Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the
Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the
Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in Spirit and Truth," (Joh 4:24)
The Trinity
THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY is unique to Christianity. No
other faith, religion, sect, or philosophy advocating one God also proclaims
there are three who are God. This apparent paradox does not mean there
are ‘three gods in one --- but that one God exists
as three Persons — co-equal, co-infinite, and
co-eternal — All Three possessing the same
essential nature. (Gen 1:26; Mat 28:19; 2Co
13:14)
The Trinity
defines the unity of God as having one Divine nature with specific and
describable attributes. However, each member of the Godhead — God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — is a separate Person who possesses these
attributes individually. No one member of the Trinity, in His essential being,
is subordinate to another member. (Eph 4:4-6)
Each person of the Godhead has a purpose related to the eternal will and plan
of God. The Scripture ascribes to each person distinct roles not jointly shared
by the Trinity. The
Father is the planner, the source of all things. The Son is the agent through
whom the Father’s plan is enacted. The Holy Spirit is the revealer and empowers
the plan in our lives.
Trinitarian
tenets are not abstract Theology. There is a practical reason for every
believer in Jesus Christ to fully comprehend this Doctrine. Our view of the
Trinity determines our understanding of Christology, the person and work of
Jesus Christ. Our view of the Holy Spirit affects our Concept of living the
Christian life. Our worship and Spirituality are possible only with a Biblical
Perspective of the Godhead. In short, we must
Spiritually Understand the Trinity, to have a maturing relationship with God.
(1Co 2:12)
THE TRINITY DEFINED
The word
Trinity is not found in the Scripture, but the Concept is Biblical.
Historically, the formal Doctrine of the Trinity derives from a succession of
early church controversies and councils which sought to explain the Biblical
Testimony regarding:
1. The oneness and unity of God in three
Persons.
2. The Deity of Christ.
3. The personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit.
The councils
were in response to heresies such as monarchianism and Arianism. The Council of
Nicaea (A.D. 325) declared God the Son to have the same nature as the Father.
The Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381) asserted the Deity of God the Holy
Spirit. In the intervening centuries Trinity’ became a technical word for the
three Persons of the Godhead.
Rarely does a single passage of Scripture define point-by-
point a complex Doctrine. Rather, pastors
filled with God the Holy Spirit formulate the Thoughts of any major Doctrine by
comparing and correlating all related Biblical passages. The believer accepts Truth derived from many passages just
as he would accept a Biblical Principle directly stated in a single context.
The Doctrine of the Trinity is likewise formulated by combining all passages
related to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
All that God has made known about Himself can ONLY be
understood by believers filled with God the Holy Spirit, even the fact that He is singular in one sense and plural
in another. (Deut 29:29; 1Co 2:12-14) You may wonder how one God can
exist in three Persons; yet from Scripture you can know that They so exist!
Your finite mind cannot comprehend the infinite, but through the Ministry of
God the Holy Spirit who Reveals the Scriptures, you can understand and accept
Spiritual Thoughts by means of faith. (Mat
11:25-30; Luk 10:21-24; 2Co 5:7; Heb 4:2-3)
Man possesses
four basic systems of perception: (A believer has five; Spiritual faith)
rationalism, empiricism, mysticism and faith. Nothing is known that is not learned
through one of these systems or through a combination of them. Rationalism relies on human reason and logical consistency
as the criterion for reality, totally apart from authority or revelation.
Empiricism establishes reality based on the experience of the senses. Reality
is what you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Mysticism
is demon revelation from and through the old sin nature. (Eph 2:2) The fourth system is faith, the only nonmeritorious system
of thinking. The fifth system is Spiritual
faith, God the Holy Spirit's Revelation of Divine Thinking to the unbeliever, (The Salvation Message) and to the believer, (The full realm of
Scripture)
based on confidence in the Authority and Veracity of God's Word! Faith Comprehends infinite Spiritual Thoughts that are
beyond the finite reasoning powers and sensory systems of human thinking. (1Co 2:13-14; 1Th 2:13) The Concept of
the Trinity is established in both the Old and the New Testaments. The oneness
and equality of the Trinity is emphasized in the Old Testament:
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the
LORD is one!” (Unique) (Deut 6:4)
However, a
plurality is clearly confirmed in another passage.
“Come near to Me, listen to this: From
the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was
there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” (Isa 48:16)
The Hebrew
word for “God” is Elohim — a plural
word indicating the existence of more than one Person in the Godhead. When, (Gen 1:1) Declares “Elohim created the heavens and the earth,” the plural asserts that
all three Persons had a part in creation: The Father conceived the plan; (Gen 1:26) the Son accomplished creation; (Joh 1:1-3; Col 1:16;
Heb 1:2) the Holy Spirit restored
creation, (Gen 1:2) after Satan’s first
fall and or rebellion.
The Old
Testament generally uses the word JHWH
when referring to one member of the Trinity. This proper name for God or Lord,
called the Tetragrammaton, when these “four letters,” are in this arrangement
--- they are considered sacred and are never pronounced by devout Jews. We
translate JHWH as Jehovah or Yahweh,
Actually, this word is the doubling of the verb “to be,” meaning “absolute existence.”
The context
of Scripture may indicate which member of the Trinity the Tetragrammaton
describes. For example, the appearance of Yahweh
to man, a Theophany of the Old Testament, always refers to the Son, the manifest
Person of the Trinity. (Joh 6:46; cf., Joh 14:9-10; Isa
6:8-11; cf., Joh 12:39-41)
Occasionally, Yahweh implies all three Persons, as in
the general blessing,
“The LORD [Yahweh] bless you, and keep
you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you. The LORD lift
up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” (Num 6:24-26)
Another Old
Testament reference to the Trinity is in the pronoun “Us.” God again refers to
Himself in the plural.
Then God
said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and
let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over
the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on
the earth."God created man in His own image, in
the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Gen 1:26-27)
While these
words imply a heavenly convocation among the members of the Godhead --- a
decision-making process within the Trinity --- there
has never been a time when omniscient God did not know all that is knowable.
God cannot be indecisive; rather, He Speaks from His
infinite and eternal knowledge. And He
Communicated it to us in a form of expression we could fathom. He described His indescribable person and plan in terms of
human experience. His language accommodated our limited ability to comprehend
the infinite. Thus, human beings can understand what God set forth in
the Divine decrees. Such Biblically recorded “convocations” among the members
of the Trinity serve to verify the existence of the threefold Personality of
God. (Gen 3:22; Gen 11:7; Isa 6:8)
THE ESSENCE OF THE TRINITY
While the
present study emphasizes God as a Triune Being, understanding Divine essence is
essential. You must Comprehend the unity of the Godhead before you can begin to
grasp the Concept of the Trinity. Immediately you face a problem: You need a
specialized vocabulary. The terms you learn must convey the exact meaning of
each Divine characteristic. Once mastered, this vocabulary will save thousands
of words of explanation and lay the foundation for further categories of Divine
Thinking. (Isa 28:10) The first
vocabulary term is essence. Essence is the being or nature of a person, what
that person is like. A second vocabulary term is attributes or those qualities which compose the essence of a
person. Each Person of the Godhead has identifiable and identical attributes.
Therefore, God has one essence — the oneness or unity
of God refers to the identical essence of the three Persons.
God’s essence
can be known only through His attributes. There are ten major attributes of
Deity, all of which are equally ascribed to each person of the Godhead. No
individual attribute is separate from His essence as a whole. Each attribute is
an intrinsic quality of the nature of God. What are these attributes?
SOVEREIGNTY
God is
sovereign, the Supreme Ruler of the universe, King of heaven and earth. He has
absolute authority and will. Concerning the First Person of the Trinity, the
Father, the psalmist Writes: “That they may know that You Alone, whose name is the LORD
[Yahweh] Are the
Most High over all the earth.” (Psa
83:18) The will of the Father ultimately will “be done, on earth as
it is in heaven.” (Mat 6:10)
Concerning
the Son the Father said, “But as for Me,
I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” (Psa 2:6) Jesus Christ as the God-Man also
affirmed His Own sovereignty.’ “...All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mat 28:18; cf., Php
2:11; Rev 19:6) Although
Satan is the ruler of this world, (Joh 12:31;
cf., Joh 16:11) the Lord’s will is
infinitely greater. How reassuring to know that Jesus Christ controls history
and the destiny of believers! (Psa 33:1-22)
As sovereign,
the Holy Spirit distributes Spiritual gifts “to each one individually,
[Believers] just as He wills.” (1Co 12:11)
RIGHTEOUSNESS
The
righteousness of God is perfect goodness, sinless in character and person. His
attitudes and actions conform to the flawless standard of His Own nature. God is absolute righteousness in contrast to relative righteousness in the human realm, (Honest in one or more
areas but dishonest in the rest)
For all of us have become like one who
is unclean, And all our righteous deeds, (Old sin nature good) are
like a filthy garment.
(Isa 64:6) cf. (Psa 39:5; Psa
49:11-12; Psa 49:20)
The Father
asserts His own righteousness: “My righteousness shall be forever;” (Isa 51:7-8) and the Son affirms the Father’s
perfection. (Luk 18:19; Joh 17:25) God the Son Himself is said to be “...holy, innocent, undefiled, separated
from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” (Heb
7:26) “Righteous,” (1Jn 2:1)
and the One “Who knew no sin, [He did not possess a sin nature].” (2Co 5:21)
...And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The
LORD our righteousness.” (Jer 23:6)
The Scriptural designation of God the Holy Spirit as Holy signifies that He,
too, possesses absolute righteousness. (2Co 3:17 )
JUSTICE
An integral
part of God’s justice is fairness; it is impossible for God to be unfair to any
member of the human race. Man’s point of contact with God is Divine justice. The justice of God is the source of both judgment and
blessing. (Deut
28:63) What the righteousness of God demands, the justice of God
executes. What God’s righteousness rejects, our sin nature and personal
sin, His justice punishes. What the righteousness of God accepts, His own
righteousness in the believer, (1Co 1:30)
the justice of God blesses. The justice and
righteousness of God combine to form His integrity and or holiness. (Psa 33:5; Psa 89:14; Psa 97:2; Jer 9:24)
God the
Father is just in all His dealings with mankind. (Deut
32:4; Neh 9:33) The Father gave the Son as a substitute to pay the penalty
for our sins in order to satisfy the Father’s
justice and righteousness. (Joh 3:16;
Eph 2:15-16) He also appointed the Son the
“righteous Judge,” (2Ti 4:8) giving Him
the “authority to execute judgment.” (Joh 5:27)
As an expression of God’s fairness the Holy Spirit supplies
common grace — His
work that convicts “the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.” (Joh 16:8-11) God passes no sentence of eternal
condemnation upon any person unless His offer of eternal Salvation through the
work of Jesus Christ is rejected. (Rev 20:15)
This offer is extended throughout the entire life of the unbeliever.
LOVE
God is eternal, unchangeable and IS Virtue love. (1Jn 4:8; 1Jn 4:16)
His Divine love is infinitely superior to human love. God does not depend on emotion to express
His love. God needs no response, no reciprocation, no
reassurance, no demonstrations of faithfulness to sustain His love. In fact,
God’s love exists with or without a created object, because God loves His own
perfect essence.
The love of
God is expressed in three categories.
1. Divine self-love, directed toward the perfect
righteousness among the members of the Trinity, is totally justified because of
the character of God.
2. Divine personal love is directed toward
all believers because they possess the perfect righteousness of God.
3. Divine impersonal love is directed
toward the fallen angels and all mankind as sinners. (Joh 3:16; Rom 5:8)
God’s impersonal love is based on the integrity of God rather than the merit or
attractiveness of His creation.
“God Is love” applies to every member of the
Trinity. The Father loves the Son and also expresses His love to us through the
Son.
“Father, I desire that they also, whom
You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which
You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (Joh 17:24)
By this the love of God was manifested
in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might
live through Him. (1Jn
4:9)
But God demonstrates His own
[Impersonal] love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. (Rom
5:8)
The love of
God is also demonstrated to us through the Holy Spirit.
...Because the [Personal] love of God
[The Father] has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who
was given to us. (Rom
5:5)
The personal
love of God must be consistent with His own righteousness. Man can never meet God’s standard of righteousness. (Rom 7:18) If God were
to love imperfect man in the same way He loves the perfection of His own
essence, God would compromise His integrity.
The original
man and woman, were created as perfect HUMANS --- but not part of the Godhead,
(Rom 8:19; Gal
6:15; Col 1:15; 1Jn 3:2; Rev 3:14)
and they did not have God's righteousness --- so were objects of God's Virtue
love. After the Fall, Adam and Eve were defiled by sin. The righteousness of God demanded that Divine justice condemn man.
Justice condemns all human beings. (Rom
5:12) but likewise, only Divine justice
can save human beings. (Rom 5:19) Motivated by God’s impersonal Virtue love for
fallen humanity, the justice of God judged Jesus Christ on the cross for the
sins of all mankind. Since Christ paid the penalty
for sin, the justice of God, without compromise to God’s integrity, imputes the
righteousness of God to every believer at the moment of faith in Jesus Christ.
(Rom 4:5) (God
always knew man would sin --- and was always designed to become part of God's family by
faith in Christ; Gal 3:26)
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
on our behalf, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him. (2Co
5:21)
Since God loves His own perfect righteousness — wherever it is found
— we now become objects of Divine personal love!
Nevertheless, because our Salvation depends on His justification of us, (Rom 3:24-26) His justice
and now personal love continue to be the source of all our blessing and
discipline.” Knowing that God will not and cannot compromise His
integrity. His justice is also the source of our comfort and encouragement. He personally and eternally loves us because we possess
His righteousness.
ETERNAL LIFE
GOD IS. He Is absolute existence. He Is the self-existing
one, Yahweh, the great “I am,” (Exod 3:14)
Who has neither beginning nor end. (Psa 90:2;
Psa 102:27) The self-existing life of
God means His existence is entirely self-contained and does not depend on
anything external to Himself. The Hebrew word resit, translated “beginning” (Gen 1:1)
when related to the Godhead refers to the beginning of Their work of creation,
but not the beginning of God. (Joh 1:1)
states that both God the Father and God the Son existed eternally prior to
creation. They had no beginning. Jesus Christ was
“with” the Father and already “Was God” when time began.
In the beginning was the Word, [Jesus
Christ, God the Son] and the Word was with God, [The Father] and the Word was
God. (Joh
1:1)
The New
Testament affirms that “eternal life... Was with the Father,” (1Jn 1:2) and this same “life is in His Son.” (1Jn 5:11) Jesus Christ is the “Alpha and the
Omega” in, (Rev 1:8) “Alpha,” the beginning letter of the Greek alphabet, refers
to the eternal preexistence of Jesus Christ. “Omega,” the final letter of the
Greek alphabet, refers to Jesus Christ in hypostatic union during His
Incarnation or First Advent. “He is the eternal Son of God and as humanity, the
Son of David, who will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords at His
Second Advent and reign forever.
God Is
timeless. In contrast mankind thinks in terms of past, present, future; of
short or long periods; of years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
James likens our lives to “a vapor” (Jas 4:14)
here today and gone tomorrow. No wonder David exclaimed,
“What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?” (Psa
8:4)
Yet a loving,
eternal God cares enough to extend a gracious offer for us to share His eternal
life.
“He who believes in the Son has
eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abides on him.”
(Joh 3:36)
OMNISCIENCE
God is
all-knowing. Omniscience derives from the Latin omni, which means “all,” and scientia,
“knowledge.” Eternal God in three persons has always
known all things which include both the actual and the possible past, present,
or future events. Before the creation of the world, God knew every
problem, every heartache, every moment of your life, including every sin you
would ever commit. Although His omniscience transcends time and eternity, His
knowledge of events before they occur does not violate or interfere with human
volition. By Divine design human beings are free
agents who can choose to partake of God’s grace or reject Him. You, for
example, are accountable to God for all your decisions and actions. (Rom 14:12)
All three
members of the Godhead are omniscient. The Father is “perfect in knowledge.” (Job 37:16; cf., Mat
6:8; Mat 10:29-30; Rom 8:27; Heb
4:12-13) God the Son knows “all things.” (Joh 18:4; cf., Mat 9:4;
Joh 2:24-25) And
the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of the LORD, the Spirit of wisdom,
understanding, counsel strength,
knowledge and the RESPECT OF THE LORD GOD.” (Isa
11:2)
OMNIPRESENCE
God exists
beyond spatial limitations. He is immanent and transcendent. Immanence means His entire essence is
always present everywhere in nature, in history, in all the affairs of mankind.
(Jer 23:23-24; Act 17:27-28) Transcendence means He is independent of the created universe so
that no particular place exclusively contains Him. (Psa
113:5-6; Isa 55:8-9; Joh 8:23)
Immanence and transcendence exist in balance, so that “the
whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isa 6:3)
His whole Being is present in every point in the
universe, while at the same time He Is “Holy” and “lofty and exalted”
infinitely beyond the universe! (Isa 6:1-3)
He pervades the universe, while at the same time He
is free to be in a specific location, including:
1. Giving the Law to Moses. (Deut 4:10)
2. A
Theophany. (Gen 18:1; Exod 3:2-6; Num
14:10; 1Ki 8:10-11; Isa 6:1-3; cf., Joh
12:37-41)
3. The
Incarnate Person of Jesus Christ. (Joh 1:14)
4. And
indwelling the believer. (Joh 14:20-23;
2Co 6:16)
Omnipresence
assures that no believer will ever be alone. (Heb
13:5) The Father fills heaven and earth. (Jer 23:23-24) The Son Who is in the Father and in the
believer, (Joh 14:20; Col 1:27) promises, “I
Am with you always!” (Mat 28:20)
And, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit resides in every Church Age
believer. (1Co 6:19)
OMNIPOTENCE
God is all-powerful, unlimited in His ability and
authority. His omnipotence guarantees that
“nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luk
1:37) If God is limited in any sense, the
restriction is self-imposed, to be consistent with His essence. God can do all He wills, but may not will to do all He
can. (Eph 1:11)
Omnipotence
is the superior Divine power of the Trinity. The Father is called “Almighty” (Job 11:7) and His power is eternal. (Rom 1:20) The Son’s power created the universe,
holds it together, and is perpetuating history. (Isa
40:26; cf., Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:3) Jesus Christ, also is called “Almighty,
mighty, and omnipotent,” (Gen 17:1; Isa 9:6; Rev 4:8;
Rev 19:6)
Who was declared the Son of God with
power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness,
Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 1:4)
The Holy
Spirit supplies the Divine power for believers to execute the plan of the
Father. (Zec 4:6; Act 1:8; Rom 15:19)
During the
Incarnation Jesus Christ limited the independent use of His Deity to strictly
conform to the plan of the Father; (Joh 5:17;
Joh 6:65; Joh
8:28; Php 2:6-8) and to
utilize the power of the Holy Spirit. (Isa 42:1;
Mat 4:1; Luk
4:18-19; Joh 3:34) His
purpose was to demonstrate to New Covenant Age believers’ dependence on the
Father’s plan and the Holy Spirit’s power in the Spiritual life.
IMMUTABILITY
God is
unchangeable. He is neither capable of nor susceptible to change. He is
absolute stability. God’s sovereign decisions, His omniscience, His holiness,
all His characteristics are eternally the same and of equal stature. (Num 23:19; Psa
33:11; Psa 102:27; Mal 3:6) His Word and His Works are unalterable.
The question
is frequently asked, If God is all-powerful could He not alter anything He desires? No! Each attribute is consistent with
His integrity. No attribute can supersede or operate independently of God’s
other attributes. This means God will never act capriciously, or arbitrarily,
or in violation of what He has already decreed. Therefore, God’s omnipotence
cannot override His immutability.
From God’s
immutability comes His faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23)
The Scriptures declare repeatedly that God is
faithful. He is always reliable; God will never let anyone down! He is faithful
to keep His Word. (Heb 6:17-19)
Not one of His promises has ever failed. (1Ki 8:56)
Although we may be faithless, He remains faithful!
(Rom 3:3-4; 2Ti
2:13) With the Father there is “no variation, or shifting shadow.” (Jas 1:17) Jesus Christ is “the Same yesterday and today, and
forever!” (Heb 13:8) The
Holy Spirit is faithful to assist the believer in all things, (Joh 14:16) and to Teach him God’s Word. (1Co 2:13)
VERACITY
God is
absolute Truth. (Psa 12:6) His veracity
is evident in His Words, (Joh 8:45-46)
in His Works (Psa 33:4) and in His
Ways. (Rev 15:3) God means what He Says in all His Revelation, including
Mandates, Doctrines, Promises, and Warnings. His faithfulness upholds His Word
of Truth. (Psa 100:5; 2Pe 1:20-21) The Veracity of the Father is
affirmed by the Son: “He who sent Me is True.” (Joh
7:28; cf.; Joh 17:3) Of
Himself, Jesus said, “I Am the way, and
the Truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (Joh 14:6) “The Spirit
is the Truth” in, (1Jn 5:6). Understanding Who and What God Is, and relying upon His
perfect character for both adversity and prosperity builds a foundation of
confidence and inner peace. (2Ti 1:7) The results are wise decisions and actions in every
circumstance of life.
THE SPECTRUM OF DIVINE ESSENCE
All the
attributes of Divine essence are resident in all three persons of the Godhead,
but not all are manifested at the same time. The properties of light epitomize
not only this unity of essence but also the individuality of each attribute and
Person. A ray of white light contains all colors, but they are blended together
and undetectable to the naked eye. When white light passes through a prism, it
emerges as a spectrum of colors from violet to blue to green to yellow to red.
When white light illuminates objects around you, each object has a different
color because it reflects part of the spectrum while absorbing the other
colors.
An object is
white because all colors of the spectrum are reflected. Black objects absorb
all colors and reflect none. Red objects reflect more red. Differently colored
objects reveal color only when illuminated by some consistent source of white
light. Similarly, the entire spectrum of Divine essence in each Member of the
Trinity remains present and constant, no matter which attribute is reflected
--- in the spotlight of our scrutiny, at a given point in time.
For example,
the question is frequently asked, “How can a loving God send someone to hell?”
This question ignores Divine attributes such as righteousness and justice.
Isolated from God’s integrity Divine love would be reduced to something like
human sentimentality. God’s love is tempered by His justice, the source of both
blessing and cursing. The Father loved us enough to send His Son; and His
justice is satisfied by the work of the Son on the cross. (Heb 12:2) But, His justice is also manifested in
Divine judgment on those who reject the work of Christ.
“He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
(Joh 3:18)
We adjust to the justice of God; (By Salvation, rebound
and maturity adjustments) or the justice of God will adjust to us! (By judgment, Divine
discipline, and the sin unto death)
The
attributes of the Trinity never operate in a vacuum independently of each
other. As in our analogue to light, every Divine attribute and all three
Persons of the Trinity are reflected in the work of Salvation for mankind. The
justice and righteousness of God condemn unbelievers. The attributes of love
and eternal life receive the focus when a person believes in Jesus Christ.
Omniscience and sovereignty are the origin of God’s plan, while immutability
and veracity are foremost in the faithfulness of God to the believer.
THE PERSONALITIES AND ROLES OF THE
TRINITY
One God
exists in three distinct Personalities. The Bible distinguishes the role of
each Person of the Trinity --- as the plan of God for man unfolds. But, the
Divine Personalities are not the same as three separate human personalities. No
two individuals have the identical essence of personality that the members of
the Godhead possess. The uniformity of essence and the three separate but equal
Personalities of God are best illustrated by an equilateral triangle.
The Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal, neither being any less
God than the Other. Only in describing Their works related to man can one
Member be viewed as ‘subordinate’ when executing different aspects of the Divine
plan. For example, the Son demonstrated obedience to the plan of the Father by
going to the cross. (Joh 4:34)
"THEN I [Jesus Christ] SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK
[Old Testament] IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR
WILL, O GOD.'" (Heb 10:7)
The Holy Spirit demonstrates obedience by revealing the
Father’s plan to unbelieving mankind. (Gen
6:3; Joh 16:8)
The Father is the architect of the plan; the Son is the
executor of the plan; and the Holy Spirit is the revealer of the plan.
Always remember that descriptions of individual functions of each Member of the
Trinity never reduce the equality of Deity among the Three. Although each
member of the Godhead has a different function, They
cannot act in opposition One over the Other. Also, never assume that God
adopts one of three names to coincide with each phase in His plan. The three Persons are separate and distinct and exist
coterminously, (At the same time) even though They are One God in essence. (Luk 3:22)
People who
cannot explain this profound Biblical Doctrine shrug off the existence of the
Trinity as a ridiculous and outmoded superstition. Yet the Trinity is not an
inscrutable Concept beyond the grasp of human Spiritual understanding. If this
were true the Trinity would not have been revealed
in Scripture.
The Trinity
can perhaps be understood by examining a second analogy to light. While no
analogy to nature can fully explain the Tri-unity of God, a simple example may
clarify the Concept. Light is a single phenomenon with three distinct
properties: actinic or radiating energy, especially in the ultraviolet
spectrum; luminiferous or illuminating; and calorific or heat-producing. Each
property is distinct but all unite as light. The
actinic property is like God the Father, neither seen nor felt. The luminiferous property is like God the Son, both seen
and felt. The calorific property is like God
the Holy Spirit, felt but not seen.
THE DIVINE DECREE
Although God
has always known His plan for the ages, He Revealed His plan in a form His
created beings could Spiritually Comprehend. (1Th
2:13) His Revelation accommodated our finiteness. Theologically,
this plan for mankind is called the Divine decree. (Psa
148:6) At some time prior to the creation of the heavens, earth and
mankind the members of the Trinity formulated their decree. This decree
included the creation of man as a free agent capable of understanding and
loving God while enjoying a perfect relationship with Him. (Just not a part of
God and His essence) But, omniscient God also knew the
human beings He created would use their volition to sin and disobey Him.
God decreed that sin and the resultant Spiritual death of
man would not terminate His plan. A way of
Salvation had to be provided by which undeserving man could be brought into an
eternal family relationship --- and temporal fellowship with God. Grace is the key! Under His policy of grace, God
alone accomplishes the work, while man receives the benefit totally apart from
his own merit or ability.
The work God
accomplishes occurs in three phases. Phase one is Salvation; phase two is the
Christian way of life; phase three is eternity. To
make Salvation a Reality, the Father, the First Person of the Trinity, sent His
Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, into the world by means of the Holy
Spirit. (Mat 1:18)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)
The Holy
Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, became the agent of the Son’s conception.
(Luk 1:35) The virgin pregnancy
resulted in the birth of the Unique Person of the universe, Jesus Christ, who
is God and man in One Person forever. (Luk 2:11)
Different from God, Jesus Christ is truly man; different from man, Jesus Christ
is undiminished Deity. As the only true and perfect
member of the human race, He was qualified to pay the penalty for the sins of
all mankind. (The Only PERSON ever BORN
perfect: body, soul and spirit. Adam and Eve were created perfect)
Throughout His earthly ministry, the Son always executed the will of the
Father. (Joh 8:29; Heb 10:9) The ministry of the Holy Spirit
sustained the Person of Jesus Christ on earth. (Mat
12:18; Mat 12:28; Luk 4:1; Luk 4:14;
Luk 4:18; Joh
3:34) Even when Jesus hung on the cross and was judged by the Father
for our sins, the Holy Spirit faithfully continued to sustain Him. (Heb 9:14) All three
members of the Trinity contributed to our Salvation.
When Christ
said, “It is finished!”; (Joh 19:30)
our Salvation was accomplished. Man’s acceptance of
this magnificent gift from the grace of God is all that remains. How
does man accept God’s unspeakable gift? Entrance into phase one, Salvation, is
attained when a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior through faith alone
in Christ alone. (Joh 3:16; Joh 20:31; Act
16:31)
Phase two
begins at the moment of Salvation and continues throughout the believer’s life
on earth. The Christian way of life is a
supernatural way of life. Fulfillment depends
on the Holy Spirit and on the Word of Truth resident in the believer’s soul.
God’s purpose is to bless each believer in time.
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every Spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ. (Eph 1:3)
But such
blessings come only to the Christian who grows in the grace and knowledge of
the Savior, Jesus Christ, (2Pe 3:18) by
means of the Teaching Ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Joh
16:8-15) The filling of the Holy Spirit, the power for the Christian
life, is attained by rebound, or private confession of sins to God.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1Jn
1:9)
Private
confession consists of simply naming known sins to the Father, who then
cleanses the believer from all sins, including the unknown and forgotten ones. The result is the filling of God the Holy Spirit and
temporal fellowship with God. The filling of
the Holy Spirit is the ability that makes Truth Spiritually Understandable and
produces Spiritual growth from learning, Thinking, and applying Truth. (Joh 15:7-8) Phase three is
God’s plan for the believer in eternity. This ultimate promotion begins at the
point of physical death.
“In My Father’s house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I [Jesus Christ] would have told you; for I
go to prepare a place for you.” (Joh 14:2)
We are not
told the full extent of the blessings and provisions of eternity. Beyond the
grasp of our finite minds, eternity is described in terms of negatives:
“And He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any
mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4)
Because the
decree is in grace, man’s entrance into the plan of God must be compatible with
grace. God is perfect; His plan is perfect. Therefore,
the good works of imperfect man fall short of the perfect Standards of God.
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which
we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, [Grace in action] by
the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. (Tit 3:5)
The only
means by which we can respond to grace and enter into the plan of God is by the
nonmeritorious system of faith. Faith is devoid of works. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, (Salvation) it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so
that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
THE TRINITY MANIFESTED
Two events,
one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament, vividly demonstrate to
us the Reality of the Trinity. When God called Isaiah to be His servant, the
prophet was shown a rare vision of heaven.
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I
saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe
filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two
he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy,
Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isa 6:1-3)
Why did these
angelic beings repeat the word “Holy” three times? Their praise was addressed
to the Trinity. Notice, they did not say, “Holy, Holy,
Holy are the Lords of hosts.” God is three persons but one God with one essence.
Jesus Christ
is the only visible member of the Trinity. Isaiah saw Him seated upon His
throne as the sovereign of heaven and earth. So glorious was the sight of the
Lord’s holiness, (His perfect righteousness and justice) that Isaiah came
face-to-face with his own unworthiness. (Isa 6:5)
Though saved, how could Isaiah or any sinner, including ourselves, stand before
holy God and continue to live? The answer:
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses
indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is Thy faithfulness.
(Lam 3:22-23)
At one point
in history, the Trinity was uniquely manifested on earth. This occasion was the
baptism of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had been announcing the First Advent
of Christ. He had baptized believers in the Jordan River to identify them with
the coming Kingdom. Then, Jesus appeared on the scene and asked to be baptized
by John. At first John refused, protesting his unworthiness. Only after the
Lord explained that He must be baptized to identify Himself with the Father’s
plan did John agree to perform the baptism.
Of the
various baptisms mentioned in Scripture, the baptism of Jesus Christ was
unique. This baptism demonstrated the Son’s complete
obedience to the Father’s will. The sinless One was willing to identify
Himself with the sinner by being judged on the cross. During the baptism all
three members of the Trinity took part.
But Jesus answering said to him,
[John] “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill
all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. (Mat 3:15)
The plan of God is a step by step natural day by day
process that leads us to Spiritual maturity; to fulfill God's will for our
life; is to fulfill all righteousness.
His baptism
foreshadowed the cross where “all righteousness” would be fulfilled. That is,
God the Father would be satisfied or propitiated with the righteousness of the
Son. Also involved is the Doctrine of redemption which requires that the Savior
be perfect righteousness in order to purchase freedom for the human race from
‘the slave market of sin.’
The
extraordinary Revelation of the Trinity occurred during the ritual.
After being baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him. (Mat 3:16)
Water
represented the will of the Father for the Son during the First Advent. Under
the water, Christ was identified with the Father’s plan for man’s Salvation. As
Jesus emerged from the water, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity,
descended upon Him “in bodily form like a dove.” (Luk
3:22) By this sign, John and everyone present undoubtedly knew that
Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. (Joh 1:33-34)
And behold, a voice out of the
heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I [The Father] Am
well-pleased.” (Mat
3:17)
The voice of
approval was from God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity. Therefore at
Christ’s baptism, the beginning of His earthly ministry, the three members of
the Trinity work in concert to confirm the identity of the God-Man; and
anointing Him with the full power of the Spiritual life. (Isa 11:2-3) Three years later, before His
ascension to heaven, Jesus Christ commissioned believers to represent Him on
earth. The formal words of the appointment again bring the Trinity into focus.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit.” (Mat 28:19)
Believers are
baptized in the “Name” — not names — of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“Name” in the singular parallels “Lord” in, (Isa
6:3) affirming that God is One in essence but three Persons. While
the emphasis in, (Isa 6:3) is on the
Three-in-One, in Matthew it is on the One-in-Three.
God the Father is the soul; God the Son is the body; and God the Holy Spirit is
the spirit; and These Three are ONE! (Isa 48:16; Eph 4:4-6; Col 2:9) cf.
(Heb 13:8)
HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THE PERSONS OF GOD?
How can the
infinite personalities of the Godhead be described to our finite minds? What
vocabulary, what means of communication could best explain to man what would
normally be incomprehensible? As one method of Revelation, the Holy Spirit has
chosen to use anthropomorphisms and anthropopathisms the language of
accommodation. God uses language of accommodation to give us insight into Divine
character and function through analogy to human characteristics and function,
which God does not actually possess. An
anthropomorphism ascribes to God portions of human anatomy to explain His
routine. An anthropopathism ascribes to God human feelings, passions, and
thoughts to explain Divine policies, actions, and decisions in terms of human
frame of reference.
The term
“Father,” for example, draws upon our familiarity with the concept of a
paternal relationship. Father describes the relationship between the first and
second persons of the Trinity, and also defines our family bond through
regeneration. Believers are called sons of God. (Gal
4:6-7) Likewise, the names “Son” and “Holy Spirit” instruct us about
the roles of the other persons within the Godhead.
GOD THE FATHER
AUTHOR AND PLANNER. In Scripture the
father is the head of the family. (1Co 11:3)
Likewise, God the Father is the epitome of fatherhood and is supreme over all
things. (1Co 8:6) The title ‘Father’
emphasizes the absolute authority and design of the First Person as author of
the Divine plan for humanity (Joh 14:24;
Eph 1:1-23)
One God and [Even] Father of all
[Believers] who is over all [Sovereign] and through all [Omnipresent] and in
all. [Indwelling of the Father] (Eph 4:6)
In eternity past, the Father planned and designed all that
was, is, or ever will be. (Gen 1:1)
“...He marked out the foundations of the earth”; (Pro
8:29) prepared the elements, (Job
28:25-27) and set the bounds for the seas. (Job 38:11) The Father purposed to make man, (Gen 1:26) and to treat him in grace. (Eph 1:2-4; Eph
2:8-9) All planning and production of the
Father are manifestations of His essence. Yet, He does not surpass in
either quality or degree the other members of the Trinity, but is coequal with
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST. One title of the First Person is “the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Co 1:3; 2Co 11:31; Eph 1:3;
Col 1:3; 1Pe
1:3) This title indicates the relationship between Christ and the
Father. Christ is both the Revelation of the Father and the focal point of His
plan. (Joh 1:14; 2Co 4:6; Eph 3:11;
Heb 1:2)
No man has seen God [the Father] at
any time; the only begotten, [Uniquely born] God [Jesus Christ] who is in the
bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
(Joh 1:18)
The
relationship of Father and Son has existed from eternity past in the Divine
decree. (Joh 17:5; Joh 17:24-25) Although eternally possessing
equality with the Father, (Php 2:6) the
Son functioned in a subordinate role to accomplish the redemptive will of the
Father. Such phrases as “His only begotten [Uniquely born] Son” (Joh 3:16) and “the only begotten Son of God” (Joh 3:18) must be understood in the sense of the
unique mission of the Second Person of the Trinity. Although eternal God, He
proceeded from the Father to be manifested in the flesh. (Joh 1:14; Joh 8:42)
Jesus Christ was born into the world without a sin nature, (1Pe 1:19) through the virgin birth, (Psa 2:7; Isa 7:14;
Mat 1:23) and the only one qualified to
act as a substitute to be judged for the sins of all mankind. (Isa 53:1-12; Heb
9:16; Heb 9:28; 1Jn 3:5)
FATHER OF ALL BELIEVERS. Since God the Father is the author of Salvation, all
believers are personally and eternally related to Him through the new birth. (Gal 4:6; Eph 1:5;
Eph 3:14-15; Eph 4:6) Contrary to the popular notion of the universal
fatherhood of God, God is not the father of all mankind, (Joh 8:42-44) but the
Father of all believers. Membership in the family of God is not
automatic, but is a result of a simple act of faith in Jesus Christ
For you are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26)
As members of
His family, we may address God as “Father.” (Rom
8:15) Like all loving fathers in the human realm, God the heavenly
Father provides what is best for His children. (Mat
7:11) All our needs were met and supplied in abundance through the
Divine decree in eternity past. As a guarantee of eternal provision the Father
actually indwells every believer; (Joh 14:23;
Eph 4:6) and is the personal grantor of
these blessings for time and eternity. Grace
blessings include all of the gifts bestowed on the believer at Salvation, the
Promises, Commands and Doctrines: THOUGHTS in time, and for eternity.
To obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. (1Pe 1:4)
Like all
children we will sin against our heavenly Father. We must then be disciplined
for our own good. (Heb 12:5-11) Yet,
our Father is always ready to receive His children back into fellowship as soon
as they return to His plan by way of private, direct confession to Him. (1Jn 1:9)
GOD THE SON
THE UNIQUE
PERSON OF THE UNIVERSE. Jesus
Christ, the Second Person, is the manifest member of the Trinity. (Joh 1:14-18; Joh
14:9) He is known as God the Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. His title, “Lord,” which is Kurios
in the Greek and Yahweh in the
Hebrew, proclaims His Deity. He is different from God in that He is true
humanity and different from humanity in that He is also God. “Jesus,’” which may be translated “Savior,” is the name of
His humanity and signifies His redemptive work on our behalf. (Mat 1:21) The
designation “Christ,” meaning “the Anointed One” or “Messiah,” indicates His
offices of prophet, priest, and king to Israel.
As the unique person of the universe, Jesus Christ
possesses two natures that are inseparably united in “hypostatic union” without
loss or mixture of separate identity, without loss or transfer of properties or
attributes, the union being personal and eternal. He is undiminished
Deity and true humanity. (Rom 1:2-4; Php 2:6-8; 1Ti 3:16)
He bears every attribute of Deity and is eternally related to the other two
members of the Trinity. (Isa 48:16; Joh 1:1-4; Heb 5:5)
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells
in bodily form. (Col 2:9)
As Deity,
Christ has all authority, (Mat 28:18)
possesses life in Himself, (Joh 5:26)
imparts eternal life, (Joh 10:28)
forgives sins, (Mat 9:6; Mar 2:7) and executes judgment. (Joh 5:22) As the Son of God, (Rom 1:1-4) Christ Is the “exact representation
of His, [The Father’s] nature.” (Heb 1:3)
On the rare occasions when He referred to Himself as the “Son of God,” He was
accused of blasphemy; (Joh 10:33) and
threatened with death. (Joh 5:18) Many
who heard His claim to being Deity and Messiah violently rejected that claim.
As “the Son
of Man,” (Luk 19:10) Christ took on the
“likeness” and “form” of man. (Php 2:7)
He stressed this title more often than any other during His earthly ministry.
Since His Deity had always existed, (Joh 1:1)
He now focused on that which was new to them and which must also be understood
— His humanity. (Mat 1:25) During His
life on earth, Jesus experienced physical, intellectual, and Spiritual growth.
(Luk 2:40; Luk
2:52) He knew fatigue, (Joh 4:6)
hunger, (Mat 4:2) thirst, (Joh 19:28) testing and temptation, (Heb 4:15) suffering, (Heb 2:18) and death. (Luk 23:46)
As the
God-Man in hypostatic union, when Christ spoke from His Deity, He referred to
God as His Father; when speaking on the cross from His humanity He referred to
the Father as His God. (Joh 20:17) Yet,
His humanity in no way diminishes or detracts from His Deity nor from His
equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit. (Joh
5:23)
Jesus is
clearly revealed in the Old Testament as: 1. the Creator, (Gen 2:7; cf., Joh
1:3; Joh 1:10; Rom 11:36; Col
1:16-17) 2. the Angel of the Lord, (Yahweh} (Gen 16:10; Gen 22:11; Jdg
13:17-23; cf., Joh 1:18) 3.
the Messiah or Anointed One. (Psa 2:2; Dan 9:25; cf., Joh
4:25-26) He is repeatedly declared to be Yahweh. The New Testament greatly expands our understanding of His
person and work.
THE INCARNATION. The Incarnation of the
Son of God, His coming in the flesh, and His hypostatic union are the very
foundation of Christianity. To provide Salvation for mankind, the Son had to
become a true member of the human race. As sovereign and eternal God, He is not
subject to judgment or death on the cross. What an
astounding endeavor for the Creator to lower Himself to the level of His own
creation that He might lift us to His own sphere of glory! (Psa 82:6; Joh 10:34-36) In the fullness
of time, (Gal 4:4) Jesus Christ,
conceived by God the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, (Luk 1:31-35) “was revealed in the flesh” (1Ti 3:16) and “dwelt among us.” (Joh 1:14)
During His
ministry on earth, He displayed the glory and omniscience of God; (Mar 9:2-8; Luk
9:29-36; 2Co 4:6) yet He
came primarily to reveal the love of God. (1Jn
4:9-10) The supreme proof of that love was the cross.
God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
His miracles,
which presented His Messianic credentials, alleviated suffering in the lives of
only a few. There is only One way to provide Salvation for all mankind; Jesus
Christ had to become “flesh” and be judged for our sins and take our place.
The penalty
God had declared for sin was Spiritual death, separation from God. (Gen 2:17; cf.; Gen
5:3-5; Rom 5:12) To pay that
penalty, Christ, as our substitute, had to bear the sins of the world in His
humanity and be judged by the Father. (Mat 27:46;
1Pe 2:24) So excruciating was the
suffering of Christ while He bore the sins of the world that the Father veiled
His Son’s agony and shrouded the hill of Golgotha in total darkness. (Luk 23:44) After God had judged every sin —
past, present, and future — Jesus said, “It is
finished!” (Joh 19:30) Jesus had
suffered Spiritual death and judgment for ALL! (1Jn
2:2) The work of Salvation was completed. Then, by an act of His own
volition, Jesus gave up His physical life.
Physical
death separates the body from the human soul and spirit but never terminates
the consciousness of the soul and spirit. During the three days and nights
following the crucifixion, the body of Jesus Christ was entombed. (Luk 23:50-53) His human soul and spirit went to
Paradise in Hades. (Luk 23:43; 1Pe 3:18-19)
After three
days, the omnipotence of God the Father, (Act 2:24;
Rom 6:4; Eph
1:20; Col 2:12; 1Th 1:10; 1Pe 1:21)
the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit, (Rom 1:4;
Rom 8:11) and the omnipotence of God
the Son raised the humanity of Jesus Christ from the dead, (Joh 2:18-21; Joh
10:14-18) making possible eternal life for every believer through
faith in Christ. Jesus came forth from the grave, (Mat
28:6) with His soul and spirit reunited in a glorified, immortal
resurrection body. He is the only human being ever
to be resurrected. The resurrection of Christ with His glorified body
guarantees the future resurrection of all believers. (1Co 15:22-23; 1Co
15:54)
All three
members of the Trinity had a part in Christ’s resurrection. Jesus was “raised
from the dead through the glory, [Power] of the Father” (Rom 6:4) who returned His human soul and spirit
to His body in the grave. (Rom 8:11)
God the Son designed and created His own resurrection body. (Col 1:16) During the Incarnation the humanity of
Christ became lower than angels, but through resurrection, ascension, and
session, His humanity became superior to angels. (Heb
1:4; Heb 2:9) His
crucifixion had to come before His glorification. The
cross must come before the crown.
HIS GLORIFICATION. Forty days after His resurrection — during which the Lord
“presented Himself alive ...by many
convincing proofs” — He departed visibly from this earth and entered into
heaven. (Act 1:2-3, Act 1:9-10) There Christ presented Himself, the
first resurrected man in heaven, and was accepted by the Father as the perfect
and only sacrifice for sinful humanity. (Heb
9:24-28) Upon entering heaven, the God-Man “...sat down [Session] at the right hand of the Majesty [Father] on
high.” (Heb 1:3) His session
demonstrates His complete acceptability to God in His humanity. (Psa 110:1; Heb 1:13)
At the Father’s right hand, the place of honor, Christ continues His ministry as our Intercessor, High Priest, and
Advocate. (Heb 7:25; Heb 8:1; 1Jn 2:1)
As the
manifest person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the ‘Shekinah Glory,’ dwelt with
Israel in the sacred Tabernacle and Temple. He was the God of Israel; (Lev 26:11-12) whose presence in the Holy of
Holies was demonstrated by a brilliant cloud above the Tabernacle. (Exod 40:34-38) During the Incarnation, the
visible Christ ‘Tabernacled’ or dwelt among men in the flesh. (Joh 1:14) His transfigured glory became visible
to Peter, James, and John during His ministry on earth. (Mat 17:1-5) After His
ascension the sacred Tabernacle, [Temple] for His indwelling was transferred to the body of the
believer. (Joh 14:20; Joh 17:23; Joh
17:26; 2Co 6:16; Col 1:27-29) Now, we may share His glory both in
time and eternity. (2Co 3:18)
HIS RETURN. In heaven Jesus Christ is
preparing a place for believers — His bride, (Rev
19:7) the Church, (Joh 14:1-3)
the body of Christ, (Eph 4:11-12) the
royal family of God. (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6; Rev 5:10)
On earth the royal family is being formed by the power of the Holy Spirit, who
places each New Covenant Age believer into union with Christ at the moment of
faith in Him. (Gal 3:1-6; Gal 3:14; Gal
3:26-27; Eph 4:4-5; 2Th 2:13-14)
A little before seven years of the Tribulation
are completed, (Mat 24:22) Jesus
Christ, accompanied by His bride, Spiritually mature believers from all
dispensations, (Periods of time) (Psa 45:13-17;
1Th 3:13; Jude
1:14; Rev 19:14) will return
“as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west.” (Mat 24:27) At His First Advent, He came in
humility, (Php 2:5-8) to be judged; at
His Second Advent, He will appear in power and glory, (Mat 24:30; Mat
26:64) to judge, to wage war, and to rule. (Rev 19:11, Rev
19:15-16) Every eye will see the returning Sovereign of heaven and
earth, His eyes a flame of fire and on His head many crowns. (Rev 1:7; Rev
19:11-12)
Upon the
defeat of all satanic forces the millennial kingdom will be established on
earth and Christ will begin his reign in everlasting righteousness. At the
termination of the literal one thousand years of perfect environment, He will
judge all unbelievers before His Great White Throne, (Rev 20:11-15) and sentence them to the Lake of
Fire for having rejected His saving work on their behalf. The present universe
will be destroyed. (2Pe 3:12-13) In the
new heavens and new earth the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to rule His
eternal kingdom, (2Pe 1:10-11) under
the authority of the Father, (Rev 22:3)
and in perfect union with Him. (1Co 15:28)
“The whole earth [Will] be filled with
His glory.” (Psa 72:17-19)
Truly our incomparable Christ, “the Lamb who has been slain,” (Rev
13:8) IS
“worthy ...to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory
and blessing!” (Rev 5:12)
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE PERSON OF THE SPIRIT. Some who
reject the Concept of the Trinity seek to reduce the Holy Spirit to nothing
more than an influence, just as some view the Son as a mere man. The lack of
material form or substance, of the Spirit does not make Him any less a Person
than the Father, who is equally invisible. The term “ghost” is a misleading
translation of pneuma, which means
“spirit.” There is no word in the Greek for ghost. The closest word is phantasma, (Mat
14:26) which means apparition.” But this word is never used of the
Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is a true Person in the same sense
that the Father and the Son are Persons. (2Co
13:14; 1Pe 1:2)
The term
Spirit relates to the distinct role of His Person, since the Father and Son are
also spirit (Joh 4:24) The Holy Spirit is the unseen power of God, the Person
through whom Divine power is conveyed. As such He reveals the plan of God on
earth and is the agent for executing the Christian way of life.
His many
titles in both the Old and New Testaments indicate His Deity and also reveal
His relationship to the other Members of the Trinity. Regarding His attributes,
He is called “Spirit of holiness,” (Rom 1:4)
“Spirit of life,” (Rom 8:2) “Spirit of the LORD, wisdom, understanding, counsel,
strength, knowledge and fear and or respect” (Isa 11:2) “Spirit of Truth.” (Joh
14:17) Such titles as “Spirit of God” and “Spirit of our God” (Gen 1:2; Mat 3:16;
1Co 6:11) and “Spirit of your Father,”
(Mat 10:20) associates the Holy Spirit
to the Father; while “Spirit of Christ” and “Spirit of Jesus Christ,” (Rom 8:9; Php 1:19)
“Spirit of His Son” (Gal 4:6) and
“Spirit of the Lord” (Act 5:9) relate
Him to the Son. These titles do not mean that He is merely an attribute of God.
No attribute would be designated by the personal pronouns “He,” “Him,” and
“His.” Nor could an attribute “guide you into all the Truth,” (Joh 16:13-15) or restore and give life. (Gen 1:2; Job 33:4)
These titles refer to the Holy Spirit as a separate and distinct Person.
The role of
the Holy Spirit must not be confused with the other members of the Trinity.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2Co
3:17)
The phrase
‘The Lord is the Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, not the Second Person of
the Trinity. “The Lord is the Spirit” asserts the Deity of the Third Person.
The phrase never means that the Spirit supersedes the presence of the
resurrected indwelling Christ in the believer. (Rom
8:10; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27) The activity of One cannot be
attributed to the Other. They are separate and
distinct Persons, Both of Whom are equally present With and In the believer!
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRY TO MANKIND.
The Old Testament credits the Holy Spirit with the renewal or restoration of
the earth after the judgment and destruction of original creation. (Gen 1:2; Job 10:22;
Job 26:13; Job
38:30; Psa 104:30) To keep
humanity from returning the earth to chaos, God has a remnant of Spiritually
mature believers. (Rom 11:4-5) Another benefit of God the Holy Spirit is common grace which
occurs in evangelism. Every human being born subsequent to the fall of
Adam is born Spiritually dead — without a human spirit. The Holy Spirit must act as the missing human spirit so the Spiritual
Information of the Gospel is comprehensible. (1Co 2:13-14)
When the
Spiritually dead person is willing to listen to the Gospel message, the
convincing ministry of the Holy Spirit makes the message lucid. (Joh 16:7-11) If that person responds positively
through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit’s
ministry of efficacious grace acknowledges and makes faith effective for
Salvation. (Eph 2:8)
THE HOLY
SPIRIT’S MINISTRY TO BELIEVERS. The Holy Spirit is the Divine author of the
Word of God, also called the Mind of Christ. (1Co
2:16; Heb 3:7) Not only does
the Holy Spirit guarantee the accuracy of the Word in the original language, (2Sa 23:2; 2Ti 3:16;
2Pe 1:20-21) but He also Teaches the
believer. (Joh 14:26; Joh 15:26) This Teaching ministry converts
academic “Spiritual knowledge” of Truth, termed gnosis in the Greek, (Eph 3:19)
into full “Spiritual knowledge” or epignosis.
(Eph 4:13; 2Pe
1:8) Gnosis Truth has no
Spiritual benefit. (Because of unbelief) Only epignosis knowledge is usable for application in the Christian
life. (1Th 2:13) Our human intelligence
alone cannot comprehend Spiritual information. Therefore,
the Holy Spirit provides the Spiritual I.Q. necessary for our finite minds to
understand the Revelation and or Thoughts of the infinite Thinking of God!
(Heb 4:12-13)
Although the
Holy Spirit has been in the world from the beginning and has always had
ministries to believers, there is a marked difference between His work in the
Old and New Testaments. Throughout Old Testament times, God sovereignly limited
the temporary indwelling and or enabling presence of the Spirit, to believers
in fellowship --- who had special tasks to perform: leaders; (Gen 41:38; Num
11:17; Num 11:25; Num 27:18) the skilled artisans of the
Tabernacle; (Exod 35:30-35) judges; (Jdg 3:10) kings; (1Sa
10:10; 1Sa 10:13) prophets.
(Dan 4:8; Zec
4:3-6) The Spirit could be asked for more power and received. (2Ki 2:9-10) The Spirit also could be removed
from the believer. (1Sa 16:14; Psa 51:11)
The Spirit’s ministries vary from dispensation to
dispensation, although His function is ESSENTIAL in the Tribulation; as in
every period of history! (Rev 5:6; Rev 6:9; Rev 11:4-6; Rev 11:11; Rev 14:4-5; Rev 14:13; Rev 17:17; Rev 18:4; Rev 22:17) cf. (Zec 4:3-6) The work of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant
Age is a unique manifestation of the grace of God. Never before did God the
Holy Spirit permanently accomplish the following four supernatural works in
every believer. These works comprise four of the Ministries of the Holy Spirit
to the believer at the point of Salvation.
1. The baptism of the Spirit places us into
union with Christ, making each New Covenant believer a member of the body of
Christ, the the royal family of God. (1Co 12:13;
1Pe 2:9)
2. The permanent indwelling of the Spirit
transforms the believer’s body into a Temple for the simultaneous indwelling of
God the Father and Jesus Christ — the Shekinah Glory. (Rom 8:9-11; 1Co
3:16; 1Co 6:19-20; 2Co 6:16; Eph 4:4-6 cf., Col 1:27-29)
3. The sealing of the Spirit guarantees the
eternal security of each member of the royal family. (Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30)
4. A Spiritual gift is given to every
believer to function as royalty on earth. (1Co
12:4-7; Eph 4:11)
Possessing
these four blessings, the individual believer today has the most phenomenal
Spiritual privileges of history. The primary purpose of these privileges is to
glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. (Joh 16:14;
Gal 5:22-23) Whether
or not this purpose is fulfilled by the believer depends upon the filling of
the Spirit and the application of epignosis
Truth to our Thinking. The filling
of the Spirit is an absolute status Commanded to every believer for empowering
the Christian life. (Eph 5:18) The
filling of the Spirit may be lost at any time through sin, but it may be
regained instantly through confession of sin. (1Jn
1:9) By contrast, the indwelling of the
Spirit is a permanent condition, not mandated, but represented in Scripture as
an accomplished fact for all believers.
Spiritual
growth cannot be produced in the Christian life apart from the filling of the
Spirit. (1Co 3:12-13) This Spiritual growth of intrinsic value, “gold, silver,
precious stones,” is the only “work” that can survive the test of time and will
be rewarded in eternity. (1Co 3:14)
Thus, the Holy Spirit, often neglected and
unrecognized, is majestic, all-powerful, loving, and coequal with the other two
Persons of the Godhead.
JUST A BEGINNING
To love God, we must know Who and What HE IS! We can know God only to the extent that we perceive what
God has revealed about Himself in His Word. God is a Trinity. Our study
has only begun to explore the infinite depths of the Trinity. Every Scriptural
examination of God’s character illuminates the wondrous facets of Each Member
in the Godhead. Every examination of Their Individual roles uncovers crucial
resources for living the Christian life.
God presents all Truth “...through
the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, [Spiritual Thoughts] even the depths, [The most
Advanced Doctrines] of God.” (1Co 2:10) As we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ,” we develop a greater and capacity for more Truth
and love for God --- the Holy Trinity! God
always grants us the SPIRITUAL POWER, Truth, motivation, and opportunities
necessary to know Him, serve Him, and honor Him!
Then he said to me, "This
is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not
by might nor by power, (The old sin nature) but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. (Zec 4:6)
End
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