Doctrine of the Trinity
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary & Review
Preliminary & Review
We have recently been discussing the importance of DOCTRINE
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
We’ve been using the term “doctrine” as an acronym to share what I see to be the eight most important doctrines.
D= Deity of Christ
0 = Original Sin
C = Canon
T = Trinity
R= Resurrection
I = Incarnation
N= New Creation
E = Eschatology
Introduction:
Introduction:
I think one of the most confusing doctrine of the core doctrines of the Church is that of The Trinity.
One reason for this is that the term, “Trinity” is not found in the Bible.
A. W. Tozer who was a much smarter and more spiritual man than I but writings like his on the Trinity I think just serve to confuse people more:
I am a unitarian in that I believe in the unity of God. I am a trinitarian in that I believe in the trinity of God. And they're not contrary one to the other.... Now that's what we believe, my brethren: we believe in the three Persons, but one God. The three Persons are three, but the one God is One. And this we believe. So when I talk about God, I mean the three Persons of the Trinity.
A. W. Tozer, Tozer on the Almighty God: A 366-Day Devotional, (Camp Hill, PA: Wingspread, 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 88.
The Bible Holiness Church ByLaws writes it’s doctrine on God like this:
1. The Everlasting God, the Father.
There is but one God, holy, eternal, immortal, invisible, of infinite power, wisdom and justice: the creatorof all things that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible: the preserver of all creation.
In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons of one substance, equality, and divinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. (Gen. 21:33; Mal. 3:6; John 4:24; I Tim. 1:17; James 1:17)
2. God, the Son.
God, the Son, Who was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory, took upon Him the seed of Abraham in the womb of the virgin Mary; whereof is one Christ who is very God and perfect man, who suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried as a sacrifice for original guilt and for actual transgressions of all mankind, reconciling all things to God by Himself; who truly arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, from whence He will come to judge the quick and the dead. (John 1:1, 14, 34; Heb 1:1-3)
3. God, the Holy Ghost.
God, the Holy Ghost, (used interchangeably with Holy Spirit) the third person of the Holy Trinity or Godhead, 1s active throughout the Scriptures, being also called “Spirit of God,” “Spirit of Truth,” “Spirit of Christ,” “Spirit of Life,” “The Spirit,” “Eternal Spirit,” and the “Comforter” or “Paraclete,” along with many other combinations used with the word “Spirit.” He has participated in Creation, in giving us the Scriptures, and in God’s government through the ages, but in our day He is most active, revealing the Father and the Son and continuing their work by imparting salvation both in regeneration and in sanctification, in guidance, convicting, cleansing and empowering for Christian service. (John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8)
Now what they are doing is offically giving their belief in the Trinity without saying it in those words. Nowhere in that statement do you find the term “Trinity”
However, the Bible Holiness Church has as long as I can remember and from what I know, been staunch beleivers in the Trinity.
While we are non-creedal I think the Apostle’s Creed must have had some influence on the writers of the By-laws (Apostles’ Creed found on #3 Responsive Readings in Praise & Worship Hymnal)
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascened into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almigjty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Church of Jesus Christ, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting AMEN
So obviously the authors of the Apostle’s Creed, which was not written by the Apostles, but was used as a way to summarize the core beliefs of the early church. Were strong Trinitarians.
So we have doctrinal statements, we have historical creeds, but what does the Bible say about the Trinity?
Well many get caught up on The SHEMA Deut. 6:4
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
Isn’t this contradictory to the concept of the Trinity?
Well simply NO! Let me explain:
By saying there is one God we do not negate the doctrine of the Trinity at all.
While the word Trinity cannot be found in the Bible I believe there is sufficient evidence to say that God has revealed Himself to us through a Trinitarian Manifestation.
There are many ways of illustrating the Trinity although no illustration is perfect.
There are also several different schools of thought on the Trinity. Due to time's sake I will briefly teach how I see the Trinity in the Bible.
A few scriptural examples of The Trinity
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
John completes this for us - John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Giving us A Triune God
We can take this a little farther and ask, "How did God create? How did each The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit participate in creation?
The Father works through His Word (Jesus) and His Spirit (Holy Spirit) Hebrews 1:1 God ... (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by (dia) whom also he made the worlds;
I Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of (ek) whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by (dia) whom [are] all things, and we (dia) by him.
The word by (dia) means "through" - not "by" in the sense of "hands-on" activity.
Greek word ek means "from" in the sense of origin, ource.
Creation proceeds from the Father through the Son.
The Son is the mediate agent of creation
Colossians 1:16 For by (en) him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by (dia) him, and for (eis) him: (17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The Holy Spirit is the immediate agent of creation Psalms 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. (30) Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth [Holy Spirit].
Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Conclusion: God the Father purposes and plans, Jesus Christ is the channel through which the purposes and plans pass, The Holy Spirit is the instrumental means of creation.
It is correct to say: God the Father created ... Jesus created ..... the Holy Spirit created.
You can't forget the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist - where Jesus the Son was in the water, The Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit in a form like a dove came down.
I think one of the clearest Old Testament verses on the Trinity is found in Isaiah 48:16;
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, there am I: And now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
Notice: God the Father is mentioned as “the LORD God”; the Holy Spirit is mentioned as “his Spirit.”; Jesus is mentioned by the phrase, “I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I = a person different from “the LORD God” and “his Spirit”. According to John 1:1, 14, the “person” who was with the Father from the creation, was the Word who is Jesus)
Let me give you a Biblical and Logical Argument for The Trinity
There is one God Deut. 6:4
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
The Father is God Gal. 1:1
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Jesus is God John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Holy Spirit is God Acts 5:3-4
3 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? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Three persons distinct from one another Mark 1:9-11; John 14:16-17
Nearly all illustrations of the Trinity break down -
But Dr. Bird at GBS illustrates the Trinity by the idea of the universe.
The entire physical universe (uni = one) consists of three and only three aspects
Space
Time
Matter.
If you were to take away any of these three, you would no longer have a universe.
Each of these three also consists of three aspects
Space - consists of length, width, height (take away any you no longer have space)
Time - consists of past, present, future
Matter - energy in motion producing phenomena three in one
What are we saying the Bible is teaching about the Trinity? I think it clearly affirms that "God is one in essence and three in person."
Any questions or comments about The Trinity?