Understanding The Word

There are many people today who do not believe in the Holy Trinity.  I’ve always wondered why, since the verse in 1 John 5:7 plainly states that God the Father, Jesus the Word (son), and the Holy Ghost are one.  What else could this verse mean?

I need to warn you, that this is very in-depth and you need to take your time reading further……

Let’s look at the doctrine of the Holy Trinity first; the meaning of the Holy Trinity is that there is only one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons. There are not three different gods, or 2 gods and a prophet as some religions teach, there is ONE God with three parts.

So let’s start with the definition of Trinity:

    “ a group of three people or things; the state of being three; a translation for threefold.”

God made us in His image so we also have three parts, yet we also are one….we have a body which is flesh, a soul that give us life and choice (willpower), and our spirit which is our conscience.

• God- Soul                             – Mentality                                          Brain – Soul (Function, Willpower)

• Jesus – Flesh                       – Physical                             us          Body – Flesh (Senses, memories)

• Holy Ghost – Spirit            – Spiritual                                           Mind – Spirit (Thoughts, Conscience)

Let’s go even further…. the difference between the soul and the spirit. The soul is how we are alive, the function of our bodies without us having to tell our bodies how to work. It is also the willpower to have a choice in life. The spirit is who we are other than a physical body. (as thoughts make the person)

The choices we make in our daily lives is different from our thoughts. People can get confused and think they are the same, but they are not.  Our flesh represents feelings that are our senses, (i.e. touching something hot or cold, feeling pain, feeling pleasure, etc.), and our spirit is what tells us is right/wrong, good/evil, immoral/moral. (These are thoughts and our conscience)

There is also a distinction between thoughts and memories, as memories are past thoughts of senses, for example; you remember burning your hand because it hurt. (trauma to your body falls under senses, which is then stored as a memory.)  Your thoughts are who you are at present, or who you have become based one past memories, this is why your thoughts can lead to memories (or remembrance) depending on the situation; again this goes with learning/understanding which leads to growth.  That is how/why you learn from your mistakes.

Let me go on- Choices we make is our understanding, our senses is our knowledge, and our spirit is our wisdom.  Let me explain, when you make a choice, you are basing that choice on the knowledge and wisdom you have, but not necessarily on understanding, this is why  you can make a choice with only knowledge.  (Understanding is why you made that choice.)

For Example:

• you can pick up something hot without using mittens – (you know it’s hot because it’s steaming) –this is knowledge
• you feel the steam and realize it’s hot – this is understanding
• you will burn your hands if you pick it up without mittens – this is wisdom
• you then choose to either wear mittens or not and get burned(consequence) – this is understanding
• the consequence of your choice will then make you a more cautious or careless person – this is wisdom

Is it wise or understanding to see the steam and feel the steam but pick it up anyway without mittens?

In other words:

• you can use knowledge without understanding and wisdom,
• you can use understanding without wisdom but not without knowledge
• but you can’t use wisdom without both knowledge and understanding.

You can have knowledge of the bible, you can have knowledge that the trees and flowers grow, you can have knowledge about how you feel and many other things, but without understanding and wisdom, knowledge is nothing.  It is why the question WHY is so important.  (You know you are happy but why?)

I also want to make a distinction between wisdom and being smart, or a genius.  When someone is smart, this is more of a book learning and intake of words and meanings, but do not know how to really apply it to their life.  There are many smart people and geniuses who have absolutely no common sense, in other words, they are not applying wisdom(thoughts) to use that knowledge with understanding……Not all smart people are like this, there are many who actually have the understanding and wisdom, and most of these people end up (if not already) believing in God.

Everyone is born with these abilities as we were created in God’s image in order to have a relationship with our Creator. There is a process in place for all of us through out our life, but we all have a different process, some people will learn something quicker than others, for some people it takes only 2-3 times to learn it, while others may take 5 or more times. It just depends on our growth system; you can only grow by understanding what you are learning and retaining. Learning comes from knowledge, knowledge then leads to understanding and growth, and understanding leads to wisdom then using wisdom as a basis of experience of life.

For example: you retain/learn about God, you then have a choice to grow in that knowledge or not.  If you choose to continue you will gain more understanding then more wisdom, which in turn, you will start to utilize in your everyday life and you will become the person that you are at the present moment. It is a continual cycle, but it is still YOUR choice to continue or not.

•       Understanding – Choice (Willpower)             – Growth                               – How/Why

•       Knowledge – Feeling/Things (senses, emotions)  – Retaining /Learning            – What

•      Wisdom –Conscience (Right/wrong)                      –  Utilization                          – Answer

Knowledge is what you are learning and retaining, understanding is why you are learning it and wisdom is applying the answer in your life. (See Example Below)

                                Learning – 2+2 = 4

                                Growth is understanding why the answer is 4, and not 3 or 5.

                                Wisdom is using this throughout your life, as 2+2 will never be anything but 4.

This is why the older generations for centuries were always considered the ones to give advice and teach you about life.  Just as parents teach their children. This does not exclude younger people or even children being the ones who can help you know and understand things, as sometimes the older we get the easier it is to make things more complex than they need be. (Maybe because of what we have seen or experienced in life?) Sometimes a child can say something so profound that makes you stop and think, or ask questions that make you ponder for a long while.  So it is important to listen, never disregard what anyone says no matter their age. Take what they say and think on it, research, learn.  No one ever stops learning and growing even after they die, for when you die, you learn where you are going for eternity. I personally would rather learn while I am still alive so I can go to heaven, wouldn’t you?

I want to make it clear, you cannot have these things without God, whether you believe in Him or not, doesn’t matter, for He created you in His image and we instinctively know He exists that is why we sometimes fight Him so hard, there are some people that don’t want to know, or understand Him.  Yet they are always searching for something, whether it is drugs, sex, movies, games, adrenaline rushes, etc.; something to make them feel anything is order to fill the void of denying God in their life and as their creator/savior.  Even we believers have done and still do these things.  None of us our exempt, because we are human.  As believers we sometimes oppress and grieve the Holy Spirit more often that we should and don’t always listen when Jesus is speaking to us.  (We don’t always spend time with the Lord, but that is where His mercy and grace come in for us.)

The key is to WANT to gain knowledge and understanding so you can use wisdom to help others in their learning and understanding, not just in the Lord but in the world; how can you fight any battle (yes, we have battles everyday spiritually, physically and mentally) without first gaining the knowledge, then the understanding, and finally wisdom to apply to how you handle said battle, because once you gain wisdom, you will know that God does exist and that nothing would exist without Him. For with wisdom comes belief and everyone believes in something……but only wisdom can show you GOD in the world. Not everyone has that wisdom yet, but they are on their way, even if they die before they get it.

Therefore, once you gain the wisdom in knowledge and understanding information, you gain one of the most important steps of all and that is belief, belief that God is real, and that if God is real, Scripture (The Bible) is real, and if scripture is real, Jesus Christ is real, and if Jesus is real then the Holy Spirit is real. Again this is a process, some people are wise enough to know there is a God, but have not processed further…..

Let me make another distinction: the difference in belief in God and the Salvation of Jesus Christ.  You can believe in God, but have no salvation if you do not believe in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Once you gain the wisdom of God, your journey then starts in the belief in Jesus Christ.  All of these are steps to salvation.

This knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, is the basis of salvation, for you cannot be saved unless you believe, not just in God, but in Jesus.  Children and teens can gain this knowledge and understanding more quickly than most adults.  (Maybe it’s because of the simplicity of the Gospel.)  They start their journey of growth early on……just remember everyone is different, and everyone has a different maturity/growth timetable

When you realize what is real and what is true, you now not only see with your eyes, but with your ears and heart as well, and you gain the most precious gift you will ever be given: The saving Grace of the Holy Trinity, when the Word was made flesh as Jesus Christ to grant us a comforter and part of Him forever the Holy Spirit. You cannot gain the Holy Spirit without Jesus; you can’t have Jesus without God, for you cannot have one or two without the other(s).

                                                                God – Creator

                   ALL IN ONE                        Jesus – Savior – ONE IN ALL

                                                                Holy Spirit – Comforter

God gives us a choice (willpower) and a chance; what will you do with them? 

God loves us so much, He just asks us to understand Him, to know Him, to trust what He says, and to believe.  It’s really not that hard…….