All theology is Christology. Yes we believe, teach, and confess that Jesus is God. And that means by virtue of the rest of the scriptures, that we believe that God is Triune. But we live in a world that is always asking us to loosen our confession to fit in with everyone else. We live in a world where any claim that could offend someone else is to be hushed especially in our public statements and confessions. And who in our world is offended by the claim that Jesus is God? To the Jews it is a stumbling block. To the Muslims a blasphemy. To the Mormons, useless specificity. To Jehovah’s witnesses, vain exaggeration. To Agnostics and Atheists, ridiculous folly.
So will we bend to fit in? Will we become like our world who talks about God in such a vague way that it might as well say nothing. Will we say all other religions are okay so long as the pay some lip service to some sort of God in their speaking? Will we be okay with our community and national leaders using talk of some unspecified God in their speeches in order to rally our support?
Or will we speak only of God as Triune? Will we contend that talk of God devoid of Christ is not talk of God at all? Will we be bold to ask our friends, leaders who they mean when they use the word “God?” Will we demand worship that makes no bones about the nature of God? Will we insist on singing songs that only a Christian could genuinely sing? Will we take great comfort in knowing who God has revealed himself to be?
I trust we all want to remain true to our confession of Jesus as God and God as Triune, but only through the Spirit and his gifts will we be able to remain steadfast. We for so long were blessed by being able to use the word “God” and assume that everyone knew we meant the Father, Son, Spirit God who saved us on the Cross. But with all of the other world religions making it to our towns and doorsteps, with Oprah telling people God is a voice within her and there are many paths to God, with celebrities and nobodies alike claiming God while living lives of public and obvious debauchery, the temptation to just yield to their understanding of God has become great.
Who does the celebrities in our world believe Jesus to be? Who do our worldly friends and family members believe Jesus to be? Who do the other religions of the world believe Jesus to be? Who cares? That right. Who cares.
Who does Jesus make himself out to be? God. One of three persons in the Trinity. Who does Jesus make himself out to be? God. The God who gives eternal life to all who kept his word. The God that promises that those who live in his word will never taste death. The God that made this all possible through the Son’s death resurrection, ascension, and the Father’s sending of the Spirit.
Adaptation of Sermon from Trinity 2010
