The Trinity

Before attempting to understand the Trinity, we must first understand, and accept, that there are things in, and of, the Bible we may never fully understand. Isaiah 55:8-9.

8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Knowing this from Isaiah 55:8-9, then brings fully to life Hebrews 11:1.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
> Kenneth Boa states, “No man can know or comprehend the Bible exhaustively. If so, the Bible would not be divine but limited to human intelligence.
> Some of the revelations given to us by God in the Bible defy explanation and illustration (Ezekiel Ch. 1).

Are there still mysteries in the Bible? Yes; the return of Jesus Christ; Pre-destination; the rapture.
Revelation 3:3 - "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Luke 12:40 - "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Matthew 24:42 - "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
Matthew 24:44 - "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Acts 1:7, 8 - And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."


Believers are enlightened:
Matthew 13:11 - He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Luke 8:10 - And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'
Mark 4:11 - And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
John 15:15 - "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Romans 11:25 - For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 - 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.9 But as it is written: “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:1 - 1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1 Corinthians 13:2 - 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Ephesians 1:9-14 - 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians Ch. 3

History & Background
1. The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible.
2. “Trinity” – Latin theologian, Tertullian, was the first to express the concept around 215 AD.
3. In 325 AD, the Council of Nicea set out to officially define the relationship of the Son to the Father in response to the controversial teachings of Arius (founder of Arianism).
> Reasons given for rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity:
1. The word “Trinity” is not mentioned in the Bible.
2. The concept of the “Trinity” does not make philosophical sense (a-logical, or beyond logic).
3. The “Trinity” is not compatible with monotheism (Christianity is monotheistic).
4. The “Trinity” is not necessary in explaining the “specialness” of Jesus.
> Reasons given for believing the Trinity:
1. The “Trinity” is taught indirectly (implicitly) in various statements in the Bible.
2. The “Trinity” explains the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit while affirming monotheism.
3. It is not expected that the nature of God would make sense to human minds (Isa 55:8-9).
4. Early ecumenical councils (primarily Nicea) are authoritive.


Definition of the Trinity (Tri-unity) of God:
> Webster’s dictionary: the union of three divine persons (or hypostases), the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one divinity so that all the three are one God as to substance, but three Persons (or hypostases as to individuality); Synonyms sometimes used are Tri-unity, Trine, Triality. The term “Trinity” is form from “tri”, three, and “nity”, unity. “Tri-unity” is a better term than “Trinity because it better expresses the idea of three in one. God is three in one. Hypostases are the plural of hypostasis which means “the substance, the underlying reality, or essence.”
> Christianity teaches monotheism, or is, monotheistic (one God manifested in three Persons).
> Christianity is not tri-theistic – three Gods separate in substance, power, or divinity.
> Christianity is also not poly-theistic – multiple gods
> Warfield’s definition of Trinity: There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same substance but distinct in subsistence.


Is there subordination in the Trinity? In regard to order, but not substance or essence.
1. First is the Father
2. Second is the Son
3. Third is the Holy Spirit
> The Father is not begotten, but the Son is (John 3:16).
> The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 5:26).
> The Father sent the Son (1 John 4:10; John 6:38).
> The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26)
> The Father creates (Isaiah 44:24).
> The Son redeems (Galatians 3:13).
> The Holy Spirit sanctifies (Romans 5:16).

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are connected:
1 John 5:7 - 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
John 1:1 - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
> The Word - Jesus
Genesis 1:1 - 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Revelation 1:8 - 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
> Look at the connection between Genesis 1:1, and Revelation 1:8. Do you see how they are connected?
Colossians 1:19-20 - 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Matthew 18:19-20 - 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
John 14:23 – 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 16:5-15 - 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
John 1:14-15 - 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
> The Word (Jesus) assumes the flesh of humanity.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present in the same space and time:
Genesis 1:2 - 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
> God and the Holy Spirit together in the beginning.
Genesis 1:26 - 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
> Since we know Jesus to be God, here in the creation of man, the plurality of “Us” represents the Godhead.
Genesis 1:27 - 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
> Here, God expresses the only one true God.
Matthew 3:13-17 - 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.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. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:9-11 - 9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:21 - 21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
John 1:29-34 - 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
> The Trinity represented at the baptism of Jesus.

The authority of Jesus as God and creator:
Matthew 16:19 - 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Romans 1:19-20 - 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Romans 11:36 - 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Colossians 1:16-18 - 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. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Other Religions
> Judaism – Pharisees, Sanhedrin, and the High Priests of the New Testament rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Jewish philosopher, Maimonides, also rejected the Trinitarian beliefs of Christians. Much of Maimonides’ philosophical critique of Christian theology is similar to Islamic arguments.
> Islam – the Qur’an (Koran) explicitly denies the doctrine of the Trinity. It appears to understand the Christian Trinity as being the Father, Son, and Mary: “and (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): O’lesa (Jesus), Son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah? He will say: ! Glory be to you! It was not for me to say that which I had no right (to say).
> Arianism – The name given to an anti-Trinitarian belief system taught by Arius, and elder in the Alexandrian church, in the early 4th century AD. Arius affirmed the uniqueness of God but denied the complete divinity of the Son (Christ). Arius taught that Christ was a created and changeable being, who, while superior to humans, is not of the same order as the one God. This teaching brought on the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, who proclaimed Christ was of “the same substance” as the Father. Arianism was finally condemned at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.
> Jehovah’s Witnesses – Teaches a doctrine similar to that of Arius – that Christ is the Son of God, a special being, created by God before the beginning of time, but not equal to God.
> Mormonism – Mormons are polytheistic; Mormons believe that the Godhead is made up of three distinct beings, and are “one in purpose”, but not in being. Jesus is affirmed as the Son of God, but not God himself. Jesus is considered to be the first born, created, of God. Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers.
> The Da Vinci Code – Although neither a scholarly, nor a religious source, Dan Brown’s novel claims to present numerous “historical facts” about the development of the Trinity, and other aspects of early Christianity. A learned character in the novel explains that the Trinity was unheard of until the Emperor Constantine (same as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Arianism) enforced the foreign idea of Christ’s divinity on Christendom. Brown writes, “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet……a great man and powerful man, but a man nonetheless.”
Error to avoid concerning the Trinity:
> Tri-theistic: Trinity, Triune, Trine, and Tri-unity are not compatible with Tri-theistic. Tri-theistic is the teaching that there are three Gods who are sometimes related, but only in a loose association.

2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
2 John 10-11, “10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”