2024 Oct 23  Does the Trinity Make Any Difference?

SMALL GROUP MATERIAL

Small Group Questions:

  1. What are you listeners “unofficial theology”? How do they actually live out their faith?
  2. Do your listeners begin with God or begin with themselves?
  3. If Jesus gave the greatest commandments as to love God and love others, what does this tell us about “trinity-like-living”?

MESSAGE NOTES

THE MAIN POINT

God’s identity as a community of love represented in the Trinity is mirrored when humans choose to live in a community of love as well.

THE BIBLE

Mark 12: 30-31

THE CONTEXT

It is clear to see that the doctrine of the Trinity is implicitly taught in the Bible, it can make sense between the tension of logic and mystery, and that there is a deep relationship between all three persons bonded by love. One question, still to answer, is does this actually make any difference to the everyday life of a Christian? If the doctrine of the Trinity is true, what difference does it make to how we conduct our lives and how we worship?

Most Christians have “official theology” and “unofficial theology”, meaning, there are doctrines that we theoretically believe and those which are actually revealed by the way we live. Often what we believe and how we live are determined by our preferences and what is relevant to us. Relevancy is often thought of in terms of what can be done for me, will I be happy, will I enjoy it or will it restrict me? It assumes of course that I am the best judge of what is ultimately good for me. If any doctrine does not “do anything” for me, fulfilling my desires or my happiness, it is to be discarded. Part of the problem with this way of thinking (which is common), is that it is frequently conceived in too short of a time span (instant gratification). Yet some matters that make no useful difference in the short span, make a huge difference over a long time.

Imagine skydiving. As you jump out of the plane and begin your descent toward the ground, your parachute is irrelevant for most of the fall. In fact, it is actually a disadvantage as it impedes your fall. In the very last part of the jump, as you see the ground emerging before you, your parachute becomes highly relevant and hugely advantageous to your survival. When dealing with doctrines that measure spiritual matters, we are not simply measuring short-term wins, but eternal outcomes. In a sense, the question is not whether the doctrine of the Trinity is relevant to me; it is whether I am relevant to it and to God. I must decide if I want to align myself with God’s character, plans, and love.

In Mark 12, Jesus outlines what aligning ourselves to the triune God looks like: 1. Loving God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) 2. Loving Others (Every human). God’s identity as a community of love represented in the Trinity is mirrored when humans choose to live in a community of love as well.

THE CORE

As you prepare the core of the message using personal story and questions keep in mind these points:

  • 1. The Trinity matters because God’s creation matters:
    God created all humans in his image, and he wants all people to share in the love shared by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
    How we live, reflects whom we worship. We worship a triune God who loves community.

2. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters

The Trinity and the gospel have the same shape. This is how God saves us—by sending his Son and Spirit. Our salvation hangs on these two sendings. Without them, God would still be a Father, but he wouldn’t be our Father. He would still have a Son, but he wouldn’t have many sons & daughters.

3. The Trinity Matters because God Matters

  • The Trinity matters because this is who God is. It’s who he always was and would’ve been even if there had been no you, no me, and no heavens and earth.
  • “It makes no sense to ask what the point of the Trinity is or what purpose the Trinity serves. The Trinity isn’t for anything beyond itself, because the Trinity is God. God is God in this way: God’s way of being God is to be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simultaneously from all eternity, perfectly complete in a triune fellowship of love. If we don’t take this as our starting point, everything we say about the practical relevance of the Trinity could lead to one colossal misunderstanding: thinking of God the Trinity as a means to some other end, as if God were the Trinity in order to make himself useful.”
  • To know God savingly is to know him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Anything less is sub-Christian.

THE APPLICATION

As you prepare the application, challenge and/or encouragement, keep in mind these points:

  • What are you listeners “unofficial theology”? How do they actually live out their faith?
  • Do your listeners begin with God or begin with themselves?
  • If Jesus gave the greatest commandments as to love God and love others, what does this tell us about “trinity-like-living”?