Can We Prove the Trinity in the Bible?
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he word Trinity is a compound word supposedly created by the
church father Tertullian (160-225 AD). He invented the word to combat a man named
Praxeus who promoted the Monarchian
heresy. The prefix Tri means three. The suffix nity is shorthand for the
word unity meaning one. In regard to God, He is one God manifested in three
persons: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Many argue that Christians worship
three gods[1]
thus making Christianity a polytheistic religion. Polytheism is a religious
system where one worships multiple deities. Christianity is monotheistic; we worship
one God only.
In Deuteronomy 6:4 it says, “Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God,
the Lord He is One!” The Hebrew word Elohim in Genesis 1:1 tell us that our God
is plural in person and one in essence. The word Elohim is a compound word. El
means God. The im suffix indicates a plural. An example would
be a cherub is one angel, but cherubim indicate two or more angels. The name
Elohim is the most common name used for God. It is used over 2500 times in the
OT.[2]
The primary meaning of the name Elohim is one of strength or power of effect.
Elohim is the all powerful God. The Creator and sustainer of the universe and
supreme judge of the earth.
When we try to rationalize the Triune God, we cannot. It is a
mystery. There are no human comparisons one can make to explain the Lord’s
Triune nature. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal, co-eternal, and
co-powerful. They always work together in harmony.
All three persons of the Godhead were involved in creation
Genesis 1:1 tells us in the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth. Verse three tells us the Spirit of God hovered over the face of
the waters. But where does the Son come in? John 1:3 tells us the Word (Logos
/Christ) was everything made. And without Him was not anything made that was
made. Colossians 1:16 says that by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are
in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and
for Him. In Revelation 4:11 John witnesses heavenly worship by angels and the twenty-four
elders saying, “You are worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power. For
you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.”
The Godhead was present at Jesus’ baptism
In Matthew 3:16, When He (Christ) had been baptized, Jesus came
up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly
a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.” Clearly, the Trinity is present. Our God is one Lord manifested in
three persons.
Jesus mentions the Godhead after His resurrection
In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands the disciples to make
disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, The Son, and
the Holy Spirit. Again, the Triune God from the lips of Jesus is mentioned,
emphasizing the importance the unity, necessity, and power of the entire
Godhead.
What is Modalism?
Modalism which was originally called Sabellianism is a heresy
that teaches that God is not Triune; He is not three persons. Rather He appears
in three modes. Sometimes He appears as the Father, then the Son, and at other
times the Holy Spirit. This makes God a quick-change artist – a chameleon. He has to enter into the closet and change His
clothes. This breeds all types of confusion. In modalism, the Father is the Son,
and vice versa. The Son is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the Father
and the Son. Modalism makes God a schizophrenic because He is talking to
Himself. How can Jesus say My God My God why have you forsaken Me if He is also
the Father? That would mean the forsaken and the forsaker are the same person. How
can Jesus send the Holy Spirit to believers if He is the Father and the Spirit
too? This is the scenario if you draw it out to its illogical conclusion. The
best definition of the mystery and beauty of our God is He is one Lord in
essence, but three in person. This is not a contradiction. It would be a contradiction if Christians said God is one in person and three in person. Or if we said He is one in essence and three in essence. The finite mind can never fully understand
the transcendent truth of the Trinity. Modalism and all its forms were denounced as heresy at
the council of Nicea in 325 A.D. The Trinity was accepted as Church doctrine at that same council.
Modalism is still alive in the Oneness (Jesus Only) Pentecostal
denomination. Modalism is very dangerous because it attacks the very nature of
God Himself.
Cleary our God is
Triune. Christians are not polytheists or tritheits. Although the word Trinity
does not appear in scripture, it does not negate its reality in it.
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