Week 9, Tuesday

Matthew 3: The baptism of Jesus and the Trinity. Many non-believers in the Trinity use this chapter to "prove" their point that the Trinity doesn't make sense. They reason, "God cannot be One - here we see that the Father speaks to the Son as the Spirit descends upon him." This reveals a misunderstanding of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. God is ONE in being and THREE in persons. That means that while there is no difference in being or essence between Father and Son, there is a distinction between Father and Son in the sense of "personhood". The person of the Son is distinct from the person of the Father. The Father was not baptized; the Son was. Christians has never denied this distinction. Just remember: there is a distinction in the sense of "persons", but no distinction in the sense of "being" or "essence". This text is in complete harmony with the doctrine of the Trinity.

Week 8, Monday

2 Cor 9:11 "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion..."

These passages from Paul to the church in Corinth are very instructive for us. Many preachers teach that God wants to make us rich so we can have ridiculously indulgent lifestyles. But that's not what Paul is saying. Look at the "so that". Why does God bless us financially? So that we can be generous.

Here's a challenging question: "Whom are you generous toward?" Most people are generous with themselves. I want to be generous toward God. I want to give to his Kingdom, investing my money first and foremost in the only thing that makes it beyond this world: people. I want to give my life and my money to help people pursue God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.