 |
Evidence for the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy SpiritWhat is the Holy Trinity? Although the words "holy trinity" are not found in the Bible, the Bible - both Old and New Testaments - clearly refers to the one God as a tri-unity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The term term "trinity" is a contraction of "tri" (meaning three), and "unity" (meaning one): "tri" + "unity" = "trinity". Simply put, the
Holy Trinity is one God in
three persons What the Holy Trinity Is The absolute compound unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit - three persons in one divine essence. Three persons who share one divine nature. Think of triangle - it has three corners, but it is still one triangle. What the Holy Trinity is Not
Why Do Christians Believe in the Holy Trinity? Simply put, because the Bible teaches it. Throughput the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, God refers to Himself in both singular and plural terms. In addition, the Father is referred to as God, the Son as God, and the Holy Spirit as God. Furthermore, the three personalities of the Godhead - Father, Son and Spirit, each have particular activities which are characteristic of their personality. Finally, they are all unified in absolute communion from all eternity as the one God. So the Holy Trinity is three persons in one nature. Jesus, as the eternal Word of God, has shared n the Father's divine nature before time began. But when He entered time, space and matter, and, became flesh, He added a human nature to His existence. He did not cease being God - He simply added a human nature. Thus Jesus is one person of the Godhead, but with two natures - a human nature, and a divine nature. Realizing that Jesus actually had two natures helps us understand and better appreciate how only Jesus could bridge the gap between the Creator God and His Creation. For example, did Jesus know all things (as God would)? As God, yes; as man, no. Did Jesus get hungry? As God, no; as man, yes. Did He know the time of His second coming? As God, of course; as man, no. Understanding the Holy Trinity also helps us understand why Jesus
subordinated Himself to the Father, saying "The Father is greater than
I." The Father and Son are equal in essence, but
different in function. Much like human relationships, a father
and son both share a human essence, but the father holds a higher
office. The same hold true with the Holy Spirit - He too
shares in the same divine essence, but differs in function. 1 Evidence of the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament Here are a few examples of the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit -- in the Old Testament: The Triune God Creates the Universe
Points to note:
The Triune God and the Creation of Man Gen 1:26: "Then God said, "Let
Us [plural] make man in Our image, according to
Our likeness...". Points to note:
The Triune God Seeks an Intercessor Isaiah 6:8-10: "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Here God refers first to Himself in the singular, then in the plural pronoun, confirming that there are multiple persons in the Godhead. The Pre-incarnate Son Speaks of the Father and Spirit 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." In this instance the pre-incarnate Son of God is speaking, indicating that He will go on behalf of the Father and the Spirit and redeem God's creation. Pre-incarnation Appearance of the Son Gen 18:1: "The LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of mamre, as he was
sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day." Points to note:
The Holy Trinity in the New Testament The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are presented throughout the New Testament as the eternal Godhead. Father and Spirit at the Baptism of the Son Mark 1:9-11 "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here we have the Father, looking down approvingly at His beloved Son, while the Spirit descends and rests upon Him. The Commandment to Baptize Matthew 28:19 "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." We are to baptize in the name of the three-person Lord - Father, Son and Spirit. Blessing Given 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." Here we have the three persons of the Godhead described, each with their own distinctive qualities:
Jesus Direct Claims to be God Mark 14:61-64: "Again the high priest asked
Him, saying to Him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?' And Jesus said, 'I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' Then
the high priest tore his clothes..". Here Jesus answers a
direct question with a direct answer: "I am." (note this also
happens to be Why did the high priest tear his clothes? Because he knew that Jesus was claiming to be the same 'Son of Man' that was described in Daniel 7:13, who would come with 'the clouds of heaven' and be given dominion over all the earth by God the Father (the 'Ancient of Days'). John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." The the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' Then they took up stones to throw at Him ..." In this passage Jesus plainly claims to be the same eternal, self-existent God that spoke to Moses out of burning bush - the great 'I AM." They took up stones to throw at Him because they immediately recognized His claim. John 10:30-31
"I and My Father are one.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him." Christ Proclaimed as God Manifested in the Flesh by the Apostles John 1:1, 14: "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became
flesh, and dwelt among us.."" Here we note that Jesus was existent
with God the Father "in the beginning", and that at a moment in history
chosen by God, He took on
Romans 9:5: .". Christ came, who is over all, the eternal blessed God. Amen." Colossians 2:8-9: "Christ, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form." Hebrews 1:3 "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, 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; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person..." Here Jesus is referred to by the apostle as the very image of God. 2 Peter 1:1: "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteous of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." The Spirit Appoints Overseers for God's Church Acts 20:28
"Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which
the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers, to shepherd the church of
God which He purchased with His own
blood." Here we have the Holy Spirit acting as a person,
appointing overseers to guide the church which He (God in Christ)
purchased with His own blood. Galatians 4:6: "God has sent the
Spirit
of His Son into your
hearts, crying out "Abba, Father!". Here the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit are all referenced. Acts 5:3-4 "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your hear to lie to the Holy Spirit...? ..You have not lied to me but to God." 1 Cor 3:16 ""Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" In this passage it is clear that we are the temple of God, and that He dwells in us through His Holy Spirit.
Below is a table of scriptures drawn from both the Old and New Testaments, where we see the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit - working as God. (Note: the matrix below is a work in progress - so stay tuned for more as we fill in the details from Scripture!)
Below is a table of scriptures drawn from both the Old and New Testaments, where we see the Son and the Spirit sharing certain special characteristics with the Father.
Some maintain that the Holy Trinity was a later invention by the Church, and that the first Christians believed no such thing. We have already seen how the Bible - the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, present the compound unit of God - Father, Son and Spirit. Let's consider the evidence: what did the earliest Christian writers have to say? Plenty - the evidence shows that the early 1st - 2nd century church (long before Constantine and the Council of Nicea in 325 AD) believed in a triune God. Letter of Ignatius to the Magnesians Ignatius was one of the early "church fathers" - a disciple of the apostles, and bishop of Antioch. Date of writings is estimated to be 105-155 AD. Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. 3.36) places Ignatius' martyrdom in the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117). For more about Ignatius: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Antioch. "Defer to the bishop and to one another as Jesus Christ did to the Father in the days oh His flesh, and as the Apostles did to Christ, to the Father, and to the Spirit. In that way we shall achieve complete unity." Letter of Ignatius to the Romans: "Nothing you can see has real value. Our God, Jesus Christ, indeed, has revealed himself more clearly by returning to the Father." Athenagoras' Plea Athenagoras of Athens was a philosopher who converted to Christianity in the second century. He wrote his Plea for Christians approximately in 177 CE. To learn more about Athenagoras go to: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/athenagoras.html. The following is an extract from a letter written to Emperor Marcus Aurelius. "... But the Son of God is His Word in idea and in actuality; for by Him and through Him all things were made, the Father and Son being one. And since the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son by the unity and power of the Spirit, the Son of God is the mind and Word of the Father." "I do not mean that He (the Son) was created, for, since God is eternal mind, He had His Word within Himself from the beginning, being eternally wise. Rather did the Son come forth from God to give form and actuality to all material things." "But there are other who reckon this present life of very little value. They are guided by this alone - to know the true God and His Word, to know the unity of the Father with the Son, the fellowship of the father with the Son, what the Spirit is, what unity exists between these three, the Spirit, the Son, and the Father, and what is their distinction in unity." First Apology of Justin Justin Martyr (Justin the Martyr a.k.a Justin of Caesarea) (100 – 165 AD) was an early Christian apologist. His works represent the earliest surviving Christian apologies of notable size. The following letter is extracted from a letter by Justin Martyr to the Emperor Titus; Justin was providing a defense of the Christian faith to the emperor. It is dated about 155 AD. Read more about Justin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Martyr. ".. the Father of the Universe has a Son, who being the Word and First-begotten of God is also divine. Formerly he appeared in the form of fire and the image of a bodiless being to Moses and the other prophets. But now in the time of your dominion he was, as I have said, made man of a virgin according to the will of the Father for the salvation of those who believe in him, and endured contempt and suffering so that by dying and rising again he might conquer death. Athanasius - On the Incarnation Athanasius of Alexandria (also spelled "Athanasios") (c.298 – May 2, 373 AD) was a Christian bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, in the fourth century. He is revered as a saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and regarded as a great leader and doctor of the Church by Protestants. For more on Athanasius, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria. Here is an extract from Chapter 1 of the On the Incarnation"... "..the Word of the Father is Himself divine.... For it is a fact that the more unbelievers pour scorn on Him, so much the more does He make His Godhead evident. The thing which they, as men, rule out as impossible, He plainly shows to be possible; that which they deride as unfitting, His goodness makes most fit; and things which these wise acres laugh at as "human" He by His inherent might declares divine. Thus by what seems His utter poverty and weakness on the cross He overturns the pomp and parade of idols, and quietly and hiddenly wins over the mockers and unbelievers to recognize Him as God." Nicene Creed (325 AD) The Nicene Creed originated at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, in an effort to encapsulate the core beliefs of Christianity in one easy to remember and recite creed. The highlighted portions below make it obvious that a core doctrine of Christianity was to believe in one God in three persons - God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost:
Should Everything About God be "Comprehensible" to Man? The Lord says in Isaiah that "my ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts your thoughts." So why should we be so presumptuous to think that everything about God - the Creator of the universe - should be totally comprehensible to us? Quite the contrary, we should NOT be surprised if there are quite a number of things that we do not understand when it comes to the things of our Creator. Though it is hard for us to understand, the fact that He is a Trinity - three persons in one God - should not surprise us. Bottom Line: Why Christians Believe in the Holy Trinity Simply put, because that is what the Bible teaches, and that is who our Lord is. Our God is one God, but three persons - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in absolute unity from all eternity. And God loves you - so much that He, in the fullness of time, became a man like one of us, led a perfect, sinless like, and paid the penalty for our sins by giving His life in exchange for ours. He returned to His Father, but left us with His Holy Spirit to dwell in every believer, unifying us, guiding us, and teaching us all things. Why not give Him a chance and let Him prove Himself to you! Say a simple prayer and mean it - ask Him, if He is who He claims to be, to come into your life and make you the person you were meant to be. He created you, after all, so why not give Him a chance to give you the best He has to offer? Here is a link to Billy Graham's web site that can show you how you can pray this prayer and begin a personal relationship with the Lord who loves you so much... Steps to Peace with God ==> http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp Sources 1. "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an
Atheist", Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek. Crossway. Campus Crusade for Christ:
http://everystudent.com/forum/trinity.html |
Gen 1:1:
"In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth." The Father is portrayed as the creative source of
all things.
the name God gives to Himself, the great "I am", the
eternal, self-existent One). 
flesh and became a man, and dwelt among His
creation.