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The Trinity Explained
The doctrine of the Trinity is defined thus: Within the nature of the one true God there are three eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (or Spirit). Can this be proven by Scripture?
Yes, it CAN!
Proposition:
- If it can be shown from Scripture that there is only one God, and
- If it can be shown from Scripture that there are three individual persons who are called God,
- Then the three persons ARE the One God whether we can understand it or not. Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.
CAN IT BE SHOWN THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD BY NATURE FROM SCRIPTURE?
Deuteronomy 4:35 says:
"Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him".
Psalms 86:10 reads;
"For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone".
Isaiah 37:16 says:
"O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth".
(Cross reference this verse with John 1:3 and 10.)
Isaiah 42:8 tells us:
"I am the LORD; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images".
Isaiah 43:10-12 says,
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God".
WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD BY NATURE FROM SCRIPTURE.
IS THERE SOMEONE IN SCRIPTURE WHO IS CALLED 'GOD' AND ALSO CALLED 'FATHER'?
John 8:41 says this:
"Ye do the deeds of your father". Then said they unto him, "We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God".
Ephesians 4:6 tell us:
"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all".
2 Peter 1:17a reveals this to us:
"For he received from God the Father honour and glory…"
WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS A PERSON WHO IS CALLED GOD AND IS ALSO CALLED "FATHER" IN SCRIPTURE.
DOES THE FATHER HAVE A SON?
Proverbs 30:4b:
"...who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"
Luke 1:35:
"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God".
2 Peter 1:17b now informs us:
"...when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THE FATHER HAS A SON.
IS THE SON CALLED GOD IN SCRIPTURE?
Isaiah 37:16 says:
"O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth".
Cross reference this verse with John 1:3,10 in reference to Jesus:
"All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." Vs. 10: He was in the world, and the world was made by him..."
John 20:27-28:
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God".
If Thomas was not worshipping Jesus but was instead saying, "Oh my lord! Oh my God!" as some assert, then he would have been guilty of blasphemy under the law. Jesus was considered a rabbi -- a teacher; he was called this by Mary (John 21:16). Jesus even referred to Himself as "Rabbi" or "Master" in Matthew 23:8-10 as well as in John 13:13,14. The duty of every rabbi when in the presence of blasphemy is to condemn it. As a rabbi, Jesus would have been forced to condemn Thomas for blasphemy. Instead, he said, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." This was not blasphemy; it was worship, and by not condemning it Jesus accepted this worship from man, and along with it the title of God.
Hebrews 1:6,8 says this to us:
"And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him...But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever...". Here we see that God the Father brings His Son into the earth as a human child and he turns to the angelic realm and commands that all of the angels of God should worship Jesus. Cross reference this with Luke chapter 4, verses 7,8. Satan is tempting Jesus to worship him, and Jesus says that only God is to be worshipped. The word translated "worship" in Luke 4 is the same word translated as "worship" in Hebrews 1:6. Therefore, God the Father was either guilty of leading the angels into blasphemy in ordering them to worship the Son, or else He was ordering the angels to worship the Son as God. Certainly the latter is true; God cannot go against His own nature. Secondly, please note that in this verse, we see the Father calling the Son "God" where He says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever..." Finally, in the book of Revelation chapter one we see John receiving "the revelation of Jesus Christ". Verse 8:Verse 11: Saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last..." Now we drop down to verse 17b: "...Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." QUESTION: When did God ever die? The Father never did. The Spirit cannot. Who is this person? It can only be the Son! In case there is any question on this, turn to Revelation chapter 22 and look up verse 12 and begin reading: "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Who is speaking? Verse 16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches." Verse 20: "He which testifieth these things saith, 'Surely I come quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS A SECOND PERSON WHO IS CALLED 'GOD' AND IS ALSO CALLED 'THE SON' IN SCRIPTURE AND THAT HE RECEIVES WORSHIP FROM ANGELS AND FROM MEN.
IS THERE A THIRD PERSON WHO IS CALLED GOD?
Acts 5:3,4b:
"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?...thou hast not lied unto men, but to God." Please note: you cannot lie to an inanimate object. You can only lie to a live, functioning, cognizant personality. When Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost, Peter says he lied to God Himself.
Acts 13:2:
"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them". Notice that the Holy Ghost speaks, he also uses personal pronouns to refer to Himself, and he personally calls people to a work; in this instance not the Father and not the Son, but the Spirit did the calling. When referring to the Holy Spirit Jesus also used personal pronouns.
WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS A THIRD PERSON WHO IS CALLED GOD AND IS ALSO CALLED "THE HOLY GHOST" IN SCRIPTURE.
IS THERE A PASSAGE WHICH MENTIONS ALL THREE?
Matthew 3:16,17:
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".
Matthew 28:19:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost...". Notice here, that the passage says to baptize in the "name" (singular) of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. ONE name covers all three...and that from the lips of the Savior, Himself. We would refer you back to Luke 1:35, also. Then there is this sparkling jewel in the Word of God:
1 John 5:7:
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Is there ONE name for all three? Matthew 28:19, Jesus speaking: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name (singular!) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Note that Jesus did NOT say, "...in the name(s) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Therefore, the name of God, known to us as the Tetragrammaton (only four consonants and no vowels) is the name for all three together as ONE. So, is there reason to believe in the Doctrine of the Trinity? Absolutely. We have shown from the Scriptures that there is only one God, yet there are three persons who are called God. Therefore: the three are the one God. Difficult to comprehend? Certainly, but it is not beyond our grasp, entirely. God has, indeed, revealed his nature to us as a trinity in his word, the Holy Bible.
Credit goes to the late Dr. Walter Martin, founder of Christian Research Institute, for much of the material for the article above.
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