Understanding the Trinity (1+1+1=3D1)
A. A Symbol of the Trinity
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B. Essential Elements of the Tr=
inity
- C. Biblical Perspective of the Trinit=
y
Biblical teaching
Old Testament
New Testament
God is One
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O
1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Father
Psalms 2:7
I will proclaim the decre= e of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
1 Peter 1:2
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkl= ing by his blood:
Grace and peace be you= rs in abundance.
Three Distinct Persons as Deity
The Son
Psalms 2:7
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You a= re my Son; today I have become your Father.
Matthew 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a = dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him = I am well pleased."
The Holy Spirit
Genesis 1:2
Now the earth was form= less and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over= the waters.
Acts 5:3-4
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to= the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received= for the land? Didn't it belong = to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your dispo= sal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
D. Persons of the same essence: Attributes applied to each person
How do you find out whether somethi= ng which you cannot see is the same thing. One way is to describe it and see whether= the description matches. This is what we will be doing here. We search the Bibl= e to see if the descriptions of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Ho= ly Spirit are identical or not.
Attribute
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Eternality
Ps. 90:2
Before the mountains were born or you brought = forth the earth and the world, from ev= erlasting to everlasting you are God.
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John 1:2
He was with God in the beginning.
Heb 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ,= who through the eternal Spirit o= ffered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Power
1 Peter 1:5
who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of= the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time
2 Cor 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient= for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boa= st all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Rom 15:19
by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So fro= m
Omniscience
Jer. 17:10
"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according= to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
Rev.2:23
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he = who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to = your deeds.
1 Cor.2:11
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man = except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Omnipresence
Jer.= 23:24
Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declar= es the LORD." Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.
Matt. 18:20
For where two or three come together in my nam= e, there am I with them."
Ps. 139:7
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Holiness
Rev. 15:4
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory= to your name? For you alone are hol= y. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
Acts 3:14
You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released = to you
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and y= ou will be my witnesses in
Truth
John 7:28
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple court= s, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent = me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me."
Rev. 3:7,8
"To the angel of the church in
1 John 5:6
This is the one who came by water and blood--J= esus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is = the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
E. Living theologically depends on Trinitarian thinking.
Examples of Trinitarian thinking ar= e
(a) in the church, we Christians must be always reminded that we are children of the Father, body= of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. All our worship, communion, baptism and chur= ch life is done in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
(b) Trinitarian thinking puts t= he family as the foundational unit of existence;
(c) in the world, the recognition of equality and value of = all human beings is based on the co-equality of the persons in the Trinity = and everybody works for the whole;
(d) time: to be in Christ as the Son me= ans to be in the Father and in the Holy Spirit. To be truly in the present also me= ans to be in the past and future. In Trinitarian thinking, the past, present and future are united and become whole time, just= as the Father, the Son and the Spirit are one.
(e) spiritual formation of our souls is based on the relational aspects of the Trinity.
Reference
House, H. Wayne (1992), Charts of C= hristian Theology & Doctrine, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Pp.48-49