Love at the Center of the Universe

By Craig Ashton Jr., July 8, 2023

In a well-known story in Matthew 3, Jesus begins His mission at the Jordon River:

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16–17, emphasis added

The depth of the relationship between the Father and the Son is hinted at here yet clothed in beauty and mystery. God is one but makes Himself known as Father and Son—different but one in essence. To further complicate things, the Spirit is described as a dove, communicating this love. So we have the Father who loves, the Son who is loved, and a medium that communicates the love from the Father to the Son. God is infinitely more complex than we can imagine, yet this story gives us a unique view of who God is.

We may understand the intimacy and closeness that exist between Father and Son, but why did the Spirit alight like a dove? There’s a backstory to all this, as the Spirit descended on Jesus much as it descended on the dark and chaotic earth in Genesis 1:2: “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.” The Spirit of God likewise hovered over the waters of the Jordon and descended upon Jesus as God the Creator and Redeemer came among us.
I’ve seen this story used many times as a proof text for the trinity—God expressed in the threeness of Father, Son, and Spirit. I too see it this way, but one aspect of the story that conveys a different picture of God is often overlooked. Central to this picture is the love spoken and shared among the trinity. This three-in-one God reveals that love is the essence of their relationship: one God in loving communion at the center of the universe. There are the Father who loves and the beloved Son. The Father sends the Son, and the love spoken from the Father to the Son is poured out through the Spirit. We see the heart of God reflected in this utterance of love. It’s a testimony to God’s character—a God of complete unselfish love. I think this is incredible.
In the midst of this threeness is love, which reflects the most fundamental and essential reality of God (1 John 4:8). Everything in God is pure, unadulterated love, and everything that happens within His triune nature or is true about Him is due to love. God operates only within a pure union of undivided, selfless love. God is the center of love, and this eternal communion of love is expressed in three equal persons who coexist in an endless circle of giving, receiving, and pouring out love. God is at the core of the universe, overflowing with love for the human race. There can be no doubt, as God appeared as human—as one of us—receiving, accepting, and truly loving us yet standing within the inner circle of the triune God.
You may not see a bright light beaming down from the skies or the heavenly dove descending. You may not hear the booming voice of God, but you can know with certainty that you are loved. A voice tells us we are eternally loved. God’s infinite love broods over us. That’s so amazing to me. At the core of the universe is the purist love one could ever imagine, and because it is the core of existence, nothing can possibly separate us from it. We are loved by the Father, who wants us to conform to the image of the Son, who though also God, shares our humanity and holds us in loving communion with the Father via the Spirit.
This has been the story from the beginning. You may feel alone, desolate, devastated, or unloved in the darkness—with no light in sight—but the Spirit of God has been sent to dwell within our hearts and pour out the love of God, recreating us in the image of that love, making us part of its communion. It is incredible to know that this love is at the core of the universe and that we are all invited to participate in it.

This is God’s story!

Craig Ashton Jr.