(part of a pamphlet mariner is writing)
The Constitution of the Christian Faith
I God
There is but one God, the creator of all dimensions, all material living and inanimate. God and God’s creation are inseparable.
God maintains order in all of existence, giving order and dependency to all processes. God’s will is delivered through love for God’s creation.
God endowed the human species and similar creatures with the ability to use God’s love in a manner that increases God’s presence – order and dependency can be enhanced or denigrated by their behavior.
II The Trinity
The Trinity is a description of the relationship between God, Jesus of Nazareth and the human race. The typical expression is ‘God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit’.
Jesus was an individual who understood the manifestations of God’s love and the power it could invoke. Jesus understood clearly the responsibility humans have to sustain order and dependency in God’s creation. His knowledge of God and God’s love was beyond the normal abilities of other humans.
It is through Jesus and his teachings about God that humans learned they have a role in the Trinity. When humans act in a manner that enhances God’s love, they are participating in the spirit of God’s love, when they use God’s love they are the Holy Spirit in action.
III Definitions for participating in the Trinity
Virtually all of Jesus’ knowledge about God is captured in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Certain passages stand out as a guideline by which to express the spirit of God’s will. They are reproduced below.
IIIa The Beatitudes
MATTHEW 5:1-16.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
15 “Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house.
16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
֎ Generally, the Beatitudes imply that existential comfort and personal reward are not part of the value system. Rather, it is association with God’s love and invoking that love that really counts. When we act in accordance with God’s standard and therefore expand God’s grace in the world, we are fulfilling our role in the Trinity – we are the Holy Spirit.
TBC intermittently.
Ancient Mariner