One in Your essense, Three in Your Person

Posing for the camera at a village in Ghana

by Kwame Nyarko

[FYI: Kwame is a great friend of the family who hails from Ghana Africa and is studying for his doctorate in the US. He loves Jesus, excels in his studies, and really enjoys reading theology by old dead guys in his spare time (of which there isn't much.) I am very thankful that he was able to make time for this post. My desire is to demonstrate the unity we have in Christ by linking contributions from Africa, America, India and around the world right here on this blog. - Josh]

This is a modified version of an email I sent to my dear cousin Atsu. Atsu and I had been emailing about “Paul, a servant of God”. However, at the time of typing, I had Matthew 4:19 and Luke 14:26 on my mind and I was listening to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. So I ask for your pardon for what may seem to be a scattered post.

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. Titus 1:1

I started off today thinking about the gospel- thinking about the hope that it presents to us. I thought I would share that with you.

Completely outside of man’s power, doing or ability, God the Father draws us, via the working of the Spirit, giving us faith in Jesus Christ. This free gift of faith enables man to “see” the sufficiency of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. We then begin on the narrow road of treasuring our Lord above all things and setting our affections on things above. Those who are truly the Lord’s remain His forever since there is no one that can pluck them out of His hands. Putting it another way, Jesus Christ becomes the author of our faith as God provides grace and mercy (that we don’t deserve), and the Spirit quickens us to life (we were dead). Jesus Christ is the finisher of our faith because He cannot (and will not) lose anyone that the Father gives to Him, and He serves as our high priest on the right hand of God, interceding for us. The Father also keeps us because He elected us and He cannot lose us. I could add that He keeps us also through His love, reprimanding and guidance; and the Spirit is renewing and preserving us for eternity.

What perfect unity in the Trinity! In the Pilgrim’s progress, John Bunyan talks about how God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost all save us. Here is a little taste of a conversation between James and Prudence.

Prudence: Come James, canst thou tell me who made thee?
James: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost
Prudence: Good boy. And canst thou tell who saves thee?
James: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost
Prudence: Good boy still. But how doth God the Father save thee?
James: By His Grace
Prudence: How doth God the Son save thee?
James: By his Righteousness, Death, and Blood, and Life.
Prudence: And how doth God the Holy Ghost save thee?
James: By his Illumination, by his Renovation, and by his Preservation


They distinctly work together for their own glory alone!!


Concerning Titus 1:1, Matthew Henry comments:

“Here he (Paul) is described by his relation and office: A servant of God, not in the general sense only, as a man and a Christian, but especially as a minister, serving God in the gospel of his Son,….

Paul is described more especially as a chief minister, an apostle of Jesus Christ; one who had seen the Lord, and was immediately called and commissioned by him, and had his doctrine from him. Observe, the highest officers in the church are but servants.”

Would you agree that if I wanted to please you in some service to you, I would have to get to know you and know what pleases you? Also, to accurately tell other people about you, I have to know you and know what it is that you want me to tell about you. I don’t think this is any different from what we are to do with respect to the good news. Oh that we would in a way that pleases God, serve Him in the gospel of His Son. Let us ask and ask and ask for grace to dwell on the gospel, to continually etch the person of Christ into our hearts, to bleed bibline like the prince of preachers and to preach the gospel to ourselves daily.


To Joshua and to all who visit Focused on Christ, “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.”


Soli Deo Gloria


Kwame