In the blog, The Trinity Revealed we saw God revealing Himself as never before, as three persons in one, Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. God the Trinity is the starting point of understanding the God of the Bible. But have you ever asked yourself the question, what were they doing for all eternity?
The Bible is amazing in that it answers this question with clarity. Jesus is about to be taken from his disciples to be crucified, an agonizing death, but he has an intimate discussion with his disciples. In this he must help his disciples understand somethings that will turn their world upside down. One of these, is found in John chapter 17 verse 24 where Jesus states, “Father … you loved me before the creation of the world.”
What a revelation. From this we can know that a main thing the Trinity has done for all eternity is to love one another. Yes, God is holy and just, God is eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, but very importantly, what defines Him most, is His love.
Now if God was a lone god, this statement that he is loving would have no meaning. If we say ah, but that lone God somehow loves his creation, then his love is dependent upon creation, as love is something that is shared. But God cannot be dependent on anything else. If God is to have the attribute of love, he cannot by definition be a lone god.
From this we begin to see why Jesus’ revelation about the nature of the Trinity being love is so astounding. It is certainly not an attribute the Greek gods had – they were dominated by jealousy, a very human attribute!
So why is this eternal love attribute of the Trinity so important to us?
Well, in the first book of the Bible it states that we are made in God’s image. Indeed, God said, “Let us make mankind in our image”. What would be central to this image?
Well, to give a clue, have you ever wondered why almost all music and poems have one subject in common? They are about love. You know the Beatles famous song, “All I need is love” cries this out for all to hear. But why? Love cannot be defined from the laws of physics, yet it is central to everything we do. If the nature of God is love, then it is no surprise that it is something that defines our very nature as well. So, if we are made in God’s image, we should be able to relate to God and to relate to each other with great love.
You see, love involves intimacy. Can you imagine an intimate God? Well, this is the nature of the Christian God, who, being the Trinity, desires a uniquely intimate relationship with man. He is not here to cheat us nor to do us harm, but to love and relate to us through an intimate relationship .
Hopefully, you can see now why Jesus’ declaration about the Father loving Him before the creation of the world is so mind blowing – it will impact the way we see everything.