TRINITY
"Trinity" is a term that is not
found in the Bible but a word used to describe what is apparent about God in
the Scriptures. The Bible clearly speaks of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus
Christ), and God the Holy Spirit...and also clearly presents that there is only
one God. Thus the term: "Tri" meaning three, and "Unity"
meaning one, Tri + Unity = Trinity. It is a way of acknowledging what the Bible
reveals to us about God, that God is yet three "Persons" who have the
same essence of deity.
Some have tried to give human
illustrations for the Trinity, such as H2O
being water, ice and steam (all different forms, but all are H2O). Another illustration is an egg having a shell,
egg yolk and egg white, but this egg illustration shows that there would be
"parts" to God, which isn't the case.
God the Son (Jesus) is fully, completely
God. God the Father is fully, completely God. And God the Holy Spirit is fully,
completely God. Yet there is only one God. In our world, with our limited human
experience, it's tough to understand the Trinity. But from the beginning we see
God this way in Scripture. Notice the plural pronouns "us" and
"our" in Genesis 1:26 -- Then God said, "Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground."
Though not a complete list, here is some
other Scripture that shows God is one, in Trinity:
TRINITY Pt. II
~~ the Holy
Trinity (the TRIUNE Godhead) ~~
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Many may be surprised to learn
that the word "Trinity," or "Holy Trinity" is nowhere to be
found in the Bible (If you are using anything other than a King James Bible
(KJV), There is a link there to come back to this very place in the study.)
However, what is found written is the word Godhead:
9 For in him [Jesus
Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (KJV)
Rom 1:20
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse: (KJV)
Acts 17:29
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that
the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art
and man's device. (KJV)
The word Godhead is
what is commonly referred to as the "Holy Trinity" or the
"Triune Godhead." (although the word
"Triune" is not found in the Bible either). The words
"Trinity" and "Triune" are just man's way of saying three,
and this author does not see any problem with naming it as such even though it
is not in the Scriptures per say; for three is implied but
not stated specifically as "Trinity" or "Triune" in the
Scriptures, for instance:
I Jn 5:7
7 For there are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three
are one. (KJV)
The concept of the Holy
Trinity (we shall use this title henceforth since it is what people
seem to be the most comfortable with) is difficult for our human minds to
comprehend. And it is indeed a testimony to a true Christian that they
believe something on faith that they may not well be able to explain to others
nor perhaps even fully comprehend themselves. For as it is written:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1).
But the Scriptures are not mute
regarding the Lord's nature and identity, the truth is written
there for the seeker. But this author is convinced that a total
comprehension of the Holy Trinity is not necessary for salvation; in other
words, it is not necessarily a salvation issue. For the Scriptures do not
state that one must fully comprehend the Holy Trinity to be saved; nowhere do
we see the Prophets of old, or Jesus Christ, nor the
Apostles state that to be saved one must understand the Holy Trinity
fully. God did tell us what man must do to be saved:
John 3:15-18
15 That whosoever [that's you!] believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. (KJV)
Christians do not believe in
three Gods, they believe in One God in three 'offices,' 'facets,' or
'aspects,' or, revealed in three different ways.
1st 'facet' or 'part' of the Trinity
God (Yehovah
'Elohim = The Lord God), is the Father, the One
and Only God Eternal! He whom created everything, He
whom has no beginning and has no end.
Exod 3:13-15
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this
is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
(KJV)
2nd facet of the Trinity
Jesus Christ of
John 10:27-30 (Jesus speaking)
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to
pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one. (KJV)
3rd facet of the Trinity
Holy Spirit (tó pneśma tó hįgion
= The Spirit The Holy = The Holy Spirit) is the Holy
Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the Power of God in action. It is through the
Holy Spirit of God that God interacts with His creation today, for He no longer
walks with man face to face as He did with Adam, Noah, Abraham.....,
and He no longer is physically amongst us as He was when Jesus Christ walked
the earth. This is because we (as a peoples)
fell short, we forsook Him, we left Him He didn't leave us! Below we
see that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, God's Spirit; not a separate
'person' or individual apart from God:
Acts 2:17 (Peter speaking)
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams (KJV)
Peter was quoting the Old Testament Prophet Joel:
Joel 2:27-29
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour
out my spirit. (KJV)
So then, you have the Lord
God of all, and, you have that Lord God in the flesh
(Jesus Christ), and, you have the Spirit of that Lord God (the
Holy Spirit), but they are all One. The three; God, Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit are three aspects of the same one entity,
that being the Ever Living Almighty Lord God. To understand how this can
be so, look at it like this:
You may be a father to your child, you also may be a husband to your wife,
and to your employees at work you are a boss. But you are not three
people, yet all three of those people are the one you (father, husband and
boss). When you are at work, you do not cease being boss when your
wife walks in whom knows you as husband.
Likewise, you do not cease being husband to your wife when your children
come home and call you father. Well, the same goes with God, only
on a much grander scale.
In the Scripture below we see all
three aspects of the Trinity involved in one act: This was done for our benefit, that we would know that this same Jesus was the one
we are to follow:
Luke 3:21-22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus
also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove
upon him, and a voice came from heaven [God], which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am
well pleased. (KJV)
What just happened there was that
the Lord God, by His Holy Spirit, showed us that Jesus Christ was the beloved
Son of God, the promised One. For we also see John the Baptist's witness:
John 1:29-34
29 The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man
which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven
like a dove, and it abode upon him [Jesus].
33 And I knew him [Jesus] not: but
he [God] that
sent me [John] to
baptize with water, the same [God] said
unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] descending, and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this [Jesus] is the Son of God.
(KJV)
Some may say that it is hard to
comprehend how God can be in three different places (in Heaven, coming down
descending "like a Dove", and Jesus on the earth) all at the same
time; and we certainly would agree. But allot of things were done simply
so that we would understand. For the Holy Spirit needn't have visibly
(appearing like a Dove) come down and rested upon Jesus as was done in the
above Scripture, for Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was
within Him, it was His Holy Spirit:
Luke 1:35 (the Angel speaking to Mother Mary)
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing [Jesus] which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (KJV)
Matt 1:20 (the Angel speaking to Joseph, Mary's husband)
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared
unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife: for that [Jesus] which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Ghost. (KJV)
Another place where something was
done for our benefit, that we might believe,
happened when Jesus prayed to God before raising Lazarus from the dead:
John 11:41-42
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And
Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may
believe that thou hast sent me. (KJV)
But this author agrees that it is
difficult, yea impossible even, for us to fully comprehend when Jesus prayed to
God. For Jesus was God, yet He spoke with Himself: "These
words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven,
and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may
glorify thee" (John 17:1), but in another place Jesus said: "I
and my Father are one" (John 10:30), and again He said: "...he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father...I am in the Father, and the Father in
me...the Father that dwelleth in me..." (John
14:9-10). So why then should Jesus pray to Himself unless it was for
our benefit. This author is comfortable with
that.
Perhaps our minds just are
incapable of fully understanding the things of God or of the spiritual
realm. For even Apostle Paul, whom himself was "caught up to the
third heaven" (2 Cor 12:2) stated: "But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him" (1 Cor 2:9 [quoting Isa
64:4]).
And
we mustn't forget that God requires faith of us. But if we were shown all
things, then it would not be by faith that we believed them, but we would have
believed them because we had seen them; therefore not having shown faith in the
belief of those things. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1), and: "For
we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what
a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if
we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Rom
8:24-25). Jesus said that faith is to be commended and
rewarded: "Jesus saith unto him,
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have
not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29).
So, suffice it to say, we simply shall not understand all things about
God. But let us learn that which He will allow us to learn, and believe
on faith that which is not given for us to fully comprehend.
Sounds good and prudent, yes?
~ Some
examples of all three aspects or offices of the Trinity in the same one
Scripture: God, Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Spirit. ~
Isa 42:1 (God speaking)
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I [God]
have put my spirit [Holy
Spirit] upon him: [Jesus
Christ] he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (KJV)
John 14:26 (Jesus speaking)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, [Holy Spirit] whom the Father
[God] will send in my
[Jesus Christ] name, he shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you. (KJV)
I Jn 4:2
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: [Holy Spirit] Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ [Jesus
Christ] is come in the flesh is of God [God] : (KJV)
Rom 15:30
30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's [Jesus Christ] sake, and for the love of the
Spirit, [Holy Spirit] that
ye strive together with me in your prayers to God [God] for me; (KJV)
1 Pet 1:2
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, [God] through
sanctification of the Spirit, [Holy
Spirit] unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ: [Jesus Christ] Grace
unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (KJV)
Matt 12:28 (Jesus speaking)
28 But if I [Jesus Christ]
cast out devils by the Spirit of God, [Holy Spirit] then the kingdom of God
[God] is come unto you. (KJV)