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People for various reasons object to the Doctrine of the Trinity, often because it seems beyond human ability to understand. They either question its central importance or are put-out by the fact that the word Trinity does not appear in Scripture. Why has Orthodox Christianity taught this doctrine steadily for 2000 years when the term that describes the concept does not appear in God’s word?
The answer to this complex question is remarkably simple. When all the Scriptures that refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are considered, giving all biblical passages equal authoritative weight, the idea that God exists as three persons in one God-head is the only logical conclusion. As Christians, we are bound to accept all of the statements of God’s Word as authoritative. We cannot favor some passages to the exclusion of others simply to fit our preconceived ideas, or desire for simplicity. The very nature of Scripture demands that we reason from its various statements in such a way as to assume that they are in harmony with each other, because God is not the author of confusion, nor is He a man that he should lie.
The history of the biblical reasoning process that historically led to a concise doctrine of God’s triune nature took time and was based on a number of simple biblical premises. It fell out the way it did because people came along who wanted to redefine God and redefine who Jesus was. Christians had to respond by observing all of the relevant Scriptures, and interpreting them according to the faith-assumptions that God is non-contradictory, communicates ideas through words, and will not lie to us. The observations can be summarized as follows:
1.God the Father is called “God” in Scripture.
2.Jesus, or the Son of God is also called “God” in Scripture.
3.The Holy Spirit is called “God” in Scripture.
4.The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are described in Scripture narrative as behaving as distinct persons simultaneously in front of witnesses, and in different roles in both heaven and earth.
5.Scripture makes clear that there is one God.
God the Father is called “God” in Scripture.
This point would seem to be a no-brainer. Jesus refers repeatedly to his “Father in Heaven” and I know of no example in church history where Christians have ever questioned the deity of God the Father. Nevertheless, just in case there might be those inclined to do so, I’ll provide a few references to show that the idea is grounded in Scripture:
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6:1 ¶ "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:9 ¶ "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus is also Called “God” in Scripture
It has been a fundamental doctrine of Christianity since the church’s inception that Jesus has the full rights and attributes of God. While this has stirred considerable controversy, there is a wealth of biblical statements to support the idea:
Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
2 Peter 1:1 ¶ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: (NKJV)
Philippians 2:5-11 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.
John 8:52-59 52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' 53 "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (NKJV)
In the last passage cited, Jesus claims to be “I AM”-which is the proper name of the Hebrew God. That is why the religious leaders immediately took up stones to stone him. Jesus did not tell them that they had misunderstood his meaning.
The Holy Spirit is Called “God” in Scripture
The full personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit has also been contested at times by those claiming to know Jesus. These people usually want to describe the Holy Spirit in terms of being an impersonal “force” rather than a person. There are some biblical problems with that:
Acts 5:1-4 1 ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
By equating lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, Peter makes the Holy Spirit equivalent to God.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (KJV)
The ability to grieve is an emotional and personal attribute. One cannot cause sadness in a “force” or an impersonal emanation. The only rational inference to be drawn here is that the Holy Spirit is a person, and that he is God.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Described in Scripture as Behaving as Distinct Persons Simultaneously, and in Different Roles
One of the main issues believers have to deal with in Scripture about the attributes of God is that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are often portrayed behaving as different persons in relation to each other. There are good reasons to take these portrayals at face value, and not as symbolic manifestations of a single infinite person wearing different temporal masks, as the ancient Monarchian heresy of the 2nd century tried to portray God. I will cover some of these reasons in the conclusion of this paper.
Matthew 3:13-17 13 ¶ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (NKJV)
Luke 3:21-22 21 ¶ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."
Matthew 17:1-8 1 ¶ Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Mark 9:7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Mark 1:9-12 9 ¶ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
John 8:13-18 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." 14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."
These references do not refer to a mere temporal convenience, where the infinite God must poke his head into space-time to speak to his own alter-ego residing for a time on earth. The distinct personhood of both Father and Son are described in exclusively heaven-based scenes as well:
Acts 7:54-56 54 ¶ When they (the Jewish religious authorities) heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him (Stephen) with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
Revelation 5:1-8 1 ¶ And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 6 ¶ And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
John 1:1-3 1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Genesis 1:26-27 26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Then there is the very language conventions used in Gospel narratives:
Matthew 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Jesus is speaking)
The straightforward language construction of Jesus’ words here, and in many other passages, makes a distinction-of-person between himself and God the Father.
Scripture makes clear that there is one God
Nevertheless, Scripture also makes clear that there is one God:
Isaiah 43:10-13 10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses," Says the LORD, "that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"
Deuteronomy 6:4 ¶ "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
John 10:30-33 30 "I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (KJV)
This seems to present the Bible-based believer with a conundrum that must be harmonized if we are to make sense of all the Scripture, without down-playing or ignoring some passages in order to emphasize others.
It is interesting to note that the same Hebrew word for one used in Deuteronomy 6:4, where it says “the LORD is one!” is also used in Genesis 2:24 to describe a man and wife as “one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Husbands and wives are not surgically attached, nor do they lose their individuality when they marry. If husbands and wives are one flesh, and yet remain distinct persons within the marriage, it would seem that the word one as it is used in both Old and New Testaments does not negate the Trinity nature of God being three persons in one God-head.
Aside from trying to balance off all the scriptural statements about the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there are some real-world implications involved with denying the Trinity. If we make God a single person who manifests himself three ways, or a single person wearing three masks for three roles, as the Monarchian heretics put it in the 2nd-4th centuries, we actually complicate rather than simplify things. First, we must assume that the language structure of the gospel accounts is misleading, since they present a Jesus who is personally distinct from his Father. Second, it becomes much more difficult to present Jesus as truly human if we see him as merely a role that the Father plays during the Incarnation. This is important because if Jesus isn’t fully human as well as fully God, he is in no position to die for human sin-which requires a perfect human to pay the price as “kinsman redeemer.” If Jesus is not also fully God, then how can we have any assurance that he is not bound by space, time, or other constraints? How can we be sure if he is in a position to save anybody? These logical implications all exist once we start to fog-out the distinctions between the biblically described persons of the God-head. The person who has trouble with the Trinity may not wish for these implications, but they will arise regardless because ideas have consequences in the real world.
The first 5 Church Councils ironed out these issues in church history. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, and reasoning out the implications of what they observed in the texts, it was possible to declare some definitive statements about who Jesus is in relation to God: Jesus is both fully God and fully man, with both his divine and human natures still fully intact as one person of the triune God-head, in the normal sense of the word person.
For a more in-depth look at the historic reasoning of biblically orthodox Christianity on this matter, see the first 8 chapters of my book, One Faith-Many Transitions: Worldviews in Church History.
The answer to this complex question is remarkably simple. When all the Scriptures that refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are considered, giving all biblical passages equal authoritative weight, the idea that God exists as three persons in one God-head is the only logical conclusion. As Christians, we are bound to accept all of the statements of God’s Word as authoritative. We cannot favor some passages to the exclusion of others simply to fit our preconceived ideas, or desire for simplicity. The very nature of Scripture demands that we reason from its various statements in such a way as to assume that they are in harmony with each other, because God is not the author of confusion, nor is He a man that he should lie.
The history of the biblical reasoning process that historically led to a concise doctrine of God’s triune nature took time and was based on a number of simple biblical premises. It fell out the way it did because people came along who wanted to redefine God and redefine who Jesus was. Christians had to respond by observing all of the relevant Scriptures, and interpreting them according to the faith-assumptions that God is non-contradictory, communicates ideas through words, and will not lie to us. The observations can be summarized as follows:
1.God the Father is called “God” in Scripture.
2.Jesus, or the Son of God is also called “God” in Scripture.
3.The Holy Spirit is called “God” in Scripture.
4.The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are described in Scripture narrative as behaving as distinct persons simultaneously in front of witnesses, and in different roles in both heaven and earth.
5.Scripture makes clear that there is one God.
God the Father is called “God” in Scripture.
This point would seem to be a no-brainer. Jesus refers repeatedly to his “Father in Heaven” and I know of no example in church history where Christians have ever questioned the deity of God the Father. Nevertheless, just in case there might be those inclined to do so, I’ll provide a few references to show that the idea is grounded in Scripture:
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6:1 ¶ "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:9 ¶ "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus is also Called “God” in Scripture
It has been a fundamental doctrine of Christianity since the church’s inception that Jesus has the full rights and attributes of God. While this has stirred considerable controversy, there is a wealth of biblical statements to support the idea:
Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
2 Peter 1:1 ¶ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: (NKJV)
Philippians 2:5-11 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.
John 8:52-59 52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' 53 "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (NKJV)
In the last passage cited, Jesus claims to be “I AM”-which is the proper name of the Hebrew God. That is why the religious leaders immediately took up stones to stone him. Jesus did not tell them that they had misunderstood his meaning.
The Holy Spirit is Called “God” in Scripture
The full personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit has also been contested at times by those claiming to know Jesus. These people usually want to describe the Holy Spirit in terms of being an impersonal “force” rather than a person. There are some biblical problems with that:
Acts 5:1-4 1 ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
By equating lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, Peter makes the Holy Spirit equivalent to God.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (KJV)
The ability to grieve is an emotional and personal attribute. One cannot cause sadness in a “force” or an impersonal emanation. The only rational inference to be drawn here is that the Holy Spirit is a person, and that he is God.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Described in Scripture as Behaving as Distinct Persons Simultaneously, and in Different Roles
One of the main issues believers have to deal with in Scripture about the attributes of God is that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are often portrayed behaving as different persons in relation to each other. There are good reasons to take these portrayals at face value, and not as symbolic manifestations of a single infinite person wearing different temporal masks, as the ancient Monarchian heresy of the 2nd century tried to portray God. I will cover some of these reasons in the conclusion of this paper.
Matthew 3:13-17 13 ¶ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (NKJV)
Luke 3:21-22 21 ¶ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."
Matthew 17:1-8 1 ¶ Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Mark 9:7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Mark 1:9-12 9 ¶ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
John 8:13-18 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." 14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."
These references do not refer to a mere temporal convenience, where the infinite God must poke his head into space-time to speak to his own alter-ego residing for a time on earth. The distinct personhood of both Father and Son are described in exclusively heaven-based scenes as well:
Acts 7:54-56 54 ¶ When they (the Jewish religious authorities) heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him (Stephen) with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
Revelation 5:1-8 1 ¶ And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 6 ¶ And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
John 1:1-3 1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Genesis 1:26-27 26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Then there is the very language conventions used in Gospel narratives:
Matthew 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Jesus is speaking)
The straightforward language construction of Jesus’ words here, and in many other passages, makes a distinction-of-person between himself and God the Father.
Scripture makes clear that there is one God
Nevertheless, Scripture also makes clear that there is one God:
Isaiah 43:10-13 10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses," Says the LORD, "that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"
Deuteronomy 6:4 ¶ "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
John 10:30-33 30 "I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (KJV)
This seems to present the Bible-based believer with a conundrum that must be harmonized if we are to make sense of all the Scripture, without down-playing or ignoring some passages in order to emphasize others.
It is interesting to note that the same Hebrew word for one used in Deuteronomy 6:4, where it says “the LORD is one!” is also used in Genesis 2:24 to describe a man and wife as “one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Husbands and wives are not surgically attached, nor do they lose their individuality when they marry. If husbands and wives are one flesh, and yet remain distinct persons within the marriage, it would seem that the word one as it is used in both Old and New Testaments does not negate the Trinity nature of God being three persons in one God-head.
Aside from trying to balance off all the scriptural statements about the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there are some real-world implications involved with denying the Trinity. If we make God a single person who manifests himself three ways, or a single person wearing three masks for three roles, as the Monarchian heretics put it in the 2nd-4th centuries, we actually complicate rather than simplify things. First, we must assume that the language structure of the gospel accounts is misleading, since they present a Jesus who is personally distinct from his Father. Second, it becomes much more difficult to present Jesus as truly human if we see him as merely a role that the Father plays during the Incarnation. This is important because if Jesus isn’t fully human as well as fully God, he is in no position to die for human sin-which requires a perfect human to pay the price as “kinsman redeemer.” If Jesus is not also fully God, then how can we have any assurance that he is not bound by space, time, or other constraints? How can we be sure if he is in a position to save anybody? These logical implications all exist once we start to fog-out the distinctions between the biblically described persons of the God-head. The person who has trouble with the Trinity may not wish for these implications, but they will arise regardless because ideas have consequences in the real world.
The first 5 Church Councils ironed out these issues in church history. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, and reasoning out the implications of what they observed in the texts, it was possible to declare some definitive statements about who Jesus is in relation to God: Jesus is both fully God and fully man, with both his divine and human natures still fully intact as one person of the triune God-head, in the normal sense of the word person.
For a more in-depth look at the historic reasoning of biblically orthodox Christianity on this matter, see the first 8 chapters of my book, One Faith-Many Transitions: Worldviews in Church History.
Biblical Basis for Trinity Theology
by K.G. Powderly Jr.
originally posted at the Calvary Chapel of Rio Rancho website
by K.G. Powderly Jr.
originally posted at the Calvary Chapel of Rio Rancho website