In the world of business there are things that are the foundation and core of a business. It's is the essence of that business and cannot be changed. These items are too valuable to be changed, traded, negotiated, or compromised. It may represent one of the most valuable aspects of that company. Its value is so great that the very essence of what that company is would be lost. Once a company has established its core value it becomes non negotiable in any of their business transactions. In any financial dealing there will always be non negotiable matters.

In the realm of Christian truth there are some things that are also not negotiable. And some of these non negotiable truths are the virgin birth, the Deity of Jesus Christ, the personhood and the Deity of the Holy Spirit, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Today I would like to explain a great non negotiable Christian truth called the Trinity.

We live in a world where everything true and good is being challenged by those who believe in situational ethics. We live in a world in denial of its evil tendencies and outright rejection even rebellion against biblical morality. The world as we know it is on the brink of spiritual bankruptcy and destruction from its own corruption. This corruption denies the fundamental truths that are the ultimate reality of life. Like a straight-line in a perspective drawing humanity has gotten farther away from the foundational truths that give life meaning and reality. We live in an age where we have traded, compromised, and devalued our core beliefs. The tragedy is the generation's that follow us will lose more of their true humanity as God created them to be than the previous generation. The image and character of God is being erased more and more by each succeeding generation. Christianity must hold on to its core value its non negotiable truths for the sake of the generation's that will follow after us. After all truth is the one non negotiable reality.

Christianity is about a God of relationship. N.T. Wright in his book Simply Christian reveals a powerful and beautiful truth. The origin of all relationships began in the triune godhead itself. Christian's believe in one God in three persons. The concept is not as difficult as it seems. Imagine an old fashioned wagon wheel. The wheel is divided into three separate and individual parts yet it remains one wheel. In the center of the wheel is a hub and radiating outward are spokes and then at the farthest edge is a rim. For the sake of explanation the hub is God the Father. The spokes represent Jesus Christ coming forth from the hub. The rim represents the Holy Spirit encompassing both Father and son. When we look at the wheel we don't say hub, spoke, and rim we say wheel. We call the combination of these three a wheel. The wheel is made up of three separate and equal parts. All the parts possess the same value substance wood. The godhead consists of three separate and equal persons in substance, nature, purpose, and character. The Trinity when explained in such a simple matter loses much of its complications and misunderstanding.

Christianity is a monotheistic faith we believe in only one God. The Christian God has described himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit always existed in relationship, fellowship, and agreement with one another. We were created to enter into that relationship with the godhead. The only difference is we are not divine but created beings made in the image and likeness of God. This means we are a spirit class being able to understand, communicate, and fellowship with God. In other words we were created to have a relationship with God.

Let us try and clarify to even a greater degree our relationship with God. We could call God the Father the architect the great mind that planned the creation, its trial period, and its redemption. The son is called to be the creator, and Lord of the creation his final work is to judge the living and the dead. The spirit of God is the power, the creative force that causes all things to come into existence. The lack of understanding about the Trinity has caused many to doubt the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We must not be moved by the misunderstandings of other religions. God has revealed himself as one God in three separate but equal individuals.

The salvation and deliverance of mankind would be impossible without the Trinity. The roles of the Trinity are diverse in operation. The Father represents the perfect holiness of God unapproachable and separate from sinful humanity. In effect God the Father is perfection, the standard of love. The perfection of God must remain untainted by human evil and imperfection. The father represents the standard by which good and evil will be judged and punished. God the Father is also love and desires a people holy enough to have a relationship with him. God the father seeks to bring an end to sin’s evil reign in the creation without compromising his perfection. The Son was sent to be the perfect representative of God and man. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He will represent God in his holiness and mankind as their redeemer and substitutionary sacrifice to satisfy the justice and holiness of God. Jesus will suffer God's judgment in our place. The great love of God is displayed in the incarnation, God becoming one of us to redeem us. Many have misunderstood Jesus subordinate position to the Father as a representative of the human race. He took on the form of a servant for his father and before the salvation of the human race. As the perfect man, the perfect son, and sinless he became the perfect savior. In his innocence and perfection he was able to satisfy the perfection of God the Father. Therefore his sacrifice, his death, his suffering, for us was of infinite value.

The punishment for sin and rebellion against God is separation from God. Jesus must be God for the sacrifice must be both perfect and of infinite value to pay for the sin of all mankind. Jesus must be a separate individual in order to experience spiritual death separation from God. Without the Trinity salvation of the human race is impossible. The Holy Spirit is the power behind Jesus his miracles and his resurrection. When justice was satisfied it was the third person of the Trinity who rose Jesus from the dead the Holy Spirit. It will take the Holy Spirit of God to break the strength of death. It will take the Holy Spirit to restore the character of God in humanity again and break the power of sin and evil that rules the human heart. Therefore the Holy Spirit is also God. The Bible says he convicts the world of sin their evil, of God's perfect righteousness, and the coming judgment of God. The Holy Spirit is the operation of God in the natural creation. The Holy Spirit created the world after it was spoken into existence by Jesus Christ.

The forces of evil are attacking every foundational truth intrinsic to our salvation. There is never been a time the truth matters so much. Jesus said, “The Father seeks worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth.” Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” There will always be people who doubt, the false religions, the philosophies of this world that do not know God or honor him. We must not be moved by any of these false realities. Stand firm in your faith in the Trinity and it will be your salvation and deliver you from evil. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal spiritual truth called revelation to an open heart. The devil would like the world to not only doubt the existence of God and the very nature of the Godhead. Let us stand firm together in our faith.