THE TRINITY
TRINITY defines the revelation of one God in three "persons," Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• There is only one God.
• Each of the divine persons is recognized to be God.
• God's self-revelation recognizes distinctions and interactions among them.
The Bible numerous times specifically mentions the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as being the three personalities who compromise God. Genesis 1:26, about the creation of Man, reads,
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.”
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, taking on Himself the form of humanity to pay our sin debt. But prior to that, He was eternally coexistent with God the Father and the Holy Spirit as part of the Triune Godhead.
The Trinitarian view of God is really monotheism and not tri-theism. There are not three Gods, but one God in three Persons. John’s Gospel opens with this statement in John 1:1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The "Word"refers to Christ, who was with God and was God at the same time, "in the beginning." Colossians 15:15-17 further describes Christ.
All three Persons were present at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17). The one true God appears clearly in the New Testament as existing in three divine Persons (Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 4:4-6; Ephesians 5:18-20; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 1:20-21).
• Each Person possesses His own personal characteristics and is clearly distinguished from the other Persons (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7-15).
• The three Persons are equal in being, power, and glory, each called "God" (John 6:27; Acts 5:3-4; Hebrews 1:8).
• Each possesses divine attributes (Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17).
• Each performs divine works (John 5:21; Romans 8:11).
• Each receives divine honors (John 5:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
The order of their activities is,
• The Father is first, the Son is second, and the Spirit is third.
• The general formula is from the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6); through the Son (John 3:17), by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:5), and to the Father (Ephesians 2:18).
No Person acts independently of the other Persons. There is always mutual concurrence (John 5:17; John 5:19; John 10:28-30). In the New Testament revelation of God as a tri-personal Being, there is no retreat from the stern monotheism of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Mark 12:29-30; Romans 3:30). The three divine Persons are one God, not three gods. It was necessary in the Old Testament to emphasize first the divine unity in order to guard against polytheistic tendencies. But reading the Old Testament knowing what is in the New Testament, a plurality of Persons appears within the one true God (Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 48:12, 16).
The Trinity is a great mystery, something wholly beyond the possibility of complete explanation. But we can guard against error by holding fast to the facts of divine revelation.
• Regarding His Being or Essence, God is One.
• Regarding His Personality, God is Three.
We must neither divide the Essence nor confuse the Persons.
The importance attached to the divine Trinity in New Testament revelation appears in the fact that the doctrine is firmly embedded in two formulas which are constantly repeated in the hearing of the Church:
• the formula of baptism (Matthew 28:19)
• the formula of benediction (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus equated Himself
• with the Father (John 10:30)
• with the Holy Spirit (John 12:32; John 16:7-15)
The Trinity is admittedly a difficult doctrine for our finite minds to accept. However, like so many remarkable teachings of the Bible, we must accept it by faith and by the evidence presented to us in Scripture.
THE INVITATION
★ You can't depend on your own goodness to get to Heaven. We've all sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus paid the penalty for your sins with His death on the cross and His resurrection (John 3:16).
★ To be forgiven and be guaranteed a place in Heaven, you need to repent of sin, confess that you are a sinner, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart (Acts 2:21).
★ You can use the following prayer or your own words, but you must actually believe in your heart that your prayer is real:
Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I confess that I have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. Please forgive all my wrongdoing and let me live in relationship with You from now on.
I receive You as my Savior and recognize that the work You accomplished once and for all on the cross was done on my behalf.
Thank You for saving me. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to You.
In Your name I pray, Amen.
Rev. Dr. Nicholas J. Gray, Pastor Broadway Baptist Church Sedalia, Missouri 2015
