from Wikipedia and what a bout John 14:26:

    From the Old Testament the early church retained the conviction that God is one.[66] The New Testament does not use the word Τριάς (Trinity)[67] nor explicitly teach the Nicene trinitarian doctrine, but there are several passages which use twofold and threefold patterns to speak of God. Binitarian passages include Rom. 8:11, 2 Cor. 4:14, Galatians 1:1, Eph. 1:20, 1 Tim. 1:2, 1 Pet. 1:21, and 2 John 1:13. Passages which refer to the Godhead with a threefold pattern include Matt. 28:19, 1 Cor. 6:11 and 12:4ff., Gal. 3:11–14, Heb. 10:29, and 1 Pet. 1:2. These passages provided the material with which Christians would develop doctrines of the Trinity.[66] Reflection by early Christians on passages such as the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”[Matt 28:19] and Paul the Apostle’s blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all,”[2 Cor. 13:14

  6. RT
    “…..God the Father and creator, his virgin-born sinless Son, and the Holy Spirit…All three of which are mentioned a few times in the Bible”
    True but never as part of a triune God, three persons in one, one consisting of three parts, etc. etc.
    Just one example from Paul teachings that God is three…anything….just one, and I will concede the point.
    It’s been a little cool and rainy lately so making the rounds on the computer….lucky you 🙂

    Lilacs and plums are in bloom.
    Bryan

  7. Hey RT,
    Who is asking you to believe in the trinity, the Bible or the pulpit? Describe to me the trinity, in all the old familiar and new ways and then find such descriptions for me in the Bible?

    Put in a garden this week:)
    From the tractor
    Bryan

    • No one in particular – But I do believe in God the Father and creator, his virgin-born sinless Son, and the Holy Spirit…All three of which are mentioned a few times in the Bible.
      As far as the term ‘holy trinity’ – it’s not in the Bible but I think it’s as good a term as any to describe the three – knowing that they are all essential to a my relationship to God as a Christian.
      As far as describing the trinity – all I need to know at this point is what I wrote in my post – and I am very comfortable with that…C.S. Lewis has written a lot more than I will ever understand – so has St. Paul.

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