The mystery of the Trinity is one of Christianity’s best and most confusing tenets of belief. In these Bible study lessons, we will explore the Bible’s treatment of the Trinity, what it means in our lives, and why it requires faith.
Bible Study: The Trinity
The Trinity refers to the three aspects or manifestations of one God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that there is only one divine God but that the divinity is shared between three people, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who together make up one divine being. The Trinity is a subject that your Sunday school class will discuss at length.
There appears to be much contradiction in the Bible when it comes to the Trinity, because scholars from all religions can point to different passages and show them as proof for or against the existence of the Trinity.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament, God is seen as one divine being, apart from whom there is no legitimate God or divinity. In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as both God and man, joining with God the Father, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is clearly seen as part of God in divinity.
The New Testament also references the Holy Spirit frequently. The Holy Spirit is often mentioned with Jesus and God, but no where does the Bible actually say that the three of them share the one divinity of God.
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Thoughts on trinity!
The word trinity has become a stumbling block to many people. But this is the cornerstone for our Christian belief and our salvation.
OLD TESTAMENT/ OLD COVENANT PERIOD:
The time during which God made a covenant with Abraham and then gave the ten commandments to Moses. God spoke to people through his holy spirit.
Even though Jesus who is God’s word and the holy spirit existed along with the father from the beginning they were not explicitly expressed as trinity during the old covenant time.
Eventhough Jesus existed as the word from the beginning God designed a body for him when he came to this earth (Hebrews 10:5). We see that after Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice, he was seated at the right side of the father (Hebrews 10:12).
As a part of the old covenant when men disobeyed God and willfully obeyed satan an animal sacrifice was performed to atone for it. When man disobeyed God he sold his life to satan. So a blood was offered to redeem the life of the man as we know that life is in the blood. In the old testament it was a blemishless animal that was offered. But it became ritualistic and meaningless.
NEW TESTAMENT / NEW COVENANT PERIOD:
God wanted to pay a price to redeem mankind from satan forever. So he wanted to replace the animal’s blood with his own blood as a price once and for all. So he himself wanted to come to this earth and pay the price (Romans 8:3). But the father God is holy, he can not see sin and no one has ever seen him. So he sent his word in the form of a flesh to atone for the sins of men.
That’s why the incarnate word of God is called the son of God. (Just because the term son of God is used his birth cannot be compared to the birth of a human child. THIS TERM IS USED BECAUSE THIS IS THE CLOSEST TERM WE CAN USE TO MAKE HUMANS UNDERSTAND.
After Jesus death, resurrection and ascension the holy spirit was sent to the believers to empower them and guide them.
Jesus and holy spirit were sent by the father to fulfill his will on this earth! That’s why the three of them are going to witness about the work they did here on this earth (I John 5:7). This is also understandable by the command which God gave to Moses in which he said any issue should be accepted with the testimony of two or three witness (Deuteronomy 19:15).
That’s why it became important to explain God in terms of trinity in the new covenant period or the new testament period!!
FATHER GOD:
The father God is the creator , holy, who cannot see sin and whom no one has seen (I Timothy 6:15,16). It is his will that happens in all the world (Ephesians 1:12; Matthew 6:10; II Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 1:9, 10).
JESUS:
Jesus is the incarnate word of God. I don’t see many people explaining about Jesus this way. But our fore fathers were familiar with it as we see in the Christmas hymn ” O come all ye faithful”. Every year we sing “Word of the father now in flesh appearing”
The father God honored his word above all his names (Psalms 138:2). None of the words of God is spoken in void. It accomplished its purpose and returns to the father (Isaiah 55:11)
Isaiah who prophesied about the birth of Jesus has also mentioned it in Isaiah 9:6-8 (particularly verse 8). Jesus is the word of God who became flesh or the word of God took the form of a man and was born in Bethlehem as a baby John 1:1-3, 14, I John 5:7; Rev 19:13, Hebrews 4:12, 13 (note these two verses talk about the word of God verse 12 starts with the word of God; verse 13 says nothing is hidden from “˜his’ eyes and not “˜its’ eyes.
He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3. That’s why Jesus said whoever has seen him has seen his father. This is the reason why he is also called the son of God!
Because God created everything with his word, we also read that God created everything through Jesus (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16). In II Peter 5-7, it clearly says that the world was created by God’s word and through the same word it is going to be judged. We read in John 5:22 that the father has handed over the authority to judge to Jesus!
Jesus was sent to this earth to fulfill some actions in this earth decided by the father (Jesus does not do anything on his own will) John 5:19- 21; John 17:4; John 4:34; John 12:49, 50; John 6:37,38; John 5:36; John 15:10,15; John 5:17; John 6:45; Hebrews 10:7-10; John 14:10.
Father God has given authority over everything to Jesus (John 3:35; Colossians 1:16; John 5:27; John 13:3; I Peter 3:22; Ephesians 1:20 – 23) but after Jesus defeats all the enemies he will hand back the authority to father God (I Corinthians 15:24 – 26).
Because Jesus is the word of the father God, the word that comes out of the father God’s mouth is first conceived in the thoughts of the father God. Then it is spoken out. This is the very reason Jesus said his father is greater than him (John 10:29). This is also the reason why Jesus said he does not know the hour of his coming. Because Jesus is the word of the father, the word is realized only when it is articulated. That does not make Jesus any inferior to the father God. By commonsense will anyone say that a person’s word is greater or lesser than the person himself. The relationship between Jesus and the father is also similar.
Jesus is the incarnate word of God. The Bible is the inspired word of God. The Bible is the word of God written down by the inspiration of the holy spirit for our benefit (II Timothy 3:16, 17). This is why the Bible says we are born again through the word of God (I Peter 1:23). That’s why the Bible has got the same power which Jesus had! This inspired word of God which is the verses of the holy Bible is written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 3:3).
HOLY SPIRIT:
Holy spirit is the spirit of the father God who is sent to this earth to empower believers and to carry out the father’s will after Jesus left this earth (I John4:13; I Peter 4:14.
When Jesus was in this earth he was in the form of a human flesh 100% human 100% divine. (Hebrews 5:7,8; Philippians 2:5-9). Jesus was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) Thats why Jesus said if anyone blasphemes against him that will be forgiven. Whereas there is nothing human about a holy spirit he is the spirit of the father god, thatswhy if anyone blasphemes the holy spirit there is no forgiveness in this life or after life!
The Holy spirit is a spirit. The holy spirit does not have a separate body, soul and spirit. The holy spirit is a spirit. He is the spirit of God. He does not have a body. He does not speak, listen etc. as understood by human mind. He convicts, inspires and instigates the heart of men. THE WORD “PERSON” IS USED BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE A BETTER TERM TO EXPRESS HIS IDENTITY.
The holy spirit does not do anything on his own will but he fulfills the will of the father (John 16:13 – 15; Romans 8:27; I Corinthians 2:10-12). Can you imagine your spirit doing something different from what your mind thinks? If God, son and the spirit each had their own free will wont it cause confusion in the God head?
Some people mistakenly think that the Holy spirit has independent will and for that they quote I Corinthians 12:11. But if we read Hebrews 2:4 we see the same work being done by God. In I Corinthians it says holy spirit distributes the gifts to show how inseparable God and Holy spirit are in their decisions! When Peter says that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit in the next verse we see Peter telling him that he lied to God. (Acts 5:3,4).
If a persons spirit is grieved the person is automatically grieved. We can read in Psalms when David says that his spirit is grieved. That does not make his spirit into an independent person. So if the holy spirit is grieved we grieve God automatically. But many insist that the holy spirit can be grieved alone.
Holy spirit is a subsistence of the trinity God and not a person as commonly used in human terms! We also should understand that as humans we are not able to send our spirits out of our body but the all powerful God can do that. Even satan also does a similar work by sending his evil spirit into this earth to accomplish evil works. We read an example of this in Mark 5:1-13.
Because the father God is omnipresent, omnipotent and eternal. His word (Jesus Christ) and his spirit (Holy spirit ) are also omnipotent, omnipresent and eternal. The father God created this world through Jesus his word which was brought alive by his spirit (the holy spirit). We can see this very clearly in the creation of Adam Genesis 1:26 – 28; 2:7,8.
IF ANYONE WANTS A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRINITY JUST
TAKE FEW MOMENTS TO THINK AND LEARN ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR BODY, THE PRODUCTION OF WORDS FROM YOUR MOUTH AND YOUR SPIRIT.
THE TRINITY CONCEPT BECOMES PRACTICAL, THE BIBLE COMES ALIVE AND NO ONE CAN DENY TRINITY!
I SINCERELY BELEVE THAT THERE IS NOTHING INCORRECT IN COMPARING THE IMAGE OF GOD AND THE IMAGE OF MAN BECAUSE GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE (GENESIS 1:26)!
Questions on Islam:
1. To say that God does not have a pay a price with his blood to satan for the redemption of mankind is to say that God is not righteous. Because man willfully disobeyed God and became a slave of satan. Because of the unchanging nature of God which encorporates both love and justice. He is a loving father but a righteous judge. So if we question his need to pay the price we are questioning his righteousness.
Then the same would be applicable for the redemption of satan also. Satan sinned against God and so he was cast out. If God is all powerful or (he saves by few good deeds) to save man without a price he has to do the same for satan (the fallen angel) also. But that did not happen (Hebrews 2:16). Salvation is for man because a price was paid.
2. Christianity is a continuation of Judaism because the prophets prophesied about Christ. But Islam is not a continuation of Christianity. For the simple reason that if Jesus was not the messiah as Jews had claimed, God would have sent another prophet to tell them to revert to Judaism and not to form another religion.
3. If Moses is considered and revered as a prophet and if Muslims believe that God spoke to him and gave the commandments, why those laws have been changed? For eg: One tenth is the tithe in Judaism whereas it is one fifth according to sharia law. There are many laws of Moses that have been changed. Is God like a man to change his mind and review his laws?
4. God gave a law to Moses in which he said any issue should be accepted with the testimony of two or three witness. Even in sharia courts the same is applicable. The Bible was written by over 40 authors spanning over many centuries living in various continents. We have more than 40 witness to the same subject. Why no such witnesses are in Islam?