𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• What’s one thing that you have experienced that you haven’t been able to explain or communicate to others? Why do you think this is so?

• Describe the person on your right using one word or image. Explain why you thought of that.

• Tell us about one or two people you know very well. What made you so close to them?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟯:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳

(Read also 𝟭 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟳–𝟭𝟵.)

The Trinity is one of the most challenging theological concepts for a believer. There are three Persons in full unity and relationship, and yet there is one God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in perfect love together, and out of this came the created world and the redemption of mankind. We are given pictures of the Trinity through the Bible. We see this perfect relationship in the baptism of Jesus, where the Father was well pleased with the Son, the Son was acting in obedience to the Father, and the Spirit was at work all throughout. Even though we cannot fully appreciate or comprehend the Trinity, we can learn that God is love, and as people created in God’s image, we are called to reflect this love. Today, we will look at two truths in understanding how God and His people are designed for relationships.

𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.

𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝟭 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟭𝟲

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟯:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳

The very nature of God is love. That is the simplest but also the most profound explanation of God. Perfect love originated from and existed between the three Persons of the Trinity. The Bible gives glimpses of how the Trinity exists, from creation until the return of Christ one day. In Matthew 3:16–17, we see how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are full of love and at work in the redemption of mankind. Why do you think we easily overlook this seemingly simple explanation? How do God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit show us Their love today?

𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.

𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. . . . 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴. 𝟭 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳, 𝟭𝟵

Because God is love, His people are called to reflect this love. Because we are designed for relationships, we make evident the expression of love in the Trinity. Our relationships are to model the perfect love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are able to love others because of the overwhelming, unconditional, and unending love of God. As we know and trust in God’s love for us (1 John 4:16), we reflect God’s love to fellow believers in the church and to the rest of the world so that they too may experience the fullness of God’s love. What did Jesus command the disciples to do in John 13:34–35, and why do you think this was so important to Him?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• Why do you think it was important for God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to be present and evident in the baptism of God the Son? How do you think the Trinity is at work in your life today?

• How should the perfect love of God be evident in the church and our world today? What do you think your part is in this?

• God is love. How can you grow in your understanding of this? How can you reflect God’s love to others this week?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Thank God for how the Bible reveals the truth of the Trinity. Pray that you would grow in your understanding of and faith in God every day.

• Pray that the truth of God’s love would sink deep in your heart and provide assurance for your identity and purpose.

• Pray for unity and love in the church. Pray that you would reflect God’s love in every relationship you have, including the most challenging ones. Pray that God would draw those who are far from Him to Himself.