Justice

Faithfulness

Mercy

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness…” (Matt. 23:23)

We see in this passage of Scripture an interesting Trinity pattern of: 1) Justice, 2) Faithfulness, and 3) Mercy. This lines up categorically to the Trinity attributes of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, respectively.

The Father, though depicted by Jesus and other New Testament voices as a loving father (Abba), is however still the ultimate judge of the decisions and actions of mankind and all other created beings. (Rom. 2:3,5; 14:10) Although Jesus, in unity with the Father will be present at the last judgment, the Father, by His authority will bring justice to all. Those who have accepted the atonement of Jesus' sacrifice for their sins will be judged as righteous (not on the basis of their own works, but on the basis of God's forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus), while those who are self-righteous, having rejected Christ, will be rejected as unrighteous. According to the Bible, God gives every man the opportunity to know and perceive His goodness and grace. (Rom. 1:18-20; 2:15-16)

Jesus is Faithful. “And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True.” (Rev. 19:11) “Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are…” (Heb. 3:5-6) “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:17)

Mercy correlates to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is referred to by Jesus as the Helper (Gr. Paracletos: one called alongside to help, intercessor, comforter). No one can deny that we need comfort in this life. Mercy and comfort go hand in hand. The showing of mercy brings comfort to all who partake.

Of course God is One. “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” (Js. 2:19) Certainly, all of God's characteristics are evident in all of the Trinity. The intent here is to show the general catagoric pattern of these three aspects of godliness (justice, faithfulness and mercy) and how they relate to the three characteristics of the Trinity.

(for more study, see the Trinity Concepts Key)