God is, and always has been, love. God is three persons having a single essence who have been pouring themselves out for each other forever, and will continue forever to do so. This outpouring overflowed in the creation of the universe, and people designed to mirror who God is in tangible ways. God expresses his unchangeable all-powerful love by revealing himself and inviting us into relationship with him. His relentless love is removing or destroying all evil. We can only know these things because God reveals himself and communicates with us. We could never figure him out otherwise, because in many ways he is separated from the rest of reality.
We celebrate Jesus as the one who is fully God, but condescended to become fully man as well, even to the point of dying, in order to fix our broken relationship with God and everything else that is wrong with the world. He came back to life and remains fully God and fully man forever in heaven, where he rules the universe with God the Father.
We celebrate the Holy Spirit, because God was not satisfied to just become a human like us (in the person of Jesus) in order to save us, but now condescends to take up residence inside of us and relate to us more intimately than any other being possibly could. We rejoice to know God the Holy Spirit and be known by him in this way, to receive divine guidance and healing from him.
People are designed by God to represent him on planet earth, with the capability to effectively manage cultures and ecosystems. They can relate to each other and to God in the same way that God relates to himself. Tragically, their abilities to relate to each other in healthy ways and preserve the planet were greatly diminished when they broke relationship with God. Nature also became disordered at this time. God entered into creation as Jesus, a human being who modeled God’s design for human life, in order to reconnect with humanity.
Something is terribly wrong with reality. No one lives up to their ideals or to their potential. All people do things of which they are ashamed. Relationships are unhealthy. Ecosystems are damaged. All cultures perpetuate destructive and dysfunctional patterns of behavior. No one is able to fix it. Everyone makes choices that contribute to the problem. Everyone suffers as a result of their choices, the choices of others, and living in a broken world. We are not designed to live this way. The world is not supposed to be like this. It is our disconnection from God that has created this situation.
God desires to be in relationship with all people. Because of the work of Jesus, particularly his death and resurrection, God stands ready to receive all people to himself as they connect themselves to Jesus. Everyone who follows Jesus, his person and teaching, must not (and ultimately, will not) resist the effects of his death and resurrection as the Holy Spirit freely and unreservedly applies it to their lives because of their belief commitment. Jesus gives true life forever, authentic meaningful purposeful life, to everyone who follows him into relationship with God.
The followers of Jesus and his teachings gather themselves into groups called churches, which together form the universal church. Through their relationships with each other and with Jesus they begin to experience healing, and life in the new world that God is creating. When they gather they celebrate Jesus’ victory over evil and receive strength and grace from the Holy Spirit, especially through baptism and communion. God’s generosity to them overflows from them to their communities and to the whole world.
God has specifically designed the 66 books of the Bible to reveal truth, and only truth, about himself and the world, and to guide and motivate all people of the world for the rest of history to lead lives of fulfillment in relationship with him. The Bible is a gift from God that ought to be eagerly received by all of humanity. We ought to read, discuss and question this book fearlessly, humbly, and in community, trusting the Holy Spirit to show us truth as we do. Those who believe the message of the Bible ought to reinterpret and communicate it humbly, clearly, provocatively and winsomely to each generation of every culture.
Jesus is returning to restore all of creation, and everyone who has chosen to participate with him in the restoration of creation will be raised bodily to forever celebrate, rule over creation, and enjoy God and creation. The restoration of humanity will include a restoration of the dignity, value and health of each individual, as well as their relationship with God. Human institutions will flourish, doing only good and never harm. The universe will be purged of all destructive dysfunctional forces.
Copyright, 2019 Rick McGarry