Bible Study # 15
The Trinity
The doctrine of the trinity constitutes the greatest mystery of the Christian faith. It is a teaching that must be accepted and believed because of all the evidence the Bible presents to us, but it is impossible to reason out. This belief is part of the “scandal” of the Gospel, which is a “stumbling block” to the Jews, and “foolishness” to the Greeks (1 Cor. 1: 23). The following questions contain the great mystery: ( 1 ) How is it that the personal God is not a single person, but the divine being subsists individually in three persons?; ( 2 ) How is it that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three really distinct divine persons, but are not three distinct individuals, but one single individual divine being?
Not being able to understand and explain this unfathomable mystery has caused many Christians throughout the history of the church to fall into heresies. In several periods of the history of Christianity this was the subject that generated the most controversy and division in the church of Jesus Christ.
In this simple study we will submit with reverent fear to the divine counsel: “the secret things belong to the LORD our God; but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut. 29: 29).
1. What does the Bible teach about God?
Deut. 6: 4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”
2. How many gods are there besides the LORD?
Isa. 43: 10; 44: 6
“You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; before me no god was formed, nor shall there be after me”
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God”
3. What does the New Testament say about the oneness of God?
1 Cor. 8: 4; 1 Tim. 2: 5; James 2: 19
“Concerning, then, the food offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one”
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…”
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe, and tremble”
4. In what way does the Old Testament reveal the plurality of persons in the Godhead?
Gen. 1: 26; 3: 22; 11: 7; Isa. 6: 8
“Then God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let him rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, over the beasts, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
“And the LORD God said: Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; now, lest he put out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”
“Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that none may understand another’s speech”
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me”
Note:
The Hebrew word “Elohim” which means “God” is a plural term. It is translated “gods” when it refers to false deities (Ps. 95: 3), but it is translated God, in the singular, when it is speaking of the true God (Deum. 6: 4): “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God (Elohim: Gods) is one Lord.” Some see the trinity in this passage in this way: “The Lord ( 1 ), our God ( 2 ), the Lord ( 3 ) is one; The Father ( 1 ), Son ( 2 ) and Holy Spirit ( 3 ) are one.
5. In what way does the Old Testament name the persons of the Godhead separately?
Isa. 48: 12, 16 = “The Lord GOD…and his Holy Spirit”.
Isa. 63: 7-12 = “Lord…Angel of his presence…Holy Spirit”.
Ps. 2: 11-12 = “Serve the LORD…Honor the Son”.
Ps. 80: 14-17 = “O God of hosts…let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, upon the son of man whom you made strong for yourself”.
Prov. 30: 1-4 = “What is his name, and the name of his son, if you know?”
6. Who are the three persons of the Godhead according to the New Testament?
Matt. 28: 19; 2 Cor. 13: 14
“Therefore go, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen”
7. How can we distinguish the three divine persons in the following passages?
John 14: 16; Matt. 3: 16, 17; Luke 1: 35
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever”
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went 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 coming upon him. 17 And a voice came from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”
“And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also that Holy One who will be born will be called the Son of God”
