Ishak Natan
Jan 2022
The
Doctrine of
the Trinity in the Old Testament.
This doctrine is not so much declared
as suggested in
the Old Testament.
The burden of the Old Testament message seems to be
the unity of God. Yet the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly intimated
in a four-fold way:
First: In the plural names of the
Deity; e. g., Elohim.
אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym,
el-o-heem' plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but
specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of
the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to
magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding,
God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
Second: Personal pronouns used of the
Deity. Ge 1:26; Ge 11:7; Isa.6:8.
Third: The Theophanies,
especially the "Angel of the Lord." Gen.16:1-16;18:1-33.
Fourth:
The work of the Holy Spirit. Ge 1:2; Jg 6:34.
-
Interaction
among the Godhead
-
- God the Father
(the LORD) speaking . . . Why do
the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
LORD, and against his anointed , saying, Let us break their bands
asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall
he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (Ps 2:1-6 )
God the Son declared.
. . I will declare the decree: the
LORD hath said
unto me (Jesus), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them
with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel. (Ps 2:7-9 )
God the Spirit gave
warning . . . Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and
rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all
they that put their trust in him. (Ps 2:10-12)
For unto which of the angels
said he at any time, Thou art
my Son, this
day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he
shall be to me a Son? (Heb 1:5)
-
Threefold
mission
- For the grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared
to all men, [PAST TENSE]
- Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
[PRESENT = GIFT]
- Looking for that blessed hope [RAPTURE - IMMINENT], and
the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Chris
[SECOND COMING > [FUTURE]
- Who gave himself for us [IN OUR PLACE], that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his
own [EKKLESIA = BODY OF BELIEVERS], zealous of good works. (Tit
2:11-14)
-
Threefold
teamwork
- Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
(1Pe 1:2)
-
Before
crucifixion
- Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and
it
sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you,
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen
the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest
thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that
I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in
me, he doeth the works. (Joh 14:8-10)
- The Comforter
-
- But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom
the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (Joh
14:26)
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me: (Joh 15:26) 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for
you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye
see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged.Joh
16:7-11
- What
had happened to Jesus at the Cross
And at the ninth hour
Jesus cried with a loud voice,
saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My
God [The Father], my God [Holy Ghost), why hast thou forsaken me [as
Man in 'our shoes']? (Mr 15:34)
And so it is written, The first
man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. (1Co 15:45)
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with
a loud voice,
saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My
God [1st member of Elohim], my God [3rd member of Elohim], why hast
thou forsaken me [God-Man as mediator]? (Mr 15:34)
- Now a mediator
is not a mediator of one, but God is one. (Ga 3:20 ) For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus; (1Ti 2:5) But to us 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. (1Co 8:6)
Old
Testament vanish away
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine
service, and an earthly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:1; In that he
says, A new covenant, he has made the first old. Now that which decays
and grows old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:13; And for
this cause he is the mediator of the new covenant, that by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the
first covenant, they who are called might receive the promise of
eternal inheritance. 16 For where a will is, there must also of
necessity be the death of the maker. For a will is in force after men
are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the maker lives. Hebrews
9:15-17
Name
of Jesus only
In Mat 28:19; God, Jesus Christ said go and baptize them
ALL in NAME, a very important word NAME. He did not say go
and baptize them all in Father, Son and Holy Ghost. He says in the NAME
OF. So what is the NAME of Father, Son and Holy Ghost?
Hence first time
the name to be revealed to human was by Peter. Then Peter said unto
them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost [third member of the tri-une God - Elohim] (Ac 2:38).
- Jesus came in flesh & blood as human being (Son of
man); after His resurrection Jesus got flesh & bone body.
- Behold my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a
spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Lu 24:39)
Heaven
& Earth witnesses
- For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And
there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water,
and the blood: and these three agree in one. (1Jo 5:7-8)
- Starting
point in New
Testament
- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Mt
28:19)
The
Doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament.
The doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in
the Bible; it is not merely intimated, as in the Old Testament,
but explicitly declared. These are evident from the following:
First: The baptism of Christ: Mt
3:16-17. Here the
Father speaks from heaven; the Son is being baptized in the Jordan; and
the Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
Second: In the
Baptismal Formula: Mt 28:19--"Baptizing them in the name (sing.) of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Third: The Apostolic
Benediction: 2Co 13:14--"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ....love of
God.....communion of the Holy Ghost."
Fourth: Christ
Himself teaches it in Joh 14:16--"I will pray the Father... He will
give you another Comforter."
Fifth: A Father who is God, Ro 1:7. A son who is God,
Heb 1:8. A Holy Spirit who is God, Ac 5:3-4.
The
Doctrine of the Trinity VS
Unitarianism (A non-doctrinal religion that stresses
individual
freedom of belief and rejects the Trinity)
The Father is all the
fulness of the Godhead invisible, Joh 1:18; the Son is all the visible
fulness
of Godhead manifested in the flesh, Joh 1:4-18; the Spirit is all the
fulness
invisible of the
Godhead acting upon the heart of man, 1Co 2:9-10.
In its last
analysis, the doctrine of the Trinity is a deep mystery that cannot be
fathomed by the finite mind.
However, it is a doctrine taught in the Scripture to be accepted even
though it cannot be
thoroughly understood.
We are told of the presence of all three persons of the
blessed Trinity. God the Son, manifest in the body, is baptized.
God the Spirit descends like a dove, and lights upon Him. God the
Father speaks from heaven with a voice. In a word we have the
manifested presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Surely we may
regard this as a public announcement, that the work of Christ was the
result of the eternal counsels of all the Three. It was the whole
Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, "let us make
man." And God אֱלֹהִים said
אָמַר,
Let us make עָשָׂה man
אָדַם in
our image צֶלֶם,
after our likeness דְּמוּת:
and let them have dominion רָדָה over
the fish דָּגָה of
the sea יָם, and
over the fowl עוֹף of
the air שָׁמַיִם,
and over the cattle בְּהֵמָה,
and over all the earth אֶרֶץ,
and over every creeping thing רֶמֶשׂ that
creepeth רָמַשׂ upon
the earth אֶרֶץ.
(Ge 1:26)
It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of
the Gospel seemed to say, "let us save man."
For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. John 3:16-17
