Bible engagement is Trinity engagement, nothing more and nothing less. All Bible engagement is connecting with the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So Bible engagement is Father engagement, Jesus engagement, and Holy Spirit engagement, because all three are one and one is all three. That’s not to say that the Father is the Son or the Holy Spirit, or the Son is the Father or the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Spirit is the Son or the Father because they are three coexistent, co-eternal persons who are God.
The individual members of the Trinity have different roles in Bible engagement. The Father initiates all things and is the ultimate source of the Word (John 1:1, Revelation 1:1). The Son is the agent through whom the Father reveals the Word (Matthew 11:27, Luke 24:45, John 1:3, 14). And the Holy Spirit is the agent through whom the Father teaches the Word (John 14:26, John 16:13-15, Ephesians 3:5, 2 Peter 1:21).
So when we engage with the Bible we are connecting with a loving heavenly Father, through the Son who reveals Him, by the Spirit who guides and teaches us about Him.
Knowing that Bible engagement is Trinity engagement is immensely practical. When we engage with the Bible we are not alone. The Father is watching over us, the Son is opening the Word to us, and the Spirit is helping us know and grow in the Word. With this in mind we can confidently, imaginatively and personally meet with God in and through His Word.
Bible engagement is never a solo affair. It’s highly relational and dynamic. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together to help us enter into the Word as parts of the big Story and then help us enact out the Word in our own lives. Simply stated, we are not alone when we engage with the Bible. The triune God is with us, opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear in ways in which we can grow in understanding, insight and faithful action.
© Scripture Union Canada 2018