Main Idea: God is eternally relational as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and through Christ He brings His people into communion with Himself and with one another.
Primary Scripture: John 17:20–26
Additional Scripture: Matthew 3:16–17; John 1:1–3; John 13:34–35
The Trinity is one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith. Pastor Justin Kendrick writes in his book The Sacred Us “The Trinity is the greatest mystery in the universe.” We should not pretend this truth is simple in the sense that we can fully master it. But we should also not use mystery as an excuse to avoid knowing God as He has revealed Himself.
Christians believe in one God who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods, but one God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. God is one, and God is three.
This matters because the Trinity shows us that God is not solitary. He is relational in Himself. God is not relational because He created us. God created us because He is relational. Before creation, before Israel, before the church, before any human being existed, God already lived in perfect love and fellowship. As Kendrick says, “The God of the Bible has never been lonely for a moment.”
We see this relational life revealed throughout Scripture. At creation, the Father speaks, the Word is active, and the Spirit hovers over the waters. At Jesus’ baptism, the Son stands in the water, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father speaks from heaven. In salvation, the Father sends the Son, the Son gives Himself for us, and the Spirit brings us into the life and fellowship of God.
Cornelius Plantinga Jr. describes the life of God by saying, “God’s interior life overflows with regard for others.” C.S. Lewis said that God is not “a static thing,” but a “dynamic, pulsating activity.” These are imperfect human words, but they help us see something Scripture reveals: God is not empty, lonely, or needy. He is full of life, love, and communion.
This is why John 17 is so important. As Jesus prays to the Father, He speaks of the love the Father had for Him “before the foundation of the world.” Then He prays that His people would be brought into that love: “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Salvation is not only forgiveness from guilt. It is being brought into communion with the triune God.
That means relationship is not an afterthought in the universe. It is not something God invented because He lacked it. Relationship flows from who God already is. He made us not because He needed us, but because He desired to share His goodness and love.
This also helps us understand our own longing to belong. Augustine famously wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” Our need for relationship is real, but it cannot finally be satisfied by other people first. It must begin with God. We were made to know Him, receive His love, and live in communion with Him.
And because God is relational, His people must be relational too. When God redeemed Israel from Egypt, He called them into covenant life with Himself and with one another. His commands were not arbitrary rules. They reflected His character and taught His people how to live before Him and together.
Jesus makes this even clearer when He tells His disciples, “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” He then says the world will know they are His disciples by their love. The church is not merely a collection of individuals who share beliefs. It is a people brought into fellowship with the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.
To know God as Trinity is not only to affirm a doctrine. It is to see that love, fellowship, humility, and communion belong near the center of Christian life. God is relational in Himself, and by grace He has brought us into relationship with Himself and with His people.
Discuss:
- Why should we avoid treating the Trinity as a mystery we never try to understand?
- What changes when we remember that God has never been lonely or needy?
- How does John 17 show that salvation brings us into communion with God?
- How should the relational life of God shape the way Christians think about the church?
- Where is God calling you to reflect His love more faithfully in your relationships?
Prayer:
Father, help us know You as You have revealed Yourself. Lord Jesus, bring us deeper into the love You share with the Father. Holy Spirit, teach us to live as people who belong to God and to one another. Amen.
Suggested Reading
Breakwater Blessings 
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