In the Christian tradition, there is tradition to end sermons with a blessing. The first blessing recorded in the Bible is Aaron’s blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). It is still used in Lutheran churches. But the most common blessing in the churches is Paul’s blessing, recorded at the end of 2 Corinthians. 

2 Corinthians 13:14

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The essence of the blessing is that it is a short instruction to congregants for the coming week. Before congregants leave the church for their business, they receive a blessing at the end of the service. There is a very deep inwardly meaning in this blessing; it contains the most accurate explanation of the Triune God.

What God do we believe in? 

The God we believe in is the Triune God. Why do we Christians emphasize this? Because people’s beliefs are different. There are those who worship idols; there are those who believe in the one universal God (monotheism – faith in God in one person); these include Judaism and Islam; and there are those who believe in the Triune God (Christians).

In the Gospel of John 3 and 4 recorded important conversations between Jesus and Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. These conversations are the longest conversations of Jesus, among those recorded in the Bible. Nicodemus is a representative of the followers of the Jewish faith; Jesus teaches him about rebirth. He teaches him that he must be born again from the water and the Spirit. The Samaritan woman is a representative of the Gentile (unchosen); Jesus teaches her how to worship. She served her god, just as everyone in the world serves her gods. But Romans 1 says that all those gods are idols. And Jesus said unto her,

John 4:21-24

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Jesus teaches her that worship should not be on Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans worshiped, and not in Jerusalem. If neither, then where? Historically, it was the pagans who worshiped on the mountain. In Kyiv, pagans still gather on one of the mountains in the city center. They choose the mountain because they worship nature. So this is not a service for God.

When Jesus speaks about the mountain, He speaks and emphasizes the pagan ritual of worship, because the Samaritans were Jews mixed with other nations when they were in captivity in Babylon, and therefore also observed pagan rituals.

When Jesus speaks about worship in Jerusalem, He emphasizes that all the Jews had only one temple – in Jerusalem, but the service in it was full of ritual and hypocrisy.

That is why Jesus tells us that this is not the worship that God wants to see from us. This means that our service should take place only for God, which is worship “in truth.“

What is truth? The truth is Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Only through Jesus we can come to God. For only through the Son do we fully know the Father. That is why Jesus Christ is mentioned first at the beginning of the blessing.

Why is “God the Father” not mentioned first, but “Jesus Christ” mentioned first? Isn’t it wiser to put the Father first and then the Son? Catholics and Orthodox make the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In this way, they make it easier for people to understand the Trinity. However, unlike the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Paul gives the blessing as we see it written. And this is also correct. For we can come to God and fully know Heavenly Father only through Jesus Christ.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God

When we read the blessing, it says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God.” Why “grace”? Because this is the grace with which Jesus Christ redeemed our sins. Why is it said about “love” in the phrase “love of God”? Because it is love that God gave His Son and saved us by the death of His Son when we were sinners.

Why does God have to save us? Since people have betrayed God and decided to live independent lives, wouldn’t it be right to just leave them to perish? But God does not do that; He loved us.

What is the essence of our faith? What are we trying to convey? The words are recorded in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.“

God so loved the world. That is why He gave His Son to us. We need to know this love of God. Therefore, in Protestant churches, believers refer to Jesus. Because Jesus brought us to God; He reconciled us to God; He showed us God.

Why should we study theology?

We must know God. For this Christians created Theology. That is a logical and systematic study of the Word of God.

As the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:13, what we believe and what we know must be combined: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Our faith and knowledge of God must be combined. We all need to know God. And theology is a discipline that allows us to know God more. What will we try to do when we know God? Love God more. What will we do when we love God more? We will form a relationship with God.

Thus, theology is apologetics; learning how to defend your faith. What we do not understand; what we doubt; what we are ashamed of will become clear to us as we study theology. What is unclear to me will become clear.

The Apostle Peter taught us to always be ready to give an answer to those who ask about our faith. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Among all that we learn about God, the most important is the Triune God. Why are we talking about theology now? Because the doctrine of the Trinity was developed by the Theology. Why? That we may understand God; so that we can understand the nature of God, the role of Jesus Christ, the role of the Holy Spirit.

Those who believe in idols say that they serve god, but not God. What we see is not God. That is why the Jewish faith begins with the destruction of idols because everything we see is untrue. Therefore, Judaism and Islam are the same in their belief in God in one person. Their God is invisible.

Then what do we believe in? We believe in the Triune God. Understanding this is the most important thing. If we do not know the Triune God, we cannot know God completely. This is the truth that Jesus told the Samaritans.

The second thing Jesus said to the Samaritans was that we should worship “in the Spirit.” What is a spirit? The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. We are to worship in the Holy Spirit.

When we think of the work of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, how do we explain their work? We see the work of God the Father in the Old Testament. He Himself appeared to the ancestors of faith and also acted through messengers (angels). Then, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Who told us about the love of God; about forgiveness; about what kind of world is in Heaven; that He is coming and preparing for us a place in Heaven in the House of God. Then, Jesus ascended to Heaven and sent us the Holy Spirit, and opened the way for us to fully know God.

The Gospel of John 14 records Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) “ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

Jesus said He will not leave us orphans, but will send us the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Holy Spirit dwells in us to instruct us, that we may know God; that through the knowledge of God we may be made perfect. Jesus told us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.“ This is faith in the Triune God.

Farewell speech of Jesus

In the Gospel of John we also find Jesus’ farewell speech in chapter 14. This speech is very profound and sincere, as Jesus utters it as His last will. In general, the Gospel of John is the fourth Gospel and was written later than the other Gospels. Therefore, it contains deeper things. Here Jesus says he is going to heaven for us. “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14: 2)

When Jesus meets death, he says that he is going to “prepare a place for us.” He says he came from the Father and will return to the Father. From this we can see the worldview of the Bible.

Worldview of the Bible

When we look at people’s beliefs, we can divide them into such worldviews. The first worldview is that after the life and death of a man on earth there is nothing left about them. Such people consider it most valuable to leave their good name on earth because there is nothing to leave more. There is a Japanese proverb: Tigers die and leave their skins; people die and leave their names. The second worldview is the belief that people reincarnate after death. That is why cows walk freely on the streets of India, as many people think that humans can transform into cows. On the other hand, they believe that if a person lives their life not properly, then in the next life such a person can become, let’s say, a dog or a pig. The moral lesson is that everyone should live a good life to avoid becoming a dog or a pig. This worldview encourages people to live a moral and right life. The third worldview is the Christian world spoken explained by Jesus in the Gospel of John 14. The house of the Father is in heaven. I’m going to make room for you in it.

The biblical worldview teaches us about judgment after death. It is not a simple matter that people move to another world after ending their lives in this world. Because there will be a trial after death, we humans do not have to commit suicide. Because suicide is killing oneself. But man is a creation of God. God gave birth to us, so God will ask us what we did here. Therefore, after death there is a trial. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27)

One day everyone dies, and after death there is judgment. And this is a very important teaching of the Bible that shapes our worldview. When we live with the feeling that there is no God and no judgment after death, it is one worldview that affects my life. And when we realize and know that there is a God and there is a judgment of God over us, it forms a completely different worldview, a completely different quality of our lives. Therefore, getting answers to these questions of being is more important than any of our daily affairs. This is more important than eating or sleeping. Because it shapes our worldview, and hence the quality of our lives.

After we die, we go to judgment. And there it is decided – to heaven or hell. The Bible constantly explains this simple worldview to us with many different examples. Therefore, we must know that there is judgment and heaven after death. We will be judged according to whether we lived well or not.

When we study Romans, we learn that there is eternal punishment. Jesus tells us about this in parables. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is very eloquent. There is such a chasm between the righteous and sinners that neither they nor they can cross it. This means eternal punishment. Therefore, we must live our lives with a clear awareness of the fact that there is another world, and it is very important to understand that we must prepare for and live that world.

The Epistle to the Romans was written by Paul, who was a great intellectual of his time. The conclusion of chapter 1 Romans is that everyone dies knowing that there is a judgment of God, but refuses to accept it. But God so loved the world that he sent his Son because he loved us. God wants us to know Him. God does not want us to die, but He wants us to know Him and be saved.

Even those who do not know God know the moral law through their conscience which reminds them. Nature also reminds us about God. We see that when human beings interfere into the laws of nature, we now suffer, trying to overcome the negative consequences of our activities.

Romans 1 says that God has given us something by which we can know God – reasoning, and conscience. God has also put a thirsty for eternity inside of us. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1) From the beginning to the end of the book, Ecclesiastes says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

Before the dust returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God, we must remember our Creator God. Because there will be a judgment. This is true. What we believe in is not one of many religions. This is the real truth. When we realize this deeply, we will be able to preach the truth with power. So we must guide people to believe in Jesus for their life.

The most important teaching of the Bible is salvation

When we study the Bible, the most important thing the Bible tells us is salvation. Being saved is the most important thing. When people hear about salvation, they may ask, “Why do I need salvation? Many people seem to live well without salvation, so why should I be saved? Why do I need salvation when I can live well anyway?” We have to answer such questions when people ask them.

Today the church is surrounded by forces that want to destroy it, to undermine its authority. For example, in modern films, the church is increasingly ridiculed. But we need to overcome all this. If we do not get out of this, those who destroy the church will finish their work. But with the Bible, we can overcome them. The power of truth is the most powerful. The Bible is very well organized and explains to us the best way to overcome all these problems.

Why we need the Holy Spirit

So why do we need the Holy Spirit? “This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” (1 John 5:6)

Humans are purified by water, blood, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again of water and the Spirit. To clean something, you need to wash it with water or burn it with fire. There are many such religions in the Middle East. It is their tradition to go to the big river and wash their bodies there. In Zoroastrianism, for example, they worship fire. In all of this, we can feel their deep understanding that people have been defiled. Therefore, we must wash away our sins.

How did the Jews wash away their sins? By the blood. They washed sin with the blood of sheep and goats. Therefore, Jesus Christ was the sacrifice that cleansed our sins once and for all people. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12) Thus we were saved by Jesus. But because of old habits, we are defiled again and we need to fight our sinful habits every day.

How can we purify ourselves through this process of sanctification? We cannot be sanctified ourselves. So we need the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit.

In this way, through the Triune God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we know God fully. That is why we believe in the Trinity.

Why does the Son appear first in the blessing?

In conclusion, let us return to the question we asked at the beginning of the sermon: Why does the Son Jesus appear first in Paul’s blessing? We are mortal and cannot know the One who is eternal. That is why we need a Son.

There are three reasons why we need a Son. The first is because you can know God through His Son. The second is that we may be saved. The third reason is to go to the Father; in other words, to go to Heaven. That is why we preach that we need Jesus.

The Lord went first to prepare a place for us. And He showed us the way to the Father’s House. This is written in the Bible. Therefore, the Trinity is the correct doctrine; the Trinity is an orthodox doctrine. This is a perfect truth. I hope that everyone can know God more deeply and love Him more through the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.