Foundations of Faith
THE HOLY TRINITY (II)
In the March issue of GROWING we looked at scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments that expressed the truth of the Trinity:one God manifested in three Persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Adherents of the Jewish and Muslim religions as well as those of certain sects and cults reject the doctrine of the Trinity, claiming that the Christians have three Gods while they have only one. Christians, on the other hand, insist that we worship and serve only one God, even though God is revealed in three Persons. We shall now consider ways in which the concept of the triune (three in one and one in three) God is different and distinct from the concept of three Gods.
Do you remember learning about Greek and Roman mythology in school? There were the goddess of fertility, the sun god, the rain god, the sea god, the goddess of wisdom, the god of war, and on and on. Each individual god or goddess had a special ability that distinguished him or her from all the others. Not so with the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all have the same abilities and skills, all know the same thing, and all are equally able to help those who call upon God.
If you don’t remember anything else about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, you will remember that they were constantly at odds with one another –arguing, disagreeing, and jealous of one another, and the like. Not so with the triune God:The Son said to the Father, “I delight to do Thy will” and “Not My will, but Thine be done” (Psa. 40:8; Luke 22:42). And here is how the Lord Jesus described the work of the Holy Spirit:”He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you” (John 16:14).
To give just a few examples, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternal (Psa. 90:2; John 1:2; Mic. 5:2; Heb. 9:14). They are omnipotent or all-powerful (Eph. 1:19; 3:16; 2 Cor. 12:9). They are omniscient or all-knowing (Psa. 139:4; Luke 11:16,17; John 21:17; 1 Cor. 2:10,11). They are omnipresent or present everywhere (Jer. 23:23,24; Matt. 18:20; Psa. 139:7). (See Assignment 7)
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all were active in the creation of the universe (Psa. 102:25; John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13). All were involved in the Incarnation, that is, God the Son becoming a Man (Luke 1:26-35), and in anointing the Lord for His earthly ministry (Matt. 3:16,17). All three were involved in the death of Christ and His work of redemption (Rom. 8:32; 1 John 4:10,14; John 10:18; 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:14), as well as in His resurrection (Acts 2:24; John 10:18; 1 Pet. 3:18).
1. Jews, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and other groups acknowledge that there is one God, but do not accept that the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal with God the Father. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is the same as Michael the archangel, God’s highest created being. (See John 1:1; 5:23; 10:28-38; and 20:28 to answer this error.)
2. A number of cults teach that the Holy Spirit is only an impersonal force, not a divine Person with intellect, emotion, and will. (See John 14:26; 16:8; Rom. 8:11; and Eph. 4:30 to answer this error.)
3. Other groups teach a sort of progressive Trinity. They say that God initially revealed Himself as Father, then as Son in the God-Man Jesus Christ, and presently as Holy Spirit, but never as three Persons all at the same time. (See John 14:26; 17:1-26; 1 John 4:10 to answer this error.)
Some of you may be thinking at this point, “So what? I don’t have any problem with the doctrine of the Trinity, but at the same time I don’t understand what’s the big deal. Why is it important to me?”
Good question. There are a number of reasons why it is important to us:
1. It is important to have an accurate understanding of God if we are to worship Him properly (John 4:24).
2. Our salvation depends on the Trinity. If God had merely created an angel or a man to serve as the suffering sacrifice for mankind’s sin, would this not have been the most unjust act in the history of the universe? And if it was a sinless creature who died for our sins, rather than the holy, spotless Son of God, how could we be sure that He would remain without sin throughout eternity? (If our Redeemer were just an angel, and were to fall into sin like another very high angel once did–Isa. 14:12-15–wouldn’t that dash to pieces our salvation?) If He were only a finite creature, how could we be sure that He was capable of making atonement for all of our sins? If there was no God in heaven when Jesus Christ was suffering on the cross, whose wrath was poured out upon Him (Psa. 88:6,7), and who forsook Him (Matt. 27:46)?
3. The fact that God is Father, Son, and Spirit emphasizes the love and fellowship that exists within His own being (John 1:18; 15:9). And God invites all of us to enjoy His love and fellowship (1 John 1:3; Jude 21).
4. Some people have the idea that God created man because He was lonely. But given the eternal fellowship enjoyed mutually by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we can be sure that God was never lonely. Therefore, God did not need to create. This fact makes it all the more wonderful that God, in fact, did create man in His own image, and did make it possible for finite, sinful man to be brought into a close relationship with the infinite, personal, holy God by His grace. So the truth of the Trinity causes us to praise Him all the more!
5. Have you ever heard one justify his sinful behavior by saying, “I’m only human”? The born-again child of God, however, is not “only human.” We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and so closely is the Spirit linked with the Father and the Son that we are told in Scripture that the Father and the Son are in us as well (see Assignment 8).
So with the love, grace, wisdom, and power provided to us by the triune God indwelling us, we have all the ability we could possibly need to overcome the trinity of evil–the flesh, the world, and Satan–that daily opposes us. Praise His Name!
In the next issues we shall study in more detail the three Persons of the Trinity separately.
Running the Race
Assignment 7: Find and write out verses in Psalm 22 and Luke 1 that speak of the holiness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Assignment 8: Find and write out verses in Ephesians 6, Colossians 1, and 1 Corinthians 6 that speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit indwelling the believer.