Theology Proper The Trinity

Of all the areas encompassed in Theology Proper, the doctrine of the Trinity is by far the most difficult. It is difficult because it is contrary to every form of human reason and contradictory to every other religion known to man. Other monotheistic faiths (Judaism and Islam) consistently attack the doctrine of the Trinity because they believe that Christians are describing three gods instead of one. Like any other doctrine of Scripture the truth of the Trinity is a proposition of faith.

Definition The oneness of God. The plurality of three persons. The equality of the three persons. The distinction in simultaneous existence of the three persons.

The Unity of God The Bible is decidedly monotheistic. (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6,8; 45:5; 1 Kings 8:60; Deut. 4:35; 1 Cor. 8:4,6; 1 Tim. 2:5) Therefore our understanding of God must begin with the unity of His existence. When we speak of God in three persons, we are stating the fact of the unity of the Godhead. This is the reason that we insist upon understanding the attributes of God as being equal in every person of the Trinity.

The Plurality of God The plurality of God is taught from the very beginning of Scripture – “In the beginning God” uses the plural name Elohim. An interesting conversation transpires in Isaiah 48 in which it is apparent that He who identifies Himself as the first and the last is one who is sent by the Lord God and the Holy Spirit. (Isa. 48:12-17) See Isa. 63:9-11; 59:19-20; 9:6; John 14;14-16, 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 13:14; Eph. 2;18; 1 John 5:6-7)

The Equality of God The reality that God exists in three persons without difference of essence is important theologically. Everything that can be said of one can be said of all three. The Father is God – John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:2 Christ is God – John 1:1, 18; 20:28; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8, 10 The Holy Spirit is God – Acts 5:3-4

God the Father is eternal – Romans 16:26 God the Son is eternal – Micah 5:2 God the Holy Spirit Is Eternal – Hebrews 9:14 God the Father is omnipresent – Jeremiah 23:24 God the Son is omnipresent – Matthew 28:20 God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent – Psalm 139:7

God the Father is omniscient – Acts 15:18 God the Son is omniscient – John 21:17 God is the Holy Spirit is omniscient – 1 Corinthians 2: 10

Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, 63.

The Simultaneous Identity of God God simultaneously existing in three persons can be demonstrated from Scripture in numerous ways; for instance, take the process of creation. We know that Christ was present and active in creation (Hebrews 1:2). The Spirit of God was present and active (Genesis 1:2). A divine consultation within the Trinity preceded the creation of man. (Gen. 1:26-27)

Our mandate to evangelize the world and then to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19) accentuates the coexistence of the three persons of the Trinity. Redemption is accomplished through the blood of Christ who offered Himself through “the eternal Spirit” enables us to serve the “living God.” (Hebrews 9:14) One of the most obvious demonstrations of the simultaneous existence and interaction of the Trinity took place at the baptism of Christ. (Matt. 3:16-17)

The Harmony of God Everything purposed and effected by the Trinity has always been and always will be in complete harmony. While our Lord Jesus had His own will (John 17:24), He always did the Father’s will (John 4:24; 6:38, 40) and the Holy Spirit knows and communicates the will of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). The pattern of the New Testament for prayer further demonstrates the harmony within the Godhead.

We pray to the Father through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus We pray to the Father through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. (John 14:13-14; 15:16; Romans 8:26-27) The frequent pattern of the New Testament is that God operates from the Father, by the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.