THE TRINITY OF THE GODHEAD

The third area of this study will deal with the actual Trinity of the Godhead. Thus far, it has been shown that the Bible teaches that there is plurality in the Godhead, and that this plurality is a unity of only one God. Now, it is necessary to show that this plurality is limited to a Trinity in that there are no less and no more than three Persons.

A. The Trinity of the Godhead in the Old Testament

From the Old Testament, the evidence that God is, indeed, a Trinity is found in the fact that only three Persons are ever called God, and no more than three Persons are ever seen together.

1. Isaiah 42:1

Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. Notice the three Persons in this first example. The first Person is the speaker, who is seen by the pronoun I. The second Person is the speaker's servant, the servant of Jehovah. And the third Person is the Spirit of God. Here is a passage where there are three and only three Persons, no more or no less than three.

2. Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;… The second example mentions only three individuals: the Lord Jehovah; the Spirit of Jehovah; and the pronoun me, in reference to the speaker: The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me. Again, there are three Persons, and no more.

3. Isaiah 63:7-14

A third example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is found in the context of Isaiah 63:7-14, which deals with a summary of the Exodus. Within the context of this passage, three and no more than three Persons are mentioned. For example, in verse 7 there is one Person: I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he has bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. In verse 7, the reference is to the Person called Jehovah. In this case, Jehovah is God the Father. A second personality mentioned is in verse 9: In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. A second personality mentioned in this context is the angel of his presence. He is the same as the Angel of Jehovah, who has the name of Jehovah Himself. Notice in verse 9, that it was this angel who was responsible for saving them and for redeeming them. A third personality is the Holy Spirit mentioned three different times: But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit:…(vs.10); …where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? (vs. 11); and As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest (vs. 14). In this passage, the three personalities are clearly in view. There are not less than three, and there are not more than three.

4. Isaiah 48:12-16

The fourth example as evidence of the Trinity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is in the context of Isaiah 48:12-16. Verses 12-14a: Hearken unto me, 0 Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread out the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah loves shall perform his pleasure…In these verses, it is clear that the speaker is God Himself because the speaker refers to Himself as the One who is responsible for the Creation of the heavens and the earth. Since God is responsible for creating the heavens and the earth, the speaker, then, must be God Himself. Then verse 16 states: Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah has sent me, and his Spirit. Notice carefully the three Persons: the speaker, the Spirit, and the Lord Jehovah. In verse 16, the speaker is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and He refers to Himself by the pronouns I and me. This speaker distinguishes Himself from two other Persons. One Person from whom He distinguishes Himself is the Lord Jehovah. The second Person from whom He distinguishes Himself is the Spirit of God. Here is the clearest Old Testament passage on the Triunity. Here, in Isaiah 48:12-16, the Triunity is as clearly presented as the Old Testament Scriptures have chosen to make it. In the Old Testament, only three Persons are ever called God, and no more than three Persons are ever seen together.

B. The Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament

In the New Testament, there are three major lines of evidence for the Trinity of the Godhead.

1. Only Three Persons Are Ever Called God

Only three Persons are ever called God, and no more than three Persons are ever seen together.

a. Matthew 3:16-17

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Notice, no more than three Persons are to be found in the context of the baptism of Yeshua (Jesus). The Son is seen in the Person of Yeshua; the Spirit is seen because He comes down in the bodily form of a dove; and the Father is made present by the audible voice that comes down out of the heavens, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

b. Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: …In the second example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament, only three Persons are mentioned specifically, no less than three, but no more either. These three Persons are now given titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Notice the seeming contradiction insofar as the grammar is concerned. The command is to go and baptize in the name of, and the word name is singular. It does not say, "in the names of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," which would have been more grammatically correct. But rather, it is in the name of. The word name is singular, emphasizing the unity of the Godhead. But then, this one name belongs to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the Trinity of the Godhead.

c. John 14:16-17

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholds him not, neither knows him: ye know him; for he abides with you, and shall be in you. In the third example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament, notice again the three Persons mentioned in this context. One Person is the speaker, Yeshua, who is identified by the pronoun I. The second Person is the Father, to whom He will pray. The third Person is the [Holy] Spirit, who is going to be sent.

d. I Corinthians 12:4-6

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all. In the fourth example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament, once again three Persons are mentioned, but no more. Verse 4 mentions the Spirit, who is the Holy Spirit. Verse 5 mentions the Lord, who is the Son. And verse 6 mentions God, who, in this case, is God the Father.

e. II Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Notice the three Persons in the fifth example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [the Son], the love of God [the Father], and the communion of the Holy Spirit [the Holy Spirit]. Again, three Persons are mentioned, no more and no less.

f. I Peter 1:2

…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. In the last example of the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament, verse 2 mentions three Persons: God the Father, who is responsible for the foreknowledge; the Spirit, who is responsible for sanctification; and the Son, Jesus Christ, who is responsible for the sprinkling [shedding] of His blood for the sins of the world.

Summary: In keeping with the teaching of the Old Testament, the New Testament clearly recognizes that there are three Persons in the Godhead. But, while the Old Testament clearly taught a Triunity, it did not actually name the members of this Triunity; this comes only with New Testament revelation. The First Person is called God the Father. The Second Person is called God the Son. It is the New Testament that answers the question of Proverbs 30:4: What is his son's name? His Son's name is Yeshua. In accordance with the Old Testament, He was sent by God to be the Messiah, but this time as a man, instead of an Angel. Furthermore, He was sent for a specific purpose: to die for our sins. In essence, what happened was that God became a man in order to accomplish the work of Atonement. The Third Person is called God the Holy Spirit. Throughout the New Testament, He is related to the work of the Second Person in keeping with the teaching of the Old Testament.

2. Only Three Persons Have the Attributes of God

The second major line of evidence concerning the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament is that only three Persons have the attributes of God. There are four particular, divine attributes which only three Persons possess.

The first attribute is that of eternality. Only three Persons are said to have this attribute in that only three Persons have always existed and will always continue to exist. The Father has this attribute of eternality in Psalm 90:2, which speaks of the Father being from everlasting to everlasting. The Son also has the attribute of eternality in Micah 5:2 (quoted in Mat. 2:5-6). Although in His humanity He would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2 also states that, as to His deity, He has been of old, from everlasting. The Hebrew words that Micah uses are the strongest possible terms concerning the concept of eternity past. The Son's eternality is also taught in John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. According to this verse, the Son existed in the beginning with God the Father. In other words, as long as God has existed, so also the Son has existed. Since God the Father has existed from all eternity, therefore, the Son must have existed for all eternity as well. John 1:1 is clear evidence that some of the cultic teachings, which claim that the Son was created by God the Father, are wrong. The point of John 1:1 is that as long as the Father has existed, which has been for all eternity, that is how long the Son has existed. The eternality of the Son is also found in John 1:15 and 8:58. The Holy Spirit also has the attribute of eternality according to Hebrews 9:14.

The second attribute is that of omnipotence, which means "all-powerful." Only three Persons have the attribute of omnipotence. God the Father is omnipotent in I Peter 1:5. The Son is omnipotent in Hebrews 1:3. The Holy Spirit is omnipotent in Romans 15: 19.

The third attribute is that of omniscience, which means "all-knowing." The Father is omniscient in Jeremiah 17:10. The Son is omniscient in John 16:30; 21:17; and Revelation 2:23. The Holy Spirit is omniscient in I Corinthians 2:10-11.

The fourth attribute which only three Persons have is omnipresence, meaning that "God is everywhere." The Father is omnipresent according to Jeremiah 23:24. The Son is omnipresent according to Matthew 18:20 and 28:20. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent according to Psalm 139:7-10.

Summary: Thus, the second line of evidence that the plurality of the Godhead is limited to a Trinity is the fact that only three Persons have the attributes of God; in particular, the uniquely divine attributes of eternality, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

3. Only Three Persons Know the Works of God

There is a third line of evidence for the Trinity of the Godhead in the New Testament: only three Persons act like God or do the works of God. There are three specific examples in this area.

a. The Work of the Creation of the Universe

The first example is the Creation of the universe. The thrust of the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that God is the Creator of the universe. The Creation of the universe is a specific work of God, and yet in the Scriptures, there are three different Persons who are responsible for the Creation. The Father is responsible for the Creation of the universe in Psalm 102:25. The Son is responsible for the Creation of the universe in John 1:3; and Colossians 1:16. The Holy Spirit is responsible for the Creation of the universe in Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; and Psalm 104:30. In dealing with the Creation of the universe, which is a work of God, these three Persons are said to be responsible.

b. The Work of the Creation of Man

A second specific work of God is the creation of man. Again; the thrust of Scripture in both testaments is that God created man in His own image. Once again; the Scriptures teach that three different Persons are credited with the creation of man. The Father is responsible for the creation of man according to Genesis 2:7. The Son is responsible for the creation of man according to Colossians 1:16. The Holy Spirit is responsible for the creation of man in Job 33:4. As it was true with the Creation of the universe, so it is also true with the creation of man: three Persons are credited with this work, which is a work of God.

c. The Work of Inspiration

The third example is the work of inspiration. The thrust of Scripture is that God does the work of inspiration; God is the revealer of Himself. But again; three different Persons are said to be responsible for the work of inspiration. God the Father does the work of inspiration according to II Timothy 3:16. God the Son is responsible for the work of inspiration in I Peter 1:10-11. The Holy Spirit is responsible for the work of inspiration in II Peter 1:21. This, too, is a work of God, and yet, three Persons are responsible.