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The doctrine of the Trinity lies at the heart of Christianity. In essence it claims that God’s very being is ‘relational’ – that is, God is a loving relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christian theologians continue to wrestle with this idea; but it is more than just an abstract thought: it makes a crucial difference to the way Christians understand the world and human beings. For, if God created all being, then the true nature and meaning of all existence must be relational. In other words we, and everything that exists, are created for a relationship – with God, with each other and with the whole universe. It is those relationships that give meaning to our lives, and if they break down, then our own lives become broken down too. That is why the saving work of Jesus is often called the ‘atonement’ - literally, the at-one-ment. So Christians believe that God’s plan for the fullness of time is to unite all things in heaven and on earth in his Son Jesus Christ (Eph.1.9-10).
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