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Cut and Paste Info on the Trinity

by | Dec 5, 2008 | Cut and Paste, Apologetics

The Trinity is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. It is the position that the single God is revealed in three simultaneous and distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is not tritheism. It is monotheism. The following is information to be used to defend the doctrine of the Trinity as is found in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments.

  1. God (Back to Top)
    1. God is the only Supreme Being in all existence, places, and time.  He is Holy (Rev. 4:8), Eternal (Isaiah 57:15), Omnipotent (Jer. 32:17, 27), Omnipresent (Psalm 119:7-12), Omniscient (1 John 3:20), etc.
    2. He is Love (1 John 4:8, 16), Light (1 John 1:5), Spirit (John 4:24), Truth (Psalm 117:2), Creator (Isaiah 40:12, 22, 26), etc.
    3. He is to be worshiped (Gen. 24:26; Exodus 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 7:11).
    4. Christianity is monotheistic–Only one God in existence anywhere, anytime. See Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 14, 18, 21, 22; 46:9; 47:8; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Gal. 4:8-9 for verses that teach monotheism.
    5. One God verses
      1. Isaiah 43:10, “You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.”
      2. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.”
      3. Isaiah 44:8, “Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.”
      4. Isaiah 45:5, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.”
  2. Trinity (Back to Top)
    1. Trinity Defined
        There is only one God in all places in all time. There have been no gods before Him and there will be no gods after Him. He is the one and only uncreated, necessary, Trinitarian Being, eternally consisting of three simultaneous and distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three persons share the same divine essence (ontological trinity), but express different functions in creation (economic trinity). Neither person derives his substance from either or both of the others. The Trinity is not comprised of parts (divine simplicity), but is one simple divine being. In the Trinity are unity and diversity, which are equally basic and mutually dependent upon one another. God is spiritual in nature, non-contingent, unchanging, transcendent, and sovereign. God has nothing against which He can be compared and defined. Therefore, He is self-revealed in creation, scripture, and Jesus. He is the ultimate source of all truths, all actualities, and all potentialities. Goodness, mercy, love, holiness, etc., are revealed by Him as an expression of His nature. Therefore, that which is good is known by comparison to God’s nature, which is holy and righteous. There is no condition in which the Christian God might exist or could not exist since that would not be the God of the Bible. God’s incommunicable attributes stress his transcendence, and his communicable attributes stress his immanence. He created the universe as well as people. God is neither included in space nor absent from it. He possesses infinite knowledge, wisdom, presence, and power that manifest out of His good and holy nature. He does whatever He pleases and ordains all that occurs. Since He is the ultimate standard of all that is good, He will judge all people. Those who have, by faith, trusted in the self-revealed atonement of Jesus, who is God in flesh, will be saved from God’s righteous and eternal condemnation. Those who have not will face righteous and eternal condemnation.
    2. Trinity Defined with Scripture
      1. There is only one God in all places in all time (Deut. 4:35, 39). There have been no gods before Him and there will be no gods after Him (Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5). He is the one and only, uncreated (Psalm 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17; Isa 40:18), necessary (Exo. 3:14-15), Trinitarian Being (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), eternally consisting of (Psalm 90:2) of three simultaneous and distinct persons (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), the Father (Phil. 1:2), the Son (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2). The three persons share the same divine essence (Phil. 1:2; Col. 2:9; Acts 5:3-4), but express different function in creation (John 3:16; 6:38; 15:26; 16:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:4-7). Neither person derives his substance from either or both of the others (Mal. 3:6; Gen. 1:26; John 10:30; Eph. 1:4). The Trinity is not comprised of parts (Deut. 6:4) but is one simple divine being (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; 1 John 1:5). In the Trinity are unity and diversity (Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 48:16), which are equally basic and mutually dependent upon one another. God is spiritual in nature (John 4:24; Luke 24:39), non-contingent (Isa. 44:24; Acts 17:25; 1 Tim. 6:16), unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8), transcendent (Gen. 1:1; Exo. 3:14; Isa. 44:24), and sovereign (Isaiah 46:10; Eph. 1:11). God has nothing against which He can be compared and defined (Isaiah 40:18; 44:7; 46:9). Therefore, He is self-revealed in creation (Rom. 1:20), scripture (Exo. 20:1–5; John 5:39), and Jesus (John 1:1,14; Heb. 1:3). He is the ultimate source (Rom. 4:17) of all truths (Psalm 31:5; Eph. 1:11), all actualities (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 44:24), and all potentialities (Luke 10:13; John 15:22). Goodness, mercy, love, holiness, etc., are revealed by Him as an expression of His nature (Matt. 12:34, Gen. 1:3). Therefore, that which is good is known by comparison to God’s nature (Mark 10:18), which is holy and righteous (1 Sam. 2:2; 1 Pet. 1:16). There is no condition in which the Christian God might exist or could not exist (Ex. 3:14; Psalm 90:2), since that would not be the God of the Bible. God’s incommunicable (Mal. 3:6; Isa. 40:28; 1 Pet. 1:16) attributes stress his transcendence, and his communicable attributes (Gen. 1:26) stress his immanence. He created the universe as well as people (Gen. 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17). God is neither included in space nor absent from it (Gen. 1:1-3; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17, Eph. 1:4-7). He possesses infinite knowledge (1 John 3:20), wisdom (Psalm 147:5), presence (Psalm 139:7–12), and power (Genesis 18:14) that manifest out of His good and holy nature (1 Pet. 1:16). He does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3; Dan. 4:35) and ordains all that occurs (Eph. 1:11). Since He is the ultimate standard of all that is good (1 Pet. 1:16), He will judge all people (Psalm 7:8; 96:13; Rev. 11:18; 20:12). Those who have, by faith, trusted in the self-revealed atonement of Jesus (Zech. 12:10; 1 Pet. 2:24), who is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:8), will be saved from God’s righteous and eternal condemnation (Rom. 4:5; 5:1; 8:1). Those who have not will face righteous and eternal condemnation (Rev. 20:12-15; 20:10).
      2. The Trinity is one God who exists simultaneously in three persons. Each is coequal, copowerful, and coeternal with the other. Each person – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is not the other. Without either there is no God; all comprise the one true God.
      3. An analogy of the Trinity:  With time, for example, the past is distinct from the present, which is distinct from the future. Each is simultaneous. Yet, they are not three ‘times’ but one. That is, they all share the same nature: time.
  3. Trinitarian Verses (Back to Top)
    1. Matt. 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”
    2. 1 Cor. 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. 6 And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.”
    3. 2 Cor. 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
  4. Objections to the Trinity answered (Back to Top)
    1. The Word Trinity is not in the Bible.
      1. Just because the word “trinity” is not in the Bible, doesn’t mean that the concept is not taught.  The word “monotheism” is not in the Bible, yet the Bible teaches it (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8).  Therefore, your criticism is invalid.
    2. The Trinity is illogical.
      1. What law of logic is it that the doctrine of the Trinity violates?  If you cannot tell me, then your statement is meaningless.  Saying it is illogical does not mean it is.
    3. The Trinity is pagan.
      1. Saying it is pagan means nothing.  The question is whether or not it is biblical.  Are there verses that show that the F., S., & H.S. are each God, each indwells, each has a will, each loves, etc.?  Yes, there are.
      2. The F., S., & H.S. are each called God (F., Phil. 1:2), (S., John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9), (H.S., Acts 5:3-4).  Each has a will (F., Luke 22:42), (S., Luke 22:42), H.S., (1 Cor. 12:11).  Each is all-knowing (F., 1 John 3:20), (S., John 16:30; 21:17), (H.S., 1 Cor. 2:10-11), etc.
      3. Regarding the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   Each has a will (F., Luke 22:42), (S., Luke 22:42), H.S., (1 Cor. 12:11).  Each speaks (F., Matt. 3:17), (S., Luke 5:20., (HS., Acts 8:29; 13:2).
    4. The Trinity came from pagan trinities.
      1. There are no trinities in pagan theology.  There are triads (three gods) but no trinities (one God in three persons).  Therefore, your statement is inaccurate.
    5. The Bible does not say that God is three who’s and one what.
      1. That is correct.  But the Trinity is a doctrine arrived at systematically (by looking at the whole of scripture)–not by looking at a single verse.  Therefore, your complaint is misdirected and shows you don’t understand the Trinity.
    6. Show me one verse in the Bible that says that God is three persons.
      1. The Trinity doctrine is arrived at systematically (by looking at the whole of scripture) – not by looking at a single verse.  Therefore, you won’t see a single verse that says it.  Also, this demonstrates that you don’t understand the Trinity; otherwise, you would not have asked that question.

The Trinity Table

(Back to Top)

There is only one God

The doctrine of the Trinity is arrived at by looking at the whole of scripture, not at just one verse. The first step is to establish how many Gods exist: one! Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 14, 18, 21,22; 46:9; 47:8; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Gal. 4:8-9.  Afterward, we see that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all share divine attributes and show characteristics of personhood.

  • “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me,” (Isaiah 44:6).
  • “…Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none,” (Isaiah 44:8)
  • “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God,” (Isaiah 45:5).
FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT
Called God Phil. 1:2 John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9 Acts 5:3-4
Creator Isaiah 64:8 John 1:3; Col. 1:15-17 Job 33:4, 26:13
Resurrects 1 Thess. 1:10 John 2:19, 10:17 Rom. 8:11
Indwells 2 Cor. 6:16 Col. 1:27 John 14:17
Everywhere 1 Kings 8:27 Matt. 28:20 Psalm 139:7-10
All-knowing 1 John 3:20 John 16:30; 21:17 1 Cor. 2:10-11
Sanctifies 1 Thess. 5:23 Heb. 2:11 1 Pet. 1:2
Life-giver Gen. 2:7: John 5:21 John 1:3; 5:21 2 Cor. 3:6,8
Fellowship 1 John 1:3 1 Cor. 1:9 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1
Eternal Psalm 90:2 Micah 5:1-2 Rom. 8:11; Heb. 9:14
A Will Luke 22:42 Luke 22:42 1 Cor. 12:11
Speaks Matt. 3:17; Luke 9:25 Luke 5:20; 7:48 Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2
Love John 3:16 Eph. 5:25 Rom. 15:30
Searches the heart Jer. 17:10 Rev. 2:23 1 Cor. 2:10
We belong to John 17:9 John 17:6
Savior 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10 2 Tim. 1:10; Titus 1:4; 3:6
We serve Matt. 4:10 Col. 3:24
Believe in John 14:1 John 14:1
Gives joy John 15:11 John 14:7
Judges John 8:50 John 5:21, 30

 

 

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