"...and of the Son...", pt. 2 (04/22/2024)
The Trinity: Truth or Trap? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Difficult Passages:
Difficult Passages:
28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
John 14:28
John 14:28
This passage is during Jesus’ final discourse with his disciples, and He says this. This is the silver bullet passage for non-Trinitarians, who say that Jesus Himself claimed to be lower than God. But, let’s look at the context: “If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for my Father is greater than I.” Clearly, it’s a good thing that Jesus is going to the Father, i.e., to Heaven. And here’s where you realize what it’s talking about: The Father is in a greater position than Jesus at that moment: seated in Heaven. Remember, Jesus humbled Himself to a bodily form, and this is what you’ll see in the next verse,
Philippians 2:9
Philippians 2:9
This passage is confusing because if Jesus were to be God, how does God highly exalt Him? Wasn’t He already fully exalted from the beginning of time? Here, context is key again.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He is equal with God, but humbled Himself to the point of the lowest humiliation, living as a servant or a slave, and dying the death of a criminal. He was exalted again after He had humbled Himself, and now to the point where everyone now knows who He is, and are thereby motivated to bow down before Him and confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This “glory of God the Father” can also cause confusion, though, as it does in the next verse,
John 20:17
John 20:17
This passage is after Jesus has resurrected, and He appears to His followers, to send the following message to His apostles: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” The confusion arises when Jesus calls God “My God”. However, this is not out of the ordinary; see Hebrews 1:8-9.
8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Hebrews 1 is possibly the strongest passage for the Trinity, and in a future session, we will probably go through a refutation an article of a guy who denies the Trinity even in passages like Hebrews 1:8. That session would probably be longer, though, so maybe it would take two sessions or three. I plan to find a few non-Trinitarian articles and refute them, including when we get to the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 3:14
Revelation 3:14
This passage is actually something we addressed in the beginning of Hebrews and is also found in Colossians 1:15
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
If He is the firstborn over all creation, isn’t He a created being? therefore not eternal? and therefore not God?
However, this word in Greek, προτοτοκος, has an interesting meaning in the Biblical sense, and reflects the authority that firstborn children had in Biblical cultural contexts. Maybe you’ll remember how in Genesis, Jacob tried to take authority over his older twin brother, Esau, by assuming the birthright over Him. Why was this necessary? Because the firstborn was the one who obtained the blessing, greater over all his brothers.
In the same way, προτοτοκος indicates superiority over all of something.
The rest of the Bible brings support to the eternal nature of Jesus (ahem, Hebrews 1:10-12, which we went over), and this does not create a contradiction.
Though short, I thought it would be useful to not only show how Jesus is God in the Bible, but also, the other side of the arguments, and how to respond to them, so that you can be prepared in such a situation. Finally, let’s read Colossians 2:8-10:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
(pray, continue on Friday, Monday, and next Wednesday)