Can We Handle It?

As I read through the whole Bible here at Rivendell, I am seeing the Father as the most bold character we have ever known, bolder than Achilles, Alexander, Napoleon, even Zeus. Along with this, the Son and Holy Spirit seem to be revealed in distinctly different ways throughout Scripture.

The Father, as revealed in the OT, is strikingly fiery. He is the Dad that gets stuff done. He is the LORD (translated Yahweh) almighty, maker of heaven and earth. He is the Dad of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He progressively reveals himself as a highly passionate Person who cares that humanity is responsible for themselves. The Father then is the one who reveals Himself first.

The Son comes along with a bit less testosterone, though we see him imitating the Father through his interaction with the Pharisees and of course at the Second Coming. His life on earth in the Gospels, however, is a much more toned down character than his Father in the OT. He is the suffering servant instead of the shekinah glory. He is repeatedly showing mercy to the poor, children, widows, and sick instead of destroying nations and influencing kings or setting them up. The Son, Jesus, is sacrificed as a lamb. His Father set the sacrificial system up; the Son fulfilled it.

Just when you think a God couldn’t get more personal, Jesus leaves and the Holy Spirit is given. The Spirit is uncanny. Perhaps the most gentle of the Three, the Spirit cares, comforts, and guides in us all. Truth and translation are It’s goals: teaching us truth and translating our prayers, not to mention so many other attributes of It’s character. All this to say, the Spirit seems to be simultaneously the most gentle and the most personal.

So there you have it. I hope it’s not heresy. The Persons of the Trinity, from Father to Spirit, are progressively revealed to humanity in a more personal and gentle way. We could not handle the Father’s intensity (remember Moses’ veil), so He backed out and the Son stepped in. We, then could not handle the Son (remember the Cross). Now the Spirit is here, interacting on behalf of the Father and the Son. Can we handle It?

Is the Gospel dependent upon personalities?

What does God’s authority over me have to do with the Gospel and personalities? I am reminded of this only because Jesus doesn’t choose people based on personalities to enter the Kingdom. And if we are to be about the Kingdom, then we work with anyone, anywhere, anytime. My wonderful wife was told a couple of months ago that she had “the right personality to believe.” The atheist who was telling her this was assuming, among many other things, that belief and truth is dependent upon personality. Truth has nothing to do with whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, whether you’re an ottter or a lion, INFJ or ISFJ. Truth, Justice, Mercy, Prudence, Love, Joy and Peace are not dependent upon whether you are organized or a night owl. They are dependent on our reception and desire for God to transform our lives through the living work of Christ’s redemption on the cross. That’s all. Christ is King and Lord. He is our authority and our Truth. The Spirit leads us into that Truth. The Father welcomes us and stands sovereign over all.

In short, it seems the answer the title question is no. In long, no. Bottom line, bad question. For one thing, “personalities” have only been around for the history of psychology, which is really not that long. This makes it tenuous to argue the importance of personalities in the context of discipleship and daily life in the Kingdom. Another thing is the Gospel speaks to the holistic human condition, not just to personalities. Have personalities been transformed by the Gospel? Yes. Is the Gospel dependent upon a “mercy” speaking to a “mercy?” No. If someone is raising this issue, then the issue is probably that one or both sides are not depending on the Gospel.

Scripture argues the Gospel is brought to fruition through the Word of God and the Spirit, not through matching the right personality. Those who follow our King are those who desire to worship in spirit and in truth. How is the Gospel preached? It is preached through those who are willing to confess Jesus as Lord.

Recently, I’ve been challenged that sin is actual rebellion against my Lord. Before recently, I generally thought of sin as another path, obviously against God, but simply another path. This did not mean I misunderstood sin to be without consequences or anti-God. This simply means that Calvin showed me that sin is directly disobeying God’s authority over me.

Please do not misunderstand me. Personalities are Good and reflective of the image of God. They are reflective of gifts and endowments for specific functions, surprises and paths. Personalities, however, are not an excuse to get out of discipleship or the Kingdom. All personalities rest under the Gospel. Rest. They find peace only in discipleship and in serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.