BIBLE STUDY:

WHY CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN THE TRINITY

  The doctrine of the Trinity, as taught in the Bible, is a vital tenet of the Christian faith.  Christians universally agree upon the biblical substantiation of the Trinity so as to make it a testing ground for genuine fellowship.  Those in the early Church who rejected the doctrine of One God in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) were identified as false teachers.  In today’s Christianity we need to make certain that we hold true to this biblical doctrine of God. 

Outside of Christianity there are those who argue that the doctrine of the Trinity came into being through a series of Church councils, beginning at the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325).  Others denounce the Trinity saying that early Christians borrowed the concept from pagan religions.

In response to the first argument, the doctrine of the Trinity was not formed at a church council.  It is founded upon clear passages in the Bible.  Church councils only helped define, theologically, the teachings already found within the Scriptures.

In response to the second argument, the Trinity was not borrowed from paganism, since all pagan concepts are polytheistic, which is not comparable to the monotheism within the Trinity.  Polytheistic religions taught many gods, whereas the Trinity is monotheistic, teaching one God.

Two fallacies of reasoning are committed by such an argument.  It is a categorical fallacy to compare polytheism to monotheism, since the two are mutually exclusive and belong to separate categories of discussion.  It is also a genetic fallacy to claim that mere similarities prove a common origin.  Just as similarities of automobiles cannot prove a common maker, so also similarities between Christian theology and world religions does not prove a common origin.    

It is the duty of every Christian to understand the biblical teaching of one God who exists as three Persons.  The Trinity is defined as: Within the nature of the One True God there simultaneously exist three eternal Persons; namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  All three persons are co-equal in all the nature and attributes of God.

The absence of the word “Trinity” in the Bible does not diminish the truth that the Bible teaches the eternal existence of one God as three Persons.  Christians refer to God as tri-personal, which means there are three centers of identity.  All three Persons speak and act in first person singular, “I,” (Father--Jn. 12:28; Son--Jn. 8:58; Holy Spirit--Acts 13:2).  The Scriptures used in this study are not exhaustive.  They are intended to demonstrate the doctrine clearly without violation of the context.

MONOTHEISM, THE BELIEF IN ONE GOD: Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10, 44:8, 45:21-22; Mk. 12:32.

GOD’S NATURE OR ESSENCE IS SPIRIT: Jn. 4:24; 2 Cor. 3:17.

WE MUST SHOW THE DISTINCTION OF PERSON:

Father is a Person - Matt. 6:9­; Luke 11:2.

Son is a Person - Matt. 3:17­; Acts 13:33; Prov. 30:4; Isa. 9:6.

Holy Spirit is a Person - John, chapters 14, 15, 16 (personal pronoun HE), Matt. 12:31; Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 10:29 (only a person can be blasphemed, grieved, insulted, intercede, etc.).

Their personal distinction is shown:

In the incarnation (Luke 1:35).

In Christ’s baptism  (Matt. 3:16).

In the Great Commission  (Matt. 28:19).

In Paul’s Epistles (2 Cor. 13:14).

WE MUST SHOW THAT ALL THREE PERSONS ARE GOD:

Father is God - Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3.

Son is God - Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Zech. 12:10; Matt. 1:23, 22:41-45, Mk. 2:7-10, 12:35-37; Luke 5:20-21, 20:41-44; Jn. 1:1 and 14, 1:18 (only begotten God, in Greek, See New American Standard Bible), Jn. 5:18, 8:58, 10:30-33, 20:28, Acts 20:28; Phil. 2:6-8; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:10-13; Heb. 1:6-8, 1 Jn. 5:20; 2 Pet. 1:1; Rev. 1:8.                                                                                                    .

Holy Spirit is God - 2 Sam. 23:2-3; Ps. 95:7-11 with Heb. 3:7-19; Isa. 6:8-10 with Acts 28:25-27; Jer. 31:33-34 with Heb. 10:15-16; Acts 5:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:19-20.

WE MUST SHOW THAT ALL THREE PERSONS ARE ONE LORD: (One Lord) Eph. 4:5; 1 Cor. 8:6; (Father) Isa. 64:8; Matt. 11:25; (Son) Jn. 11:32; Acts 2:36; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14 (Holy Spirit) 2 Cor. 3:17.

ALL THREE PERSONS SHARE THE ATTRIBUTES WHICH ARE UNIQUE TO THE TRUE GOD:

Omnipotent -  (Father) Jer. 32:17; Job 42:2  (Son)  Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 1:24; Col. 1:16-18; Rev. 1:8  (Holy Spirit)  Lk. 1:35-37.

Omnipresent -  (Father)  Jer. 23:24; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6  (Son)  Matt. 18:20, 28:20  (Holy Spirit)  Ps. 139:7-10.

Omniscient -  (Father)  Ps. 139:1-6; Isa. 44-7-8, 46:10  (Son)  Jn. 2:24, 16:30; 1 Cor. 1:24; Col. 2:3  (Holy Spirit)  Isa. 40:13; 1 Cor. 2:10.

Eternal -  (Father)  Deut. 33:27; Isa. 40:28  (Son)  Micah 5:2; Jn. 1:1; Col. 1:17-19; Heb. 13:8; 1 Jn. 1:1  (Holy Spirit)  Heb. 9:14.

Creator -  (Father)  Gen. 1:1; Isa. 42:5; Zech. 12:1  (Son)  Jn. 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2, 10  (Holy Spirit)  Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30.

Glory -  (Father)  Isa. 42:8  (Son)  Jn. 17:5; Heb. 1:2  (Holy Spirit)  1 Pet. 4:14.

ALL THREE PERSONS SHARE IN THE WORK THAT IS UNIQUE TO GOD:

Indwells -  (Father) Jn. 14:23; 1 Jn. 2:23  (Son)  Eph. 3:17; Rev. 3:20  (Holy Spirit) Jn. 14:17; 2 Cor. 6:16-17.

Resurrected Jesus’ body -  (Father)  Gal. 1:1; 1 Thes. 1:9-10  (Son)  Jn. 2:18-22, 10:17-18  (Holy Spirit)  1 Pet. 3:18.

Sanctifier -  (Father)  Jude 1  (Son)  Heb. 2:11  (Holy Spirit) Rom. 15:16.

Restorer from death -  (Father) Jn. 5:21; Rom. 4:17  (Son)  Jn. 5:21, 6:39  (Holy Spirit)  1 Pet. 3:18.

Searches the heart -  (Father)  1 Chron. 28:9  (Son)  Rev. 2:18, 23  (Holy Spirit)  1 Cor. 2:9-10.

ALL THREE PERSONS ARE MENTIONED IN UNISON AS GOD: Isa. 48:16; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor . 13:14.

GOD SPOKE WITH PLURAL PRONOUNS:

All three Persons are shown in passages where God spoke using plural pronouns of Himself.  God uses “us” and “our” in these verses when speaking of himself - Gen. 1:26, 3:22, 11:7-8; Isa. 6:8. 

Furthermore, the Hebrew word Elohim, used of God 2,600 times in the Old Testament, is a plural noun.  It is always translated in the singular when speaking of the true God because of the singular verb that governs the pronoun.  An example is Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God [Elohim, a plural noun] created [bara, a singular verb] the heavens and the earth.”  Even though the noun God is plural it is translated singular because it is governed by the verb.  More than one Old Testament commentator sees the Trinity concealed in the precise language of the Bible.  God has a plurality of Persons within the nature of His Being.

JEHOVAH IS USED OF EACH PERSON:

Most Bible translations (KJV, NIV, NASB, RSV) will typeset the Hebrew name for God in all capital letters, Lord.  The Hebrew word used here is referred to as the tetragrammaton JHVH (Jehovah) or sometimes YHWH (Yahweh).  Yahweh is preferred by scholars as closest pronunciation for the Hebrew name of God.  Since it is recognized in our English translation as the Lord we can identify where God’s name is used in the Hebrew.  This is valuable in discussing the Trinity because there are places in the Old Testament where more than one person is identified as Jehovah or Yahweh.  The fact that God is One (Deut. 6:4) only underscores the importance of His Persons being identified with His name.

Two Persons are seen in Gen. 19:24, where the Lord rained fire and brimstone from the Lord.  A distinction of two persons is made in Ps. 110:1, one is David’s Lord and the other is the Lord.  Isaiah 44:6, in the Hebrew (see KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV), shows two persons, the speaker is the Lord and his redeemer is the Lord.  Isaiah 48:16 shows three Persons; the speaker is the Lord, yet the Lord and His Spirit sent Him.  In Jer. 50:40 and Amos 4:10-11 we find Gen. 19:24 reiterated, two persons are shown.  Zechariah 2:8-11 and 10:12 has the Lord as the speaker, but it also speaks of the Lord as another person. 

JESUS IS JEHOVAH!

New Testament writers referred to Jesus as Jehovah.  They quickly drew the connection between Jesus and Jehovah because of their familiarity with the Old Testament.  In some passages the name Jesus replaced the name Jehovah from the Old Testament quotation.  In other passages Jesus is the one fulfilling only what Jehovah himself would do.

THE OLD TESTAMENT NAME JEHOVAH IS DELIBERATELY APPLIED TO JESUS.

Matt. 3:3 with Isa. 40:3.

Matt. 11:5 with Isa. 35:4-6.

Matt. 16:27 with Ps. 62:12.

Jn. 19:37 with Zech. 12:10.

Acts 2:20-21 with Joel 2:32.

Rom. 10:9-13 with Joel 2:32.

Phil. 2:10 with Isa. 45:23.

Heb. 1:10 with Ps. 102:25-27.

1 Pet. 2:8 with Isa. 8:13-14

Rev. 2:23 with Jer. 17:10.

Rev. 22:12 with Isa. 40:10 and 62:11.

APPEARANCES OF CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS JEHOVAH.

The appearances of Christ in the Old Testament are called Theophanies (appearances of God) or Christophanies (appearances of Christ).  There were several times in the Old Testament where God appeared to men in a visible manifestation.  Sometimes this would be in the appearance of angel and at other times the appearance of a man.  This, of course, does not make God a created being, like an angel, it only means He manifested Himself to His people.

The Gospel of John records that no man has seen the Father (Jn. 1:18, 6:46).  If the Father was not seen in the Old Testament, who, then, did the Patriarchs see?  We believe it was the Second Person of the Trinity before he was born unto Mary.  He was seen by Abraham (Jn. 8:56-58), and by Isaiah (Jn. 12:37-41).  Paul wrote about Theophanies (1 Cor. 10:4) as did Luke (Acts 7:4).

Some of the appearances of God in the Old Testament are:  Gen. 12:7, 17:1, 18:1, 26:2, 26:24, 35:9; Ex. 3:2-6, 6:3, 24:9-11, 33:18; Isa. 6:1-5.  For further study consult a good study Bible (Open Bible, Scofield Reference Bible) or a Bible encyclopedia.

OLD TESTAMENT ATTRIBUTES AND TITLES OF JEHOVAH APPLIED TO JESUS.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS JEHOVAH!

The Holy Spirit is shown to be Jehovah in the Old Testament. The following are quotations from the Old Testament where Jehovah was speaking, but in the New Testament He is identified as the Holy Spirit.

Ex. 16:7 with Heb. 3:7-9.

Ps. 78:17 with Acts 7:51.

Isa. 6:8-10 with Acts 28:25.

Jer. 31:33-34 with Heb. 10:15-16.

Ps. 95:7 with Heb. 3:7-11 (Elohim).

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND JESUS SHARE THE ATTRIBUTES THAT BELONG ONLY TO JEHOVAH.

  CONCLUSION

This Bible study contains approximately 250 biblical references on the Trinity.  Only space prevents the study from going deeper.  A good student of the Bible will make use of a cross-reference edition of the Bible and look up additional verses to enhance this study.

Christianity rests upon the Bible as it source of doctrine.  The ample amount of support contained in this tract makes the doctrine of the Trinity undeniable.  Enjoy your study of God’s nature.  Rejoice in Him for revealing such wonderful things in His Word. 

  Compiled by Kurt Van Gorden, Copyright 1977, revised 2000, Jude 3 Missions. This edition published by permission of Jude 3 Missions, PO Box 780, Victorville, CA 92393-0780 

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