Weekly Emmaus City Culture Q&As | Part 1, Q&A 3

EMMAUS CITY CULTURE Q&AS | PART 1: GOD, CREATION AND FALL, LAW CONTINUED

Each week, we are adapting Redeemer's New City Catechism with modern language, including the questions and answers, along with the commentary and prayer. Our goal is to make these easily accessible for all ages, as well as those with various levels of education in Worcester. 

Since we don't want this to be just information transfer, but life transformation by God's Word and Spirit, we purposely changed the word catechism to culture as we pray for God to help us creatively display and declare the good news of Jesus in our communities. 

Here are the previous weeks' Q&As:

• Q&A 1: What is our only hope in life and in death?
• Q&A 2: Who is God?

Cheers to 2014 and many becoming more like Jesus together.

Emmaus City Culture | Part 1, Q&A 3

Question 3

How many persons are there in God?

Answer 3

There are three persons in one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

2 Corinthians 13:14

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Commentary

The Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, being one God, is necessary for us to believe, especially for the knowledge of God's three great works for man: as our Creator and the God of nature; as our Redeemer and the God of grace that reconciles us back to Him; and as our Sanctifier who applies and perfects grace in us for His glory. The Scripture tells us that there are three, and yet one God. We are to be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:29). And there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one (1 John 5:6-12). That God is one infinite, undivided Spirit, and yet He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit must be believed. We know, believe and honor Him to be the only infinite, eternal, self-sufficient Spirit, Power, Understanding, and Will, our perfect Life, Light, and Love; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, of whom, and through whom, and to whom, are all things; our absolute Owner, Ruler, and Father; our Maker, our Redeemer, and Sanctifier.

Adapted from “The Catechising of Families” in The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, Volume 19 (London: Paternoster, 1830), 33, 62, 165. Richard Baxter (1615–1691): An English Puritan, Baxter served as a chaplain in the army of Oliver Cromwell and as a pastor in Kidderminster. 

Prayer

With humility, we ask You to reveal the holy mystery of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that we have learned about from the Scriptures: and we will humbly worship this Unity in trinity and Trinity in unity. We want to keep in mind and acknowledge this distinction declared in the Scriptures, and the unity also described to us. There is one God. When we read that God created the world, we understand that the Father from whom are all things, by the Son by whom are all things, in the Holy Spirit in whom are all things, created the world. And when we read that the Son became flesh, suffered, died, and rose again for our salvation, we believe that the Father and the Holy Spirit, though they were not part of His incarnation as man and did not suffer with Him, they gave us our salvation by the Son. And when sins are said to be forgiven in the Holy Spirit, we believe that this benefit and all other benefits are given to us from one, only, true, living, and everlasting God, who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to whom should be given praise and thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen.

Adapted from “Of The Holy Ghost: The Eighth Sermon” in “The Other Eight Sermons of the Fourth Decade” in Decades of Henry Bullinger, translated by H.I., Volume 4 (Cambridge: University Press, 1851), 325–326. Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575:. A Swiss reformer, and the successor of Zwingli as head of the Zurich church, Bullinger wrote both theological and historical works comprising some 127 titles. 

Coming next week: Q&A 4: How and why did God create us?

– Sully

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