THE HOLY TRINITY

 

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 Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD,” in the words, “There is but one God,” and in many other places (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1Corinthians 8:6).  The words, “Has a nation ever changed its gods, which are not really gods? but my people have exchanged their glory for what is worthless,” tell us that all other gods are not real and are worthless (Jeremiah 2:11). The words, “We know that an idol has no real existence in the world, and that there is no God but one,” tell us that all gods other than the one true God do not actually exist (1Corinthians 8:4). The words, “The LORD the King of Israel, and His redeemer the LORD of hosts, says; I am the first, and I am the last; and there is no God but me,” tell us that the Father (“The LORD”) and Christ (“His Redeemer”) are one God (Isaiah 44:6). [I will deal with that further in the section on the Trinity revealed in the Old Testament.] And, the words, “You should turn from these fantasies to the living God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and everything in them,” make it clear that the heathen can only be saved if they turn away from their false gods (Acts 14:15). In short, from beginning to end the Bible stresses the fact that there is only ONE GOD.

 

          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 2:10)

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 5:20).

          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 12:32).

          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 8:27), "speaks" (1Timothy 4:1), teaches (John 14:26), can "grieve" (Ephesians 4:30), and can be "lied to" (Acts 5:3-4). Because having a mind, speaking, teaching and so forth are the qualities of a personal being (not a force), we speak of the Holy Spirit as a “Person”. Since the same can be said about the Father and the Son, we refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three “Persons” rather than three Gods. That terminology is used in order to avoid contradicting the fact that there is only One God.

 

          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 5:23). And, the words, “Whoever denies the Son, does not have the Father: but he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also,” tell us that those who deny that Christ is God do not have the Father as their God (1John 2:23).

          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 1:22).

 

          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 5:23). And, because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all one God, they all share the attributes of God. For example, the words, “I will always be with you, even to the end of the world,” tell us that Christ is omnipresent (Matthew 28:20). The words, “Jesus came to them, and said, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth,” tell us that Jesus is omnipotent (Matthew 28:18). And, the words, “Of Christ In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” tell us that Christ is omniscient (Colossians 2:2-3)

          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.)