GOD Three and One Brentwood Baptist Church October 11, 2017
WHERE IS GOD? Racism Holocaust Terrorism Mass shootings Misuse of Power
WHAT IS GOD? Essence is Spirit Absolutely infinitely unchangeably supremely perfect Omni Everything
HOW IS GOD? Holiness--1 Peter 1.13-16
13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God s obedient children. Don t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, You must be holy because I am holy. 1 Peter 1.13-16, NLT
HOW IS GOD? Holiness--1 Peter 1.13-16 Righteousness-- Mt. 6.33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6.33, NIV
HOW IS GOD? Holiness--1 Peter 1.13-16 Righteousness-- Mt. 6.33 Love--1 John 4.7-12
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4.7-12, NIV
HOW IS GOD? Holiness--1 Peter 1.13-16 Righteousness-- Mt. 6.33 Love--1 John 4.7-12 Truth--John 1.14, 17.3
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1.14, NIV
WHO IS GOD? Personal, the personalizing God Trinitarian Formula Creative Redeeming Sustaining
BIBLICAL ROOTS-TRINITY Not a revealed doctrine... not explicitly detailed in scripture It is a second order reflection... we understand it by understanding something else Matt. 28.19 is a key biblical text
BIBLICAL ROOTS Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.... Matthew 28.19
OTHER TEXTS...
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deut. 6.4
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Mark 12.29-30
COMMUNITY OF SPIRIT May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13.14
CHRIST IN THE WORLD Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand... hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5.1-5
TWO KEY APPROACHES economic trinity --the agency of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... the economy of salvation immanent trinity --the eternal distinctions of persons within the being of God
CLASSICAL DEFINITION one in essence, distinguished in three persons
CLASSICAL DISTORTIONS Subordinationism--three different ranks of order of the deity
Father Son Holy Spirit
Son Father Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit Son Father
CLASSICAL DISTORTIONS Subordinationism--three different ranks of order of the deity Modalism--masks or modes of God s being, not necessarily manifesting a all of God s being
Holy Father Son Spirit
Holy Father Son Spirit
Holy Father Son Spirit
CLASSICAL DISTORTIONS Subordinationism--three different ranks of order of the deity Modalism--masks or modes of God s being, not necessarily manifesting a all of God s being Tritheism--three individual and separate deities
Father Holy Spirit Son
CLASSICAL DISTORTIONS Subordinationism--three different ranks of order of the deity Modalism--masks or modes of God s being, not necessarily manifesting a all of God s being Tritheism--three individual and separate deities Unitarianisms--focus on Creator, Redeemer, Spirit
Creator
Redeemer
Spirit