God: The Trinity

God: One And Only

How do we know there is a God?

While the believer already knows God is real, and has God's Holy Spirit as a witness, the non-believer also has evidence available to him as to God's existence and some aspects of His nature.

Isaiah 6:3 says that the whole earth is full of God's glory. Habakkuk 3:3 and Psalms 19:1-4 say the earth and heavens are full of His glory and praise. Acts 14:17 refers to God's goodness to all men. Romans 1:19-20 says that God has made his power and divinity (God-nature) known to all men through His creation. These passages refer to the evidence of God's existence from what He has created. (The only other possible meaning of these verses would have to do with human praise towards God, but I don't think that is the true meaning because obviously not everyone is praising God.)

We also know God exists and what He is like because He revealed Himself to us through the Bible (Romans 10:17).

How do we know there is only one God?

The Bible states in many places that there is only one God. The Hebrew "Shema" in Deuteronomy 6:4 says "Hear, Israel: Yahweh our God is one Yahweh." (The "Shema" is the Jewish confession of faith. The word means "hear" in Hebrew.)

The name "Yahweh", (sometimes also pronounced "Jehovah" or translated "the LORD") means "I AM" or "the self-existing One". It is singular, meaning there is only one self-existing being. (By self-existing, I mean that God always existed, was never created, and is not dependent on anyone or anything for his existence

A more direct statement as to the uniqueness of God is found in Isaiah 43:10 where God says "before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Other passages such as Isaiah 44:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 8:6 also say that there is no other God.

General References On Only One God

Trinity is the term that Christians have given to the concept of one God existing as three Persons. The word "trinity" is not found in the Bible, but the concept is. This topic shows where this doctrine came from and how we know that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same God.

The scriptures make it very clear that there was, is, and will be only one God.

The Hebrew Shema shows the unity of God (Deuteronomy 6:4). The name "Yahweh" means "the existing one" or "I AM". It is singular - not "We Are".

There is only one God. There is no other (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, 32:39, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:60, 2 Kings 19:15, Psalms 86:10, Isaiah 45:5-6,14,18,21-22, 49:9, Mark 12:29-32, 1 Corinthians 8:4,6, Ephesians 4:6, 1 Timothy 1:17, James 2:19)

There was never any other God before, nor will there ever be another God in the future (Isaiah 43:10, 44:6-8).

God is the First and Last (Revelation 1:4-8, 17, 2:8, 21:6-7, 22:12-16, Isaiah 48:12-16). In the Isaiah passage, the One who is the first and last, who laid the foundation of the earth, has been sent by Yahweh and the Holy Spirit. A clear reference to the Trinity in the Old Testament.

The only wise God (Romans 16:27).

There are many false gods mentioned in the Bible, but only one true God (John 17:3).

All other "gods" in the Bible are not real gods. They are called gods because men perceive them as such and worship them, but they have no divine attributes (Psalms 82:1-8). A real god cannot die. God is talking about those who were placed in positions of authority, like Moses, who was considered god to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:1-2). God did not talk directly to Pharaoh, but used Moses as His representative. As such, the way Pharaoh treated Moses was the way God was treated.

God: Three Persons

Trinity means...

There is only one God, but there are three equal and distinct Persons that make up God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are in complete unity. "Trinity" is the word we use to describe this. It means Tri-unity.

How do we know this describes God's nature?

While the Bible does not use the word "trinity", it speaks of three Persons as one God, each having the divine nature and character.

Although each Person in the Godhead is equal, each has a different relation to us (example: Matthew 20:22-23). God the Father loved us, Jesus Christ died for us, showing us God's mercy, and we receive life (a spiritual relationship with God) through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14, Jude 1:20-21). The Father chose us for salvation, Jesus Christ made justification possible, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us (1 Peter 1:2). When all three Persons are mentioned, the Father is sometimes referred to as just God because His position in the Godhead is the highest.

There is a heirarchy within the Trinity. Jesus said God the Father is greater than Him, and Holy Spirit was sent on Jesus' authority ( John 14:26,28).

General Reference On Three Persons But One God

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not the same person, but they are the same God. How can three persons exist as one God? We can't comprehend this, because we exist as only one person in ourselves, but this is the nature of God.

God refers to Himself in the plural ("us") many times ( Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, Isaiah 6:8, Hosea 12:4-5).

David referred to Yahweh and Lord as two separate persons (Psalms 110:1, Matthew 22:41-46, Revelation 22:16).

The one who laid the foundations of the earth, the I AM, is sent by Lord Yahweh and His Spirit (Isaiah 48:12-17).

The Trinity was present at Jesus' baptism. While the Holy Spirit descends onto Jesus in the form of a dove, the Father speaks from above and calls Jesus His Son, which means Jesus is of the same nature as the Father (Matthew 3:16-17).

The disciples were told to baptize in the name of the Trinity ( Matthew 28:19).

Paul wrote a benediction in the name of the Trinity (2 Corinthians 13:14).

All Persons of the Trinity have a part in our salvation (1 Peter 1:2).

All Persons of the Trinity have a part in our Christian living ( Jude 1:20-21).

All Persons of the Trinity have a part in building up the Church ( 1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

The Trinity teaches (Nehemiah 9:20, Job 32:8, Isaiah 54:13, Matthew 23:10, John 14:26, Galatians 1:12, 1 John 2:20,27).

Not the same Person playing different roles.

The Persons in the Trinity are distinct. It is not one Person playing different roles. Jesus is not the Father. The Holy Spirit is not Jesus. The following show this:

Jesus did not seek His own glory but that of the Father (John 8:50, Hebrews 5:5).

Jesus spoke not His own words, but the Father's (John 12:44-50, John 14:10).

Jesus did not know when He would return, but His Father did ( Mark 13:32).

Jesus was forsaken of His Father on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

Jesus, the Lamb, approaches the throne of God (Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 5:6-7).

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from the Father (John 15:26).

Who created the world?

Each Person in the Trinity had a part in creation. God the Father had a part (Genesis 1:26, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalms 100:3, Psalms 102:25, Psalms 148:5, Proverbs 16:4, Isaiah 40:28, Acts 17:24). God's Son Jesus had a part (Isaiah 48:12-16, John 1:1-3, Acts 3:15, Hebrews 1:1-12, Colossians 1:15-17). The Holy Spirit had a part (Genesis 1:1-2, Job 26:13, 33:4). This shows that these three Persons are the same God.

Who raised Jesus?

Each Person in the Trinity had a part in Jesus' resurrection. God the Father had a part (Acts 2:24, 32, 3:15, 26, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30, 33-34, 37, 17:31, Romans 4:24, 6:4, 10:9, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 15:15, 2 Corinthians 4:14, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Hebrews 11:19, 1 Peter 1:21) Jesus had a part (John 2:19-21, 10:17-18). The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). This shows that these three Persons are the same God. (1 Peter 3:18 is also sometimes used to show the Holy Spirit raised Jesus, but it refers more to Jesus' body coming back to life.)

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All content written by Andrew Bernhardt unless otherwise noted. Site hosted on lunarpages.com.
Topic viewed 1088 times since 2009-07-02 02:50:14.
Last updated by System on 2004-06-08 12:00:00.