There are many rivers that flow into the oceans of the world: The Amazon, Danube, Darling, Euphrates, Ganges, Mississippi, Nile, Ob, Yangtze, etc. etc. Each river flows pure and free at its source. On the way to the ocean each river passes by various sources of impurity and contamination: chemical plants, cities, factories, farms, power plants and what have you. The water that flows into the ocean is not the same pure water that flowed from the source.
There is a river, however, that remains pure and undefiled from its source to you. That river flows from the throne of God and from the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). It flows unhindered and pure right into the spirit of every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not stop there. That river flows out of the spirit (belly) of each believer as living water. It is the River of Life and it brings life wherever it goes. Jesus told us about that river.
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The Holy Spirit is that River of Life. The ocean He flows into is the ocean of humanity. Though most of us in the world have become polluted in our spirits from other sullied rivers, the River of the Holy Spirit does not mix with the waters of the world as it flows through the ocean. It remains pure, distinct and undefiled as it passes near you. All you have to do is invite the Lamb of God into your heart and the River of the Spirit will divert its course and flow into and through you; purifying you completely of all impurities and all defilement.
Before this could happen Jesus had to complete His work of redemption to free us from the penalty and power of sin. He had to live sinless, be crucified by sinners and shed His blood as the innocent Lamb of God, die on the cross, travel to Hades and set all believers free to follow Him to Heaven, and pour out His blood on the altar of God before His throne. Once this was all done He could sit down next to His Father in Heaven and rejoice as the Father released the Holy Spirit to flow like a river into the ocean of humanity to set all who will receive Jesus, as Savior, free.
God has done this for us because of His great love. One God, yet you can see He exists and acts in the roles of three distinct persons.
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
John 14:16, 17
16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Jesus prayed to (asked) Father God and Father God sent the Holy Spirit to live in us forever.
John 14:20, 23
20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
Jesus and the Father are individual, yet One. It is not that they are the same person, anymore than we are God simply because He has made us one with Himself and His Son.
John 17:21 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
We are one together in the body of Christ, yet we remain individual, just as every cell in a body is one with the body but each one is an individual cell.
At the moment a believer accepts Christ as Savior, the word of God says the Holy Spirit baptizes the new child of God into the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
We become one with the body, while simultaneously remaining individual members.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (Amplified Bible) Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].
At the moment the Holy Spirit joins Himself to our spirit we become one with Him. This oneness with the Spirit is like pouring one fruit juice into another. The two become one and seemingly impossible to separate.
1 Corinthians 6:17, 19, 20
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Does this mean we are now little gods? No! But we do partake of His divine nature according to Peter (2 Peter 1:4). We are one with Him despite remaining individuals, able to make choices not aligned with His will. We have access to the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), yet still must choose for ourselves to trust His ways.
So Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One, while being distinctly individual members of the Godhead. They are One, yet Three.
A baby is birthed out of the mother because cells from the father joined to cells within the mother. A child was conceived. At first the child was one in every way with the mother. Then as the child grew within her the child became her or his “own self” able to survive outside of the mother. The child would grow into a young adult able to thrive apart from both parents.
In this way cells leave our bodies and live on in our children. Later, we die, yet our children live. Cells die within our bodies every day, yet we live on.
So it is with the members of the body of Christ. We live and die but the church remains.
The Mystery of the Trinity
The Trinity is too deep a mystery to be captured in simplistic concepts. In some way the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and also the Spirit of Christ and yet, remains distinct.
Some try to get this all figured out so they can validate their doctrine. We may never be able to know the details of the mystery of the Trinity. It is too marvelous to comprehend with our limited capacity. Regardless, there are wonderful experiences we may have as we fellowship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16-20
16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
The Spirit of Christ is distinct from yet one with the Spirit of Father God. Because we are spirits made new and holy by the blood of Christ, we are also able to be one with the Spirit of Christ and one with the Spirit of God the Father. This is all possible by the Holy Spirit through Whom we all have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18).
We are able to be in Christ Who is in the Father while the Holy Spirit is all around and all through each of us.
Picture it this way. You accept Christ as Savior (Romans 10:9, 10). The Holy Spirit becomes one with your spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). He then baptizes you into Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13). Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and you are seated with/in Christ there (Ephesians 1:20, 2:6). Jesus then steps into Father God with you inside (John 14:20). So, there you are in Christ, in the Father and the Holy Spirit is in your spirit (John 14:17), and all around you as He is also One with the Spirits of Christ and Father God.
(See Featured Image)
These images seem rather fanciful and improbable. To me they are not images; rather, experiences with God as I asked Him to help me understand my relationship to Him. The images are merely my attempt to help others understand how I perceive His way of answering my questions about His Trinitarian nature. It has been remarkable to me that other people from different nations have had similar experiences in times of prayer and meditation. The Place of Authority
God’s use of these experiences has helped and accelerated my understanding of the spiritual authority I have in Christ. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father far above all demonic rule and influence.
Ephesians 1:20, 21
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And we as the church and His body are in Him as He sits there.
Ephesians 1:22, 23
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
God has used similar experiences to help many in the body of Christ to function in confident authority over the wiles of the devil and the works of the enemy in all their forms in the world and in the atmosphere around us. Jesus is truly the Lord of Hosts and there are at least twice as many powerful angels with Him as there are fallen angels with the devil. Believers who know their authority in Christ just dismiss demons with one word and declare deliverance and healing with another. This is God’s plan and pleasure. Notice the pleasure of Christ as His disciples reported to Him their discovery of their authority in His name.
Luke 10:17-24
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 “for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
Our confident authority in Christ is one of God’s purposes in redemption from sin and the lies and corruption the enemy has used to blind and bind us. God sent Jesus to set us free to walk with Him in dominion, holiness, light and love. He set us free and empowered us to set others free. Let’s agree with God’s purpose and His plan.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One, yet Three. Don’t try to figure it all out. But know they are eager to help you know them individually and together. You have not because you ask not. Why not ask God to open your understanding of their great love for you and their invitation to walk with them in Spirit and Truth? It is a great adventure you will not want to miss.