THEOLOGY Lesson 6 VI. God the Trinity, Lecture notes of Theology

Download THEOLOGY Lesson 6 VI. God the Trinity and more Lecture notes Theology in PDF only on Docsity! THEOLOGY Lesson 6 VI. God the Trinity Before studying the Trinity, let us consider various concepts of God. Theism is the belief in one or more gods. Classical theism is the belief in one infinite God, which is distinguished from the cosmos; and this God created, sustains and guides the cosmos. In classical theism, God is both transcendent (removed from the universe) and immanent (present in the universe). Classical theism includes Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Deism holds that God created the cosmos, but God does not continue to guide it. In deism, God is transcendent, but not immanent. Pantheism is the idea that God is the universe. In pantheism, God is immanent, but not transcendent. Polytheism is the belief in more than one god. Monotheism is the belief in one god. Classical theism is monotheistic. The Trinity is the Christian belief in one God, known in three persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity were in existence prior to the creation of the universe. The first verse of the Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth. The Hebrew word “Elohim” is the name of God in this verse, and it is a plural noun meaning “three or more,” suggesting the three persons of the Trinity. See Genesis 1:1. Genesis 1:26 again presents God as a plural noun (Elohim), but Genesis 1:27 presents God both as a plural noun (Elohim) and as a singular pronoun (his/he). 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26,27 NIV). The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deut. 6:4 NIV). When the word LORD is in all caps in Bibles written in English, it refers to the name of God (transliterated from the Hebrew as YHWH--“Yahweh” or JHVH--“Jehovah”). In Deuteronomy 6:4, the word “God” is from the Hebrew word “Elohim” (plural form of God), but Elohim is used in this verse to mean the one supreme God. Notice that the definite article “the” precedes “LORD,” indicating one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims that the one God is Jehovah. The Bible teaches that the Heavenly Father is God. See Matthew 6:9. The Bible reveals that Jesus is God. See Colossians 2:9. And the Bible shows that the Holy Spirit is God. See Acts 5:3,4. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but there is only one God. So the one God is known in three persons. To help in understanding the Trinity, consider some analogies. Genesis 1:27 says “God created man in his own image.” So one analogy is that a man has a body, soul (mind), and spirit—one man known in three ways. Just as one God is known in three persons, one man is known in three ways. Another analogy is that water, ice, and steam all are of the same substance (two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen), but they are known in three ways—liquid, solid, and vapor. 1 | P a g e The Old Testament suggests the Trinity. See Isaiah 48:12,13,16. Verses 12 and 13 present the Creator (Jesus) as the speaker; and verse 16 refers to the Sovereign Lord (Father) and the Spirit (Holy Spirit). The Trinity is revealed more clearly in the New Testament. See Luke 1:35 (birth of Jesus); see Matthew 3:16-17 (baptism of Jesus); and see Matthew 28:18-20 (Great Commission). While the New Testament presents three persons as having the power of God, it says that there is only one God. See Mark 12:29. The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But Scripture reveals the Trinity, and Christian statements of faith from the second century forward present the Trinity. A. Father. God the Father is the eternally existing God. When Moses asked God to reveal his name, God said that he is “I Am” (from a Hebrew word meaning “to exist”). See Exodus 3:14. Jesus referred to God as “Father.” See the Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9ff. God is both transcendent and immanent. God is transcendent—he is superior to the universe. Through His Son, He created the universe (see Gen. 1:1, Col. 1:15,16), and the Holy Spirit was active in the Creation process (see Gen. 1:2). He is all-powerful (omnipotent). See Psalm 33:6-11. God is all-knowing (omniscient). See Job 37:14-16. The Lord never changes (immutable). See Malachi 3:6. God is light. See 1 John 1:5. God is a Spirit. See John 4:24. God is immanent —he is present throughout the universe (omnipresent). He is here with us. See Acts 17:24-27. Since God is a Spirit, he cannot be seen. But God has revealed himself through theophanies. A theophany is a visible appearance of God. Examples of this include God appearing as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21), and as a burning bush (Exodus 3:4). God is personal—not merely a force. God’s personality is shown by the fact that he loves (1 John 4:8) and hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). B. Son. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Joshua,” meaning “Jehovah—saved.” So the name Jesus infers that He is the Savior. “Christ” means “the Anointed One,” from the Hebrew “Messiah.” (Daniel 9:25,26). In Old Testament times, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil when they were appointed to office. Jesus is the Prophet that God promised would come (Deut. 18:18; see Luke 13:33; John 6:14). A prophet proclaims the word of God. Jesus is our Priest (see Hebrews 7:21). As our priest, Jesus intercedes between God the Father and mankind. He is the advocate for believers. Priests in the Old Testament offered sacrifices to reconcile sinners with God. Jesus came as the one perfect sacrifice to reconcile us with the Lord. Priests blessed the people, and Jesus blesses us—he offers us eternal life. Jesus will come again to judge the world ( see Matthew 25:31-33), and he will reign as King ( see Revelation 11:15). In the First Advent (or first coming of Christ), Jesus introduced the Kingdom of Heaven ( see Matthew 4:17). In the Second Advent, Jesus will reign as King in the Kingdom of God ( see Rev. 12:10; 19:16). 2 | P a g e