Our Triune God!

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness." (Mark 1:9-13 ESV)

While it is true that the actual word “Trinity” does not appear anywhere in the Bible, this in no way diminishes the fact that the Bible does clearly teach that our One God is presented as having three separate persons. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Very early in Mark’s Gospel, he presents the historical event of the Baptism of Jesus, showing that all three persons of the Trinity are in the same place at the same time, thereby confirming the belief in the “Trinity”.

Each of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, had their own intended audience and purpose. Mark intended to address Gentile readers in Rome and to show them that Jesus, unlike their Greek and Roman gods, was not a self-absorbed deity demanding worship and adoration; instead, although He was indeed God in the flesh, Jesus came not to be served but to serve. (Mark 10:45).

Therefore, it was important for Mark to quickly explain and demonstrate the deity of Jesus.

Unfortunately, some say that Jesus never claims to be equal with God the Father, but that isn’t true. In the Gospel of John, Jesus clearly states, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). There are many places in Scripture that show that Jesus was indeed God. He was God who came down to earth in flesh, to live a sinless life so that He could be sacrificed for the forgiveness of all sin for all time. Belief in the deity of Jesus is a critical doctrine of the Christian faith. Believing that Jesus was a good man or even a prophet of God is not “confessing” that Jesus is Lord. The Apostle Paul states, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9) “Confessing” means to agree with, so you see it is critical that Mark present evidence in his Gospel Account that would allow his Roman readers to come to the conclusion that indeed Jesus is God, so they could “agree with” this truth.

At the Baptism of Jesus, we see that God the Father spoke about His pleasure in His Son Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit presented Himself “like” a dove, and led Jesus into the wilderness. Mark has presented in a very clear event the three distinct persons of our One God. Mark continues his presentation of the deity of Jesus, as he recounts an event where Jesus confronts a man with an unclean in a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, and the unclean spirit cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” (Mark 1:24)

You see, my friend, knowing that Jesus is “the Holy One of God” isn’t enough to obtain salvation and forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness only comes through saving faith in Christ and repentance. Saving faith (given by God to persuade us that Jesus is indeed the sinless lamb of God that takes away our sins), and repentance (changing of our minds, from we can earn salvation by our good works, to accepting the truth that salvation is a gift from God to anyone who would by faith believe in Him).

Knowing facts about Jesus does not persuade one that Jesus is our personal savior. Mark understood this truth and wrote his entire gospel to show that Jesus is the Son of God and that He alone can take away the sins of the world. If you haven’t been convinced yet of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, please continue to read this wonderful Gospel, and be persuaded that Jesus is indeed God, that he died on the cross to pay for your sins, He was buried and rose again on the third day, and He lives today offering to all whom will accept the gift of eternal life with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"