Friday, October 7, 2011

Christianity 101 - Trinity part 1

One of the great mysteries in the scripture is the Trinity. Countless volumes have been written and in the few lines I have for this blog and the next one I want to give you, hopefully a little more clarity about the Trinity, God in three persons.

"We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." These were present on the earth at one time during the baptism of Jesus. Luke 3:22.

22) and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Following are a couple more verses that hint at the Trinity.

Luke 1:35 In the conception of Jesus we see the Godhead (trinity).
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (name not names oneness of the name and person of God)

2 Cor. 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."

It is important to understand that while they are three persons they are still one!

The Bible says there is only one God: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God," (Isaiah 45:5). Yet, the Bible teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called God.

Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

The Bible says this additionally about God’s oneness

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. (Jesus in Revelation 1:17)

Isaiah 44:8 “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”

Isaiah 43:10,11 - Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. (Jesus)

Matthew 3:13 – 17; 2 Corinthians 13:14

It is tough to grasp this concept but think of it this way; when "theologians" use the word "person," they are not saying that God is three individual beings walking around who are actually one being. That would be a contradiction. Instead, we define a person as having self awareness, identity, can speak, love, grieve, etc. Each has their own specific function but they are never independent or in opposition. These are attributes of personhood and we see all of these attributes, and more, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I know that this can be a fairly "heady" subject but it is important to understand. Please stay with me as we complete the basics of this idea.

In the next blog, we will answer the question, "Why is the concept of the Trinity so important?" I will also give you many scriptures to back up the concept.

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