THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

A Study By
Gary Ray Branscome

 

    Since the doctrine of the Trinity consists of truths that are clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture, references to it can be found in both the Old Testament, and in Jewish literature written prior to the time of Christ.* Nevertheless, during the fourth century the church adopted a terminology that made it easier to express certain facts about God without contradicting what the Bible says elsewhere. For example, even though the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, if we referred to them as three Gods, we would contradict the Bible passages that say there is only one God. Therefore, in order to avoid confusion, while making it clear that only one God exists, we refer to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as three persons rather than three Gods. Furthermore, when we refer to them as “persons,” all we really mean is that they have the attributes of a personal being (they love, care, plan, think, speak, etc.). Thus, we refer to the Holy Spirit as a person because the Bible tells us that He has a “mind” (Romans 8:27), “speaks” (1Timothy 4:1), teaches (John 14:26), can “grieve” (Ephesians 4:30), can be “lied to” (Acts 5:3-4) and should be referred to as “He,” not it (John 16:13). That terminology makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, while working like an index to assure that we do not omit relevant facts about God’s triune nature. What follows is a presentation of the doctrine of the Trinity as it is revealed in Scripture.

*[“The Great Mystery, or How Can Three Be One” by Rabbi Hirsch Prinz, examines references to the Trinity in ancient Rabbinical writings.]

THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD


“Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29).
“There is one God; and there is none other but He:” (Mark 12:32).
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5).
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)
“There is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
“I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and beside me there is no Saviour.” (Isaiah 43:10-11)
“Jehovah He is God; there is none else beside Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)
“Thus saith Jehovah the king of Israel, and His redeemer Jehovah of hosts; I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)
 

THE FATHER IS GOD


“Do ye thus requite Jehovah, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee? hath He not made thee, and established thee? (Deuteronomy 32:6)
“Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou art our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)
“Thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou O Jehovah, art our Father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.” (Isaiah 63:16)
“Now God Himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11)

THE SON IS GOD


“Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23)
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
“The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee ... Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him,” (Psalm 2:7,12).
“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God , is for ever and ever.” (Hebrews 1:8)
“I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.” (Isaiah 49:26)
“For thy maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.” (Isaiah 54:5)
“And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
 (See also, 1 Timothy 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:3, and 1 Timothy 3:16.)
 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD


“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ... thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” (Acts 5:3-4)
“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” (Job 33:4)
“Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men ... whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him.” (Matthew 12:31-32)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek;” (Isaiah 61:1).
 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PERSONAL (NOT A FORCE)


“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)
“Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” (Acts 5:9)
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
“But all these worketh the one and selfsame Spirit dividing to every man severally as He will.” (1 Corinthians 12:11)
 

EACH PERSON IS DISTINCT FROM THE OTHER TWO


“And Jesus when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
“I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth;” (John 14:16-17)
“But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things,” (John 14:26).

YET THERE IS ONE GOD, NOT THREE GODS


“There is one God; and there is none other but He.” (Mark 12:32)
[See all of the Bible passages in the first section which tell us that there is only one God.]

THE THREE ARE ONE


“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Matthew 28:19).
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7)
Or to put it another way, “these tri are une.” (1 John 5:7)
[See, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Isaiah 48:16, Genesis 18:1-3, and all of the passages in the first section that tell us that there is only one God.]

JESUS CHRIST IS TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH INCARNATE


“I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.” (Isaiah 49:26)
[See all of the passages in section three that show that Jesus is true God.]

JESUS IS ALSO TRUE MAN, THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH


“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5).
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.” (Isaiah 42:1, Matthew 12:18)
 

CONCLUSION

    While I could add many other passages, the point I am trying to make is that the true church of Jesus Christ accepts everything that the Bible says about God, without changing it in order to make it conform to the mind of man (John 10:27). In contrast, those who reject the doctrine of the Trinity are unwilling to accept everything that the Bible says, and so explain away any passages that contradict their own ideas.

Those who are truly orthodox allow the actual words of Scripture to be their doctrine, and so teach nothing that is not taught in God's Word.