Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/215736
Christmas and the Revelation of the Triune God SUNG WOOK CHUNG, DPHIL PROFESSOR OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY & DIRECTOR OF KOREAN INITIATIVES came them and and on earth has me. "Then Jesusgo the tomakeSpirit, said,of'All authority intoheaveneverything I namebeen given toyou. Therefore and disciples all nations, baptizing them in the of the Father and of the Son and of Holy and teaching them obey have commanded And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'" (Matt. 28:18-20). The birth of Jesus Christ was a starting point of God's work of self-revelation. Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus Christ revealed who God is, what God does, and what God requires of us. First of all, Jesus Christ revealed and taught about God the Father. According to Jesus, God the Father is the Lord of all who rules, governs, preserves, and sustains everything. Jesus also proclaimed that God the Father loves sinners and treats His creation with grace and mercy. "...IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT..." (MATT. 28:19) Jesus stressed repeatedly that He enjoys intimate spiritual fellowship and communion with the Father and declared, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Jesus also said that He and the Father are in each other. In addition, Jesus Christ revealed and taught about the Holy Spirit, another advocate: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17). The New Testament attests that the Holy Spirit has full divinity and personhood, which means that He is the third Person of the Godhead. Jesus Christ taught that the Holy Spirit would testify about (John 15:26) and glorify Him (John 16:14). Let us remember that Jesus Christ commanded us to baptize new disciples "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In so doing, Jesus Christ revealed that the ultimate reality who we love, worship, and serve is the triune God. Christmas is a season when we reflect and meditate upon the incomprehensible mystery of the God who lives in the eternal koinonia of mutual love, glorification, and submission among the three divine Persons. DENVER SEMINARY CHRISTMAS 2013 22 DECEMBER 27