agape...

God is love.
1 John 4:16

What an unusual statement. God is love. At first glance, it is quite easy to miss the enormity of that three worded sentence. It comes across as fluffy, even weak, like something you would read on a rainbow striped T-shirt or on the bumper sticker of an 83 year old woman's Buick.

But that simple phrase holds tremendous meaning for a disciple of the Way.

First off, we must understand that this particular love is from the Greek, agape. Which is the strongest and greatest form of all types of love. And according to Jesus, this love is evident when a man lays down his own life for his friends. And by this love, the world will know that we are the very children of God.

But if we look at the verse in 1 John again and it's use of agape love, we run into a problem. That problem being that God can not BE this love in and of Himself, because this particular love requires another participant. This love only manifests itself as long as it is an action being expressed from one person to his beloved.

So how can this be true. How can God be agape love? Wouldn't it be different if the verse said God is love "towards his people" or something like that? But it doesn't. It simply states, "God is love".

We are missing something then...the fact that God is a community in Himself, that is, the Trinity.

God is Jesus. Jesus is God.
God is the Father. The Father is God.
God is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God.

Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, nor is He the Father.
The Father is not Jesus, nor is He the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father, nor is He Jesus.

The ontological Trinity. God is one, yet existing through 3 co-existing persons. He is all 3, yet still one. They are NOT different expressions of one God [modalism]. They are not 3 distinct gods [tritheism]. But they are all God, yet not each other.

And this mysterious Trinity, One of God's revelations to mankind about Himself uncovers a very beautiful truth. The fact that God, all by Himself, is capable of being agape love. He is the first and most wonderful of all communities. All three members of the trinity pouring out continual love and affection towards the other two persons of the Godhead.

Like a sort of tri-union dance that takes place within our One God. Agape love flows in and through God, our Beautiful God.

And we are invited into this eternal community. It is ours if we would have it. Ours if only we'd let go of our pride and walk with Him.