'You and God' isn't enough.

I've heard it said that if you have a relationship with God, you have everything you need.

And of course, that is true. But if you take that statement to mean that you don't need people, you've got the meaning wrong.

Check out Genesis. The first chapter is a real triumph of creativity and blessing. God creating this fabulous planet, solar system, universe. It works well, it looks unreal, there are plants, animals, sun, moon, weather systems, geological systems. It is good, good, good, good, good, God says over and over again.

Until we get to Genesis 2:18.

“It is not good for a man to be alone”. God says in Genesis 2:18.

And my question is: why the heck not?

The reason why it is not good to be alone is: because we are made in the image of God.

Genesis 1:27 says: God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.

What difference does that make?

God is one. But he is also three, in the Trinity. The Trinity is something that usually comes up in Sunday school and we all get out the egg illustration. How can God be one and three together? And who cares anyway? Does it make any difference to how I live my life?

Well, yes, actually.

God’s personhood shapes our identity as people. It shapes how we relate to other people.

God being trinity – three in one – shows us three things:

1. It’s not good to be alone. Why? Because: God at his very heart is relational. Each person of the Trinity is named in relation to the other – eg. The Father, the Son, Spirit of...

2. It’s good to be different and unique. Why? Because each person of the Trinity is different and unique. The Father is not the Son, is not the Spirit, is not the Father.

3. Loving interdependence is the way to relate. Why? Because the internal relationship of God is love. His nature is eternal togetherness. In his very being, God chooses to ‘be’ for others. There is a clear language of affection of love between the distinct persons in the Trinity. The god of the Bible is a personal God who is personal in his actions. He is a God of unyielding love who seeks us out for relationship. He loves us more than he loves himself. Loving is God’s very being.

So being truly human is finding your true being in relationship with God – and with others, because we are made in God’s image.

Ultimate reality is relational reality. In other words, if you are living apart from God and people, you are not really living.

The fact that God is a Trinity has dramatic consequences to the nature of our relationships with others. If we really believe that God is God, and that we are made in his image, we will think about our relationships differently.

1. Togetherness.
Instead of chasing our own stuff, and using people in order to achieve our own ends, we will be looking to serve God and others. We’ll be considering their needs above our own.

2. Difference.
Ever noticed that there’s a big push in society to make everyone the same? People are pretty scared of difference. It’s threatening. But from God’s point of view, we can appreciate diversity because each person in the Trinity is unique. Every person has unique qualities that we can embrace and appreciate. Also, in our close relationships, we won’t get enmeshed. We can be close, but separate.

3. Interdependence.
Heard this phrase? No man is an island? Understanding the character of God in the Trinity means that we have a great understanding of the idea of the body! What one person does affects another. What one person needs can be supplied by another. What one person is trying to accomplish can be helped along by another. We don’t have to be self-sufficient, independent or a ‘solitary hero’. In fact, it’s unchristian to be so!

Being the person God created you to be means that you cannot embrace individualism, you can’t live separated from others, you cannot truly be self-sufficient.

We need to be in relationships with people. It’s essential to our proper life as people. It’s the way God designed us. If we’re not, we are missing a whole part of how life is supposed to be.

And, our relationships must have these three qualities: togetherness, interdependence, difference.


Most of this post is based on my husband's post on the Trinity! So thanks AP