Transcript God The Trinity - By His Grace Ministries

God The Trinity
The Godhead
Belief in the Existence of God
• The belief that a divine being exists greater
than man has been common to all cultures and
civilizations.
• This has been due in part to the fact that man
reasons there must be an explanation for our
world and for human experience.
• Man seems intuitively, by his very religious
nature, to reach out to some sort of higher
being.
• This also can be explained in part by the work
of the Holy Spirit in the world which extends to
every creature John 16:8-11
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Belief in the Existence of God
• This work is designated in theology as common
grace, in contrast to the special work of the
Spirit relating to man’s salvation, efficacious
grace .
• The modern phenomenon of many who claim to
be atheists arises from the perversion of man’s
mind and the denial that any rational
explanation of the universe is possible.
• The Bible declares an atheist to be a fool.
Psalm 14:1
• Ordinary men do not ask for proofs of their
own existence nor the existence of material
things which they recognize by their senses. 3
Belief in the Existence of God
• Although God is unseen as to His person, His
existence is so evident that men generally
require no proofs for the fact of God.
• Doubt of God’s existence is evidently due to
man’s own perversity and blindness and to
satanic influence.
• The evidence for the existence of God in
creation is so clear that rejection of it is the
ground of condemnation of the heathen world
which has not heard the Gospel.
Romans 1:19-20
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Belief in the Existence of God
• The revelation of God through prophets before
Scripture was written, and the revelation
coming from Scripture, have to some degree
penetrated the total consciousness of man
today.
• Although the world in general is ignorant of
scriptural revelation, some concepts of God
have pervaded the thinking of the entire world
so that belief in some sort of a higher being is
generally true even among men untouched
directly by Scripture.
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Belief in the Existence of God
• Although ancient Greek philosophers were
unfamiliar with Biblical revelation, some
attempts were made to explain our universe on
the basis of a higher being.
• Various systems of thought have evolved:
– polytheism, the belief in many gods;
– hylozoism, that identifies the life principle
found in all creation as being God Himself;
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Belief in the Existence of God
– materialism, which argues that matter is selffunctioning according to natural law and no
god is necessary to its functioning, a theory
supporting modern evolutionism;
– and pantheism which holds that God is
impersonal and identical with nature itself,
that God is immanent but not transcendent.
• Many variations of these concepts of God exist.
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Belief in the Existence of God
• In arguing for the existence of God from the
facts of creation apart from the revelation of
Scripture, four general classes or lines of reason
may be observed:
– The ontological argument holds that God
must exist because man universally believes
that He exists.
This is sometimes called an a priori
argument.
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Belief in the Existence of God
– The cosmological argument holds that every
effect must have its sufficient cause and,
therefore, the universe, which is an effect,
must have a Creator as its cause.
Involved in this argument is the
complexity of an ordered universe which
could not have come into existence by
accident.
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Belief in the Existence of God
– The teleological argument points out that
every design must have its designer, and as
the whole creation is intricately designed and
interrelated, creation must have a great
designer.
The fact that all things work together
indicate that this designer must be one of
infinite power and wisdom.
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Belief in the Existence of God
– The anthropological argument argues from
the nature and existence of man as being
unexplained apart from creation by God who
has a nature similar to, but greater than,
man’s.
Involved in this is the fact that man has
intellect (mentality, capacity to think),
sensibility (emotion, capacity to feel),
will (volition, capacity to make moral
choices).
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Belief in the Existence of God
• Although these arguments for the existence of
God have considerable validity and man may
be justly condemned by God for rejecting them,
as written by Paul in Romans 1:18-20
they have not been sufficient to bring man
into proper relationship to God or to
produce a real faith in God unassisted by
scriptural revelation.
• It is in the Bible that the complete revelation of
God is given, confirming all the facts found in
nature but adding to natural revelation many
truths which natural revelation could not have
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disclosed.
The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• In general, the Old Testament emphasizes the
unity of God,
Exodus 20:3
Deuteronomy 6:4
Isaiah 44:6
• a fact which is also taught in the New
Testament.
John 10:30
John 14:9
John 17:11
John 17:22-23
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Colossians 1:15
The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• Both the Old Testament and to a greater extent the
New Testament, however, also indicate that God
exists as a Trinity –
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
• Many believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is
implicit in the use of the word elohim, as a name
for God which is in a plural form and seems to
refer to the triune God.
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• Early in Genesis there are references to the Spirit
of God, and the plural personal pronouns are used
for God as in
Genesis 1:26
Genesis 3:22
Genesis 11:7
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• Frequently in the Old Testament there are
distinctions within the nature of God in terms
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• Isaiah 7:14 speaks of the Son as the Immanuel,
“God with us,”
who was to be distinct from the Father and
the Spirit.
• This Son is called in Isaiah 9:6
“the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.”
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
Psalm 2:7
"I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, `Thou art My Son, today I have
begotten Thee.
• It is His purpose to have His Son as the
supreme sovereign over the earth.
• God is also distinguished from the Holy Spirit
as in Psalm 104:30
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• To these evidences may be added all the
references to the Angel of Jehovah, which
indicate the
appearances of the Son of God in the Old
Testament as one sent by the Father,
and references to the Spirit of the Lord as
the Holy Spirit distinct from the Father and
the Son.
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• Here in the Person of Jesus Christ is God
incarnate,
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and yet Son of God the Father.
• At the baptism of Jesus, the distinctions in the
Trinity are evident
with God the Father speaking from heaven,
the Holy Spirit descending like a dove
and Jesus Himself being baptized.
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Matthew 3:16-17
The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• These distinctions in the Trinity are also
observed in such passages as John 14:16 where
the Father and Comforter are distinguished
from Christ Himself
• and in Matthew 28:19 where the disciples are
instructed to baptize believers “in the name of
the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy
Spirit.”
• Any departure from this is considered a
departure from scriptural truth.
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• Although the word “trinity” does not occur in
the Bible, the facts of scriptural revelation
permit no other explanation.
• While the doctrine of the Trinity is a central
fact of Christian faith, it is also beyond human
comprehension and has no parallel in human
experience.
• It is best defined as holding that, while God is
one, He exists as three persons.
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
Jesus Christ is
the unique
person of the
Godhead in
that He is both
God and Man
co-equal
co-infinite
co-eternal
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The Unity of the Divine Trinity
• This is called in theology the doctrine of
procession,
the order is never reversed
• The Son never sends the Father
• The Spirit never sends the Son.
• There is no illustration or parallel in human
experience.
• The doctrine should be accepted by faith on the
basis of scriptural revelation even if it is beyond
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human comprehension and definition.
The names of god
• “Jehovah” or “Yahweh” - the name of God
applied only to the true God.
• The name first appears in connection with the
Creation in Genesis 2:4
LORD [ hw`hy+ Yahweh ]
God [ <yh!ýa$ Elohim ]
• The meaning of the name is defined in
Exodus 3:13-14 as the “I am that I am,”
The self-existent, eternal God
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The names of god
• The most common name for God in the Old
Testament is elohim, a word which is used
both for the true God and for gods of the
heathen world.
• This name is introduced in Genesis 1:1
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The names of god
<yh!ýa$ Elohim
• The meaning of this name has been
debated
the “strong one”
being one to be feared or
reverenced.
• Because it is in a plural form, it seems
to include all the Trinity, although it
can also be used of individual Persons
of the Trinity.
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The names of god
• The third name for God in the Old
Testament is adonai,
“master” or “lord”
• Used not only of God as our Master but
also of men who are masters over their
servants.
• It is frequently joined by elohim, as in
Genesis 15:2
• It emphasizes the fact that God is our
Master or Lord.
• The most frequent is Jehovah Elohim
or Adonai Elohim.
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The names of god
• Jehovah-jireh, meaning “the Lord will
provide”
Genesis 22:13-14
• Jehovah-rapha, “the Lord who healeth”
Exodus 15:26
• Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord my banner”
Exodus 17:8-15
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The names of god
• Jehovah-shalom, “the Lord our peace”
Judges 6:24
• Jehovah-tsidkenu, “the Lord our
righteousness”
Jeremiah 23:6
• Jehovah-shammah, “the Lord is
present”
Ezekiel 48:35
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The names of god
• In the New Testament additional titles
of God are found
• The First Person being distinguished as
“the Father”
• The Second Person distinguished as
“the Son”
• The Third Person distinguished as
“the Holy Spirit”
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The attributes of god
• God is a Spirit
John 4:24
• God is life
John 5:26
• God is self-existent
Exodus 3:14
• God is infinite
Psalm 145:3
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The attributes of god
• God is immutable or changeless
Psalm 102:27
Malachi 3:6
James 1:17
• God is truth
Deuteronomy 32:4
John 17:3
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The attributes of god
• God is love
1 John 4:8
• God is eternal
Psalm 90:2
• God is holy
1 Peter 1:16
1 John 1:5
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The attributes of god
• God is omnipresent
Psalm 139:8
Jeremiah 23:23-24
• God is omniscient
Psalm 147:4-5
• God is omnipotent
Matthew 19:26
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The attributes of god
• Variations of these attributes can be seen in the
fact that
God is good
God is merciful
God is sovereign
• All perfections are ascribed to God to infinity
• His works as well as His being are perfect
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The attributes of god
• The great detail and design of the universe are
evidence of His
Sovereignty
Power
Wisdom
• His plan of salvation, as revealed in the
Scriptures, is evidence of His
Love
Righteousness
Grace
• No aspect of creation is too large for Him to be
in complete control,
• No detail, even to the falling of a sparrow, is too
small to be included in His sovereign plan. 36
The sovereignty of god
• The attributes of God make clear that God is
supreme over all.
• He yields to no other power, authority or glory,
and is not subject to any absolute greater than
Himself.
• He represents perfection to an infinite degree in
every aspect of His being.
• He can never be
surprised
defeated
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uncertain
The sovereignty of god
• It has pleased God to give to men a measure of
freedom of choice [ volition ], and for the
exercise of this choice God holds man
responsible.
• It is clear from Scripture that men do not turn
to God apart from the moving of His Spirit in
their hearts.
John 6:44
John 16:7-11
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The sovereignty of god
• Man is held responsible for unbelief and is
commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
in order to be saved.
Acts 16:31
• It is also true that in the affairs of men,
especially of Christians, God works to
accomplish His will.
Philippians 2:13
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The sovereignty of god
• Yet He does not force men to yield themselves to
God but rather beseeches them to do so.
Romans 12:1-2
• The fact that God has given to men certain
freedom does not introduce an element of
uncertainty into the universe
• God anticipates in advance and knows to infinity
all that man will do in response to the divine and
human influences which come into his life.
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The decree of god
• The sovereign purpose of God is defined
theologically as the decree of God
• The decree of God includes those events
which God does Himself and also
includes all that God accomplishes
through natural law, over which He is
completely sovereign.
• More difficult to comprehend is the fact
that His sovereign decree also extends
to all the acts of men
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The decree of god
• It is evident that the all-wise God,
having complete knowledge of what
man would do in his freedom, in
electing to give man freedom of choice
does not introduce any element of
uncertainty.
• The divine plan included permitting
man to sin as Adam and Eve did with all
the resultant acts of sin.
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The decree of god
• It included the divine remedy of Christ
dying on the cross and all the work of
the Holy Spirit in bringing men to
repentance and faith.
• The Bible is plain that on the one hand
what man does has been included in
God’s eternal decree
and on the other hand man operates
with freedom of choice and is held
responsible for his choices.
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The decree of god
• The decree of God is not fatalism
– a blind, mechanical control of all
events –
but is an intelligent, loving, and wise
plan in which man, responsible for
his choices, is held accountable for
what he does and rewarded for his
good works.
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The decree of god
• The decree of God may be divided into
subdivisions such as
–His decree to create,
–His decree to preserve the world,
–His decree of providence,
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The decree of god
• His decree includes
–the promises or covenants of God,
–the dispensations or outworkings of
God’s purpose,
–and supremely His grace manifested
toward man.
• Before such a God, man can only bow
in submission, love and adoration.
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1. How can we account for the common belief in the
existence of God?
Answer: This has been due in part to the fact that man reasons
there must be an explanation for our world and for human
experience, and that a being greater than man would serve to
explain this. Man seems intuitively, by his very religious
nature, to reach out to some sort of higher being. This also can
be explained in part by the work of the Holy Spirit in the
world which extends to every creature, a work which is
designated in theology as common grace.
2. Why is atheism unreasonable?
Answer: Ordinary men do not ask for proofs of their own existence
nor the existence of material things which they recognize by
their senses. Although God is unseen as to His person, His
existence is so evident that men generally require no proofs for
the fact of God. Doubt of God’s existence is evidently due to
man’s own perversity and blindness and to satanic influence.
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3. How clear is the revelation of God in nature?
Answer: The evidence for the existence of God in creation is so
clear that rejection of it is the ground of condemnation of the
heathen world which has not heard the Gospel. According to
Romans 1:19-20, their condemnation is, “because that which is
known about God is evident within them; for God made it
evident to them. For since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have
been clearly seen, being understood through what has been
made, so that they are without excuse.”
4. Define four systems of thought which attempt to explain the
universe on the basis of a higher being.
(1) polytheism, the belief in many gods;
(2) hylozoism, that identifies the life principle found in all
creation as being God Himself;
(3) materialism, which argues that matter is self-functioning
according to natural law and no god is necessary to its
functioning, a theory supporting modern evolutionism;
(4) pantheism which holds that God is impersonal and
identical with nature itself, that God is immanent but not 48
transcendent.
5. What is the ontological argument for the existence of God?
Answer: The ontological argument holds that God must exist
because man universally believes that He exists.
6. What is the cosmological argument for the existence of God?
Answer: The cosmological argument holds that every effect must
have its sufficient cause and, therefore, the universe, which is
an effect, must have a Creator as its cause.
7. What is the teleological argument for the existence of God?
Answer: The teleological argument points out that every design
must have its designer, and as the whole creation is intricately
designed and interrelated, creation must have a great designer.
8.
What is the anthropological agreement for the existence of
God?
Answer: The anthropological argument argues from the nature and
existence of man as being unexplained apart from creation by
God who has a nature similar to but greater than man’s. 49
9.
To what extent does the Old and New Testament emphasize the
unity of God?
Answer: Both the Old Testament and to a greater extent the New
Testament, however, also indicate that God exists as a Trinity
God, the Father,
God, the Son,
God, the Holy Spirit.
10. To what extend does the Old Testament teach the doctrine of
the Trinity?
Answer: Plural personal pronouns are used for God. Frequently in
the Old Testament there are distinctions within the nature of
God in terms of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To
these evidences may be added all the references to the Angel of
Jehovah, which indicate the appearances of the Son of God in
the Old Testament as one sent by the Father, and references to
the Spirit of the Lord as the Holy Spirit distinct from the
Father and the Son.
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11. To what extend does the New Testament teach the doctrine of
the Trinity?
Answer: In the Person of Jesus Christ is God incarnate, conceived
by the Holy Spirit and yet Son of God the Father. At the
baptism of Jesus, the distinctions in the Trinity are evident
with God, the Father speaking from heaven, the Holy Spirit
descending like a dove and lighting upon Him, and Jesus
Himself being baptized.
12. Distinguish the doctrine of the Trinity from tritheism.
Answer: The Trinity is best defined as holding that, while God is
one, He exists as three persons.
Tritheism is a belief in three God's.
13. Why is the Trinity not to be explained as three modes of
existence of God?
Answer: The Trinity must not be explained as three modes of
existence, that is, one God manifesting Himself in three ways,
because the Trinity is essential to the being of God and is more
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than a form of divine revelation.
14. Explain how the Trinity is distinguished by certain properties.
Answer: The First Person of the Trinity is called the Father. The
Second Person is called the Son and is sent forth by the Father.
The Third Person is the Holy Spirit who is sent forth by the
Father and the Son. This is called in theology the doctrine of
procession.
15. State and define the three most important names for God in
the Old Testament.
1) The first name, “Jehovah” of “Yahweh” is the name of God
applied only to the true God.
2) The most common name for God in the Old Testament is
elohim, a word which is used both for the true God and for
gods of the heathen world.
3) The third name for God in the Old Testament is adonai,
which commonly means “master” or “lord” and is used not
only of God as our Master but also of men who are masters
over their servants.
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16. What are some of the compound names for God in the Old
Testament?
Jehovah-jireh, meaning “the Lord will provide”
Jehovah-rapha, “the Lord who healeth”
Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord my banner”
Jehovah-shalom, “the Lord our peace”
Jehovah-tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”
Jehovah-shammah, “the Lord is present”
17. What are the distinguishing titles of the three persons of the
Trinity in the New Testament?
First person – God, the Father
Second person – God, the Son
Third person – God, the Holy Spirit
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18. Name some of the important attributes of God as revealed in
Scripture.
Answer: God is a Spirit, God is life, God is self-existent, God is
infinite, God is immutable or changeless, God is truth, God is
love, God is eternal, God is holy, God is omnipresent God is
omniscient, God is omnipotent
19. What is meant by the sovereignty of God?
Answer: God is supreme over all. He yields to no other power,
authority or glory, and is not subject to any absolute greater
than Himself.
20. What is meant by the decree of God?
Answer: The sovereign purpose of God is defined theologically as
the decree of God, referring to the comprehensive plan that
includes all events of every classification which will occur.
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21. How can the decree of God be subdivided?
Answer: His decree to create, His decree to preserve the world, His
decree of providence, or His wise guidance of the universe.
22. How can the decree of God be distinguished from fatalism?
Answer: The decree of God is not fatalism – a blind, mechanical
control of all events – but is an intelligent, loving, and wise
plan in which man, responsible for his choices, is held
accountable for what he does and rewarded for his good
works.
23. Why does the Biblical revelation of God demand our
submission, love and adoration in relation to Him?
Answer: His decree includes the promises or covenants of God, the
dispensations or outworkings of God’s purpose, and supremely
His grace manifested toward man.
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