By Gary Ray Branscome
Although
the truth of God’s triune nature is revealed throughout Scripture, the fact
that only one God exists is the foundation and cornerstone of the doctrine of
the Trinity. We find that fact emphasized in the first words of the Shema, “Hear, O
At
the same time, the Bible plainly teaches the threefold nature of God. In the first
epistle of John we read, “There are three who bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1John 5:7).
Now, I specifically chose that verse because it is attacked by many. I could
defend it by pointing out that those words are found in Old Latin Bible
manuscripts dating back to the fifth century, in Vulgate manuscripts dating
back to the eighth century, and it was quoted by Cyprian in the third century (200-258AD). However, let us
examine it in the light of what the Bible says.
The
words, “Loved by God the Father, and kept by Jesus Christ,” tell
us that the Father is God (Jude 11). Therefore, the Father bears record in
heaven. The words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God,” tell us that the Word is God (John 1:1).
Therefore, the Word bears record in heaven. The words, “The Spirit of the
living God,” tell us that the Holy Spirit is God (2Corinthians 3:3).
Therefore, the Holy Ghost bears record in heaven. At the same time the words, “There
is but one God,” tell us that there is only one God (1Corinthians 8:6). So
every part of the verse, “There are three who bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one,” is clearly
taught in Scripture, and, therefore, is the Word of God (1John 5:7).
Furthermore, the words “these three are one,” in Latin would be saying “these
tri are une,” and that is where we get the term tri-une [i.e. three-one]. The word Trinity is just another
way of expressing the word triune.
The
word “Trinity” is the name we give to a body of doctrinal truths that are each
clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture. For example:
1- The words, “Don’t we all have one father?
Hasn’t one God created us,” give us the doctrine that the Father is God
(Malachi
2- The words, “We are in the one who is true, in
His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and eternal life,” give us the
doctrine that the Son is God (1John
3- The words, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost… you
have not lied to men, but to God,” give us the doctrine that the Holy
Ghost is God (Acts 5:3-4).
4- The words, “There is one God; and there is none other but He,” give
us the doctrine that there is only one God (Mark
In stating those four doctrines I in no way want to imply that the passages I
quoted are the only passages of Scripture that teach those doctrines. Nor do I
wish to imply that those four doctrines are all there is to the doctrine of the
Trinity. There is far more. However, those four doctrines constitute the heart
and core of the doctrine of the Trinity. And, the point I want to make is that
each of them is clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture.
As
you can see, the Bible plainly tells us that the Father is God, the Son is
God, the Holy Spirit is God, and that there is only One God. Therefore,
that is what God wants us to believe and teach. However, the idea of
three being one is totally alien to our way of thinking. In fact, in our
universe it is impossible for three to be one. However, God transcends our
universe. Although present everywhere, He exists in a different dimension, a
spiritual dimension where Three can be One. Nevertheless, one false teacher after
another has attempted to come up with some explanation aimed at reconciling
what the Bible says about God with man’s ignorance. One such attempt claims
that the Holy Spirit is nothing more than, “God’s active force”. We reject that
claim because the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit has a "mind"
(Romans
Because
Satan is continually at work trying to lead Christians away from what the Bible
plainly says, and because the heart of man is “deceitful above all things,”
we need to stick to what the Bible says (Jeremiah 17:9). (See John 8:31-32.)
That means that when the Bible says that the Father is God, the Son
is God, and the Holy Spirit is God we need to teach that each of them is
the one true God, without trying to compromise what the Bible says in a vain
attempt to make God’s Word fit our own puny little finite way of thinking.
Compared to God, the most brilliant man is as ignorant as a worm. Therefore, we
reject every attempt by man to deny that Christ is God,
or to portray Him as only part of God rather than fully and completely God. The
same holds true for the Father and the Holy Spirit. God wants us to teach what
His Word says, without trying to make it fit our way of thinking. As it is
written, “He who has my word, let him speak
my word faithfully.” (Jeremiah 23:28).
The
words, “Who, being by nature God, did not see equality with God as taking
something that was not His,” tell us that Christ is equal to the Father
(Philippians 2:6). The words, “That all may honor the Son, even as they
honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who
sent Him,” tell us that both the Father and the Son are to be honored as
God (John
The
words, “Philip said, Lord, show us the Father, and that will be sufficient.
Jesus replied, Have I been with you all this time, without your knowing me,
Philip? he who has seen me has seen the Father; how
then can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak
to you do not come from me: but the Father who lives in me, is carrying out His
work. Believe me when I say I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else
believe me on account of my works,” tell us that to see Jesus is to see the
Father, and to hear Jesus is to hear the Father (John 14:8-11). And the words,
“That you might have the full assurance of understanding, and know the
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ,” tell us that the
relationship of Christ to the Father is a mystery, and, therefore, something
beyond our ability to understand (Colossians 2:3). For that reason, men need to
simply teach what the Bible says, without “Professing themselves to be wise” by
making up explanations (Romans
Because
Father Son and Holy Spirit are all one God, we need to realize that all true
worship is directed at all three, even if we name only one, such as when we
begin the Lord’s prayer with the words, “Our Father who art in heaven”
(Luke 11:2). The words, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the
Father,” warn us against ever trying to worship one to the exclusion of the
other two (John
At
the same time, the Bible makes it clear that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
each have distinct roles, and a distinct place that is not shared by the other
two. For example: the words, “Jesus immediately went up out of the water:
and, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove, and lighting upon Him, and a voice from heaven, said, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” speak of each person of the
Trinity doing something different (Matthew 3:16-17). The words, “God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,” tell us that it was
the Son who died on the cross, not the Father (John 3:16). And, the words, “They
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance,” tells us that it was the Holy Spirit that
was poured out on the day of Pentecost, not the Father or the Son (Acts 2:4).
At the same time, because there is only one God, whatever is done by one person
of the Trinity is not done to the exclusion of the other two.
We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. For
there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son, and another of the Holy
Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. (From the
Athanasian Creed.)