Have you ever tried to solve a mystery? The teaching on the Trinity is one of them. One woman told this story - After shopping at a busy store, another woman and I happened to leave at the same time, only to be faced with the daunting task of finding our cars in the crowded parking lot. The mystery of the missing car. Just then my car horn beeped, and I was able to locate my vehicle easily. “Wow," the woman said. "I sure could use a gadget like that to help me find my car." "Actually," I replied, "that’s my husband."
This happens to me quite often. Park in Metrotown then forget where I parked. Sure wish I have a gadget that would locate where my car was parked. Incident in Calgary where I gave up looking for my car and was about to call the police to report a stolen car. I wish I had a gadget as well, to help me get a handle on the teaching of the church regarding this mystery Three persons in one. Christians all over the world who read and treasure the Bible worship a Trinitarian God. BUT One = 3 makes for bad math, does it not? Yet we as Baptist General Conference people here at GIBC affirm this statement as affirmation of faith #2.
THE TRINITY: We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct, but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
“One living and true God, eternally existing in three persons” - How does this make sense? It did not make sense to me as a young Christian. How can I understand this? When I was just new to the faith, I was challenged by some attractive JWs regarding this basic fundamental Christian doctrine of the Trinity. They pointed to Col 1:15 (KJV)
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.”
They reasoned he we have it Jesus was born, God creates him. They confused me by saying how can Jesus be God, since he is firstborn, creature, , hence could not be equal with God, not the same substance, not at all like God. I panicked, by deep in my heart I knew those JWs were twisting the facts. Something inside me just moved me to reject the JW’s line of reasoning. I felt like I was in a James Bond movie, needing a gadget to get out this trap that I fell into unwittingly with two attractive female JWs challenging me. I did not have any tools to refute them. I did not know how to read the Bible correctly. But if I had read the smarts then to read further on , I would have not panic so much, and I would find this Col.1:16-20 (NIV)
16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
What Col.1 is teaching is not that Jesus was less than God but in reality it declares the supremacy of Christ. The firstborn reference is referring to Jesus rising from the dead, the first resurrection from the dead (v.18) and the ancient custom that the firstborn is merely a reference to the status of supremacy as the rest of the passage of Col.1 indicates. As the unique Son of God, Jesus owns everything that the Father has in his possession. All of God’s fullness dwell in Christ. That is what Col.1 wants to say about Jesus. It makes a big difference because if Jesus is not God, and equal to God, what we have is 2000 years of fraud perpetrated by the church. What we have is lies, deceit.
A. GOD IS ONE
“God is one” is the claim of the Bible, In the OT “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut.6:4, NIV).
In a almost game-show like fashion, one of Jesus opponents tried to use a trick question on Jesus. Kinda like who wants to be a millionaire. This is the commandment Jesus himself said is the Greatest Commandment. Read Matthew 22:35-38 (NLT)
35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
That’s the final answer… Supremacy of this one God deserves the wholehearted attention. It shatters all other claims that there are other alternatives, or other gods. This claim is not the opinion of Christians, but it is opinion of God alone. In 10 commandments he says in Ex.20:3 (NLT) “Do not worship any other gods beside me.” The New Testament also teaches, “There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph.4:4-6, NIV). The teaching of “one God” is clear in the Old and New Testaments. Yet He is three in one, one Spirit, one Lord, one Father – one God! Jesus revealed that His followers were to be baptized in the name of the Trinity after His resurrection which proved His claim to deity (Matt.28:17-21). To teach that there is three gods is contrary to what the Bible teaches. The Bible clearly states: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …” (1 Timothy 2:5, KJV). There is only ONE God!
B. THE TRINITY HAS ALWAYS EXISTED
Also, in the beginning of the Bible, we get the idea that the Trinity has always existed. Genesis 1:1 brings to us the idea of God the Father as the mastermind of creation. Genesis 1:2 brings to us the view that the Spirit of God hovers over creation, watching over it, caringly like a protector. In Genesis 1:3 we are introduced to the “Word” which in the New Testament, we are told is the Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18). As Gilbert Bilezikian said: “There is only a hint of the doctrine of the Trinity in the first three verses of the Bible.” The fuller revelation of God as Trinity comes out strongly in the New Testament. For example, see this Trinitarian thought in the NT: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Cor.12:4-6, NIV). Jesus also claimed to have existed eternally as written in John 8:56-59 (NLT),
Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad."57The people said, "You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham? " Jesus answered, "The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!" At that point they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself from them and left the Temple.
Since the Trinity has always existed, it is therefore utterly consistent of the Bible to reveal God as Three in One.
C. JESUS = GOD.
We know that John 10:30 records Jesus saying, “The Father and I are one." Jesus and God are one, not two!
That’s an incredible claim and the religious establishment of the day recognised that as well. Jesus is claiming to be God. How can a man claim to be God? That statement is either true or is pure falsehood and because it such a loaded statement it provoked a rather violent confrontation, as recorded in John 10:31-33:
31Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. 32Jesus said, "At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?"
33They replied, "Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God."
A mere man making yourself to be God? HA! Got ya! Nonsense. I think I would have reacted the same way too, if I were there. How can a man be perfect, be God, wielding all the power of the universe, in one little physical body, that with one bullet to the head, you will cease to exist. It only made sense when Jesus proved by rising from the dead, with the evidence of the empty tomb, his claims were backed up. Only the true power f God can raise the dead and a dead Jesus got up and walked away from the grave. Jesus and God they are One.
Jesus spoke to his followers just before He died and said “you trust God, now trust me” (John 14:1), assuming that God and Him are equals. In the same speech Jesus again said the same thing: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 14:9-11)
My father and I are one, reminds of this story…
Jimmy’s English teacher was a perfectionist and demanded the very best of his pupils. So it was only to be expected that he would get furious when Little Jimmy handed in a poor paper.
"This is the worst essay it has ever been my misfortune to read," ranted the teacher. "It has too many mistakes. I can’t understand how one person would have made all these mistakes."
"One person didn’t," replied Little Jimmy defensively. "My father helped me."
In a similar way when we Jesus, how perfect He is, how wonderful He is, loving accepting hopeless cases, we see God. Jimmy’s teacher see imperfections and saw Jimmy’s father. We see the perfections of Jesus we see God the Father.
Why did Jesus leave the cosy confines of the throne of heaven behind? Come and be born in messy cave with noisy and smelly animals coming through the womb of a woman, immersed in all that messy fluid. Like this story…
“You just go ahead," the man in the shopping mall said to his wife. "While you’re shopping, I’ll browse in the hardware store." Dreaming of being ho ho ho the tool time man …
An hour later, she returned and saw him at the checkout counter.
The clerk was ringing up the last of a pile of tools and supplies that would fill two wheelbarrows.
"Are you buying all this?" his wife asked incredulously.
"Well, yes," he said, embarrassed. Then waving his arm toward the interior of the store, he added, "But look at all the stuff I’m leaving behind!"
All the stuff of heaven that Jesus left behind, it’s like going from a 5 star hotel to a crummy roach infested hole in slums of our downtown eastside. Who would He do that? But as Phil 2 says:
6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.
His eyes were set on us, He loved us, would do anything to win our love, so we can live out the greatest commandment – to love God with our entire being. Rom 5:8 (NLT) says: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” He is not embarrassed at all with us, “Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” He wants to came so close to us, to feel us, to experience the pain of flesh being impaled, to be betrayed by a kiss from a close friend, to hug a child, to touch the diseased, the hurt, to love, not from afar but to be near! Hebrews 2:11 (NLT).
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying…17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
Heb.2:14-18 (NLT)
Teaching of trinity is essential for it reveals God to us that we can come near to Him, converse with Him because he treats us as family, not disgruntled customers or employees.
A man realized he needed to purchase a hearing aid, but he felt unwilling to spend much money. "How much do they run?" he asked the clerk.
"That depends," said the salesman. "They run from $2.00 to $2,000."
"Let’s see the $2.00 model," he said.
The clerk put the device around the man’s neck. "You just stick this button in your ear and run this little string down to your pocket," he instructed.
"How does it work?" the customer asked.
"For $2.00 it doesn’t work," the salesman replied. "But when people see it on you, they’ll talk louder!"
That’s just it, when we as people see Jesus, we can talk to God and He hears us, loud and clear! This is seen here in John 14:13,14 “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!”
D. Spirit =God
2 Cor.3:17 clearly states the equality of the Spirit with the God: “Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom.”
Again the Bible affirms the deity of the Spirit. Furthermore, personality is assumed by the Bible, see how he feels: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Eph.4:30 (NKJV)
E. HARMONIOUS EXISTENCE.
The Trinity exists in perfect harmony. John 16:13-15 speaks of the Spirit moving in harmony with the Godhead, bringing glory to Jesus, revealing what belongs to Jesus, the Son, is really from the Father. They are not in competition, jostling for a better position. They work together to bring us back to Himself as 1 Peter 1:2 (NLT) says: “God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood.” Another passage of the Bible where Jesus spoke of the same is this John 16:12-15(MSG):
12"I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. 13But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. 14He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. 15Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, "He takes from me and delivers to you.’
See v.14 it is clear the Spirit cooprates with Jesus and not minding a bit that He gets the glory, the honor and not drawing “attention to himself” as v.13 says helping the followers of Christy make sense of the truths of the Bible. See also in v.15 how the Father shares with the Son – “Everything the Father has is also mine.” We also see that relationship of harmony reflected at the baptism of Jesus, where the Father spoke lovingly of the Son and the Spirit coming on to Jesus (Mark 1:9-12). Here we have three distinct personalities, and they don’t get in each other’s way.
Finally, as the Bible (2 Cor.13:14, MSG) says “The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.” I started with “Have you ever tried to solve a mystery?” Mystery of Trinity - I sure could use a gadget like that to help me find my car. Gadget that helps is Jesus, He is the One honking the horn. And He says it’s OK we can go home, no need to go searching, no need to fear getting lost, no need to find others gadgets wondering if the way out is there or not. The Trinity tells us the way home is there! It is the revelation of grace through Jesus the Son’s sacrifice that will introduce us to the wonderful Fatherly love of God and made real for us, being immersed in the Spirit in the depths of our being knowing that all the Godhead is for us, not against us.
