My godfather just wrote me the most profound, detailed response to a question I had asked. The question was this:
In John 16:13 it’s talking about the Holy Spirit and it says “He will not speak on His own authority…” as part of the Trinity and so God himself (if I am grasping that correctly) why would the Holy Spirit not speak on His own authority? Is it like when Jesus said He didn’t either but only spoke from the words His Father had given Him?
I suppose I’m confused about this idea of who’s authority….belongs(?) where? Is God the Father the ultimate authority in the Trinity? Aren’t all three God? Is it a matter of deference?
His response was a brilliant and fascinating 7 pages. What stood out to me was the idea that there is a matter of servant hood at work between the three rather than authority.
How the kingdom is upside-down than our common ideas about how the world “should look/function/be governed” the idea that all 3 serve one another as an expression of love towards mankind is mind blowing. “true authority is revealed as that same suffering servant being raised from the dead by the Father through the Spirit and enthroned as King and Lord of all. God the Son is “served” by the Father and the Holy Spirit with resurrection life and exaltation, if I may say it like that. That brings us to the Lord’s teaching in Jn 14-16 that the Holy Spirit would indwell and teach and empower believers as His “service” to the Father and Son, and to us.”
I have to admit I’d never even thought of servant hood applying to the Trinity in the sense that they, out of love, serve us in saving us because they serve one another towards the common goal of redemption of all mankind.
The best analogy I can, from my first reading of this (believe me, I’ll be printing it out and re reading it more than once or twice) is that of the entire creation being like a restaurant. God the Father is like the host or maître d’, Jesus the attendant / waiter (that sounds so cheap and blasphemous, but I really can’t find a nicer way of putting it) and the Holy Spirit as the head chef.
They all play their parts on serving the customers (humanity) as they sit down for a meal. Some will leave with rave reviews (believers) , while others will complain about the service or prices (those who reject God).
I don’t think I’ve ever been more humbled to, through your writing here, to think that the Trinity wants to act not only in conjunction but through their own unique methods to help give us the opportunity for life with them everlasting if we only are willing to sit and eat at their table. Which I suppose could be expounded upon through the last supper, communion and Jesus’s declaration of being the “bread of life”.
I know that in my life I’ve been challenged to love and forgive, but it takes it to an entirely new level of doing so out of obedience to the scriptures, verses doing so because I am called to serve. There’s a very big difference between acting out of following orders as it were (even when doing so is with good intentions and not self seeking or gaining salvation through good works of said obedience) but doing so because I am serving. Serving to me means putting others’ needs before my own, showing compassion even when hard, laying my own hurt and ego aside, being both ready and willing to help another despite the cost (emotionally, physically, mentally) because my doing so is how I show (and hopefully witness to) another His grace and mercy and longing for restoration. Service on my part does not mean I will lead another to Christ. I only plant the seed and the Holy Spirit guides them and convicts them and then they make up their own mind about it. I’m just a door opener at that restaurant, whatever review they give it is up to them.