Wednesday, May 28, 2014

God Revealed #7: A Case For the Trinity

“Hear O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is One” (Deut. 6:4). Over the last 6 months we have seen how Scripture plainly teaches the coequal Deity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/search/label/God%20Revealed). The doctrine of 1 God yet 3 distinct Persons who are equally God is known as Trinity or Godhead. Yet since at least Jesus’ time on earth some 2,000 years ago individuals have questioned the validity of the Trinity. Additionally, although the term “Godhead” does appear 3 times in the KJV (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9), the word “Trinity” does NOT appear in the Bible. However does the concept appear in Scripture? Therefore, let’s consider A Case for the Trinity.
The first piece of evidence will take us all the way back to opening chapter of the Bible. In Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness…” Who are the individuals that are referred to here with the use of plural pronouns? Some have said that God was talking to angels. However, nowhere in Scripture do we find angels referred to in God’s image. Others will say that this is a plural of majesty of a king. For example, a king might say “We are pleased to grant your request.” However, the earliest recorded example of this was roughly 1,400 years after Genesis w Trinityas written and in a different language/cultural than the OT. Therefore, the plurality of God is taught in the OT and the Hebrew verbs which are used in conjunction with point one God, the Trinity (see also Gen. 3:22; 11:7; Isa. 6:8).

The second piece of evidence to consider is the 1 God. Jesus says “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). Likewise Jesus told the Apostle Philip: “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 see also verses 10-11). The simple truth is that there is only 1 God (Rom. 3:30).
The third piece of evidence to consider is the 3 distinct Persons yet 1 God. At Jesus’ baptism all 3 members of the Trinity were present. God the Father’s voice came from heaven saying, “This is My Son, with Him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). And God the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove (Matt. 3:16). When one studies the pages of the Bible they will find over 60 passages which mention the 3 different Persons of the Trinity together. 


Isa. 11:1-2; 42:1; 48:16; 61:1; 63:9-14;
1 Cor. 2:10-16, 6:11, 15-19, 12:3-6;
Tit. 3:4-6
Zech. 12:10;
2 Cor. 1:21-22; 3:3-6, 13:14;
Heb. 6:4-6; 9:14
Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19
Gal. 2:21-3:2; 4:6;
1 Peter 1:2; 4:14;
Luke 1:35, 24:49;
Eph. 1:17; 2:18; 3:11-17; 4:4-6; 5:18-20
1 John 3:23-24; 4:2, 13-14
John 3:34-35; 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15
Col. 1:6-8;
Jude 20-21

Acts 2:33, 38-39;
1 Thess. 1:1-5; 4:2, 8; 5:18-19
Rev. 1:4-5, 2:27-29, 3:5-6, 12-13, 21-22, 14:12-13, 22:17-18.
Rom. 1:1-4, 5:1-5, 14:17-18, 15:16, 30;
2 Thess. 2:13-14; 3:5;

And the fourth piece of evidence to consider is their coequal nature. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not inferior to God the Father. In Biblical times, for a person to be considered “a son of” meant that they were equal to their father. Therefore, when Jesus made Himself equal with God the Father, the non-believing Jews wanted to kill Him (John 5:17-18). Then when Jesus gives the Great Commission He shows that all 3 Persons of the Trinity are equal (Matt. 28:19).
This leaves us with a challenging proposition: how can God be one yet three at the same time? This is where an illustration is helpful.
The simplest way to explain the Trinity is to do a little math. What does 1 x 1 x 1=? Answer: 1. Thus, God the Father times God the Son times God the Holy Spirit equals 1 God! Other analogies have been made/or could be made but most tend to really teach heresies which have led to many of the cults that we see today.
Even though we may not fully comprehend the Trinity; when one considers the case, it is what Scripture teaches. Besides that, let’s be honest, how great would God be if we could fully comprehend Him? There are a lot of things which we do not understand; yet God is all knowing. There are a lot of things which we are incapable of doing; yet God is all powerful. And I’m sure all of us wish that we could be in multiple places from time to time; yet for God it is a constant reality.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that the Psalmist declared “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psa. 139:6; see also (Job 11:7-9; 26:5-14; 37:5). All of this should leave us with just one response “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
More of Him, less of me,

     Matt 

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