Trinity

Part1

By Nick Bibile

All historic Christianity believes in the holy Trinity. The word Trinity is not in the Bible but the concept of the Trinity is in the Bible.

The Meaning of the Trinity.

The word Trinity is made up with Tri and Unity.

There are three persons in the unity of Godhead. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are three separate persons, yet one God coequal in power, substance and eternity.

The following Christian Churches do not believe in the Trinity, therefore they are not in the mainstream of Christianity.

Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, United Pentecostal Church, Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and any other Oneness doctrine group.

Why is it that the Christian creeds use God as the Father prior to God as the Creator?

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

The Maker of heaven and earth. (Apostles Creed)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. (Nicene Creed)

Athanasius the great theologian the Bishop from Alexandria during the time of the Nicene Creed, who fought against Arius who denied the deity of Christ, said, God is always the Father, God is always not the Creator.

Father always existed through eternity, then at a certain point; he created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning (Space, time and history) God created the heavens and the earth. But there was before the beginning, God is through eternity always the Father.

The Trinity, triune relationship existed even before the creation, creation should be understood in the Trinity.

John 1: 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Reformed theology at its best is God centered.

Old Testament Evidence

If God is a Trinity why is it not clearly revealed in the Old Testament? We do not have an evolutionary view of theology where God evolved himself, then added the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the doctrine of the Trinity in not clearly revealed in the Old Testament, however there are shadows and the concept of the Trinity.

Old Testament is very clear that God is one.

Deut 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Isaiah 44:11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior.

Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

The concept of plurality in Godhead

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth

The word God here is Elohim, it appears in the Old Testament about 2570 times. Elohim is a plural noun but consistently used with singular verbs (and it is be taken not as gods) but as a singular noun. (God)

The following Scriptures show plurality of persons.

Genesis 1:26 Let us make man in our image.

Genesis 3: 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.

Genesis 11: 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."

Ps 45: 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

(Compare to Hebrews 1:8)

Ps 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord:

"Sit at my right hand,

Until I make your enemies your footstool."

There are other passages where Angel of the Lord is mentioned yet identified as God.

Gen 16: 7-13;18:1-21

The New Testament Writers

The Jews do not believe in the Trinity. Jews are monotheistic. However Jews don’t see Christians as monotheistic as Christians believed Father is God, the Son is God and Holy Spirit is God. The question was is the New Testament still monotheistic? This question split the early synagogues and the church.

Except Luke the writers of the New Testament were Jews, they believed in the monotheistic God and they never felt they were presenting a different God than the Old Testament God.

We don’t believe the Old Testament God became a Trinity in the New Testament. Then why is that the Trinity was revealed more in the New Testament than the Old Testament?

Remember the revelation of the Trinity in the word has to wait upon the revelation of the Trinity in the Flesh. (Jesus) Until the incarnation of the Son of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, then we see the concept of the Trinity more clearly in the New Testament.