I love that the word theology is from two words, theos and logos. Theos means God, and in the Septuagint, it is the Hebrew equivalent Elohim, which is Father, Son, and Spirit. Logos is, of course, Jesus or the Word. So, theology is Theos Logos.
John 1:1 says, "In the beginning, was the Logos and the Logos was with (with is pros = FACE TO FACE) Theos (Father, Son, and Spirit), and the Theos was Logos" [Emphasis mine].
Jesus is the Logos, the Word made flesh, and He was FACE TO FACE (ONE) with the Godhead (Father, Son, and Spirit) in the beginning. He was with God and was God. The Father, Son (Jesus), and Spirit are ONE God. They are ONE BEING!
Jesus is perfect theology!! He is Theos Logos!
The Logos is the One who came to earth, became flesh, and dwelt among us (according to John 1:14) and revealed to us the Father! Theology is defined as the study of the nature of God. The Logos is the incarnation of Theos (Father, Son, and Spirit) on the earth. And we can only understand the nature of God by looking at Jesus, the incarnate Son. He is the exact image of the Father. To see the Son is to see the Father and to see the Father is to see the Son. They are ONE, of the same essence (homoiousia – ONE BEING!). And IN Jesus (the Logos), the FULLNESS of the Deity (Theos - Father, Son, and Spirit) dwell.
So, in the beginning, there was a triune God. And IN Jesus was the FULLNESS of this triune God IN flesh, walking on earth among men. Jesus walked IN this joint, or co-movement of ONENESS…. IN this shared fellowship. He expressed this beautiful dance of Father, Son, and Spirit IN human flesh. Releasing the love and goodness of God! Revealing to ALL that not only is the Father pleased with them, but He passionately LOVES them! Jesus came and showed us that God is not an "up there," distant God. But rather a relational God…a God who has a family!
And just as the Father, Son, and Spirit share a ONENESS that is characterized by Love. We were created, and predestined IN Christ from before time began, to be sharers with Them. To be ONE with Them in Their beautiful dance of life and love (perichoresis). To be partakers of Their divine nature. We are included IN their Triune circle… we are ONE with Them. That is what Jesus came to show us. Jesus (the Logos) was the conduit through which the Triune God (Theos) chose to communicate. The word communicate is also a meaning of logos. Their ONE BEING was expressed to us through the communication of the Incarnation of Jesus! He didn't come to reveal that we could BECOME part of this union IF we would just receive Him. NO! He came showing us that we have ALWAYS been a part of this perichoretic union — this Triune ONENESS of Father, Son, and Spirit.
And Paul's complete message was CHRIST IN YOU. His understanding of theology — Theos Logos IN all mankind! Father, Son, and Spirit IN ALL of us, AS us.
Paul taught grace as the fact that we move through this life IN union with God… perfect, complete ONENESS. There is nothing we lack. There is no part of God, not IN us. They (Father, Son, and Spirit) have NOT withheld any portion of Themselves! We have Their Divine nature, Their passions, Their joy, Their health, Their faith, Their immortality, Their LIFE, and Their LOVE!
We are not merely living beings like the first Adam was. No!! We are Life-giving spirits like the LAST Adam! We release life to our world, to our environments!
I love an acronym Paul Anderson Walsh uses, Climate… Christ Living IN Me Alters The Environment!
We are designed to give life to the environment around me. How? By living in the awareness of our ONENESS IN Christ — living conscious of Their life expressed THROUGH ours.
The Father, Son, and Spirit sees through my eyes, speaks through my mouth, and thinks through my mind. They are IN my body, feeling within my feelings! They are touching people through my hands, releasing Their love, goodness, compassion, and good pleasure into everyone's lives that I come into contact with. I give Life to the environment around me by walking through life with the awareness and knowledge of AS HE IS SO AM I in this world.
Most theologians have made theology hard for the average person to grasp. Using big words that most of us would need to refer to a dictionary while listening to them. When I tell most people that I am working on a master’s degree in Theology, I get funny reactions. People assume someone studying theology must be smarter than they are, or more spiritual than they are. Or worse yet, too deep for NORMAL conversation!
For Jesus, living life in union with the Father in the Spirit was normal. He lived IN and from this ONENESS as a son, a carpenter, a rabbi, a friend, etcetera. In ALL the normalcy of life!
Theology shouldn't be hard to understand. The understanding of what God is like shouldn't be beyond our ability to grasp. Jesus is PERFECT theology! As long as we look at Him, we can't miss seeing who God is and what They (Father, Son, and Spirit) are like. I want to make theology EASY for people to understand. I don't want to give them long discussions filled with all kinds of big, technical words that make them feel like they know nothing about God. Or making them feel inferior!
What I want is for people to walk away feeling like they really know God!! And that they could now go and explain who He is and what He's like to other people.
Paul's simple theology was Christ is IN ALL men. John's simple theology was God is Love. David's simple theology was God is GOOD! And my husband's simple theology is, by far, my absolute favorite. When telling people who God is, he paraphrases Jeremiah 3:19, telling them, “The Almighty God says about Himself, "call Me Daddy!"
It's simple and yet so profound! He is our Daddy! He is PURE Love! And He is PURE Good! And the Father, Son, and Spirit live IN ALL men!
God NEVER saw human flesh as something evil! He NEVER saw it as something He needed to separate Himself from! NO! He is perfectly at home in human flesh… it has always been His favorite abode! We were created to be His dwelling place!
