A Sermon for Trinity Sunday
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Today on the Church calendar is called Trinity Sunday. On this day we remember that we believe in One God manifested in three persons. This doctrine along with the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human, two natures but only One Christ are probably the two most difficult christian doctrines. It took several hundred years to work out these doctrines from Scripture. all sorts of anathemas were thrown from one group of Christians to another along with excommunications. So many heated discussions have led many to avoid these doctrines altogether. There is enough “practical” teaching in the Bible, following the lives of Bible characters, learning especially about the life of Jesus to keep us occupied. Many will acknowledge the doctrines of the Trinity and the Two Natures of Christ to keep the peace while not having any degree of understanding. It will have to be admitted that we cannot fully grasp these doctrines. But this does not mean we should not at least do the best we can with these doctrines. This morning, we will dwell on the Doctrine of the Trinity.
Is the Trinity taught in the Bible? Because we hold to the infallible God-breathed nature of the Holy Scripture, any doctrine must be based upon it. There is not a lot of direct evidence in Scripture. The term is not directly used. The Scripture we read this morning from the Great Commission this morning is one of the clearest. So let us start here.
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is part of the process of evangelism and is commanded by the Lord who has been given all authority in heaven and in earth. Here, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are mentioned together as being the name in which the converts are to be baptized. Note that the words “the Name” is singular. It is one name and not three. Next, we need to look at the simple word “and.” Even though it is a little word, it gives powerful understanding. “And” is what is called a co-ordinating conjunction which means it puts together grammatical expressions of EQUAL weight. In this case, it makes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit equal to each other. There are three persons, but only a single name (authority).
The next Scripture we will examine is Mark 1:9-11:
Mark 1:9–11 NKJV
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In the accounts of the baptism of Jesus we see there is a clear distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here we see Jesus being baptized, the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove, and the voice of the Father from heaven. This counters the idea of what is called “modalism.” Modalism is a view of the Trinity which sees that the one God manifests himself in three different ways. One text they site is John 16:7:
John 16:7 NKJV
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
The claim is that Jesus and the Holy Spirit as two manifestations of the One God cannot appear at the same time. This is why Jesus has to ascend so that God can return as the Holy Spirit. But in the baptism account, we see that the three persons of the Triune God are distinct from each other.
Another misunderstanding of the Trinity is that the Father is the only God, and that the Son and holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father. This view is called Arianism and has plagued the church for centuries. The Holy Spirit and the Son can be called “God” but only in an inferior sense. They are known to shout sayings like “There is a time that the Son was not. We have already seen from the Great Commission that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are joined with “and” which makes them equal. This should be evidence enough, but let us go just a little bit further.
No one questions the full divinity of the Father, and no one should. But as far as Jesus is concerned let us examine John 1:1-3:
John 1:1–3 NKJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Note that “was” is an imperfect verb which indicates that the Son existed before all creation. He existed before creation. In does not say that He came into existence before creation but only that He existed before creation without any reference of His having not existed. This Word “Son” was in the beginning with God. Then it says: and God was the Word.” Note that all three statements are equal as they are joined by “and.” Groups like the Jehovah’s witnesses translate the third clause “and the Word was a God” noting that there is no definite article with God in the clause. This proves to them that the Word is a lesser God than the Father. But the statement is actually a work of theological genius on the part of the Holy Spirit who inspired John to write these words. If there was a definite article here it would read “The God was the Word.” This would be a “Jesus-only statement. What is said by the way this is stated is that Jesus is fully God, but also that He is not the entirety of this one God. There is also the Father and the Holy Spirit which comprise the One God in Three Persons.
The Arians also like to quote John 14:28:
John 14:28 NKJV
You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
They claim that this proves that the Son is subordinate deity. Herein lies another mystery, for Jesus clearly says this. Yet we can in Philippians 2:5-11:
Philippians 2:5–11 NKJV
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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note here that Jesus subordinated Himself to the Father for the purpose of redeeming the human race. When He became flesh, He willingly subordinated his equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit to become a servant and was obedient in every way to the will of the Father. when He was with us, He did nothing in His own power and authority. He could have rightly spoken Hos own words and healed with His own power. But Jesus tells us He is simply repeating what He heard from the Father and did the works in His name. Re read the baptism account from Mark. Now let us read the very next statement from Mark 1:12:
Mark 1:12 NKJV
Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
He also subordinated Himself to the Holy Spirit, as we learn from this statement. His entire ministry on earth was led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived the example of the Christian disciple. What we do is to be led by this same Holy Spirit. This is why He did not act in His own authority. But now, as we read from the Great Commission that all authority is given to Jesus from this Triune Godhead. What they do, they do as One. This name of authority is the name of Jesus which is above every name in heaven and in earth.
We could go on endlessly about the person of Christ and His equality to the Father, but this would be far too much to cover in a morning sermon. So, let us now take a moment to look at the Holy Spirit. is the Holy Spirit an equal person in the Godhead. We won’t dwell long on this subject, but we have already seen how the Son submitted Himself to the leadership of the Spirit. We read in Acts 5:3-4
Acts 5:3–4 NKJV
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Note that Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit which tells us that the Holy Spirit is a person and not a force. Then Peter said that he had lied to God which shows that the Holy Spirit is God. We might also look to the creation account in Genesis 1:1-3:
Genesis 1:1–3 NKJV
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Note that the Holy Spirit was at work even at the time of creation. The idea is that He brooded over the waters as a mother hen does with her eggs. The Father willed, the Son spoke, and the Spirit gives the breath to make the speaking of the word possible. This is the work of the Trinity in creation itself.
We see from Scripture that the Holy Spirit, like Jesus, willingly subordinates his Person. We read in John 14:26:
John 14:26 NKJV
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Subordination does not denote inferiority. this is because the Triune God is One. the will of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the same will. There is complete unity in purpose. Also, the work of one Person is the work of all Persons.
We could go on, but by now our brains are probably starting to melt. It is important that we study doctrine, including that of the Trinity. Re must remember what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3
2 Timothy 4:3 NKJV
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.
Now let us read what Paul had just said in 2 Timothy 4:2
2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
This emphasis on doctrine goes back the very beginning of the church at Pentecost: We read in Acts 2:42:
Acts 2:42 NKJV
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
We should note that the Apostle’s doctrine comes even before fellowship, the breaking of bread, and of prayers.
We should take comfort in that we are not saved by our works but by grace through faith, We should also take comfort that we are not saved because we have a perfect understanding of all the doctrines of the Church. Of course, we do all we can to promote the good works which result from saving faith because God has appointed us to do good works. Likewise, we should do our very best to properly understand sound doctrine. We should also follow Paul’s advice to be longsuffering in the teaching of doctrine. Rather than condemning and throwing anathemas at each other, let us instead work together for the unity of the faith with patience and longsuffering.
