The chapter in the Bible that best illustrates the Triune God reaching man and bringing man into Himself is Luke 15. Here we see a Shepherd having 100 sheep but one of them got lost – so He leaves the 99 behind to find the one lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7).
The Shepherd signifies Christ, the Son of God, coming to find us – the sheep who went astray. Christ the Son came in His humanity as the Shepherd to find the sinner as a lost sheep and bring it back home. The second parable in this chapter is about a woman who has 10 coins but lost one – so she lits up the lamp and carefully sweeps until she finds the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10).
Here the woman signifies the Holy Spirit who thoroughly illuminates us within and finds us – whether we’re lost deep in our mind or we’re lost in the world, the Spirit’s sweeping and enlightening finds us!
The Spirit seeks the sinner as a woman seeks carefully one lost coin until she finds it! And the third parable is about the father who has two sons, one of them asks for his share of the inheritance and takes it, goes away, and squanders it; eventually, he comes to his senses and returns to his father – who is waiting for him and rejoices at his return (Luke 15:11-32).
Here the father signifies God the Father receiving us, fallen men, back to His house. The Father receives the repenting and returned sinner just as this certain man receives his prodigal son.
In this chapter through these parables, we see the operation of the Divine Trinity in the salvation of sinners. Particularly, we see that the entire Divine Trinity treasures the sinner and participates in bringing him back to God.
Love and care is emphasized here – the shepherd doesn’t give up until he finds the lost sheep, the woman diligently sweeps until she finds the lost coin, and the Father eagerly waits for the son’s return. The divine love is fully expressed in the Son’s tender care as the good Shepherd, in the Spirit’s fine seeking as the treasure lover, and in the Father’s warm receiving as a loving Father.
The Divine Trinity is full of love and care for the fallen man – and it is the divine love that is emphasized in all these parables(rather than the pitiful and fallen condition of the penitent sinner).
Praise the Lord – the entire Triune God works together to seek man, sweep in man, enlighten man, wait for man, and bring man back to God! Indeed, as Eph. 2:18 says, now we have access unto the Father (who waits for us to return) through Jesus Christ (who is seeking for us as the tender Shepherd) in one Spirit (who sweeps in us until He finds us)!
As believers in Christ, we have been saved by God in His trinity! And this is being done in much love from the Triune God to man!
It is of God the Father that we have been saved (see 2 Thes. 2:13) – the Father is the origin of our salvation. Also, we are saved in God the Son – He is the sphere, the element, and the means in which we are saved. Furthermore, the believers are saved through God the Spirit (Titus 3:5) – the Spirit as the Triune God reaching us is the application of the Triune God to us! Our salvation is of the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit!
Now we have access to God the Father through the Son and in the Spirit! The Divine Trinity is wrapped up with our salvation and with humanity, desiring to bring God into man and man into God! What a salvation we have! [sharing inspired from, The Conclusion of the New Testament(msg. 133, 275) as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Central Line of the Bible]
What kind of love is this? We love You, o, Triune God! Thank You for continually reaching out to us in Your Divine Trinity to bring us back to God! Thank You for Your tender seeking as the Son! Thank You for Your diligent sweeping and enlightening as the Spirit! And, Father, we love Your eager awaiting us as the certain man waits for his prodigal son… Just as we are – we come to You! Thank You we have access unto the Father through the Son and in the Spirit!
it's so precious to see that we are not just "saved" and that's it – rather, our salvation is of God the Father, in God the Son, and through God the Spirit. So this is what happens even when we speak the gospel to others – the Triune God is operating around them and within them to bring them into the enjoyment of God! The Father is waiting to receive the repentant sinner, the Spirit searches within him and lits the lamp of the Word through our speaking, and the Son is seeking for the sinner to put him on His shoulders… what a precious and loving illustration!