Holy, Holy, Holy

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognises genius.

-          Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

   If you love congregational worship as much as I do you ought to enjoy Terry MacAlmon’s version of Holy, Holy, Holy … can there ever be a higher calling, or a greater bliss, than worshipping God?  Now I am aware of the theological bias in some Christian circles against the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and also the Islamic aversion to the so-called ‘multiple gods’ idea, but as far as I am concerned the evidence in the Bible in favour of the doctrine of the Trinity is simply overwhelming... period, so I am not going to elaborate on it in this blog … a few cursory notes ought to suffice:

   1.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons each with distinct individual personalities and each a distinct stature … otherwise God would, in the Bible, of necessity have to be speaking to Himself all the time. 

   2.   The complaint of those not in favour of the doctrine of the Trinity appears to be the fact that they, as they say, “… cannot understand it; it is a perplexing doctrine.  Three ‘gods in one? Please!” Bear in mind that God is a perplexing God, and such an august and complex Being that we are not supposed to be able to comprehend Him.  A comprehended God is no God (St.Crysostom).  How on Earth (no pun intended) can the full scientific, astronomical, cosmological, mathematical, spiritual, metaphysical and theological majesty of His Being fit into a 1500 c.c. human brain to be comprehended by it? Even the suggestion of such a notion would be totally absurd.  Let’s stop searching for outlandish doctrines among New Age, fly-by-night cults that, allegedly, will make the God-concept easier for you to accept (it won’t). The priest, swami, guru, fakir, prophet, mystic, psychic or clairvoyant that (over and above those gifts of the Spirit that the New Testament allows in Christian assemblies and communities) claims that he/she can ‘cross over’ and has a special connection with the ‘other side’ and all kinds of ‘inside information’ about his/her friend ‘God’, is probably lying and deceiving you.  The just shall live by FAITH.

   3.   God manifests Himself to humans (of necessity) in different ways, i.e. as the Father, as Jesus Christ (through whom God made the Universe and through whom He spoke to the people) and as the Holy Spirit, the inspiration and comfort (the Paracletos) in the post-ascension, ‘modern’ dispensation of the Church (the Ecclesia). Christians (and other people) ought to know that, had God to really come down and speak to the inhabitants of planet Earth in the full power of His indescribable Persona (i.e. in the Persona as suggested by the ancient Hebrew’s unpronounceable YHVH!), they (all seven billion of us) would probably drop dead on the spot.  No one can see God in His full glory and live … our (current) human constitutions would not be able to take it.

   4.   It is so strange that the learned philosophers and theologians of this day and age can understand the laws and principles of higher mathematics, but when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, they stand aghast. In mathematics, Infinity is indicated by the symbol ∞. Now Infinity minus 1 still equals Infinity; likewise Infinity minus 2 still equals Infinity. Infinity cannot be reduced or diminished by subtracting or borrowing from it.  For instance:

                                                                 ∞ (Infinity) – 1 = ∞ (Infinity)

                                                                 ∞ (Infinity) – 2 = ∞ (Infinity)

                                          ∞ (Infinity) – 387999477653987651990 = ∞ (Infinity)

   So, when God the Father decides to send Jesus Of Nazareth as an emissary to planet Earth, He can do so without any harm done to or any detrimental effect upon the holy Persona of YHVH … it was not as if He had lost some of His status or power, or as if He now suddenly had become some lesser God. Infinity remains Infinity. Infinity can shed or share infinity without a problem and still remain Infinity. The same principle applies to the ministry and Person of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of the same Infinity will one day, in Eternity, be bestowed on the redeemed believers of the ages … isn’t that what Everlasting Life is all about? And will God suffer any harm, damage or detrimental effect because of that?

   5.  The polemic over the doctrine of the Trinity probably boils down to one thing only, i.e.some people’s, theologians’ and philosophers’ pathological inability or unwillingness to recognise God’s inimitable and incomparable CREATIVE GENIUS for what it is. 

YouTube 

Holy, Holy Holy

(Reginald Heber, 1783-1826/John B. Dykes, 1823-1876/© Copyright by Singspiration, Inc. All Rights Reserved)

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Merciful and Mighty!

God in Three Persons,

Blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the Saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Which wert and art and and evermore shall be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Tho the darkness hide Thee,

Tho the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy – there is none beside Thee

Perfect in pow’r, in love and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea;

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.  Andrews, Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.  Peterson, John V. et al (1968) Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Holy, Holy Holy’.  Singspiration, Inc. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

3.  Wikipedia. ‘John B. Dykes’. Accessed At <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bacchus_Dykes> [online] 2013.

4.  Wikipedia. ‘Reginald Heber’. Accessed At <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Heber> [online] 2013.