Understanding the Nature of the Trinity – Part 1

Over the next several weeks, I will be presenting portions of a very in depth study I am working on concerning the diety of Jesus Christ.  I began this study in December of 2014 and it is still a long way from complete.  I will say up front that this study was (and still is) one of the most difficult studies that I have ever worked on.  I have some very personal reasons for why I began this study which have changed dramatically since I began.  I pray that as you read these articles that you will be blessed as I have been blessed to do them.  This is not going to be "light reading", so as you read these articles, I suggest that you begin each one by praying that God will reveal himself to you through his Word.

Throughout this study, I will quote using the NLT and NASB unless otherwise noted. Much of this document is based upon a work and outline written by Robert Bowman at www.apologeticsindex.org.  I have taken an outline that Mr. Bowman put together and fleshed it out and studied each scripture reference in depth.  There are several methods of study I used as I delved into the meat of the scriptures here.  First and foremost, I specifically and intentionally avoided ANY doctrinal statements from any church.  For some of the scriptures, I used one or more of several English translations to arrive at the conclusions of what they mean.  In some cases (this was more often than not), I looked at these passages in whole or in part in the original language.  This means that for most of the Old Testament Passages, I was using various websites to assist me in translation of the old Hebrew language.  For the New Testament, which is generally accepted to be Greek.  While a few scholars believe that the original language was often Aramaic, most scholars hold that it was written in Greek.  In any event, the original language study was done using the Greek language primarily from the biblehub.com website's sources.  The Strong's Concordance and Thayer's Greek Lexicon were used to assist in my understanding of the original language.

I undertook this study because there was a question in my personal life where I was asked to show from a biblical perspective that Jesus is God. This question really was about a doctrine that we know as the trinity. As I began this study, it was my intent to find whether this doctrine was biblical and whether my belief at the outset was to be modified by this extensive bible study.  I will let you decide for yourself, but I must tell you that my conclusions based on this study have only strengthened my belief in the Trinity.

Let me first establish that I believe that there is only one true God and that he is called Jehovah/Yahweh in the old testament scriptures. God (I will use that "name" for him throughout) is singular in nature (one God), yet he exists as three distinct persons. This is the essence of the Trinitarian belief to which I hold.  It is important to note here that this does not mean there are three Gods.  Before I begin, let me offer a quick explanation of a few key components necessary to properly understand and interpret what the bible teaches.

First and foremost, we need to ask God to reveal the truth of his word to us. He WANTS us to know him, so it is clearly within his will for us to understand his word. This is the most critical part of understanding God's word.  As I suggested earlier, as you begin reading articles in this section, I urge you to pray specifically for God to speak to you through His word.  You do not have to simply take my word for what I have read.  If you have questions about my sources, you are free to ask and I will try to explain what lead me to the specific conclusions and what tools I used to study that particular passage.  I did not keep notes on all of where I read or studied, though MOST of what I used is outlined above.

Secondly, there is a reality that often, there are truths that are stated explicitly. For example, Job 37:16 explicitly states that God has perfect knowledge (he is all-knowing). Other scriptures may imply that something is true or untrue, but not explicitly state such. As we read these scriptures, it is important to understand the implicit statements in light of the explicitly stated truths. An example would be in Gen 4:9, God asks Cain about the whereabouts of his brother. This passage should not make us think that God did not know the answer to his question, as there are passages that explicitly state that he is all-knowing. Rather, there MUST be another reason that God is asking such a question. In other words, we MUST take the entirety of our understanding of biblical truth into account as we interpret and attempt to understand God's word.

Finally, it is important to use logic rather than rationalization. Let me illustrate this approach using the same concept that God knows all things in advance. Since this is known to be true, it would follow that He must have known that Adam and Eve would fall into sin. We can reach this conclusion using our logical faculties. However, it does NOT follow that since He knew it would occur, that Adam and Eve were not responsible for their choice OR that God is somehow responsible.  This is a rationalization of the logical facts that goes beyond what is clearly true. While it may be difficult to understand how we can be responsible for something that God knew would happen, it is certainly not illogical or contradictory to say so. To summarize, we must ensure that the conclusions we draw from one passage follow a logical line rather than leap to something that would contradict a truth found elsewhere.

With all of that said, let's dig into the first part of this study.  In looking at this topic, it should be understood that there are several components to this study. We will be looking at the nature of God, not as a byproduct of this study, rather as a primary goal of understanding, knowing and recognizing God for who he really is at an essential level.

• There is only ONE God

   

  • There is only one true God.

     

    • Old Testament:

       

      •  Deuteronomy 4:35 – He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other.
      • Deuteronomy 4:39 – So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth,
        and there is no other.
      • Deuteronomy 32:39(a) – Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me!
      • 2 Samuel 22:32 – For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
      • Isaiah 37:20 – Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that
        you alone, O Lord, are God.
      • Isaiah 43:10 – “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be.
      • A few more Old Testament references: Isaiah 44:6-8; 45:5; 45:14; 45:21-22; 46:9
    • New Testament:

       

      • John 5:44 – No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.
      • Romans 3:30 – There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
      • Romans 16:27 – All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
      • 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 – So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live.  And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
        through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.
      • Galatians 3:20 – Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.
      • Ephesians 4:5-6 – There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
      • 1 Timothy 1:17 – All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
      • 1 Timothy 2:5 – For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
      • James 2:19 – You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
      • Jude 25 – All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
  • There are none like God in His essence

     

    • Exodus 8:10 – “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
    • Exodus 9:13-14 – Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
    • Exodus 15:11 – “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor,  performing great wonders?
    • 2 Samuel 7:22 – “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!
    • 1 Kings 8:23 – and he prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.
    • A few more: 1 Chronicles 17:20;Psalm 86:8;Isaiah 40:18, 25;Isaiah 44:7;Isaiah 46:5, 9;Jeremiah 10:6-7;Micah 7:18
  • None can be like God – it is a Satanic lie to think otherwise

     

    • Genesis 3:5 – “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
    • Isaiah 14:14 – I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
    • John 8:44 – For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
    • Since there is only one TRUE God…'

       

      • ​2 Chronicles 15:3 – For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the
        Law to instruct them.
      • Jeremiah 10:10 – But the Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth
        trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.
      • John 17:3 – And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you
        sent to earth.
      • 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned awayfrom idols to serve the living and true God.
      • 1 John 5:20 – And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know
        the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus
        Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.
  • All other “gods” are, therefore, false gods and not gods at all

     

    • Deuteronomy 32:21 – They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God; they have provoked my anger with their useless idols. Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people; I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
    • 1 Samuel 12:21 – Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless!
    • Psalm 96:5 – The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
    • Isaiah 37:19 – And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.
    • More…Isaiah 41:23-24,29;Jeremiah 2:11;Jeremiah 5:7; 16:20; 1 Corinthians 8:4;1 Corinthians 10:19-20
  • Men were created in the IMAGE of God, but we are NOT God (or gods)

     

    • We share with God a moral character

       

      • Genesis 1:26-27 – Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
      • Gensis 5:1 – This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself.
      • 1 Corinthians 11:7 – A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory.
      • Ephesians 4:24 – Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
      • Colossians 3:10 – Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
    • We are to be “like” Christ, but only in that we reflect his moral character AND that we will be raised with glorified, immortal bodies (as He is)

       

      • 1 John 3:2 – Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
      • Romans 8:29 – For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
      • Philippians 3:21 – He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:49 – Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
    • Angels are not God or gods, either.

       

      • Demons are not gods, nor is Satan a god

         

        • 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 – What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.
        • Galatians 4:8-9 – Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.  So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?
        • 2 Corinthians 4:4 – Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.  They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

           

          • Note the lower case “g” in “god of this world”. He is a false god.

In this section of the study, I have attempted to make the case that there is only ONE true God. Any other “god” is a false god. Neither man nor angels are gods. God is completely unique and even His nature and essence are impossible for any but him to fully emulate. The Bible is very clear in that it repeatedly and explicitly states: There is ONLY ONE GOD!  

The ONE God is known as Jehovah (“The Lord”) in the OT and is called “Elohim” (God) The name Elohim is unique to Hebraic thinking: it occurs only in Hebrew and in no other ancient Semitic language. It is important to understand that when it is used with a singular verb or adjective, “elohim” is usually singular in translation – “god” or “God” (specifically, “the God”). If the verb forms or adjectives are plural, then the word is translated as “gods” or “powers”. The masculine plural ending does not mean “gods” when referring to the true God of Israel, since the name is mainly used with singular verb forms and with adjectives and pronouns in the singular (see Gen. 1:26). However, considering the Hashalush HaKadosh (Trinity), the form indeed allows for the plurality within the Godhead. (This information was taken primarily from a website called Hebrew for Christians, written by John J. Parsons. http://www.hebrew4christians.com. This site is FULL of great information and worth more study.)

• Jehovah is called Elohim or El

   

  • Deuteronomy 4:35 – He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other.
  • Psalm 100:3 – Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
  • Isaiah 54:5 – For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!  He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
  • Jeremiah 32:27 – I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? 
  • and MANY others. In fact, in the Tanahk (Hebrew canon), this name occurs 2570 times.  
• Sometimes, there is a compound name given “Jehovah God” (Yahweh Elohim)

   

  • ​Genesis 2:3 – And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
  • Genesis 9:26 – Then Noah said, “May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant!
  • Genesis 24:3 – Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women
  • 2 Samuel 7:22 – How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!
  • Again, many more can be found with this combination
• There is only one Jehovah/Yahweh

   

  • ​Deuteronomy 6:4 – Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

     

    • NIV: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one

       

      • Footnote reads: “Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone”
      • This same footnote appears in the NLT
    • NKJV: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!

       

      • Footnote reads: Or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone (that is, the only one)
  • Mark 12:29 – Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

     

    • Note that Jesus was answering a question and quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 in answer

The above sections show that Jehovah/Yahweh is the only el/elohim or God. Because there is only one

• God, he is unique and there is none like him.

   

  • 1 Corinthians 8:2-3 reads, “Anyone who claims to knowall the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”

     

    • A footnote appears that reads: Some manuscripts read “the person who loves has full knowledge”. These verses indicate that, while we may know about God, NONE of us have a full understanding of God, as he cannot be fully comprehended with our finite minds.
• ​In fact, God can only be known insofar as the Son reveals Him

   

  • Matthew 11:25-27 – At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,  Thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
  • John 1:18 – No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

     

    • Footnote says: Some manuscripts read “But the one and only Son”
• Because of His uniqueness and our inability to fully comprehend the fullness of God, some of the descriptions of Him and based on analogies

   

  • ​Ezekiel 1:26-28 – Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.
  • Revelation 1:13-16 – And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance

     

    • Jesus referred to himself as “Son of Man”. The original language here may be “like a Son of Man” and is so noted in the footnote.
    • Also see:

       

      • Daniel 7:13 – As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of…

         

        • This is most certainly a description of Jesus
• God is transcendent and entirely distinct from the universe and the earth.

   

  • ​He is separate from the world

     

    • ​Isaiah 40:22 – God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.
    • Acts 17:24 – He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,
  • He is contrasted with the world

     

    • ​Psalm 102:25-27 – Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.
    • 1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases
  • God will live forever.  He is the Creator

     

    • ​Gen 1:1 -In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
    • Psalm 33:6 – The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. 
    • John 1:3 – God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
    • Romans 11:36 – For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
    • And many more references

So far, we have established that the bible is very clear that there is only ONE God and his name is Jehovah. There is none like him in heaven or the earth and none CAN be like him (this includes men, demons and angels). Anyone or anything that claims to the contrary is a false god and is putting forth a lie of Satan, who ALSO is a false god. Only Jehovah is elohim. As finite beings, we cannot fully comprehend God on our own, but the Son, Jesus, reveals God to us. God is not “mother nature”.  Rather, he is the creator and sustainer of the universe. In the next article, we will begin looking at the question of the “person” of God.

I pray that this series will be a blessing to you.  I recognize that this is not an "easy reading" type of study, but it wasn't intended to be that.  This series will be a VERY in depth look at exactly who and what God is.  As I mentioned above, the FULL understanding of who God is will never be possible for us, but he does reveal a LOT of information in his word.  Please pray for me as I continue this study and SHARE it with your friends.  All glory goes to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

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