101 Journey Flag #4: Name

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

Closely associated with the great land of Spirit in the terrain of God’s Invisible Self is the territory of Name, and it is a rich and fertile land of identity, initiative and meaning, dear tour companion. Thus here I place the fourth Journey Flag. And it reads:

The 4^th aspect of the invisible self in the Godhead is Name.

Let’s start with meaning in the name of God.

God’s name is a field of being richly sown with meaning. So, first of all, we want to deal with what, therefore, meaning is.

Encarta defines meaning as “what somebody intends to express, either in words or action; what something signifies or indicates; psychological or moral sense, purpose or significance (such as, life is empty without meaning); conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

Thus the Names of God reveal significance that is not necessarily directly expressed.

First, from His Name can emanate the major component of His Nature—His identity (I AM). Other components of this name (“I AM”) include His purpose (pure goodness) and His being and doing—His reputation (works), His character (virtuous), His behavior (lawful), His attitudes (reasonable, moderate, disciplined and restrained). We know this by the things “I AM” does.

Beyond even meaningfulness and identity, what emerges as most striking in the study of His names is that out of this invisible, powerful, diversely equipped, purposeful, motivated self or person of God there proceeds initiative. Recognition of His initiative is frequently a major component of the names of God.

For example, by definition only God can bara (Genesis 1). God takes initiative and acts and is the first action and first cause for all being, and certain of His names, by definition, include all that information: for example, God, Jehovah, Yahweh, and Jesus Christ are all names explicitly defined as the name above all names.

So you see when one gives God a name—such as when I call Him the Great Gift Giver—I am well within my rights to do so. Scripture is full of reports of grateful individuals praising God by giving Him a name that describes what great works He has done in their lives, names like the “God Who Supplies (2 Corinthians 9:10)” or the “God Who Forgives (Luke 8:49, Psalm 103:3a)” or the “God Who Delivers (1 Thessalonians 1:10b)” or the “God Who Heals (Psalm 103:3b)” or “God With Us (Matthew 1:23)”, and so on. These are names that proceed from that individual’s experience of God.

I am intensely aware of God as my Gift Giver. He regularly showers me and mine with the dazzling blessings of Grace (undeserved favor). In addition to being my Great Gift Giver, I experience God as “God with Us.” He is my very present God.

I suppose you can see, dear reader, that names for God come from the recognition of God by the heart and the senses. For me that heart recognition comes from my experience of an overflowing response of gratitude and appreciation of Him, that He leans near to me and I know it.

To be continued . . .

100 Powerful Ideas

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

An EMP (that’s how I will probably always think of the energy of Holy Spirit now, since our discussion in Blog # 97) of the magnitude and force necessary to create and maintain an ongoing Creation is a mind-boggling amount of force, sensitive reader; force available, scripture tells us, by the power of Holy Spirit, third member of the Godhead, Who acts at the command of Father God (Genesis 1:1, 2).

To try to appreciate that force somewhat, let’s now build some relevant ideas.

Idea #1: Spirit and life are frequently interchangeable terms in scripture, though their meanings have subtle distinctions and applications.

The New Testament Greek definition of spirit involves meanings similar to those found for spirit (Blog # 99) in the Old Testament Hebrew, but elaborates:

Romans 7:6: Word Wealth, Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, p.1697) “Spirit, pneuma (pnyoo-mah); Strong’s #4151: Compare ‘pneumonia,’ ‘pneumatology,’ ‘pneumatic’. Breath, breeze, a current of air, wind, spirit . . . that which enables us to live the victorious life . . .”

Idea #2: Spirit in the Old/New Testament is an energy word involving invisible forces exemplified by wind.

Spirit is a power word involving invisible forces exemplified by breath and life. Therefore we can understand spirit as an agent of energy that is available to the comprehensive invisible self—the consciousness, soul, spirit itself, and name of the Godhead with its visible product of works.

Idea #3: Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2) or Holy Spirit is the name of the 3^rd person of the Trinity.

Thus, the Godhead Trinity (Elohim) including Holy Spirit, is a complete, spiritual, moral and purely conscious, eternal being. The invisible self of the Godhead Trinity is all awareness and is seated in the conscious mind of the person/persons of the Godhead and exercises power. But it is of note that scripture implies that the invisible self of Elohim has no unconscious mind.

Elohim also exercises mental faculties and performs mental operations. Elohim can do and act. This doing and acting involve overcoming inertia whether of consciousness or matter, both requiring energy. Therefore Elohim’s spirit is an energy source, and further a spiritual being, a person of the Godhead and a feature of the Godhead Names—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What relationship have these aspects of being in the Godhead—of consciousness, soul and spirit— have one to the other?

Idea #4: Notably, the Consciousness and Soul of the Godhead Trinity are powered or driven by the energy of the Spirit.

Taken all together and combined with Name and Internal Works; Consciousness, Soul and Spirit compose the Spiritual Being, the invisible self of the Godhead, and 1) identify, 2) empower and 3) position the Godhead as supreme over all things—the great I AM. Elohim is the First Thought, the First Expression and the First and continuing EMP of all existence.

These are big ideas, fellow tour companion. These are Powerful Ideas. These are Biblical ideas.

And I am being transformed by them—gratefully and humbly transformed.

To be continued . . .

99 Journey Flag #3: Spirit

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

Now, as to where and how the power for this life (zoe) originates in the Godhead, scripture is clear to tell us that it is power originating from Holy Spirit at the command of Father God. At the command of Father God, Holy Spirit did the “hovering” in Genesis 1:2. At the command of Father God, Holy Spirit descended like a dove on Lord Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17), empowering Him for ministry. At the command of Father God, Holy Spirit in-fills and empowers the believer until the day of his/her redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

That being so, let us resume our tour of the Godhead and travel next to a land adjacent to Soul in the terrain of God’s Invisible Self. This land is the great land of Spirit and here, dear fellow-tourist, I place the third Journey Flag.

It reads:

With its exhibition of the life principle and as a power source and energy source, Spirit is the 3^rd aspect of the invisible self in the Godhead.

Spirit is defined in the Old Testament in several ways:

2 Samuel 23:2 Spirit, rûwach (roo-ach); Strong’s # 7307: Spirit, wind, breath. This word occurs nearly 400 times.

Job 37:21 and Psalm 148:8 speak about “winds” related to storms, winds of great force (even like an EMP blast—my note).

Genesis 6:17. “the ruach of life” is translated “the breath of life.”

To be continued . . .

98 “The Good Life”

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

Before we move on to Spirit, I think it is important to conclude a few things about life in the Godhead and in general, fellow tour companion. Most remarkable is the fact that without life we have nothing at all. Life is the all-time awesome condition made possible solely by the Godhead.

Agreed? In my imagination, I’m hearing great choruses of “Agreed!”

As Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life (zoe) and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).”

Now it is relevant to point out that a short definition of zoe can be stated simply as “the good life.” Interestingly, when the world speaks of “the good life,” it means the comfortable, well-off, self-centered, self-serving, self-indulgent, privileged life. When “the good life” is used descriptively of what God lives and what God recommends, it means quite the opposite. It means that pure goodness in all things is an indispensible part of life. It means that goodness is necessary to living. It means zoe.

As we saw in our tour of emotion in the soul, gentle tour companion, Jesus in His pure goodness is our very present and Great Consolation in this life on earth and He is our future life in the Greater Glory.

Jesus is very clear on this subject. He says explicitly, “I am the resurrection and the life (zoe). He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And he who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26”

Well, for me, attentive reader, the answer is a whole-hearted yes! Yes, I believe in the living, pure goodness of Jesus of Nazareth and what He says, and, yes, I desire this life (zoe} He personifies.

My choice.

To be continued . . .