Why the Trinity Matters- Part 1
Why the Trinity Matters • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Every time I sing that song, I am reminded of the wonder and the blessings of the Trinity. The Trinity is a teaching we all know about, yet it is one that is not often addressed. There are some topics that we emphasize in preaching, like the Gospel, that everyone agrees is important. There are other topics, like the Trinity that we don’t seem to get to talking about. Today we’re going to change that. We’re going to consider the biblical teaching on the Trinity.
It has been noted, especially by people who don’t agree with the evangelical doctrine of the Trinity that the word “trinity” is not a word that is found in our Bibles. That isn’t a valid argument, for the word “Bible” isn’t in the Bible. Nor is the word “atheist” but we all agree those are valid words to use to talk about the Bible and those who don’t believe in the existence of God. The question then isn’t “Is the word “trinity” in the Bible, but “Does the Bible teach “Trinitarianism?” I believe it does and also believe that it is an important doctrine for our Christian lives.
Here’s a definition written by a theologian that lived a hundred years ago.
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The Trinity defined – “There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.” B. B. Warfield
One God, three persons, all eternal, all equal, yet distinct. It sounds a bit complicated doesn’t it? It is. The word Trinity describes a concept that we only know because it is revealed to us. No one discovered the Trinity. Who discovered penicillin? Alexander Fleming. Who discovered DNA? It is credited to James Watson and Francis Crick. Who discovered popcorn? According to the all-knowing Wikipedia is credited to Native Americans thousands of years ago.
Who discovered the Trinity? No one, God has revealed this truth to us in the Scriptures because the Trinity is undiscoverable by natural reason.
The concept of the Trinity is not found in other religions, especially in the Ancient Near East where our faith originated. The idea of triads of gods (small “g”) is common enough in other religions, but they are nothing like what the Bible describes as the Trinity.
Lindsell and Woodbridge, in talking about this doctrine in A Handbook of Christian Truth said
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“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.”
Harold Lindsell and Charles J. Woodbridge, A Handbook of Christian Truth (Westwood, NJ: F. H. Revell), 1953, pp. 51-52,
The trinity is a hard teaching that we cannot fully grasp but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Let’s go exploring and see what we find! Our exploration starts in the Old Testament where we find
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1. The Old Testament intimates and allows for the Trinity.
1. The Old Testament intimates and allows for the Trinity.
Yet, the Old Testament doesn’t clearly teach the Trinity. Our definition of the Trinity says there is one only and true God.
Let’s start with the oneness of God.
The Old Testament asserts we have one God.
The Old Testament asserts we have one God.
We are monotheists, believing in just one God. Let’s look at perhaps the clearest expression of this teaching, Deut. 6:4.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Early in the history of humanity, as people turned away from worshiping the true God, many alternatives arose. People began to believe in many different gods. We call people who believe in many gods polytheists, poly meaning many and theist meaning God. Religions such as Hinduism, animism, ancient Greek and Egyptian religions are or were polytheistic.
Some people then and now believe that everything in creation is God, the trees, plants, animals, bugs and the planets. Those people are called pantheists, pan meaning all.
We believe there is only one God! The way this is expressed theologically is that God is one in substance. God the Father and the Spirit don’t have bodies. Before becoming a man, Jesus did not have a body. God is spirit as to substance and all three persons share it and together are One.
The Old Testament allows for three persons in the Godhead.
The Old Testament allows for three persons in the Godhead.
With the idea of oneness in mind, I want to call your attention to some interesting grammatical observations about how the Old Testament talks about God. Remember from your grammar lessons that there are singular and plural nouns and verbs, right? Here are some examples; book and books; God and Gods; I and we; me and us. So here is what’s interesting. There are many places in the OT where our one God is referred to in the plural rather than the singular, and it happens in different ways.
Let’s start with his name. A common Hebrew word for God is Elohim, which is a plural noun (approx. 2300 times). As a plural noun Elohim could be translated “Gods” but when it is referring to the one God, In Gen. 1:1 it says, “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” Does this prove the Trinity? No, there are various explanations that people who don’t believe in the trinity give as to why it is a plural, some of which are valid. However, the plural Elohim does point us in the direction of the Trinity.
Another way the Old Testament intimates the Trinity is when the OT Scriptures talk about God with God. This happens when two people are being talked about and both are referred to as God. We see this in Psalm 45:6-7.
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
It is clear two people are involved in this conversation and BOTH are called God. This isn’t the only place this happen in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament intimates and allows for the Trinity without clearly expressing it.
What about the New Testament? Ah, that’s a bit different. The Trinity comes into much clearer view in the New Testament. In fact, we can say that
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2 The New Testament asserts the oneness and threeness of God.
2 The New Testament asserts the oneness and threeness of God.
Here are a few verses where the New Testament affirms the oneness of God.
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
The New Testament aligns perfectly with the Old Testament as to God being one.
In addition,
The New Testament clearly states that the three persons, Father, Son and Spirit are God.
The New Testament clearly states that the three persons, Father, Son and Spirit are God.
It does this in several ways.
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The New Testament refers to Father, Son and Spirit as God.
The New Testament refers to Father, Son and Spirit as God.
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
The New Testament asserts that Father, Son and Spirit are God.
Slide: The New Testament also tells us that
The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit each do things that only God can do!
The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit each do things that only God can do!
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The Father:
The Father:
is declared God John 17:3
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
worshiped as God John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
He forgives sin 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The Son
The Son
is the creator Col 1:16
16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
forgives sin Matt. 9:2
2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
is one with the Father John 10:30
30 I and the Father are one.”
The Spirit
The Spirit
makes people holy Romans 15:16; 1 Peter 1:2
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
enables people to enter the kingdom of God John 3:5; 2 Thess. 2:13
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
enabled Mary to conceive the Son Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Another way the NT asserts that Father son and Spirit are God is
Slide: The New Testament says
The Father, Jesus and the Spirit are equal in authority.
The Father, Jesus and the Spirit are equal in authority.
Father 1 Co. 8:6
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Son John 5:21-23
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
Spirit Matt. 12:31
31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Father, Son and Spirit are represented together at the same time in the New Testament.
Father, Son and Spirit are represented together at the same time in the New Testament.
The baptism of Jesus Luke 3:21-22, Matt. 3:16-17 is one place where we see a clear distinction of persons
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
The great commission Matt 28:18-20 also distinguishes the persons.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
There are many other things we can say about this, but I believe I’ve said enough to establish that the Old and New Testament teach there is one God, the OT implies a plurality of the Godhead and the NT clearly expresses that.
Not everyone agrees with this. In an attempt to clarify the different beliefs, I am going to simplify things. There is always a danger in doing this that you oversimplify. Many volumes have been written on this topic that you can read and research on your own.
Perhaps you’re listening to this and thinking, okay, sounds good. I believe that. Most Christians believe this, right?
Maybe, and maybe not. What we’ve covered is the traditional orthodox position on the Trinity and this is the doctrinal position of most evangelical denominations.
However, you may be surprised that there are well-known Bible teachers who don’t hold to these truths.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Understanding the eternal love that existed between the Father, Jesus and Spirit tells us that the Father loves so much, He wanted more children to love, to share in His love. If God were only one person then He would have learned love when He created us. Since He is love, He chose to create others who could live with Him in the fulness of a relationship of mutual love and delight.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. That gives meaning to why we exist. We are loved.
31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.
The Father loves us!
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Did you come from a loving family? The most loving of all families, the family that set the pattern for all family, the Father, Jesus and the Spirit invites you and me to be in their family! An once we’re in, we’re in. We are loved!!!
Slide: Takeaways:
Jesus became a man and died that we might become the children of God. Our part is believing.
I will thank the Father, Jesus and Spirit each day for how they each love me.