THE TRINITY

THE TRINITY (UNITY) OF GOD

I. DEFINITIONS AND DISTINCTION

Defined - the pre-existence of Christ as meaning that; “He existed before his birth”

A. Unity – There are not two or more gods.

B. Simplicity – There are not two or more parts in God.

C. Tri-unity – There are three persons in the one God.

Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics - Trinity. Trinity simply means “Triunity.” God is not a simple unity; there is plurality in his unity. The Trinity is one of the great mysteries of the Christian Faith.

The Trinity goes beyond reason but not against reason. It is known only by divine revelation, so the Trinity is not the subject of natural theology but of special revelation.

The Basis for the Trinity. While the word Trinity does not occur in the bible, the concept is clearly taught in the Bible. The logic of the doctrine of the Trinity is simple.

II. THE TRINITY IN ACTION

Isaiah 42:8 - I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Isaiah 45:5 - I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

A. All three Persons are called God.

1. God the Father is called God

Philippians 1:2 - Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. God the Son is called God

Colossians 2:9 - For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

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:

1 John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

3. God the Holy Spirit is called God

Acts 5:3-5 - 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.”

B. All Three Persons are Equal in Authority

1. The Father is recognized as authoritative and supreme

1 Corinthians 8:6 - yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

2. The Son is recognized as equal to the Father in every respect

1 Corinthians 8:6 - yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

John 5:21-23 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

3. The Spirit is also recognized as equal to the Father and the Son

Matthew 12:31 - “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

C. The Trinity in Creation

1. God the Father in Creation

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

2. God the Son in Creation

Colossians 1:15-17 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

3. God the Holy Spirit in Creation

Job 33:4 - The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

D. The Trinity Involved in The Resurrection

1. God the Father Raised Jesus from the Dead

Acts 13:30 - But God raised Him from the dead.

Ephesians 1:19-20 - and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

2. God the Son Raised Himself from the Dead

John 2:19-21 - Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

John 10:17-18 - “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

3. God the Holy Spirit Raised Jesus From the Dead

Romans 8:11 - But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

4. The Old Testament speaks of the Trinity.

Isaiah 48:16 - “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.”

Zechariah 12:10 - “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

III. THE HYPOSTATIC UNION

Hypostatic Union – Is set forth officially in the definition of faith produced by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, concerns the union of the two natures of deity and humanity in one hypostasis or person of Jesus Christ.

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “union” as, “an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one.” To unite is to put together 2 things to form a single unit. Christ unites in Himself: (1) The essence of God (2) The essence of man.

A. The term hypostatic union is a critical doctrine in Christology.

1. Christology is the study of Christ.

B. The word hypostatic is a Bible Word meaning that it is derived from the original language of Scripture (Hebrews 1:2-3).

Hebrews 1:2-3 - has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His “person”(Hy/pos/ta/sis or Hypostatic), and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

1. The term hypostatic comes from the Greek word Hy/pos/ta/sis.

2. Hy/pos/ta/sis was a term that belonged to the realm of science and medicine, and has a variety of meanings in classical Greek.

3. Hy/pos/ta/sis means “essence,” “person” or “substance.”

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines “essence”, “the properties or attributes by means of which something can be placed in its proper class or identified as being what it is.”

The word essence refers the “nature of something.” The Doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches that our Lord’s deity and humanity were united.

C. The hypostatic union is the Christian doctrine that in the one person of Jesus there are presently two distinct natures,

1. The divine and human.

2. That Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14, 10:30-33, 20:28, Phil. 2:5-8, Heb. 1:8).

D. He is fully God and fully man (Col. 2:9), thus, He has two natures: God and man.

Colossians 2:9 - For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

1. He is not half God and half man.

2. He is 100% God and 100% man.

3. He never lost His divinity.

4. He continued to exist as God when He became a man and added human nature to Himself (Phil. 2:5-11).

Philippians 2:5-11 - 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.

5. The word “kenosis” has entered theological language from Philippians 2:7, where in the sentence he “emptied himself”

Vincent says in this connection: “This form, not being identical with the divine essence, but dependent upon it, and necessarily implying it, can be parted with or laid aside.

E. Therefore, there is a “union in one person of a full human nature and a full divine nature.”

1. Right now in Heaven there is a man, Jesus, who is our Mediator between us and God the Father (1 Tim. 2:5).

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

2. God did not become a man, but God added another nature.

3. In the incarnation, it was not the subtraction of deity, but the addition of humanity.

Wuest - But in exchanging one form of expression for the other, He emptied Himself. The question arises, “Of what did He empty Himself?”

He did not empty Himself of His deity, since Paul says that the expression of His deity was a fact after His incarnation, that expression implying the possession of the essence of Deity.

He set aside the outward expression of His deity when expressing Himself as a bond slave.

It was the outward expression of the essence of His deity which our Lord emptied Himself of during the time when He was giving outward expression of Himself as a bond slave.

F. Theological implication of the incarnation from Holden

1. The Son could operate from either nature

2. One nature was limited (humanity, Luke 2:52), the other unlimited (Deity, John 16:30; Col. 1:15-16)

3. Apparent discrepancies can be reconciled by always asking two questions of Christ.

a. One question about His humanity and the other concerning His deity (did Christ get tired? Yes as man, no as God)

4. The incarnation is the addition of humanity, not the subtraction of deity.

G. Reasons to Accept the Incarnation

1. If Jesus is fully God and fully man, He is eligible to redeem (Heb 2:14-18) and judge humanity (Jn 5:22, 27).

2. This view corresponds to Scripture (John 1:1, 14; 5:17-18; 8:58; 1 Timothy 2:5).

3. It is consistent with major church councils throughout the centuries.

The Nicene-Chalcedonian Creed (451 AD) says: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in God head and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body;

4. It accounts for the seeming complexity present within Christ regarding His attributes

a. He knew all - Jn 2:24-25, and He did not know all Mark 13:32; Luke 2:52).

5. It accounts for the two wills present within Christ, one divine and one human (Mt 26:39).

6. This view of Christ renders love meaningful and self sufficient within the context of a triune God.

a. God’s love needs nothing external to His nature to act as its object.

Christ Two Natures Clarified

JESUS AS GOD JESUS AS MAN

Omni-presence Limited to time and space

He is worshipped (Matt. 2:2, 11, 14:33). He worshipped the Father (John 17).

Divine nature Human nature

He is prayed to (Acts 7:59). He prayed to the Father (John 17).

He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22, Heb. 4:15). He was tempted (Matt. 4:1).

He knows all things (John 21:17). He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52).

Infinite knowledge Finite knowledge

He gives eternal life (John 10:28). He died (Rom. 5:8).

Never dies Died on the cross

The fullness of deity dwells in Him He has a body of flesh and (Col. 2:9). bones (Luke 24:39).

Unchanging Changing

No beginning Beginning (birth)

IV. THE BIBLICAL BASIS OF CHRIST DEITY.

A. Old Testaments Claims for His Deity.

Psalms 2:7 - “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

Psalms 110:1 - The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Zech. 12:10 - “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

VII. THE TWO NATURES (DIVINE AND HUMAN) OF CHRIST.

A. David calls Him Lord and Son.

Mark 12:37 - Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

Psalm 110:1 - The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

B. Christ’s claims to deity.

1. Jesus claimed to be the “I am” of Exodus 3:14.

Jesus says in John 8:58: “Before Abraham was, I am.” This statement claims not only existence before Abraham, but equality with the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. The Jews around him clearly understood his meaning and picked up stones to kill him for blaspheming

a. Sixty times (60) the NKJV uses the “I Am” in the Gospel of John.

2. Jesus forgave sins which only the Father can do.

Mark 2:5-7 - When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

a. One of the best ways to prove Jesus deity is that Jesus claimed to be only what the Father could do in Isaiah 42.

3. He claimed that He should be honored just as the Father is honored.

John 5:23 - that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

C. The bible forbids worshiping anyone but God.

Exodus 20:5 - you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

1. God does not share His glory with any man.

Isaiah 42:8 - I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

2. Humans (Paul and Barnabas) refused worship.

Acts 14:10-15 - said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

3. Angels also refused worship.

Revelation 22:8-9 - Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

D. Yet Jesus accepted worship on 10 occasions which is due to God alone.

Mt. 4:10 - Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

1. The mother of James and John.

Mt. 20:20 - Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

2. The Gerasene demoniac.

Mark 5:6 - When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

3. A blind man.

John 9:38 - Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

4. Doubting Thomas.

John 20:28 - And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

5. The women at the tomb.

Matt. 28:9 - And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

6. A Canaanite woman.

Matt. 15:25 - Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

7. His disciples.

Matt. 14:33 - Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

8. A healed leper.

Matt. 8:2 - And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

9. A rich young ruler.

Matt. 9:18 - While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.”

10. Again His disciples at His resurrection.

Matt. 28:16-20 - Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

E. Important to note what Jesus spoke of Himself:

1. Jesus never rebuked anyone who worshipped Him.

2. He even commended some for acknowledging His deity.

John 20:29 - And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Matt. 16:17 - Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

3. Jesus put His words on the same level with God’s words.

Matt. 24:35 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

4. He that rejects Me, and does not receive my words.

John 12:48 - He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

5. Asked His disciples to pray in His name.

John 14:13 - And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

6. He accepted the titles of deity.

John 20:28 - And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Matt. 16:17-18 - Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

F. The Father and others spoke of His deity.

1. God said this is my beloved Son.

Matt. 3:16 - 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.

Matt. 17:5 - 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!”

John 12:28 - Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

2. Angels claimed He was God.

Luke 1:32 - He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:35 - And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:11 - For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

3. Demons claimed He was God.

Matt. 8:29 - And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

4. Humans claimed Jesus was God.

a. Thomas.

John 20:28 - And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

b. Matthew.

Matt. 8:29 - And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

c. Mark.

Mark 14:61 - But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

d. Luke.

Luke 1:32-35 - He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:11 - For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

e. John.

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 10:30-30 - 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.”

f. Peter.

Matt. 16:16 - Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

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:

g. Paul.

Col. 1:15-17 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Hebrews 1:3 - who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Titus 2:13 - looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

G. A person would have to be blind not to be able to see that the bible teaches that Jesus is God.

1. Historically we have the Apostles.

2. Historically we have the Early Church Fathers.

3. Historically we have the Apostles Creed.

4. Historically we have the Council of Constantinople. 381 A.D.

5. Historically we have the Council of Chalcedon. 451 A.D.

IX. JESUS IS BOTH GOD AND MAN.

A. 100 percent God.

B. 100 percent Man.

C. Must remember Jesus being God did not mix with Him being a Man.