Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 10

After looking at the following:

I) That there are 3 persons (Part 5 & 6)
II) They are all called God (Part 7 & 8)
III) There is One God (Part 9)

We now come to the Fourth proposition:

IV) They must all be God

The natural conclusion, regardless of its difficulty to understand/comprehend, is that the doctrine of the Trinity must be true. There are also verses when seen together that show the Trinity such as:

o Acts 3:26 & 1 Thes 1:9-10 - Father Raised the Son
o Jn 2:19-21 Jesus says He raised Himself
o Rom 8:11 - HS raised Jesus
o Acts 17:31 - God raised Christ

It is not the obviousness of the Trinity that sends people off in search of a different answer it is, in my opinion, our arrogance as finite beings in thinking we must all be able to comprehend all that God does and says. We must understand that God has communicated His attributes in a manner that can be clearly seen in scripture and as His people we need to recognize that and believe the word of God. Not because we have it all figured out but because it is just that, the word of God.

Of course for the unbelieving world who are blinded by sin and dead they will not see this but that is not an excuse for professing believers. The doctrine of the Trinity is a litmus test for fellowship between believers. Mind you I said between those that profess Christ, not to become a believer. As was stated early on the issue is with those that simply and forthrightly deny the doctrine of the Trinity. One who denies the Trinity is not a child of God since the “g”od they would claim to worship is not the same one true believers worship, as defined by His word. Again, I would differentiate between one who is struggling to learn and see the truth of the Trinity and one that denies it and especially one that teaches against it

The following is a chart that lists some of the verse already given and what they speak to:

Conclusion

Once we see that the Trinity is true we need to understand how it functions as this seems to be where we may claim the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity but then misrepresent it’s working.

There are distinctions between the three persons of the Trinity. There is an ordering of activities of the Trinity that is sometimes referred to as the “economy of the Trinity”. Whcih refers to the differing ways, or activities , of the three persons of the Trinity

Such as:
o It was God the Father who spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being

o It was God the Son who carried out the creative decrees (John 1:3)

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

o The Holy Spirit was active in a different way as He was seen as “hovering” or “moving” over the face of the waters in Gen 1:2

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

It needs to be remembered that because the three persons have differing activities this does not take away from their equality. An issue mankind has a penchant for as we so often equate ones job or activity with worth or equality.

In the act of redemption there were differing acts as well:

o God the Father planned the redemption and sent the Son (John 3:16; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:9-10)

“"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” ~ Gal 4:4

“ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” ~ Eph 1:9-10

o The Son obeyed and accomplished the redemption for us (John 6:38; Heb 10:5-7)

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” ~ John 6:38

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'” ~ Heb 10:5-7

o The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to guide and to bring about regeneration or new spiritual life (John 14:26; John 3:5-8)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” ~ John 14:26

“Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ~  Jn 3:5-8

These differing roles last for eternity (1 Cor 15:28) but the three are still coequal for eternity in being

“When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”

Thus they are equal in being but subordinate in role. Again, existing in eternity past (Eph 1:3-4) as an example of the relationship between the Father and Son in the past.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

So why does this all matter

1) It affects or worship

Keep in mind that worship is not simply what we do one day a week but what we are to do with all our being, in all that we do (1 Cor 10:31)

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Also, we are called to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."”

To worship other than the true God is to worship a false God and thus not to truly worship at all. Thus, ones view of the Trinity will affect not only how we worship but who we worship and who we worship with. How we view God also affects our worship since it affects how we decide to interpret scripture, by our understanding/comprehension or by God’s revelation. When truth is lost so is true worship

2) It affects our understanding and proclamation of the Gospel

The Gospel is how God saves men through Christ unto Himself. Change your view of God and you do not have the same Gospel, you do not have the Gospel at all. You will not have a biblical Christ that can save. The God that provides a savior is the triune God of scripture. To define God any other way is to have no God.

3) It affects the rest of our doctrine

To deny the Trinity leads to denying other core beliefs because if one is willing to deny what is clearly taught because it does not make sense it will make it that much easier to change any other doctrine that seems difficult.

We need to be sure that we understand the importance of the Trinity, the cults do. That is why they see it as so important to combat it. Even to the point that the Mormons’ have co-opted the terms. You can speak to Mormon today and they will say they hold to the Trinity, at least those I have talked to have spoken this way. However words have meaning and theirs are unbiblical. One does not need to know how they define God as much as we need to know how we do so.

One proof that the Doctrine of the Trinity is taken lightly today is that people would even have a serious conversation as to whether the Mormon’s are our bother in Christ or not. If you were to ask most professing believers on the street they would not deny them being called Christians.  Thus showing not only their lack of understanding of Mormonism but also of the Trinity.

What we believe about God goes farther than Him being the ultimate being but goes into all that He has revealed through His word. To simply seek for unity around “Christ” without defining Christ is folly. Understanding/apprehending the Trinity from a biblical perspective is part of knowing God and thus Christ. One does not need to understand the Trinity to be redeemed but one that is redeemed will not deny the God that saves and thus will not deny the Trinity.

Let us worship God in all we do and that includes in our understanding of Him.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 9

After seeing that there are three person spoken of in scripture that area all called God we now look at the core of a monotheistic belief, that there is only one God.

Even among most groups that deny the Trinity there is little disagreement that there is but only one God. The concept of Monotheism is what drives many who do not understand the Trinity to try and devise their own schemes to reconcile the concept of Monotheism by reasoning away the Trinitarian view of God. Often it is a basic misunderstanding of what the Trinity truly is that leads people to deny it and once it is denied they, due to human pride often, do not want to accept the truth.

The following are examples of verses that speak to the scriptures proclaiming there is only on God:

1) Probably the most used and relevant passage with regards to the concept of one God is the Hebrew Shema ~ Deut 6:4-5

“"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

2) Solomon in 1 Kings 8:60 reiterates the idea:

“that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.”

3) Isaiah speaks to this so that there is no confusion as to there being only one God in Is 45:5-6

"I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other."

4) Paul speaking on Mars Hill in Acts 17:22-31 speaks to the statue of the unknown God as being the one and only true God. Not that the statue itself was God but that the unknown God, the God they admit they did not know. was the only true God. So Paul was making sure they understood that all they worshipped were indeed not god’s as there was only one God and it was the God they did not know.

5) Paul in 1 Cor 8:4-6 speaks to there only being one God even when all around them much is spoken of there being other gods.

“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one." For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

6) Other places in the NT that refer to there being only one God are: 1 Tim 2:5; Rom 3:30; James 2:19.

“ there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” ~ 1 Tim 2:5

“since God is one--who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.” ~ Rom 3:30

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!” ~ James 2:19

We should see that there should be little argument that scripture speaks to there being only one God which when seen with all we have already looked speaks loudly that all three persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit must all be God.

We will look at this last part in the next installment.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 8

After looking at The Father as God and The Holy Spirit as God we now look at what may be the most controversial of the three and that is The Son, Jesus Christ, as God. As you will see the biblical evidence for the divinity of Christ is abundant.

There are a number of things to look at with regards to Christ’s divinity. We will see in the verses to follow Jesus as God both by His proclamation and that of others and we will see attributes that are God’s being attributed to Jesus

1) Jn 8:58-59 - The “I Am” verse from LXX of Exodus where Jesus uses a statement that refers to Himself as God did in Exodus 3:11-16. Can see the furor it caused in those that heard

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

2) Jn10:30-33 - Shows people believed Jesus believed what he said

I and the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."

  -  Jesus was either: Hallucinating, was deceived, was deluded, was insane, or He was God

3) Matt 9:2-3 – Jesus forgives sins, of which only God can and in V3 the scribes claim he is blaspheming showing how they viewed His claim.

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."

- Mark 2:5-7 is a parallel passage and in V7 we see the reference to God alone forgiving sin

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"”

4) Luke 7:48-49 - We see Jesus again forgiving sin and the response of the people.

“And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

5) Matt 23:34 – Jesus refers to his sending of “prophets and wise men and scribes.” The sending of prophets is not an act of man but of God.

“Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,”

6) Mark 10:18 – Jesus in saying no one is good but God is not saying He is not good but is claiming to be God.

“And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

7) Revelation 1:7-8 and 22:11-13 speak of one coming who is the first and last, Alpha and Omega.

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."” ~ Rev 1:7-8


“Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."” ~ Rev 22:11-13

a. In V7 it speaks of one who was pierced, Jesus, and refers to Him as Lord God as well as being the First and Last.

b. In Rev 22:11-13 it speaks of coming quickly and being the first and last but if we look down to V20 we see the reference to this person being Jesus

“He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” ~ Rev 22:20

c. All of this needs to be seen in light of verses such as: Isaiah 44:6 which speak of God as “the first and last as well as in Isaiah 48:12

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” ~ Is 44:6

“"Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last” ~ Is 48:12

d. If that is not enough, Jesus refers to Himself as the first and last in Rev 1:12-18

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

8) Another section of scripture where Jesus is shown as God is in Heb 1:1-10 and the corresponding verses from Psalms 102:25 which show that the reference is to Jesus being God.
  - In Heb 1:6 it says that all angels are to worship Jesus

  - However in Luke 4:8 Jesus tells the devil that one is only to worship God

  - And in Heb 1:5-8 the Father calls the Son God

9) On Jesus’ appearance to Thomas in John 20:28 Thomas referred to Jesus as follows and was not rebuked by Jesus for it:

“Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"”

10) In Matt 21:14-16 the people speak of Christ as the “Son of David” and Jesus does not question it when asked about it by the Chief priests and scribes in V16

“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant, and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?"”

11) All of this does not even touch on the most obvious verses which are John 1:1-5

“ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 - While Jehovah’s Witnesses will say the verse reads “a” God the correct translation is “G”od, with a capital “G”

 - The Jehovah Witness translation of the bible (New World translation) is a mistranslation and not consistent even with other translations of verses within its own bible that have the same grammatical configurations such as: Matt 5:9; John 1:6; John 1:18

 - The rule that allows for the “G” in God to be capital without the definite article being directly attached is called the “Colwell Rule.” This is a standard rule of translation that allows for translating a word as if the definite article was present as in John 1:1.

 - Thus there does not have to be a definite article to be able to use one, context and structure decide the translation.

12) We can also see from other passages Christ’s deity

- Paul in Titus 2:13 refers to Jesus as “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

- John uses an OT reference in Matt 3:3 referring to his preparing the way for Jesus but is quoting Is 40:3 which is referring to the Lord Yahweh

“For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"” ~ Matt 3:3


“A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” ~ Is 40:3

- Jesus in Matt 22:44 speaks in a way about Psalms 110:1 that leads the Pharisees to understand Jesus claming to be the Lord God.

"'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'?” ~ Matt 22:44


“A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."” ~ Psalm 110:1

- Jesus’ claims to being the “son of man” as a reference to deity is seen as such by the council in Matt 26:64-66

“Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death."”

Other evidence that Jesus possessed attributes of Deity

Jesus showed His omnipotence in calming the seas in Matt 8:26-27
o As well as multiplying the loaves and fish in Matt 14:19
o Also in making water into wine in John 2:1-11

Jesus’ omniscience is shown in such passages as MK 2:8; Jn 1:48 & 6:64 & 16:30

“And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts?” ~ Mk 2:8


“Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."” ~ Jn 1:48


“But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)” ~ Jn 6:64


“Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God."” ~ Jn 16:30

Paul in Phil 2:9-11 speaks to the worship of Christ as only God deserves

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every toungue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

From all of the above we can see clearly from scripture that Jesus Christ is God.

In the next part of this study on the Trinity we will look a there being only one God.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 7

A further reminder of where we are going:
I) That there are 3 persons – Part5 and Part 6
II) They are all called God
III) There is One God (Monotheism)
IV) Thus they must all be God (Trinity)

So next we look at all the persons of the Trinity persons being called God. In this part of the series we will look at the Father and the Holy Spirit and in the next the Son, Jesus Christ.

First, The Father as God
The entire panoply of scripture speaks to the Father being God and this is not really disputed

1) Ps 89:26
“He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'”

2) Is 64:8
“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

3) Rom 15:5-6
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”

4) 1 Cor 8:6
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

5) Gal 1:3-4
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

6) Eph 4:5-6
“one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

7) Phil 4:20
“To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

8) 2 Peter 1:17
“For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,"”

Since the use of Lord and God are used of the Father and there is little argument that the Father is God then there is not much to be done here. However we do need to ourselves realize there is a distinction between the Person of the Father and the Nature we refer to as God. This is why we refer to the Father as “Father God”. This is where often we as Trinitarians cause our own problems in that when speaking of the nature of God we refer to the person of the Father and thus confuse the issue. The Father is distinct from the Son and Spirit but all contain the essence of God

While normally I would provide the texts that deal with Jesus Christ as God next due the large number of verses dealing with the deity of Christ I will give them in their own post in Part 8.


Next is the Holy Spirit as God

1) Verses such as Matt 28:19 speaks of the Holy Spirit on the same terms as the Father and Son so that when we see that the Father and Son are God then that would imply the same for the Holy Spirit

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

2) Remember that we are talking about equality of being which does not stop the three from having different roles and being subordinate to each other but only in responsibility not being. This is important as all too often people conflate equality & position which leads to error

3) Acts 5:3-4 equates the Holy Spirit to God

“But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

4) In Psalms 139:7-8 the divine attribute of omnipresence is attributed to the Holy Spirit

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”

5) In 1 Cor 2:10-11 Paul attributes the characteristic of omniscience to the Holy Spirit

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

6) Romans 15:19 speaks to the omnipotence (all powerfulness) of the Spirit

“by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God--so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;”

7) Hebrews 9:14 speaks to the eternality of the Spirit

“ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God”.


While there may be other passages that equally show the deity of the Father and the Holy Spirit these should suffice to make the point clear that the Father and the Sprit in scripture are God.

Next we will look at The Son Jesus Christ as God in Part 8.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10


(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 6

When it comes to the Holy Spirit often one issue is in seeing the Holy Spirit as a person.   The issue I think is that our definition of “person” is such that to be a person one needs a corporeal body, a body that one can touch and feel.  However this is not necessarily true since it is certain aspects, or attributes, that make someone a person.  For example a corpse is a body that you could touch and feel, if you wanted to, but one does not usually see a corpse as a person.  

The primary attributes that make up a person are: mind, emotion and will.  With regards to emotions some hold that God is “impassible”, has no emotions.  Personally I find it hard to simply take the vast number of passages that speak of God and emotions and set them aside as anthropomorphisms.  I think the desire to call God “impassible” in part comes from seeing where our emotions come from and lead to as humans. Our emotions are driven by our nature but it is not pure so our emotions are an issue.  But, I find no issue in saying God has perfect emotions since His emotions are driven by His perfect nature. 

So what makes the Holy Spirit a person?

Again, the primary attributes that make up a person are: mind, emotion and will so we will look at some verses that speak to these in relation to the Holy Spirit along with others that show the personhood of the Spirit.

1)    1 Cor 2:10 shows intellect  (mind)

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”

2)    Romans 8:27 speaks of the mind of the spirit

“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

3)    Eph 4:30 speaks to the emotions of the Holy Spirit

 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

4)    1 Cor 12:11 speaks to the will of the Spirit

“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

5)    As mentioned in the above the Holy Spirit has a relationship with others

6)    John 15:26 speaks to the Spirit bearing witness of Christ and the word used is also used to describe the disciples’ testifying about Christ in John 15:27. 

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

7)    This concept of bearing witness is also seen in Rom 8:16

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

8)    In John 14:26; 15:26 (see above) & 16:13-14 the masculine pronoun He (ekeinos) is used as it would be for a person.  Usually in Greek the word spirit (pneuma) is neuter and not masculine.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”  ~  John 14:26

“ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”  ~  John 16:13-14

9)    In Acts 5 we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira that shows how they lied to the Holy Spirit and you usually do not lie to an impersonal force.

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?” ~  Acts 5:3

“But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."” ~ Acts 5:9

10)    Rom 8:26 – Shows the Holy Spirit interceding on a personal basis

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

11)   As already seen; personal activities and actions are attributed to the Holy Spirit as in 1 Cor 2:10-11; Acts 16:6-7; and even as speaking as in Acts 8:29; 13:1-2

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”  ~  1 Cor 2:10-11

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.   And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.  ~  Acts 16:6-7

“And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." ~ Acts 8:29

 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." “ ~ Acts 13:2

We can see in the verses above that not only is the Holy Spirit evident in scripture the Holy Spirit is also spoken of as a person.  Obviously a person that acts and is decidedly different than you or I but still possess the attributes of personhood.

In the next part we will look at whether scripture refers to all three persons as God.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 5

A reminder of where we are going:
I) That there are 3 persons
II) They are all called God
III) There is One God (Monotheism)
IV) Thus they must all be God (Trinity)

I) Proof of Three Persons Existing

The Father
The fact there is a person called the Father in scripture is little disputed. But never the less seeing that there is a person called the Father in scripture is important. Also I might add this is where we as believers often may create our own problems as we often conflate the person of The Father and The Godhead he is part of. By this I mean we often speak of the Father and God such as to in effect create 4 persons. This is why it is important to attempt to when speaking of the Person of the Father refer to Him as God the Father, Father or some such was so as to differentiate the person from the essence that all three persons are part of

Here are just a few versus to look at:

1) Matt 3:16-17 - The baptism of Jesus shows us the Father and even the Father-Son relationship
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."”

2) Matt 28:19-20 - Mentions all three but here we want to see the Father
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

3) John 17:1-3 - Shows the distinctness of the Father and Son as well as the Father being referred to as God
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

4) In John 17:24 - Jesus speaks to the father thus showing the person of the Father and also the distinctness of the two
“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

5) 2 Peter 1:17 - Shows a person called the Father and the Father as God
“For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,"”

6) 1 John 2:1 - Speaks of Christ being the advocate before the Father
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”


The Son (Jesus)
It is also little disputed that Jesus existed as most groups denying the Trinity will agree to this as they will agree to the Father existing. By the way there are still a few that will deny Christ existed. Many that deny Christ existence speak to his name not being in extra-biblical literature. First that is not true as in the writings of Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius we see the existence of Jesus. Second this denial of Jesus being mentioned in historical writings shows that the person speaking does not view the bible as evidence, which it is.

Here are verses speaking of Christ:

1) Mat 1:1 - Speaks of His genealogy
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

2) Luke 3:23 - Speaks of the beginning of His ministry
“Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,”

3) Acts 1:1 – Luke speaks of his first book (Luke) dealing with all Christ had done and taught
“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,”

4) Gal 3:1 – Paul speaks of the Galatians being eye witnesses to Christ
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified”

5) Rev 22:20 – Speaks to Christ and His return
“He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

6) A search of the Name Jesus in the NT in the ESV returns 927 verses


The Holy Spirit
When it comes to the Holy Spirit it is not whether all agree to His existence but more to the nature of the Holy Spirit. It is often hard to conceive of the Holy Spirit as a person thus, even unknowingly we often refer to the Holy Spirit as “It” rather than “He.” Most will agree that the Bible speaks of the existence of the Holy Spirit, again His nature is what is the sticking point for many.
We see the Holy Spirit in:

1) Psalm 51:11
“Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”

2) Isa 63:10-11 – Speaks of grieving the Holy Spirit and relates it to God
“But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,”

3) Matt 1:18-20 – Relates the Holy Spirit to the birth of Christ thus separating them as 2 distinct persons
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

4) Matt 28:19 – As we saw before the HS is mentioned in the Great Commission
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

5) John 14:26 - Speaks of the Holy Spirit in a relationship position
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

6) Romans 8:27 - the Holy Spirit is pictured praying for us
“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

So we see the Holy Spirit does exist but again what is most often the issue is not the Holy Spirits existence but what is the nature of the Holy Spirit and we will look at this in Part 6

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 4

One of the issues raised as an objection to the Trinity is that the word Trinity does not exist in scripture. Well, neither do we find commonly agreed upon words such as: Divinity, Atheism, or even Rapture. Simply because a term is not found explicitly in scripture does not make the word or the concept it defines unbiblical.

Another common objection is that since God is a God of order (1 Cor 14:33) why would He devise something so confusing. Simply by asking if one thinks that we will necessarily understand all of God and how He works should answer this question (Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Cor 13:12).

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Is 55:8-9

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” ~ 1 Cor 13:12

Still others will claim that “Jesus never said He was God” and while those exact words are not found we will see as we go through the scriptures that look at the Trinity that Jesus indeed did claim to be God. When we look at these verses in an upcoming part it will be clear that Christ claimed to be God and those hearing Him speak understood His claims as such.

What I find in most arguments I have heard is that they revolve around the issue of apprehension and comprehension. When the two are conflated, or made equal, then often people try and reformulate doctrines to match what they see as making sense and comprehensible to them. Simply because we do not “get” a doctrine does not make it unscriptural. Because I think that many issues revolve around misunderstanding the difference between apprehending a subject, or in this case doctrine, and comprehending it I would like to touch on the difference. To apprehend something is to see it as so. Thus it is about grasping and seeing the subject in the text. Apprehending a subject is to see that it is there, that it exists in the text. However to comprehend a subject is to understand how it is so, such as how it takes place. As it relates to the Trinity apprehending its truth is to see it is so in the text of scripture while comprehending it is to understand how it takes place. We can apprehend doctrine by carful study but we will not always be able to comprehend a doctrine as God’s ways are not ours (Is 55:8-9).

In this series we will look at the doctrine of the Trinity as it is seen in scripture. This study does not however explain the “How” and that is the issue with most that question the Trinity and or deny it. Again, as we look at the Trinity we are going to look at its existence in scripture and not the manner of God’s accomplishing what the doctrine of the Trinity states. By keeping the foundational pillars (3 divine persons, Equality, Monotheism) in mind and looking at the scriptures methodically we will be able to see, apprehend, the Trinity revealed in them. To do this we will look at 4 areas in the upcoming posts:

I) That there are 3 persons
II) They are all called God
III) There is One God (Monotheism)
IV) Thus they must all be God (Trinity)


Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 3

With regards to the trinity it is important to see the result of denying any of the three pillars of the doctrine, which are:

1) Monotheism: There is only one God
2) There are three Divine persons - All being God
-    The three do not make up God
-    As a friend of mine shared in relating an analogy from Dr. Moorcroft: God is not like a cake mix. In that God is not made up of 1/3 the Father, 1/3 the Son and 1/3 the Holy Spirit. But He is all three at all time and all are equally divine
3) The three persons are all coequal and coeternal

The diagram below shows in a pretty basic way that if you deny any one of the three pillars mentioned above it will point you to one of three heresies. By drawing an arrow from the doctrine denied you will see the corresponding doctrinal error.

Explanation of above views:

Modalism (or Sabellianism 3rd Century):
One form of Modalism existing today is “Oneness Pentecostalism” which consists today of the United Pentecostals and United Apostolic Church. They may not word things the same historically as Modalist have but would still fit into the Modalist camp by their denial of the coexistence of three “distinct” yet equal persons. Historically Modalism stresses that the three parts of the Trinity are merely three manifestations, or as I have been told in a comment – “simultaneous aspects of the nature of God”. Modalism, again this may not be how all would relate this, has spoken of God as such:

- God is one and He has manifested Himself in the mode of the Father in the OT
- He then manifested Himself in the mode of the Son at the incarnation
- Then on Jesus departure He manifested Himself as the Holy Spirit

Key is that all never exist at the same time and thus do not coexist. Modalists will claim equality but again they will not agree to not coexistence.


Subordinationism (late 2nd to early 3rd Century):
This is a view of the relationship of the Father to the Son which subordinates the Son to the Father in essence and status. This is not denying the Son is subordinate to the father in way of submission, which is biblical as in 1 Cor 15:28:

“When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”

The issue to the Subordinationist is that Jesus’ nature is different than the Father. They see Christ as eternal, not created, and divine but not equal to the Father. While the Trinitarian view speaks to all three being equal in power and glory

Polytheism:
Polytheism simply says that there are more than one God. This is the claim that anti-Trinitarians often make towards those who hold a Trinitarian view of God.

Some Historical Heresies

Marcionism (144):
Marcionism claims that Christ came at the Baptism and left at the crucifixion and they believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. This is a dualistic view of God that, even if they do not realize it, many professing believers hold today. The Marcionites held that Jesus came to liberate man from the God of the Old Testament.

Arianism (modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses) 4th Century:
Arians deny the deity of Christ and personhood of the Holy Spirit. They see Christ as created being with Jehovah’s Witnesses seeing Christ as Michael the Archangel. As we have already seen this heresy was condemned at the Council of Nicea (325)

Apollinarianism – 4th Century:
This view held that Christ had no human spirit. And that the divine Logos replaced it thus making Christ a “third thing”, a middle being between God and man. Being one part divine (spirit) and two parts (body and soul) human fused into a new nature. Apollonarius was against Arianism but probably fell more into the homoiousians (similar natures) camp. This view was declared a heresy by the First Council of Constantinople in 381 as it denied what is known as the Hypostatic Union: That Jesus is completely man and completely God (John 1:1, 14 & Col 2:9)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jn 1:1

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn 1:14

"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily," Col 2:9

Nestorianism – 5th Century:
Nestorius held that there were two distinct persons in Christ; one human and one Divine. Making Christ a God-bearing man (double personality) rather than the God-man (theanthropos) and thus got the natures correct but had Christ having two personalities. Nestorius distinguished the human Jesus, who died, from the Divine son who cannot die. This view was condemned at the Synod of Ephesus (431) where it was confirmed that Jesus was one person in two distinct and inseparable natures.

Eutychianism – 5th Century:
This view began as a reaction to Nestorius’ dual personalities view of Christ. This view made the Divine nature absorb the human nature and thus Christ only had one nature. A nature that was not like ours as He had one nature, divine. They sought to elevate the divine nature by minimizing the humanity of Christ. This too was condemned, at the Council of Chalcedon (451)


I list these heresies because I pray you hear the many explanations that people give to explain the Trinity so it conforms to what they feel comfortable with. Also, these heresies show that the arguments and human reasoning used to deny the Trinity are not new. We do not stand alone in the fight to defend what is true.

At the end of the day this all shows that Ecc 1:9 is so true:

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

In Part 4 we will begin to look at a few arguments against the Doctrine of the Trinity as well as look at what I feel is often a key issue and that is the understanding of the difference between “apprehending” the Doctrine of the Thirty and “comprehending “ it.

(Updated 8/20/10 - Due to a comment I wanted to be more clear above on Modalism)
Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity-Part 2

In part one I touched on our need to study the Trinity and the importance of a doctrine that to tell the truth, from my perspective, has been minimized in our pluralistic postmodern age. In this part we will look at a little history as this minimization of this important doctrine, which in truth is about the nature of God, has not always been so. As a matter of fact the nature of God was so important that the first great council, the council of Nicea in 325, dealt with this very issue; the nature of God.

The argument at the council revolved around the person of Christ and thus the Council of Nicea in 325 AD addressed the question of – Is Christ Divine? (One of 5 other issues covered but by far the most important). They did not create the doctrine of the “deity of Christ” but merely affirmed it. Also, in this council they did not touch on the person of the Holy Spirit but that is simply because that was not the issue at the time

Some may want to argue that the actual subject of the Trinity was not dealt with at the Council of Nicea. But, while the issue of the Trinity itself was not directly dealt with, the nature of Christ was and that is integral to our understanding of the Trinity. What stirred up the need for a council in large part was that Arius, where the term the “Arian Controversy” came from, had proposed that Christ had been created and had not existed eternally so therefore was not divine as God the Father was. This view had found some supporters but arguments arose in the church to oppose such a doctrine. While Emperor Constantine himself was sympathetic to the beliefs of Arius he wanted to settle the dispute and have political and cultural unity, his main objective in much of what he did. This is one of the places we see God’s hand on the events as again Constantine would have liked to see Arius win the argument but it was not to be.

At the council there were actually three positions
o The homoousians – Who proclaimed that God and Christ were of the same substance
o The Arians – Who proclaimed that God and Christ were of different substances.
o The homoiousians – A group that sought to compromise by claiming Christ was “similar” to God.

The trouble that Arius had with the orthodox view of the nature of Christ’s “substance” was the same we see today. He, as many today that deny the Trinity, sought to mold scripture to make a doctrine that is not easily comprehended comprehensible. In doing that he had to mold scripture to fit his understanding of how he thought things should be.

Mark Noll has noted, “Arius’s appeal to what he considered the logic of monotheism illustrates a recurring tendency throughout Christian history to subject the facts of divine revelation to current conceptions of ‘the reasonable’.”

I share the above glimpse at history, there is much more to read and learn about the Council of Nicea, to show that this is not a new issue & is one that others have struggled through. But it is one where truth can be found. We are to not hold tightly to the Doctrine of the Trinity because of tradition or even because of the Council of Nicea and a vote in the past. But, we should listen to what was said since God was working then as now.

We are to hold tightly to the Doctrine of the Trinity because it is biblical and those that do not hold to it are denying the true nature of Christ. Thus we need to not sit by as some deny this doctrine like it is simply a matter of taste. No this is a matter of the nature of God and we need to defend this doctrine as tenaciously as Athanasius did if necessary who himself was exiled 5 times in his defense of the nature of God. Not because God cannot defend Himself. But, because all of scripture and the promises of God hinge on His nature. If God’s nature can be manipulated by man to fit his whims, as is often done today, then ones hope is in a false god that is not God at all.

Today the issue is not only that the Trinity is denied but that people are not passionate enough about it to defend it at whatever cost. Far too many people are willing to give up this important doctrine for the sake of unity. What I would say is a false unity.

Mathew Henry has said:  "The way to preserve the peace of the church is to preserve its purity."

The purity he speaks of is not just the piety of its people but the purity of its doctrine. Thus it is not by forsaking doctrine but ensuring that the doctrine is pure and undefiled that unity is preserved. The area of the Doctrine of the Trinity is one of those areas we need to unify around. We are not to push it to the back to “just get along” but have a ready defense for who God and his nature, His Trinitarian nature.

Next in Part 3 we will look at some Historical heresies and in doing so you will see that not much has changed in 2000+ years as many of the heresies of the past are alive today.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)

Doctrine of the Trinity - Part 1

To begin this look at the Trinity I would like to look at two historical definitions of the trinity from two of the major confessions. Keep in mind that simply because these confessions support the Trinity does not make the trinity so. It is the biblical support that these confessions are based on and grounded in that makes what these statements say biblical. We simply start here to see how the trinity has been defined and we will look further at this as we move though the subject

From “The 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689”
In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word (or Son), and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar, relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.
(1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19,2; Cor. 13:14; Exod. 3:14; John 14:11; 1 Cor. 8:6; John 1:14,18; John 15:26; Gal. 4:6.)

From “The Westminster Confession of Faith of 1649”
In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
(Mat 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 John 5:7. John 1:14, 18. John 15:26; Gal 4:6).

A somewhat easier description may be:
Within one Being that is God, there exist eternally three coequal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Or as I have often heard Hank Hanegraaff say:   There are three who’s and one what

Introduction
So why do we need to study the Trinity? Is it not taken for granted? Does not everyone believe in it? Well in short, NO. I have found as I look around the internet and talk to people there are many that deny the Trinity and seem to not think this places them outside the pale of orthodoxy. Some of these may deny the Trinity out of ignorance or having been taught wrongly and they need to be discipled to see the truth of this great doctrine. However there others that teach that the Trinity is false and propagate their heresy where they are able. Some may do this openly such as the Jehovah Witnesses or avoid defining their terms clearly as with the Mormon’s so as to use Trinitarian words but give them decidedly different meanings. But, they do deny its truth. Of more concern are those within the walls of the professing church that teach such heresy and are not held accountable and are often even lauded and followed

As an example from the pulpit; T.D. Jakes is a well known preacher and writer in the evangelical community and while seeking to appear not connected with any denomination he does have connections with the Oneness Pentecostals which are modalists (more on modalsim later) who deny the orthodox definition of the Trinity.

Another example is Benny Him who while often criticized for his “Health and Wealth” doctrine has claimed that the Trinity is actually 9 persons with each person of the trinity having his own personal trinity, see video below.



An example from the sound booth would be Phillips Craig and Dean who are Oneness Pentecostals, Modalists, as well. This is not simply about mistaken individuals but they are all full time minters that happen to sing together and thus by their ministries are to be accountable for teaching heresy. Sadly many listen to their songs and even after finding out that they deny the Trinity justify things by their music being good or the words of a particular song being true. I do not know how many of those that justify their actions would listen to a good song by a Mormon or Jehovah Witness, well today maybe many.

I do not put this out there to simply point out these people but to show that the Trinity, the orthodox view of the Trinity, is not a doctrine that no longer needs to be studied and preached. But that we need even more so in the pluralistic age we live in study and make sure we know the true nature of our God. We need to remember that when we speak of God He is defined by His nature and that nature is Trinitarian. Thus when we speak of Islam, Judaism and others we are not speaking of the same God as they define God’s nature differently.

Sadly there are also so called “Christian” denominations, as alluded to above, that do not hold to the a biblical Trinitarian view of God but for some reason the church as a whole is fearful of calling a heretic a heretic. I think this is where confusion begins in the congregation since if the church does not speak out how are those in its ranks to see the seriousness of the error. This is not so much about labeling but about the correct understanding of God.

As we continue in the study of the Trinity we will get to its proofs but I thought it important to see why we need to study and we will see next why that the church from very early supported and defended this view of God.

Doctrine of the Trinity Series:

Sermon Series on The Doctrine of the Trinity:  Part 1   and   Part 2

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

(all verses used are from the ESV unless stated otherwise)