Is the Trinity Biblical?
The Trinity - Are we worshipping 3 Gods?
Trinity (word) not spelled out in the Bible
They say: Man's philosophy into doctrine - (I said so) (Christ's teachings
contradict the notion)
you are an easy target if you don't know
why you believe
Rebuttal - unbiased look at Scripture yields many allusions to the Trinity
(Christ never contradicts)
history - doctrine formulated later, believed
early - had to face heretical critics
What has being? everything - Rock, dog, human
What distinguishes a person (from non person being)? emotion,
will, expression, thought -
Not rock, dog - Only God, humans, angels
How many persons attached to our
being? one - we are finite
two persons
can't have same being or essence (each of our natures are different)
Does God have the same limitations?
one being - three persons
Trinity examples - each part different, but same nature
Time - past, present, future
Matter - solid, liquid, gas
How many Gods do we believe in? Christian monotheism
Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-12
- Only One God
God - one being, one essence
(indivisible)
All are God
Father (John 6:27) Son (Romans 9:5)
Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4)
3 persons - not modes of
existence or roles, but Persons - all with same essence (or nature)
Each has attributes of person - and is clearly distinct from each other
a will (Matthew 26:39) both
the Father and the Son have a will
love (John 3:35) - also giving
of Holy Spirit to church is act of love
presence - Matthew 3:16-17
- Father speaks, Son baptized, Spirit descending as a dove
communication - prayer (Matthew
27:46) - other places where pronouns are used
Spirit sent by Father (John
14:16) and Son (John 16:7) - can't send Himself
Father - God invisible, not near to men (holiness
stressed)
Son - God visible, came to men (love stressed)
Holy Spirit - visible (Pentecost, baptism), invisible
(our hearts) - (power stressed)
Equal essence - Matthew 28:19
- name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
Christ - perfect God and perfect man - but not two people - one person,
two natures (God and man)
Acts 20:28- blood - human
and divine
Key to Trinitarian argument - pre-existence of Christ - He was begotten
(when born), right? wrong
Colossians 1:15-16 - firstborn
of creation - creation through Him
Jesus never said He had a
beginning - nor is one ever referenced in Scripture
Errors in Trinity Denial
Full equality - one God (not 3 persons)- Oneness (United
Pentecostal Church)
Oneness -"Trinity contradicts
Bible and detracts from oneness of God and Jesus deity."
3 Persons, one God (not full equality) - Jehovah's Witness,
etc (Jesus is a god, Holy Spirit is a force)
Jehovah's Witness - make
their Bible become your tract - (one God - Jehovah)
Old Testament relating Jehovah
- New Testament same passage relating Christ
Hebrews 1 - in context -
about whom? - Jesus, the Son
Psalm 102:25-27 (God - Jehovah)
Hebrews 1:10-12 (Jesus - Son - Jehovah)
3 persons - Full equality (not one God) - Mormons - polytheistic
(many gods)
Some things we must accept because God has revealed - our finite minds can
never fully understand.
John Wesley - show me a worm who can understand a man - I'll find a man
who can understand Trinity
Isaiah 55:8-9 ( His ways and thoughts higher than ours)