(Updated into shorter form)
Every Christian should know how to defend the Trinity against the growing Christian cults. 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 of Tri and Unity.
Simple Biblical meaning - 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. They can be called as Christian Cults.
Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, United Pentecostal Church, Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Oneness doctrine groupes, The Christadelphians, Church of the Blessed Hope, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Living Church of God, Assemblies of Yahweh, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Christians, Unitarian Universalist Christians, The Way InternationalThere are a number of other smaller groups, including Christadelphians, Church of the Blessed Hope, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Living Church of God, Assemblies of Yahweh, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Christians, Unitarian Universalist Christians, Way International and Iglesia ni Christo.
Explanation of the Trinity
God is Personal
If God is not a person, then our faith is useless, our prayers are in vain, we will be just like the heathens. Because God is a person, we have an intimate communion with him. Because God is personal, he is love. It was God’s love that originated this communion. God is also tri-personal. And he could not exist without the tri-personal form. Apostle Paul speaks of the fullness of Godhead.
Eph 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Col 1: 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
One God in Trinity and Love in Unity
Since God is immutable (unchangeable) these persons are coeternal. (Equally eternal) They are equally omnipotent, equally divine, yet there is unity in the Trinity, this unity is the supreme love to each other.
If happiness and love can be shared with two, then he alone loves there is only the other person, but this is not a shared love. This is only a love between two people. But shared love exists with a third person. This is the perfection of love. This is the one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity. The love between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit has been through eternity; there is a sweet love and a wonderful fellowship within the Godhead.
Picture of the Trinity
Matthew 3: 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased
Here we see a picture of the Trinity and the Father is pleased because of his love, also the participation of the Holy Spirit.
John 17: 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
John 14: 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper.
According to Greek scholar A.T Robertson. The Greek word another is another of like kind (allon, not eteron), besides Jesus who becomes our Paraclete, Helper, Advocate, with the Father (1 John 2:1 Cf. Romans 8:26). This old word (Demosthenes), from parakalew, was used for legal assistant, pleader, advocate, one who pleads another's cause.
Modalism denies the Trinity. According to Modalism, God is one person who manifests in three different persons. The modern day Modalists are United Pentecostal Church, United Apostolic Churches, Iglesia ni Christo and Oneness Doctrine Churches.
They believe in the Old Testament God manifested as the Father, in the incarnation the same God manifested as the Son and God manifested as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration.
Arian was a Bishop in Alexandria, Egypt, and lived during the 4th century. Arian denied the deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. He believed the Son was the first creation of the Father, his followers were called Arians. The former day Watchtower society, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other Christian cults fall into Arianism.
Because of Arianism, there was a council of nearly 300 Bishops to settle the matter of this controversy. This council took place in Nicea in 325 A.D Now modern Turkey; the town is called today Iznik.
It was in the council of Nicea church that affirmed the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit along with the Father. The church established the official definition of the Trinity. And by the 4th century, the foundation of the Trinity was laid down.
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 anything made that was made.
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 is not clearly revealed in the Old Testament, however there is a shadow and the concept of the Trinity.
The 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.
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 to 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.
Genesis 16: 7-13;18:1-21
The Jews do not believe in the Trinity. Jews are monotheistic. The question was; is the New Testament still monotheistic? This question split the early synagogues and the church.
We do not 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.
Old Testament Scriptures Parallel to the New Testament Scriptures.
The first person of the Trinity is God the Father. He is called the first person in respect to order not according to superiority. This is a priority but not superiority.
The second person of the Trinity is Jesus Christ. He is God who became a man, became our mediator, our high priest and prophet.
The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, regenerates us, and guides us into all truth.
In the Old Testament God is represented as the redeemer and Savior.
Job 19:25; Ps 19:4; 78:35: 106:21; Isa 41:14; 43:3-14; 47:4 49:7,26; Jer 14:3; 50:14; Hos 13:3
In the New Testament Son is represented as the redeemer and Savior.
Mat 1:21; Luke 1:76-79; 2:17; John 4:42; Gal 3:13; 4:5; Philp 3:30; Tit 2:13-14
In the Old Testament, God dwells among Israel and the hearts of those that fear him.
Ps 74:2; 135:21; Isa 8:18; 57:15; Ezk 43:7-9; Joel 3:17-21; Zech 2: 10-11.
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit dwells in the church.
Acts 2:4; Rom 8:9-11; I Cor 3:16; Gal 4:6; Eph 2:22 Jas 4:5
The Bible declares Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God, yet there is one God.
Father is called God.
2 Pet 1:17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
1 Cor 8:6 Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
John 17:3 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Jesus is God, the eternal Son of God. He is revealed in the following scriptures to be God. He is to be served, worshiped, believed and obeyed as God. He was also fully man, lived and died as a man, but also he is God. He did pre exist as God before his incarnation.
Ps 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness
Compare to Hebrews 1:8
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
Ps 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Mat 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
John 12:41” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his (Jesus) glory and spoke of him.
Isa 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
1Pe 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Also Ro 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 14: 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Numbers 21:6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
1 Cor 10: 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents
Isa 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.
Rev 1: 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Exod 3: Ex 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
John 8: 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
John 18: 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 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 anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 8: 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
John 10: 30 I and the Father are one.
John 20: 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
In the Greek interlinear, it reads; Answered Thomas and said to him: The Lord of me and the God of me.
Acts 20: 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
Rom 1: 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Romans 9: 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Philip 2: 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.
Col 1: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
1 Tim 3: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Titus 2: 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Resurrection of Jesus shows the Trinity
Ac 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (Here we see God raising Jesus from the dead)
Ro 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Here we see the Spirit raising Jesus from the dead)
John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (Here we see Jesus going to raise himself)
The Holy Spirit is called God
The Holy Spirit is identified as God by apostle Peter as Peter told Ananias lying to the Holy Spirit was lying to God.
Acts 5: 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
The Holy Spirit is a person. In the olden days, the Socinians and the Sabellians rejected the personality of the Holy Spirit. Socinians came into being in the time of the reformation and they denied the Orthodox Christian theology. Sabellianism was begun by Sabellius, a priest in the 3rd century, in which he believed that God had three different modes as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Tertullian defended this heresy and criticized their doctrine. In the modern day cults, the United Pentecostal Church and other oneness groups fall into this category. All the cults deny the person of the Holy Spirit.
The Hebrew word for Spirit is ruach and the Greek word is pneuma. In the Old Testament it is mentioned as the Spirit of God and in the New Testament the Holy Spirit. Although pneuma is a neuter, yet masculine pronoun.
Holy Spirit is mentioned as ‘he’
John 16
Verse 7, the Holy Spirit is identified as the Comforter. Then v8, 13, 14 masculine pronouns are used as the Comforter is mentioned as ‘He’ a person.
What are the characteristics of a person?
Makes intercessions. 11. Does Miracles.
Jehovah’s witnesses say the Holy Spirit is a thing, like the power of electricity. A thing cannot talk; a thing does not have intelligence. A thing does not have any affections.
A thing cannot teach. But only an intelligent person can teach.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.
Ro 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Ac 16:7 After they came to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
1Cor 12; 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Isa 63:10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ge 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Lu 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
John 16: 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
Ac 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Ac 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son.
Mt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
It does not say names (plural) but name, singular yet three persons.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God, which worketh all in all.
2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
The Father through eternity past chose us before the foundation of the world.
Eph 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love.
Yet choosing does not mean when the elect are born they are automatically saved. Everyone, including the elect, were born sinners. We were chosen yet not saved. Salvation came to us by hearing the gospel and the elect of God responded to the gospel and saved us.
Eph 2: 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
John 6: 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
The Son died for the Church.
John 10: 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Holy Spirit Regenerates the Believer
John 3: 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.
There is a bond with three names appended, — Father Son and Holy Ghost. By three immutable things, as well as by two, the Christian is secured beyond the reach of death and hell. A Trinity of Securities, because there is a trinity of God. (C.H Spurgeon)
…..divine essence flowing out and breathed forth in God’s infinite love to and delight in himself. And I believe the whole divine essence does truly and distinctly subsist both in the divine idea and divine love, and that each of them are properly distinct Persons. (Jonathan Edwards)
God Revealed the Tri-unity of God to the Believers so that we would Worship and Obey Him.
This is the substance of the doctrine of the Trinity, as to the first direct concernment of faith therein. The first intention of the Scripture, in the revelation of God towards us, is, as was said, that we might fear him, believe, worship, obey him, and live unto him, as God. That we may do this in a due manner, and worship the only true God, and not adore the false imaginations of our own minds it declares, as was said, that this God is one, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost…. (John Owen)