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The Holy Trinity; The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. How is it that God can exist in three different forms? This can be a very difficult subject to talk about among believers, much less trying to explain to a non-believer. Here is a way to try and break it down into something most people can understand...

What is the most important thing we need on this Earth to survive?

Humans can live for only about three days without water.

Water covers nearly 70% of Earth's surface (330 million cubic miles)

Water is the only pure substance found naturally in all three states of matter. What are those states?

A solid has a definite shape and volume. A liquid has a definite volume but it takes the shape of its container whereas a gas fills the entire volume of a container.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 2 Peter 3:5

Water is so very important to our lives and it was the first thing God provided. It was the first element that God created and it remains an essential part of our lives. It impacts every thing we do and we can’t live without it. In the same way, God should be that for our lives and we can see that reflected in how the properties of water parallel the different aspects of God in our lives as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Let’s start with the solid form (ice), what would you think that would represent?

Solid (ice) - The Son

A solid has a definite shape and volume. Have we ever seen God take a definite shape?

God did take a definite shape and the only shape we have known in the flesh is that of Jesus Christ. He came down to Earth so that we could see him and he could experience us first hand.

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23
In John 14…

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:5-14

We celebrate this Christmas season the coming of God in the “solid” form.

A simple but unusual property of water is that ice floats on its liquid form. Do you remember that Jesus walked on water?

Ok, what about the liquid form of water?

Liquid (water) - The Holy Spirit

A liquid has a definite volume but it takes the shape of its container.

The Church body is filled with the Holy Spirit, or living water, after they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Continuing on with John, Chapter 14 John 14:15-21
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:15-21

In John Chapter 7…
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13

We are the cisterns that are to hold the water, the living water coming from God through Jesus.

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10

God wants us to be filled with this living water or the Holy Spirit, and the more we allow it to completely fill our bodies and thus our lives, the more we take the shape that God has intended for us. Remember, a liquid takes the shape of its container.

But just as a container can spring a leak, so can we if we start to drift away from the Lord and His will for our lives. As Christians, the Spirit does not depart from us but it can become weakened when we refuse to take the shape God wants us to.

And now last but certainly not least…

Gas (steam) - God the Father

What are some characteristics that we think about God?

The Father is all around us. We consider him high in the air, above the earth just as gas and steam rise into the air.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19

Jesus rose into the air as water does when it changes to vapor. The process of boiling water is a purification process in that the resulting vapor is free from all impurities. The impurities are left here on Earth.

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Those that are dead in Christ also will rise up into the air. We will be given new heavenly bodies, free from pain, disease, and handicaps. We will no longer be slaved to sin; we will leave all of that here on Earth.

So, we see that water is an important part of our lives and it can be very symbolic of how it is possible for God to be present in three different forms. Water is very important to God as well. Remember, God created the Earth first as water (I’ll read this again):
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

There was nothing but water in the beginning.
In the Old Testament, the Jews had to purify themselves with water:

20 But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. Numbers 19:20
God even chose water to cleanse the Earth from sin, destroying everything but Noah and everyone present on the arc. He filled the Earth up with water and started over again.
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 2 Peter 3:6

And finally, it is with water that we are baptized. Being immersed in water and raised back out symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This represents the new life we have in Jesus. Just as God immersed the Earth with water during the Great Flood to start over again, we too begin a new life when we are born again through Jesus Christ and we commemorate that with our Baptism in WATER.

We know that God made water important to us and we can’t live without it. Perhaps if we think of water in this new context we can be reminded daily about how important God should be to us as well.