TRINITARIANISM
(STUDY OF ONE GOD IN THREE PERSONS)
INTRODUCTION
Man has been searching God for a long long
time. Who is God? Does He really exist? (Job 11:7; Acts
17:27). How has man been
searching God? By intuition, reason, tradition, and revelation (the only
way to know God).
The Trinity.
Is the doctrine of the
Trinity biblical?
When the whole text of Scripture is taken
seriously, the doctrine of the Trinity emerges. The doctrine is implicitly
taught within the Old and New Testament. It teaches clearly that God is one and
is unique, that He is the only God that is true and exists. It teaches, either
directly or indirectly, that there are three Persons who are fully divine, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And it also teaches, indirectly and by
implication, that these three are one. Three-in-oneness
of God.
The Bible does not mention the word
“Trinity”.
So how can Christians defend the notion of a Triune God?
Although the word “Trinity” does not occur in the Bible, the
doctrine of One God in Three Persons is clear from many verses.
All three Persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are called God in
different places in the Bible. Examples
are: Father in Galatians 1:1; Son in John 20:28;
Spirit in Acts 5:3-4.
All three Persons are mentioned close together on an equal basis in
many places.
For example, in Matthew 28:19 we are commanded to
baptize in one Name but three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Another example is “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus
Christ and sprinkled with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2).
It is interesting to note that God sometimes refers to Himself as
“us” (e.g. Genesis 1:26).
We’re lead to the inevitable conclusion that the
doctrine is, in fact, biblical.
God Trinity is one of
the most confusing doctrines in all the Christian faith.
But it’s also among the most crucial. It cannot be fully understood, yet, it can be
fully believed. Why? Because it is
clearly taught in the Bible.
If this strange-appearing doctrine is
taught in the Bible, either explicitly or implicitly, we must accept it,
or at least take it very seriously. If,
on the other hand, the Bible does not assert such a teaching we may not be
required to believe it.
Without the doctrine of the Trinity, there is nothing that truly distinguishes Christianity from other religions. The doctrine of the Trinity completely debunks the simplistic and superficial assumption that the Triune Christian God is the same God as the Allah of a certain religion.
Christianity is distinguished from strict monotheistic
religions such as Judaism and Islam. But
also from polytheistic, pantheistic and panentheistic religions, including
Buddhism and Hinduism. None of these religious
beliefs contain anything quite like the doctrine of the Trinity!
The doctrine of the Trinity, which had already
been articulated by the apostles, was established at the Council of Nicaea (325
AD) and ratified at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD).
The mysteries of God Trinity
By investigating some divine mysteries, we hope to be able to delvea little deeper into the existence of a deeply triune God.
However,
what we will discuss together, can only touch the surface or its skin from the
greatness of so great God! My prayer is
that through this simple message God helps all of us to get to know Him, our
Creator and Savior, and make us love Him more.
I. The Essence
of God
*What
is God? → The Bible reveals something of what God is, but only God knows
Himself fully. We must rely on what is written in the Holy Scriptures for any
understanding of what God is like.
1. Scripture Designation
- God is Spirit (John 4:24) → the essence or substance
of the divine nature.
*What is spirit? Something that
doesn't have material body (Luk 24:39).
- God is light (1 John 1:5)
→ absolute perfection of the divine nature (i.e.holiness)
- God is love (1 John 4:8)
→ God's attribute.
- God is invisible (Deut 4:15;
John 1:18) → man is forbidden to make an idol or
likeness.
2. Theological Definition (man trying to describe God!)
"God is Spirit, infinite eternal, unchangeable in His Being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and love."
In other words, the essence of God is, "God is Spirit, invisible, without body, yet He is a Person (He has will, mind, and emotion); He is not created by someone else because He is eternal self-existence."
II. The Oneness of God
*God is One God.
The unity (oneness) of God is seen in:
1.
The great confession of Israel (Deutronomy 6:4)
“Hear, O Israel:
The Lord (JHVH)
our God (elohim: God, God, God), the Lord
(JHVH) is one.” à as God, JHVH is the “plural” One!
Note:
Three noble titles for God in the original
language of the Old Testament Bible are:
- elohim
(the strong One, plural noun used in singular verb) à English: God.
- adonai
(ruler, owner, master, the One who has absolute authority over us) à English: Lord.
- JHVH (the self-existent One, God's
personal name) à English: GOD or LORD.
2.
Grammatical construction (Genesis
1:1)
“In the beginning God
(elohim)
created the heavens and the earth.”
The word elohim or
'elohiym (ʼĕlôhîym) is a grammatically plural noun for
"gods" or "deities" in Biblical Hebrew.
However, when referring to
the Jewish God, Elohim is usually understood to be
grammatically singular (i.e.
it governs a singular verb or adjective).
In other words, elohim is a plural noun used in singular
(verb).
God is one → He cannot be divided, His divine essence cannot be divided.
Yet, He is One God with three
Persons → this is NOT three gods in One but,
one God
in three !
The
One God in three Persons (Indonesian:
pribadi, oknum, pelaku), but NOT
three individuals (Indonesian: orang) → God is not separated in
three individuals.
ILS: Matt. 28:19 → a name, NOT names; meaning, NOT three Gods (God A + God B + God C) in One, but One God in three.
Cf. Mr. Robet Robot Ribut (one person’s name) is not Mr. Robet + Mr. Robot + Mr.Ribut (three people’s names).
III. The Trinity
of God
*God
is One in essence, but three in persons.
The Godhead is composed of three Persons
... (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor.13:13)
God Trinity → One God in three Persons! (The one God is plural).
Triune God means "one God consisting of three persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit".
Although
the term Trinity is not found in the Bible, but the material is clearly
taught in the Bible (Gen 1: 1; Deut 6: 4; Luke 1:35; John 14:26; Acts
10:38; 2 Cor.1: 21-22; Eph 2:18; Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1: 2).
Tertullian from North Africa in 197 popularized the term Trinity. It is easier to say it than constantly having to declare the long sentences.
What is the TRINITY?
Trinity
is NOT three manifestations, NOT three functions, NOT three gods!
ILS: A Bible school in Lawang, Indonesia is confused about Trinity. They teach that
"the OT God manifestated Himself as
Father, God in the 4 Gospels as Son, and
the NT God as Holy Spirit."
A church denomination's baptism
certificates are also in total confusion. It says,
"... has been baptized in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that
is the Lord Jesus Christ."
The
two examples of confusion above are a wrong concept of Trinity. Why?
Look
at the illustration of ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS below that could help us
to see the true concept of TRINITY as taught in the Bible:
In the fourth century, St Augustine of Hippo attempted to demonstrate that the fundamental logic of the doctrine of the Trinity can be stated in seven statements:
1.
The Father is God.
2.
The Son is God.
3.
The Holy Spirit is God.
4.
The Father is not the
Son.
5.
The Son is not the Holy
Spirit.
6.
The Holy Spirit is not
the Father.
7.
There is only one God.
Unity (oneness of God):
- the
Son is called God
- the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3-4)
Trinity (three persons of God):
In Jesus' baptism (Matt.3:16-17):
- voice → Father
-
Jesus→ Son
-
dove → Holy Spirit
In the apostle Paul’s benediction (2 Cor.13:13).
Notes:
i. The first Person is called Father → This is a wonderful name, the One who
provides, protects, and
plans our future. Jesus refers God as
our heavenly Father
(Matt.6:9,32; Luk.11:2).
ii. The second Person is called Son (Jesus) → The only name
in which we are
saved, the One who
redeems us from our sins (Matt 1:21; Luk 1:31-32; Acts 2:21,
4:12; Rom 10:13).
iii. The third Person is called the Holy Spirit → the One
who regenerates, dwells,
baptizes, seals, and
fills believers. Jesus calls Him our
Helper, Comforter, the Spirit
of Truth (John
14:16-17; 16:7).
The Trinity of God: One
(God) in three (Persons) à Three Persons, yet One
essence/substance (Three in ONENESS of God).
The true One God consists of three Persons (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit), yet, God is undivided. The full name (not names) of Godhead is "Father, Son, the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).
ILS: The closest examples to the understanding of the Triune God is look at
God's creation itself, for example:- 1 space consists of length x width x height
- 1 person consists of body, soul, spirit → humans are actually "trinity" creatures who are created in the "image" of the triune God.
Trinity is NOT: 1+1+1=3 gods
Trinity IS: 1x1x1=1 god
The
relationship of the Persons in Trinity
The Bible describes the three Persons of Trinity as distinct in persons, but not as
individuals and not in
power, attributes, and glory.
The three Persons of the Godhead are distinct from one another, yet, they are not
independent of each other. They
are related to each other & co-equal in:
i) power: - in creation (Gen 1:1-3)
ii) attributes: - eternal (Heb 9:14; 13:8; James 1:17)
iii) glory: - the
Father (John 5:23; 6:27), the Son (John 5:23; Heb.1:8),
the
Holy Spirit
(Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 13:13), all of them are called God.
The acts of the Persons in Trinity:
The three Persons of the Godhead act together as one essence.
But the order the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit shows what they do (1 Cor 8:6;
Eph 2:18)
:
- The Father → in heaven ... the Giver, Designer ) Of the Father,
- The Son → on earth ... the Redeemer, Doer ) through the Son,
- The Holy Spirit → within believers ... the Helper, Finisher ) by
the Holy Spirit.
It’s clear that the three Persons in the Godhead work together & have the same power, character, and glory. As the Triune God: Father is the planner, Son is the executor, the Holy Spirit perfects our salvation.
A correct understanding of the
Trinity makes the atonement make sense—
It might be more accurate to describe the
atonement as “the Son, on behalf of the Trinity, sacrificially offers His
life to the Father, who accepts it on behalf of the Trinity. There is surely
nothing immoral or unethical about such an act”.
The incarnation didn’t remove the Son’s status
as being equal with God. He just added
humanity to Himself to live and die on our behalf.
App: When
we pray, we pray to the
Father, in the Name of the
Son, by the Holy Spirit.
(cf. Matt. 6:9; Luk 11:2; John
16:23-24; Rom. 8:26-27).
Bottom Line: There’s a lot that could be discussed about trinitarianism.
But here’s the
bottom line. While a perfect
understanding of the Trinity is out of reach for all of us, growing
in our understanding of this doctrine does greatly enrich our spiritual
lives as we grow in our relationship with the God who is both three and
one (i.e. three Persons, one Substance).
We begin to understand that God is truly sufficient in Himself. God is not simply a narcissist. In Trinity we see a model for submission and service. And we see just how distinct Christianity truly is.
CONCLUSION
- One God in three Persons.
- In essence God is One, in
Persons God is three.
- The essence can’t be divided, the Persons must be distinguised... (Matt. 28:19).
We are not able to explain God fully → God is unlimited and as His creation we are very limited. However, we can know God and love Him and have fellowship with Him in Jesus Christ our beloved Savior and Lord!
“The mind of man cannot fully
understand the mystery of the Trinity. He
who has tried to understand the mystery fully will lose his mind; but he
who would deny the Trinity will lose his soul.” - A Handbook of Christian Truth (Westwood, NJ: F. H. Revell), 1953.
A warning:
The dangers of rejecting God Trinity:
- rejecting the Father → punishment in hell (Rev 21:8)
- rejecting the Holy Spirit → no forgiveness (Matt 12:31-32)
- rejecting the Son → God's wrath (John 3:36 )
<>
Trinitarianism Studies, BST
at "PBI Loft"
Malang, 12 October 2020
