Who is God? The Attributes of God and the Trinity

What is the Trinity? Who is God? The Attributes of God and the Trinity The Trinity, most simply defined, is the doctrinal belief of Christianity that the God of the Bible, Yahweh, is one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The typical way of expressing the orthodox position on the Trinity is to appeal to the Council of Nicaea (AD 325): We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten (γεννηθέντα), not made, being of one substance (ὁμοούσιον, consubstantial) with the Father. By whom all things were made, both which be in heaven and in earth. Who for us men and for our salvation came down [from heaven] and was incarnate and was made man. He suffered and the third day he rose again, and ascended into heaven. And he shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead. And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost. And whosoever shall say that there was a time when the Son of God was not (ἤν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν), or that before he was begotten he was not, or that he was made of things that were not, or that he is of a different substance or essence [from the Father] or that he is a creature, or subject to change or conversion all that so say, the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes them. Summarizing Nicaea: 1. Belief in Father, Son, and Spirit 2. Son is the of the same substance of the Father 3. Son is begotten, not made 4. All things in heaven and on earth were made by Christ 5. There was never a time when the Son was not 6. The Son was never not of the same substance of the Father 7. The Son is not a creature, nor subject to change or conversion How Do the Biblical Writers Portray this Trinitarian Relationship? The Biblical writers portray three primary truths. 1. God is One: Exod 20:2-3 Deut 6:4 James 2:19 1 Cor 8:4 1 Tim 2:5 1

2. Deity of each person of the Trinity: The Father is God Do you need verses for this? God=God. The Son is God Phil 2:5-11 with God, becomes man, ascends to God and is given glory John 1 Word was God and is agent of creation John 8:58 before Abraham was, I AM. Col 1 by Him all things were made and in Him all things hold together Heb 1 agent of creation, radiance of God s glory and exact imprint of His nature, who upholds the universe by the word of His power The Holy Spirit is God Matt 28:19 baptized in name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; other examples of the Holy Spirit being placed in a coordinate relationship with the Father and Son (1 Cor 12:4-6; 2 Cor 13:14; Eph 4:4-6; 1 Pet 1:2) Luke 3:22 baptism of Jesus John 3: 8 regeneration by the Spirit John 16:8-11 convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment Acts 5:1-4 Ananias and Saphira lie to the Holy Spirit, who is implied to be God 1 Cor 3:16-17//1 Cor 6:20 God s temple//body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 3. Three-in-oneness of God 1 John 5:7 It reads, For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are One. Recognized by nearly all scholars as a late addition. (Possible reference in Cyprian in 258 AD). Plural of God (Elohim) in Old Testament. Also, Gen 1:26 Let us make man in our image. Also, Gen 11:7 Let us go down. Often explained as a plural of majesty, which is possible, but that explanation does not explain why it is often singular or when and why it shifts to plural. Baptismal formula [Mt. 28:19]: Baptize in the name (singular) of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 12:4-6 Spirit, Lord (Jesus), God Gal 4:6 Spirit of the Son, Father Rom 15:16 minister of Christ Jesus, service of Gospel of God, sanctified by Holy Spirit Eph 3:14 bow before Father, strengthened by Spirit that Christ may dwell, filled by fullness of God. John 14-16 (several examples) both sent from Father; Son sends Spirit; Spirit 2

continues Son s ministry; etc. John 10:30//14:9 I and the Father are One ; He who has seen me has seen the Father. Jude 20-21 pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ But the question remains as to how the New Testament writers held to these beliefs without being charged with polytheism (belief in many/multiple gods). The first century AD Jewish society in which they lived and ministered was strictly monotheistic, likely reciting the Shema (Deut 6:4-9 Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One ) twice each day. Richard Bauckham has demonstrated a convincing explanation of this phenomenon in his book God Crucified (reprinted as Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament s Christology of Divine Identity). He argues that the New Testament writers included Jesus in the unique divine identity of Yahweh. He identifies two ways of understanding the unique identity of Yahweh: with respect to His relationship with Israel and with respect to His relationship with all of reality. What about Yahweh s relationship with Israel and with all of reality distinguishes His unique identity? 1. Yahweh revealed His divine name and character to Israel and demanded that He alone be worshiped (Exod 3, 34). 2. Yahweh alone is creator of all things. 3. Yahweh alone is sovereign ruler of all things. 4. Yahweh alone is worthy of worship because He is the creator and sovereign ruler of all things. This exclusive worship is a recognition of and response to His unique divine identity. Bauckham argues that the New Testament writers held to the highest possible Christology (understanding of Christ), an understanding that Jesus, the Son of God, was God. They demonstrated this by including Jesus in the unique divine identity of Yahweh in four primary ways. 1. By attributing to Jesus a name above all names a. Phil 2:5-11 b. Heb 1:4 2. By identifying Him as the agent of creation a. John 1 b. 1 Cor 8:6 c. Col 1 d. Heb 1 e. Rev 3:14 3. By recognizing His sovereignty over all things a. Matt 11:27//Luke 10:22 b. John 3:35 3

c. John 13:3 d. John 16:15 e. Acts 10:36 f. 1 Cor 15:27-28 g. Eph 1:22 h. Phil 3:21 i. Heb 1:2//2:8 4. By according Him worship due only to Yahweh a. Matt 28:17 b. Phil 2:9-11 c. Rev 4:11//5:9 What is interesting to note is that this inclusion of another person in the unique divine identity of Yahweh is evidenced already in the Old Testament. Consider what Bauckham calls personifications or hypostatizations of aspects of God himself, such as his Spirit, his Word and his Wisdom (14). Spirit: Gen 1:2; Psa 33:6 Word: Psa 33:6-9 Wisdom: Jer 10:12//51:15; Psa 104:24; Prov 3:19; Prov 8:22-30 It ought to be no surprise, then, when the New Testament writers pick up these Old Testament inclusions of Word and Wisdom and Spirit in the unique divine identity. Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus is spoken of as the Word (John 1) and the Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24) who is active with the Father in creation (John 1; Col 1; Heb 1)? Equal in Nature yet Distinct in Role In light of the evidence of Scripture, then, we have good reason to accept that Yahweh is a Triune God. We also have good evidence that shows that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are coeternal and have the same essence or nature. However, though they are equal in essence, several passages seem to suggest that the Father is greater than the Son and the Spirit (e.g. Matt 24:36; Phil 2:6; 1 Cor 15:28; etc.). It is important to recognize that just as the distinction between the Father, Son, and Spirit was not one of essence but of person, so also this distinction is not one of essence but of role. Though the Father and the Son and the Spirit are equal, the Son submits Himself to the Father s will and is obedient (Phil 2:8; Matt 26:39). This distinction of roles can be seen clearly in creation and salvation. Creation: God the Father speaks (Gen 1). The Son carries out those instructions and acts as the agent of creation (John 1; Col 1; Heb 1). The Spirit sustains and manifests God s presence in creation (Gen 1:2). 4

Salvation: God the Father sent the Son on account of His great love (John 3:16-17). The Son came down from heaven to do the will of the Father who sent Him (John 6:38). He obeys the Father s will by humbling Himself and submitting to death (Phil 2:8) in order to die for our sins (Heb 10:10). The Father and the Son send the Spirit to bring to completion the work begun by the Father and Son (John 14:16; 16:7). How Can God be One yet Three? Analogies of the Trinity Numerous analogies have been given to attempt to express the Trinity. While some are helpful in some respects, each of them ultimately fails, primarily because it is an attempt to take finite things and/or concepts and apply them to an infinite God. 1. Egg shell, white, yoke Response: The nature of the shell is very little like the yoke. Moreover, it can be separated. Therefore, it is more like tri-theism in that none of the individual parts can be considered wholly God, but merely a part of God. 2. Water solid, liquid, vapor Response: Looks more like modalism, the unorthodox belief that God is one person who can manifest Himself in three different ways (Father, Son, or Spirit), but the persons are not distinct. 3. Other attempts: three-leaf clover (three parts but one clover); tree (roots, trunk, branches); social relationships (1.one man is a son, a father, and a brother at the same time; or 2. a son, a father, and a mother are all members of one family). There are simply no analogies that adequately convey the Trinity, and many of them mislead in significant ways. Since we are unable to provide an analogy that completely expresses the idea of the Trinity, it is best to rest on those things that are clear from the Biblical teaching. 1. Yahweh is One. 2. The Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Spirit is fully God. 3. All three existed from eternity. There was not a time when the Son and Spirit were not. 4. The Father is the source of the Son and the Spirit, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. 5. The Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in nature and essence, but they have different roles. 6. We must conclude THAT God is a Trinity, but we must also conclude that we cannot fully explain HOW God is a Trinity. 5

The Attributes of God What is an attribute? What does it mean that God is incomprehensible? The Attributes of God Self-existent Self-sufficient Eternal Infinite Immutable Omniscient Wise Omnipotent 6

Transcendent Omnipresent Faithful Good Just Merciful Gracious Loving Holy Sovereign 7