The doctrine of the Trinity is the most distinct feature of
Christianity—there is no religion or belief system that holds to anything
similar to it;
all other religions hold to basal monotheism, pantheism,
modalism or
polytheism. Only the Bible teaches that the one true God is an
eternal,
immutable, social Being of three equal Persons—Father, Son and
Holy
Spirit. Reject the Trinity, and you reject the Bible. Embrace
the Trinity,
and you embrace the only one, true God of the universe.
Definitions-
Trinity: There is one God who exists as three distinct Persons,
the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are coequal and
coeternal and
share one nature.
Tri-unity: the basis of the word “Trinity”; three within the
one—the 3
Persons are united as 1 God
Eternal: never had a beginning; has always existed; will never
end;
supersedes time
Person: an intelligent, self-conscious, social soul with a will,
emotion
and immortality
Foundations of the Doctrine of the Trinity-
1) There is only one God
2) The Father is fully God
3) The Son is fully God
4) The Holy Spirit is fully God
5) The Father is not the Son
6) The Father is not the Holy Spirit
7) The Son is not the Holy Spirit
Bad Math-
The Trinity does NOT say:
1 (god) + 1 (god) + 1 (god) = 1 God
NOR does it say:
1 (Person) + 1 (Person) + 1 (Person) = 1 Person
Rather, it says:
1 (Person) + 1 (Person) + 1 (Person) = 3 Persons…within the 1
God
OR: 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 God
OR: 1 What (being/entity), 3 Whos (self-conscious Persons)
OR: 3 Subjects in 1 Object OR 3 “I’s” (persons) in 1 “It”
(essence)
Critics-
Those who reject the Trinity usually don’t have a problem with
the
biblical definition of the Trinity but rather they have a
problem with
1)
their own distorted definition of the Trinty or
2) they have a
problem
with the deity of Christ
Biblical Ingredients of the Trinity-
I. God is transcendent, eternal, infinite and all-glorious
“ ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My
ways,’ declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the
earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your
thoughts’ ” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways.”
(Romans 11:33)
“To whom then will you compare God? What image will you compare
Him to? (Isaiah 40:18)
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I
cannot
attain to it” (Psalm 139:6)
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6)
“we walk by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
“we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery” (1 Corinthians 2:7)
“the wisdom of this world is foolishness” (1 Corinthians 3:19)
II. There is only one God
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
Presented at
Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley
on December 16, 2007