Throughout Scripture, there is an underlying subordination to the Trinity. The pattern we see in the New Testament shows us that we pray to the Father(Matthew 6:9), in the name of the Son(Ephesians 2:18), by the power of the Holy Spirit(Ephesians 6:18). The Spirit brings glory to the Son(John 16) and the Son brings glory to the Father(John 17:4).
So the primary method, or pattern, shown is praying to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. But to pray, "Maranatha; come Lord Jesus," is not wrong. To ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, or to seek wisdom and a fresh baptism in His Spirit is not wrong either. Showing the personhood, and your love, for each member of the Trinity is good and should be done. However if you begin to pray to either Jesus or the Holy Spirit almost exclusively, you would be out of pattern with the New Testament. We should always look to the Bible for guidance in how we pray. To be out of sync with the Bible is to be out of sync with God.
A word of caution before I go...
Praying to any member of the Trinity isn't wrong but we have to make sure we know who it is we are praying to. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Spirit. Just like you would not like to be called by another name, neither does God. I've heard it prayed, and seen it on other blogs, thanking the Father for dying on the cross. The Father did not die on the cross. So when praying, make sure you give glory and praise in the right order.
I know the Trinity doctrine is a difficult one to comprehend. Here are a couple of sites that may help you better understand it.
C.A.R.M.
What is the Doctrine of the Trinity? by Matt Perman
Photo: Trinity Shield
Repent and believe before it's too late
That pictoral of he trinity and exlaination really helped and by reading it twice I think I have a understanding of it. However........It looks to me as there is "the Father" & there "is God" , when I thought they were the same person.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very hard doctrine to comprehend. None of us will truly be able to grasp the full idea of it this side of heaven. But here is another way of looking at the Trinity.
DeleteGod is three persons
Each person is Devine
There is only one God
The Father is God as much as the Son and the Holy Spirit are. So when you say God, you are referring to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The links provided at the bottom of the post have really good explanations to doctrine of the Trinity. I highly recommend them as they have been put together with the sole purpose of explaining this very doctrine. So make sure you check them out.
If you have any more questions, let me know and maybe we can exchange emails to go deeper into the discussions.
God bless you,
Joseph
This analogy, while lacking, may help.
DeleteIf you take a fresh apple pie out of the oven and cut it into three pieces, and then take those three pieces and put them on separate plates, what do you have? You have three separate pieces, but one apple pie.
Again, that is a crude analogy and does not completely reflect the Trinity, but it may help in understanding God a little. The biggest difference is that God has been eternally three, yet one.