For those of us who observe the season of Lent or those who may be curious about what is special about Lent, I offer this. The season of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday early next month. It is a season of preparation for one’s physical and spiritual well-being before Easter. In preparation, I will look at my life and take an inventory, if you will, of ways that I may know God, through Jesus Christ, through prayer, readings, devotions, diet and exercise, so that I can keep a Holy Lent and be, in body, mind and spirit, “holy and acceptable to God who is my spiritual worship.”
What it means to be a person of faith and a follower of the triune God
Being a person of faith and following the triune God involves a deep commitment to belief, trust and action rooted in the Christian understanding of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This faith is not merely an intellectual pursuit of the divine or an emotional experience of how Jesus makes us feel in our personal or even corporate worship. However, I do realize that some of us may know and experience the triune God by way of one over the other or all three without differentiation. But for me, it is a transformative relationship that shapes my entire being and worldview, and I approach the Trinity by way of Jesus Christ.
I offer this writing as a person of faith, more specifically as a Christian, and what it means to me, for me to follow the triune God. So, I will spend some time this Lent in study about what it means to follow God in all three persons of the Trinity. My understanding, as a person of faith, is characterized by love for truth and righteousness. By trust in God’s plan and providence, even amid difficulties. By obedience to God’s will and teachings. And by a desire to grow in understanding and live according to divine truth.
The Trinity as the core
At the core of Christian faith is the doctrine of the Trinity, which asserts that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. This understanding of God as a “Community-in-Love” reveals the relational nature of the divine and provides a model for human relationships.
Therefore, for me, following the triune God involves responding to God’s revelation. Faith is a response to God’s self-disclosure in scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, it involves embracing mystery. While the Trinity is a foundational doctrine, it also involves aspects that transcend human comprehension and our human understanding. Faith is just that; it is Holy belief. We believe in a God that we have not seen, but we believe by God’s promise that God will be with us always and that we are redeemed through Jesus Christ and comforted by the Holy Spirit.
Participating in divine love, orienting one’s entire being to God in three persons, exemplifies perfect love and unity. Believers are called to reflect this love in our relationships with God and others. Trusting in God’s faithfulness can be likened to Moses, who led the Israelites through the wilderness. People of faith are called to trust God’s promises even when circumstances seem bleak.
True faith is not compartmentalized but influences every aspect of our lives, thoughts, and actions. Living as a person of faith and believing in the triune God is expressed through regular prayer and worship, acknowledging each person of the Trinity. I believe that to develop a deeper understanding and relationship with the Triune God involves several key practices and approaches.
Scripture is an aid to understanding God’s nature and will
First, the study of Holy Scripture deepens our understanding of God’s nature and will. Next, participation in a faith community that affirms the Trinitarian doctrine, that includes acts of love, kindness, and service that reflect God’s character. And sharing the gospel message, which reveals God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, helps deepen our knowledge of how the Trinity is portrayed in the Bible. I believe these are some of the ways that can help us to faithfully follow the God who is revealed to us in three persons.
Our prayer life can never be understated. Pray to the Father, through Christ, by the power of the Spirit. This approach acknowledges the distinct roles of each Person of the Trinity in our communication with God. Most importantly, embrace mystery, recognize that while much has been revealed about the three persons of God, there are aspects of the Trinity that transcend human comprehension. This attitude fosters humility and reverence in approaching God.
This article is not intended to be prescriptive, or a one size fits all instruction of how any of us should or do approach the living God in three persons. I am a witness to say that it works for me, and I suspect it works for many of you as well. I find it helpful in deepening my faith and following the triune God.
Finally, I offer this in preparation for Lent, but I realize that this is a lifelong journey of growth and discovery, requiring patience, persistence, and openness to God’s self-revelation. I believe that being a person of faith and following the triune God is a dynamic, life-encompassing commitment. It involves trusting in a God who is both transcendent and immanent, mysterious yet knowable, and calls believers to a life of love, obedience, and continual growth in the understanding and practice of our faith. Now, if I may paraphrase Luke 10:37, when we have received understanding on this and all matters, “Go and do likewise.” Until next time, blessings to you.
Rev. Bill Alford is a retired priest who served St. Alban’s Episcopal Church for the last 30 years and who has been priest-in-charge of the Church of the Atonement in Hephzibah for the last three years. Originally from Albany, Ga., Rev. Alford is a Navy Veteran who sings with and who is on the Board of Directors for the Augusta Choral Society.
