Living in the third person

As Christians we are constantly encouraged and challenged by the reality of the Trinity.  God exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  One in identity and purpose and three in manifestation and expression, the Trinity speaks to us about the "full purpose" God whom we have come to know.  As Creator He made us.  As Son He saved us.  As Spirit He helps us.  He is absolutely for us.  And as we grasp His reality, we find that we are absolutely His.

We live in a world that believes in the power of the person.  We're made to think that It's all about what I can do and you can do and what we can do together.  The message we hear is that it's all about personal achievement and personal failure and the conflicts and crises of nations who rise and fall on the collective achievements and shortcomings of the people, by themselves.

But, just as God has three dimensions, so does life.  There is the human dimension and then there is a heavenly dimension of Good and a spiritual dimension of Evil.  Life is not a flat battle like they used to fight back in the days of the American Revolution.  It is a three dimensional fight, more like World War II, where the battle also came from the air.  

We err when we take full credit for our success as we err when we take full responsibility for our shortcomings.  The forces of Good and Evil rage through and across the generations of our brief human lives as the real God rules and the real Devil wrestles for influence.  

The reality of the Trinity reminds us of our real need for the God who is beyond our control or complete comprehension....our dependence on Him as our life-giver, restorer and healer.  Because of His reality we know that we are living in the third person.  There is I.  There is you.  There are others.  But above and below and beyond the people in the picture there is an epic conflict raging with mighty forces far beyond human in strength and cunning.  The picture is much bigger than any news service can film, social media can banter, or reality show can simulate.  

We live in the third person.

Romans 8:³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.