Who Is God Understanding the Trinity Open Arms Community Church in Bradford PA

Devotional

Day 1: Three Notes, One Chord

The Trinity defies simple math—three distinct persons harmonizing as one God. Like a musical chord holding three notes in perfect unity, Father, Son, and Spirit exist in eternal relationship. This isn’t a puzzle to solve but a mystery to embrace. Their unity isn’t static—it’s dynamic, active, and foundational to creation itself. Just as separate notes form richer sound together, the Trinity’s distinct roles amplify divine love. To reduce God to a solitary being would erase the music of His nature. [05:17]

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
(Genesis 1:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you tried to “solve” God rather than worship Him? How might embracing the mystery of the Trinity deepen your awe?

Day 2: The Candle’s Threefold Flame

A three-wick candle flickers with one light: the Father ignites, the Son sustains, the Spirit fuels. Each person of the Trinity actively participates in illuminating your life. The Father initiates grace, the Son embodies it, and the Spirit empowers you to burn brightly. This isn’t abstract theology—it’s the reality of how God meets you in prayer, hardship, and mission. Like wax melting to feed the flame, the Spirit’s work often goes unseen but is essential. [21:20]

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
(2 Corinthians 13:14, ESV)

Reflection: Which “wick” do you neglect—Father’s authority, Son’s sacrifice, or Spirit’s power? How could attending to all three transform your spiritual life?

Day 3: Love’s Eternal Dance

Before time began, the Trinity existed in joyful communion—Father delighting in Son, Son glorifying Father, Spirit binding them in love. This eternal dance shatters the myth of a lonely, task-oriented God. Your salvation isn’t God’s first relational act but an invitation into the fellowship He’s always known. The Trinity’s pre-creation unity means love isn’t God’s project—it’s His essence. [07:52]

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
(John 17:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: Do you relate to God as a duty or a dance partner? What would it look like to join the Trinity’s rhythm of mutual delight today?

Day 4: Baptized Into the Name

Salvation isn’t a solo rescue—it’s immersion into the Triune community. The Father’s voice at Jesus’ baptism, the Son rising from Jordan’s waters, the Spirit descending like a dove—all three persons enact redemption. When you were baptized “in the name,” you were claimed by the full Godhead. The Trinity isn’t a doctrine to master but a family to belong to, with roles as specific as the notes in a chord. [11:10]

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Have you reduced Christianity to a “me and Jesus” faith? How does the Trinity’s collective work challenge your view of spiritual growth?

Day 5: The Alpha, Omega, and River Between

Revelation’s final invitation comes from the Trinity: the Father as Alpha-Omega, the Son as Morning Star, the Spirit and Church crying “Come!” Together they offer living water to the thirsty. This isn’t a polite offer but a Triune rallying cry—the same unity that spoke creation into being now summons the redeemed. The end echoes the beginning: three persons, one voice, calling creation home. [20:00]

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
(Revelation 22:17, ESV)

Reflection: What thirst have you tried to quench alone? How might drinking from the Trinity’s shared life change your capacity to say “Come” to others?

Sermon Summary

God the Holy Trinity names who God is: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God. Second Corinthians 13:14 sets the tone, as Paul blesses the church with “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” so the church meets all three, together, at once. The truth resists neat diagrams. If the human mind could wrap around God, he would not be God. Yet Scripture and the life of the church hand a foundation: the three persons are equally powerful, wise, and good, existing eternally in perfect harmony.

A chord gives a sound-picture. Three distinct notes, each fully itself, form one sound. Separate, each note is real; together, the three make fullness, unity, beauty. So the threeness and the oneness sing together. Unlike a song that ends, the triune “sound” has no beginning and no end. The Father is eternally Father because the Son is eternally Son; the Spirit is the love who eternally unites them. That means the bottom of reality is not force or fate but love. “God is love” means real, eternal communion in God, not solitary self-regard. If God is triune, eternal loving relationship is not an add-on to reality; it is its core.

The triune life moves outward in salvation. Jesus gives the church one baptism “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” because the Father is the source, the Son is the way, and the Spirit is the power that brings sinners home. Even if the word “Trinity” is not printed on the page, Scripture speaks the reality from Genesis to Revelation: the Father creates, the Spirit hovers, and the Word speaks light; the Lord appears to Abraham as three; the Spirit overshadows Mary; the Father names the Son as the Spirit descends; the risen Son breathes the Spirit; the Son prays to the Father about glory shared “before the world began”; the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”

Pictures help the heart lean in, even if they finally fall short. A candle can teach: the Father initiates like the flame that lights, the Son holds forth the flame like the wick, and the Spirit sustains like the wax that fuels the fire. The Lord’s Prayer can teach: the Father above, the Son beside, the Spirit within. The Apostles’ Creed can teach: “catholic” means universal, the whole church loved and gathered by the triune God. The invitation still stands: the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come,” take the free water of life from the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

Key Takeaways

1. The Trinity makes love ultimate Love does not sit on the sidelines of reality; love is what reality is made of because God eternally is Father, Son, and Spirit in communion. “God is love” means real relationship, not sentiment, and that changes how a soul reads the world’s ache and beauty. If love is first, trust can risk obedience before understanding. If love is last, hope can wait without panic. [07:52]
2. Salvation is triune start to finish The Father purposes rescue, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit applies it. Baptism into the one Name pulls a person into that whole story, not into a slice of it. Confidence grows when grace is traced all the way back to the Father’s heart and all the way forward by the Spirit’s power through the Son’s finished work. [11:10]
3. Scripture sings the Trinity everywhere From creation’s “Let there be light” to Revelation’s “Come,” the pages introduce the same three who act as one. The pattern does not demand a single proof-text because the whole score carries the theme. A reader trained to hear the chord will find it sounding from Genesis to John to the end. [12:24]
4. Communion is Father above, Son beside, Spirit within Prayer is not shouting into the dark; it is life shared with the triune God. The Son stands with sinners, giving access to the Father, while the Spirit kindles the very cry that reaches heaven. Ordinary words, whispered in faith, become participation in divine fellowship. [22:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - Who is God? Series kickoff
[03:14] - Paul’s triune benediction
[05:17] - One chord, three notes
[07:52] - Love at the bottom of reality
[11:10] - Baptized into the Triune Name
[12:24] - Trinity across the Bible
[14:19] - Abraham’s three visitors
[15:30] - Baptism and breath of the Spirit
[18:56] - Promise and power from on high
[19:32] - Spirit and Bride say Come
[21:20] - Candle and Lord’s Prayer images
[23:18] - Apostles’ Creed and catholic meaning
[25:29] - Invitation and prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Observation questions

What three distinct blessings does Paul include in his closing greeting to the Corinthians?
The sermon compares the Trinity to a musical chord. What does this analogy highlight about the relationship between the three persons of God? [05:17]
How does the sermon describe the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in salvation? [11:10]
What examples from Scripture (Genesis to Revelation) does the sermon use to show the Trinity’s presence throughout the Bible? [12:24]

Interpretation questions

Why might Paul intentionally mention all three persons of the Trinity in his final blessing to the church?
The sermon states, "If God were a single person, he could not be love." How does the Trinity’s eternal relationship redefine what it means that "God is love"? [07:52]
Baptism is described as being "into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." What does this imply about how believers are united to God’s triune work? [11:10]
How does the imagery of "the Father above, the Son beside, the Spirit within" shape our understanding of prayer and daily life with God? [22:09]

Application questions

The Trinity shows that love is the foundation of reality. How might this truth change the way you respond to conflict or loneliness this week?
Salvation is a triune work: the Father purposes it, the Son accomplishes it, the Spirit applies it. Which of these roles do you most need to lean into for confidence in your faith right now?
Scripture "sings the Trinity everywhere." What habit could you start to help you notice the Father, Son, and Spirit’s presence as you read the Bible?
The Lord’s Prayer involves the Father, the Son’s teaching, and the Spirit’s power. How could you intentionally pray this prayer (or another) this week to engage with all three persons of God? [22:09]
The sermon says, "If love is first, trust can risk obedience before understanding." Where in your life do you need to act in love-driven trust instead of waiting for clarity? [07:52]
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." Who in your life needs to hear this invitation to "take the free water of life," and how could you extend it?

Sermon Clips

38s

“And so do you detect this pattern? We hear in Leviticus that it takes three witnesses in order to prove that something is true. So here, we have more than double in scripture amount of manifestations of trinity in scripture. These testimonies alone prove God does exist in three persons. The father is the source and the goal of our salvation. Jesus is the way. Remember, he is the way, the truth, and the life, but the holy spirit is the power to get there.”

40s

“And even just the thought of three things in one, and one thing is three things that might wanna give you a panic attack, but really, if we could understand God, if we could wrap our minds around him, then he wouldn't be God. Right? And so, he is bigger than we can understand, and he's meant to be. He's God. But the message here will prayerfully, like I said, give you the basics to know who is the trinity and why why does it matter so much that we know who the trinity is? Well, we see God is three in one.”

27s

“And so God always existed in community. Before we even came to be a part of this community, he was in community as God himself. So when you get to the very bottom of things, the root of all reality, there's love. C. S. Lewis says, all sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement, God is love. But they seem not to notice the words God is love have no real meaning unless God contains at least two persons.”

34s

“And so that might be a little bit of a mind bender, but really the reality is is that it for there to be love at all, you need to have another. You need to have another person to love. And so if God is love, there was always others to love. And so the fact that God is perfectly loving requires that he's in a relationship, that he is a relational being. And the opposite is true as well. The fact that God is relational requires that he is perfectly loving.”

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