{"id":7192,"date":"2026-06-03T16:57:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=7192"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:11:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:11:28","slug":"the-gospel-reveals-the-mystery-of-the-holy-trinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/the-gospel-reveals-the-mystery-of-the-holy-trinity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gospel Reveals the Mystery of the Holy Trinity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: The Gospel Reveals the Mystery of the Holy Trinity: Trinity Sunday 2026\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/1afDLF8jXVhmwDttkaNuy6?si=8d639c934ea446c8&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trinity Sunday| John 3:1-15| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| May 31, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!\u201d (Romans 11:33) So, exclaims St. Paul in Romans chapter 11 after teaching of the mystery of salvation. God imprisons all under disobedience, so that He might have mercy on all (Romans 11:32). Who can understand this? God is shrouded in mystery. No one can understand His mind. St. Paul calls His judgements unsearchable. He calls His ways inscrutable. Do you children know what inscrutable means? It means that His ways are past finding out. You cannot understand them. God says in Isaiah 55, \u201cFor My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.\u201d (vss. 8-9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, people like to pass judgment on God. They blame Him for the evil done in the world. They question His judgment. They get upset at Him for not answering prayers the way they want Him to. But who are we to pass judgment on God? He is so far beyond us! We cannot judge Him. We do not understand His ways. Even with the vast advancements in scientific and technological discovery over the past century, there is still much more about the natural world that we do not understand than what we do. How then could we possibly understand the heavenly ways of God or understand who He is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do know God exists. It is self-evident that there is a creator. Nature bears witness to Him, as St. Paul declares in Romans 1, \u201cFor what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.\u201d (Romans 1:19-20) In other words, creation bears witness that there is a creator. So-called atheists are fools when they say there is no God. Such a claim is unreasonable and contrary to observable science. The more we study nature the more God\u2019s existence shouts out to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But knowing that there is a God is not enough. St. Paul concludes in Romans 1, \u201cSo they are without excuse.\u201d Nature reveals God\u2019s existence, power, even His wrath. But nature does not reveal who God is or His desire to save us. Nature does not tell us that there is one God, yet three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nature does not reveal God\u2019s plan of salvation. Isaiah saw God sitting on His throne, yet he did not have words to express what God actually looked like, only terror that he was going to die until the angel declared that his sins were atoned for. So, by nature, we cannot know God, we cannot know His essence or His will. Rather, we can only fear His power and wrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why Jesus says, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.\u201d (John 3:3) \u201cThat which is born of flesh is flesh,\u201d Jesus says. (John 3:6) \u201cFlesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,\u201d writes St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 (vs. 50). Again, Paul writes, \u201cThose who are in the flesh cannot please God.\u201d (Romans 8:8). By flesh, Jesus speaks of the human nature, which has fallen into sin. God created man, both male and female, in His image. Yet, when Adam fell into sin, he corrupted our human nature. Now, that which is in the flesh cannot know God, cannot recognize God, cannot please God. And so, to know God, you must be born again of the Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our sinful flesh is not just a little bit corrupt. St. Paul writes in Romans 7, \u201cI know that <em>nothing<\/em> good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.\u201d (vs 18) So, it doesn\u2019t matter how smart you are or how educated you are. You cannot understand God; you cannot please Him; you cannot enter His kingdom by your own natural powers. You must be born again. And that is not something you can do for yourself. Only the Spirit of God can do that for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what does it mean to be born again? Nicodemus, although he was very smart and educated, did not know what it meant to be born again. To be born again means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, so that you believe and accept the Gospel and desire to obey God\u2019s will. God describes being born again in Ezekiel chapter 11, \u201cAnd I will give them one heart, and&nbsp;a new spirit I will put within them.&nbsp;I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh&nbsp;and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My rules and obey them.&nbsp;And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.\u201d (vss. 19-20) To be born again means that you have received a new will after the image of Christ, the second Adam, a new heart, which loves God and longs for what He gives. This happens when God forgives our sins and convinces us of His love for us through His Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, how can we receive this Holy Spirit so that we can be born again? Jesus tells Nicodemus, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.\u201d Here, Jesus makes a clear reference to Baptism, which is not just plain water, but water joined to God\u2019s Word and promise. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word of God, as John explains about Jesus in John chapter 3, \u201cHe whom God has sent utters the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure.\u201d (vs. 34) And so, Baptism, which has God\u2019s Word and promise, also gives the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, some argue that Baptism cannot cause a person to be born again, but that is because they do not realize that Baptism is God\u2019s work, not ours. God promises the Holy Spirit in Baptism. St. Peter says in Acts 2, \u201cRepent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d (vs. 38) Baptism grants forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit, because it is God\u2019s Work, as St. Paul explains in Titus 3, \u201cHe saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.\u201d (vss. 5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, it is not only the Holy Spirit who comes to us in Baptism, but the entire Holy Trinity. In His Great Commission, Jesus commands His Apostles to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. By including the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Jesus teaches us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united as one God. Scripture is clear that there is only one God. Deuteronomy 6 states, \u201cHear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.\u201d Yet, this one God is three persons. In Baptism, we are baptized into the name of the one God, and we receive the benefits of the three persons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Baptism is Gospel. That means that Baptism is God\u2019s Work given to us by God\u2019s Word and received through faith. Baptism does not save us apart from Jesus. St. Paul writes in Galatians 3, \u201cFor as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.\u201d (vs. 27) And in Romans 6, St. Paul writes, \u201cDo you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.\u201d (Romans 6:3-4) In Jesus\u2019 Baptism, we hear the voice of the Father, and we see the Holy Spirit descend upon the Son in the form of a dove (Matthew 3). And so, in Baptism, we receive the work of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And in Baptism, Jesus promises that we receive new birth by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Holy Spirit makes known to us the mystery of the Holy Trinity through the proclamation of the Gospel. When you are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are baptized into the doctrine of the Gospel. That means, that those who are baptized into the name of the Triune God are dedicated to the teaching of the Triune God. They continue to hear it, learn it, and trust in it. This is why we baptize even babies. The Gospel teaches that God the Father so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This Son of God is also the Son of man, who was lifted up on the cross, just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. And just as whoever looked at the bronze serpent survived his snake bites, so also all who looks with eyes of faith to Jesus survives the bite of sin and guilt. And the Gospel teaches that God sends His Holy Spirit to us, to teach us this Gospel, to renew our hearts so that we can believe it, to forgive our sins, and finally to raise us from the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery. We believe it, because Scripture clearly teaches it. Scripture teaches that there is only one God. Yet, Scripture teaches that the Father is God and that the Son is God and that the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, Scripture also teaches that the Father is not the Son. Rather, the Father gives us His Son and sends Him to die for our sins. The Father does not die for our sins. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Rather, the Father and the Son send us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not die for you, but He does cleanse you in Jesus\u2019 blood and join you to Him in Baptism. So, we believe in three distinct persons, who are all one indivisible God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a mystery only revealed through the Gospel, which shows us what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done for our salvation. Those who deny the Trinity also deny the Gospel. They turn salvation into our work in some way or the other. But the doctrine of the Trinity maintains the teaching of the Gospel, even as the Gospel reveals the doctrine of the Trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, so that we may believe the Gospel and begin to walk in His ways. He does this in Baptism, and He continues to keep us spiritually alive through the Gospel. This does not mean that we understand all mysteries, even as it does not mean that we will be kept perfectly from sin. We still do not understand why some are born again, while others remain hardened in the heart, even as we do not know where the wind comes from or goes. We do not know how Jesus can be true God and true man, or how His body and blood can be present in the Sacrament. We do not understand how God is three in one and one in three. But through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel, we believe it. When we say, \u201cOh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!\u201d, we are not complaining. Rather, we are glorying in the fact that God uses His unsearchable and inscrutable will to save us. As St. Paul writes, \u201cAnd we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Glory be to the Holy Trinity, who has revealed Himself to us in the Gospel, through which also we have been born again as His children. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trinity Sunday| John 3:1-15| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| May 31, 2026 \u201cOh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!\u201d (Romans 11:33) So, exclaims St. Paul in Romans chapter 11 after teaching of the mystery of salvation. God imprisons&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/the-gospel-reveals-the-mystery-of-the-holy-trinity\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,7,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermonsbyrevjamespreus","category-trinity-sunday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7192"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7195,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192\/revisions\/7195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}