[Faith-talk] Explaining the Trinity
sheila
sleigland at bresnan.net
Mon Mar 10 14:28:59 UTC 2014
thank you thank you and tripple thank you. I'm happy to see an article
put together in such a concise way.
On 3/9/2014 11:38 AM, Poppa Bear wrote:
> Here is an article that goes over the doctrine of the trinity in a
> thorough and Biblical way. I hope that if some read it this that even
> if they don't agree with it they can be informed about the doctrine
> and have a clear understanding in order to make more accurate
> statements about what it is, where it came from and why they disagree
> with it. If a person continues to discredit it with out making an
> analytical study of both sides of the argument and only gathers
> information to support his or her preconceived ideas about it then the
> question may be asked, "is that intellectual dishonesty"? If a person
> does not want to take an analytical look at the evidence of the things
> they are creating arguments against then perhaps they should not speak
> on it. There is a simple old saying that says, "Know that what you
> know is so." Very cut and dry, if you don't know it, don't speak on it
> as if you do.
>
>
>
> "Why The Trinity?
>
> By Cooper P. Abrams, III
>
> All Rights Reserved
>
>
>
>
>
> Gadgets powered by Google
>
>
>
> INTRODUCTION: From the Second Century to our present age, many people
> have found the biblical doctrine of the Trinity hard to understand.
> The doctrine of the Trinity recognizes that God is one God,
> co-existing in three distinct Persons of the Father, Son and Holy
> Spirit. In our material existence, the concept that God is One God,
> yet exists as three distinct persons, is foreign to us. However, the
> doctrine of the Godhead (Trinity) is without questions revealed in
> God's word.
>
> The biblical term "Godhead" (theiotes) is used three times
> in Scripture, Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9. The word
> "Trinity," which is the theological word Christians use to refer to
> the Godhead, is not found in Scripture.
>
> · "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not
> to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone,
> graven by art and man's device" (Acts 17:29).
>
> · "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
> world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
> even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse"
> (Romans 1:20)
>
> · "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
> (Colossians 2:9)
>
> The doctrine states that the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
> consists of three distinct Persons, yet these three are one God. There
> are many arguments espoused by those that deny the Trinity, but the
> most prevalent is: How can God be One God and at the same time be
> three Persons?
>
> The problem with that question is that it is based in ignorance of
> what God has said about Himself. The Bible, the Word of God, plainly
> states the plurality of God and that God is One God. To accept His
> Word means to believe what God has revealed. The truth of the Trinity
> is a revealed truth that is established in the credibility of God
> Himself.
>
> In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission,
> stating that they were to teach and baptize in the names of the
> Godhead, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
> the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
> Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
> and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
>
> Further 1 John 5:7 states "For there are three that bear record in
> heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are
> one."[1] The fact God did not inspire the writers of Scripture to
> use the modern word "Trinity" does imply that it is not a biblical
> truth. However, there are many words and phrases that Christians use
> to express biblical doctrines that are not found in the Bible. One is
> the word "rapture." This word also is not found in Scripture, but the
> phrase "shall be caught up" (harpagesometha) is used in 1
> Thessalonians 4:17 and means to "catch away" or in Latin
> "rapiemur"meaning to be snatched away. In fact, the word "Bible" is
> also not found in the Scriptures. Would we dismiss the existence of
> the Bible because the word is not found in Scripture?[2]
>
> Those that deny the Trinity are denying the Godhead. They argue that
> it is physically impossible for three distinct persons to be only
> one. This article will show that they are both right and wrong. They
> are right in the sense that it is impossible for us to explain how
> this can be a reality in our physical/material world. But they are
> wrong in denying that God is a Triune God. The approach of this paper
> will be first to authenticate the biblical doctrine by presenting
> biblical statements attesting to this truth.
>
> One reason those who deny the Trinity do so is the Bible clearly
> teaches monotheism, meaning that God is One God. (Deut. 4:35-36, 6:4)
>
> · "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the
> LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made
> thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he
> shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the
> midst of the fire." (Deuteronomy 4:35-36)
>
> · "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart,
> and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which
> I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:" (Deuteronomy 6:5-6)
>
>
>
> · "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer
> the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me
> there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)
>
> · "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
> (Isaiah 43:11)
>
> The Scriptures unmistakably refer to the plurality of God in the He as
> exists in Three Persons. Secondly, this paper will present a
> practical explanation of the doctrine in human terms.
>
> Overwhelmingly, the Bible teaches the Trinitarian concept of one God
> existing as three persons. The Bible does not teach polytheism, which
> says that there are three separate Gods called the Father, Son and
> Holy Spirit. Nor does the Bible say God is one person who took three
> forms or that the God the Father became the Son, who then became the
> Holy Spirit, as is taught by some false churches. The Bible does not
> teach that God is only one person or that Jesus is not God, but only
> God's procreated son.[3] The word of God does not teach that Jesus
> was created.
>
> The Bible specifically states that God is Spirit and was never a man.
>
> · "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of
> man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or
> hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)
>
> · "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent:
> for he is not a man, that he should repent." (1 Samuel 15:29)
>
> The Bible further plainly states that Jesus Christ, being God, is
> eternal, as is the Father. The Apostle John states clearly that
> Jesus, the Word, was with God in the beginning of the Universe. "In
> the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
> was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made
> by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
> was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:1-4) This
> passage will be explained in detail later in the article.
>
> Jesus Himself plainly refers to eternity.
>
> · "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
> Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)
>
> Alfa and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
> In the following verse the term Alpha and Omega are defined by God
> Himself by the phrase "the beginning and the end" (verse 8) and "the
> first and the last" (verse 11).
>
> · "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
> the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
> . . . Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What
> thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which
> are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and
> unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
> Laodicea." (Revelation 1:8, 11)
>
> · "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
> beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
> fountain of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21:6)
>
> · "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
> and the last." (Revelation 22:13)
>
> How Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of the Trinity?
>
> The following chart shows some of the many passages in the Bible from
> which the doctrine of the Trinity is derived. Note that God the
> Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all called God and all have the same
> attributes, which are attributes that only God has.
>
> THE TRIUNE GODHEAD PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE
>
>
> FATHER
> SON
> HOLY SPIRIT
>
>
>
> Called God
> Phil. 1:2
> John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9
> Acts 5:3-4
>
> Creator
> Isa. 64:8; 44:24
> John 1:3
> Gen. 1:2
>
> Resurrects
> 1 Thess. 1:10
> John 2:19, 10:17
> Rom. 8:11
>
> Indwells
> 2 Cor. 6:16
> Col. 1:27
> John 14:17
>
> Everywhere
> 1 Kings 8:27
> Matt. 28:20
> Psa. 139:7-10
>
> All knowing
> 1 John 3:20
> John 16:30; 21:17
> 1 Cor. 2:10-11
>
> Sanctifies
> 1 Thess. 5:23
> Heb. 2:11
> 1 Pet. 1:2
>
> Life giver
> Gen. 2:7: John 5;21
> John 1:3; 5:21
> 2 Cor. 3:6,8
>
> Fellowship
> 1 John 1:3
> 1 Cor. 1:9
> 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1
>
> Eternal
> Psa. 90:2
> Micah 5:1-2
> Rom. 8:11; Heb. 9:14
>
> A Will
> Luke 22:42
> Luke 22:42
> 1 Cor. 12:11
>
> Speaks
> Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22
> Luke 5:20; 7:48
> Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2
>
> Love
> John 3:16
> Eph. 5: 25
> Rom. 15:30
>
> Searches the heart
> Jer. 17:10
> Rev. 2:23
> 1 Cor. 2:10
>
> We belong to
> John 17:9
> John 17:6
>
>
> Savior
> 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10
> 2 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 1:4; 3:6
>
>
> We serve
> Matt. 4:10
> Col. 3:24
>
>
> Believe in
> John 14:1
> John 14:1
>
>
>
> Gives joy
> John 15:9-11
> Luke 1:14, John 15:11, 17:13
>
>
> Judges
> John 8:50
> John 5:22, 30
>
>
>
>
>
> Passages in the Old Testament that Teach Plurality in the Oneness of God.
>
> ________________
> Deuteronomy 6:4
>
> "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD"
>
> The Bible, in this verse, emphatically states there is only one
> God.[4] "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy
> 6:4, Mark 12:29). Literally, the verse says, "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah
> our Elohim is a united Jehovah." The Bible is the inerrant inspired
> Word of God and this statement can only be understood in that God is
> telling us He is One God. (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21).
> Yet, this does not mean that within the Godhead there is not a
> plurality. Scripturally, plurality means, that God is One God
> existing in three distinct Persons.
>
> The Hebrew word for one is Echad and "stresses unity while recognizing
> diversity with that oneness."[5] This same word is used in Genesis
> 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and
> shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one (Echad) flesh."
> Therefore, God says that two individuals, Adam and Eve, were one
> flesh. Exodus 24:3 states " . . . All the people answered with one
> (Echad) voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will
> we do." Note that all the people, which were a great multitude,
> replied with one voice. There are many other instances where the word
> is used to show the oneness of many individuals. In other words, the
> Hebrew word Echad allows for plurality within oneness, allowing God,
> who is emphatically described as one God, to be three Persons who are
> One God.
>
> There is another Hebrew word that means "one" which is "Yahad." This
> word is always singular and can only mean one and so its use allows no
> plurality. God could have used this word in Deuteronomy 6:4, but chose
> Echad instead, which allows the concept of God being One God who is in
> essence is three individual Persons. Thiessen says, "A unity is,
> however, not inconsistent with the conception of the trinity; for a
> unity is not the same as a unit."[6]
>
> This concept can be further seen in the descriptions of the Person of
> God in the Old Testament:
>
> · The Person of God no one is allowed to see. "Thou canst not
> see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live" (Ex. 33:20).
>
> · The Person of God we can see. "And the LORD appeared unto
> him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of
> the day" (Genesis 18:1, See 2-33). (This is a preincarnate appearance
> of the Lord Jesus Christ)
>
> · The Person of God that cannot be seen. "And the earth was
> without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
> And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:2).
> (The Holy Spirit is in essence a spirit and cannot be seen by physical
> beings)
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:1-2
>
> "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth
> was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
> deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
>
> The Old Testament begins by teaching that God is One in three Persons.
> In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew name for God is "Elohim" which is used more
> than two thousand times in the plural form in the Bible.[7] Further,
> the name "Elohim" occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic
> language.[8] This is a plural noun, but the verb is singular which is
> not a normal use of grammar. Normally a plural noun would have a
> plural verb. But, if you wanted to teach that God is one and also a
> plurality, using the unique grammatical construction of using of a
> plural noun with a singular verb would be used. Therefore, this
> passage teaches that there is one God who exists in a plurality.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:26
>
> "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . "
>
> Again in Genesis 1:26, God is spoken of as plural. "And God said, Let
> us make man in our image . . . " The word "man" is the word "Adam"
> and refers to a human being both man and female. The same word for
> "one" (Echad) is used in Genesis 2:24, speaking of the oneness of a
> husband and wife. God sees a husband and wife spiritually as being
> one. This is another verse that helps to establish that two or more
> can spiritually be one.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 11:7-8
>
> "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they
> may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them
> abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off
> to build the city."
>
> Genesis 11:7-8 says the LORD scattered the antediluvians abroad from
> thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the
> city. God is spoken of in the plural (let "us" go down) and in the
> singular (Jehovah = "the existing One") at the same time. This passage
> summarizes the Bible's teaching that God is one, but exists in a
> plurality of three Persons.
>
> _______________
> Psalm 45:6-7
>
> "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom
> is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
> therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
> above thy fellows."
>
> According to Hebrews 1:8-9, God the Father is speaking in Psalm 45,
> and He is referring to the Son as God. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy
> throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the
> sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
> iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil
> of gladness above thy fellows "(Heb. 1:8-9).
>
> The question is: If the Son Himself was God, why did He address the
> Father as God? The Son addressed the Father as God for the same
> reason that the Father addressed the Son as God: because they are both
> God!
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 48:16-17
>
> "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from
> the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord
> GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer,
> the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to
> profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."
>
> God the Father states He is the "Lord GOD; I am the Lord thy God." He
> then unmistakably further says He is thy "Redeemer, the Holy One of
> Israel." Isaiah 44:24 proclaims the Redeemer made Israel and the
> heavens, "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee
> from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth
> forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself."
> Both verses refer to the promised Messiah who is both Jesus and God.
> Jesus is the Redeemer. The LORD (Jehovah) states that He is the
> Creator. Therefore, the Bible is saying that it is God (Jehovah) the
> Father who is the Creator. At the same time, the Bible is stating that
> Jesus Christ is the Creator. (See John 1:3-4, Eph. 3:9, Col. 1: 16)
>
> _______________
> Jeremiah 23:5-6
>
> "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
> righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
> execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be
> saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he
> shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
>
> The verse identifies the person speaking as being "the Lord" (Jehovah)
> and Jehovah is talking about another person who, in the future, will
> come to earth. David's descendent, a King who will reign, prosper and
> will judge the earth. Jehovah then gives His name as "JEHOVAH OUR
> RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is a reference to the promised Messiah, who will
> be a man and a descendant of David. God the Father identifies Himself
> in the Old Testament as "Jehovah" and here He says the Messiah's name
> is also called "Jehovah" (insert comma) which is the sacred name of
> God. It would be blasphemy to call any man "Jehovah" yet this is
> plainly the name by which the Messiah would be called. There can be no
> mistake that God the Father is saying the Messiah Jesus is God.
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 9:6
>
> "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
> government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
> Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
> Prince of Peace."
>
> This is another prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah. Note
> that the Messiah is called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father."
> There can be no doubt that this passage is saying a human child would
> be born who is identified as God and the Father. Why would God the
> Father state that the Messiah, a man, is God and the Father if He was
> not? Proverbs 30:4-5 states God's word are pure, "Who hath ascended up
> into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
> who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the
> ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if
> thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them
> that put their trust in him." God is saying His words are pure and
> that He is the Creator and He has a Son. Clearly this passage is
> saying that Jesus Christ (Christ = Messiah) is God incarnate in man.
>
> NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES THAT TEACH THE TRINITY
>
> The New Testament clearly states that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14); the
> Father is God (Phil. 1:2); and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
> Since the Son speaks to the Father, they are separate persons (John
> 17). Since the Holy Spirit speaks also (Acts 13:2), He, too, is a
> separate person. There can be no question that the New Testament
> proclaims there is only One God and that He exists in three distinct
> persons.
>
> _______________
> John 1:1, 14-15
>
> "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
> Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
> made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. . .
> .And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
> glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
> and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of
> whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he
> was before me."
>
> The verse emphatically states that the "Word" (Logos) was God. John
> 1:14-15 unmistakably proclaims that the "Word" was made flesh and this
> establishes the incarnation of God. God came to earth as a man. The
> passage unquestionably identifies Jesus Christ as the Word, who was
> God, stating that John the Baptist bare witness of Him.
>
> John 1:3 teaches that it was Jesus Christ, the Word (Logos) who
> created all things. "All things were made by him; and without him was
> not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3) However, Genesis 1:1
> states "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the
> earth." This passage without a doubt establishes the deity of Jesus
> Christ, affirming that He is God and that He created all things.
> Speaking of Christ Colossians 1:16 states, "For by him were all things
> created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
> invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
> or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Further,
> Colossians 1:17 adds "And he is before all things, and by him all
> things consist." (See Heb. 1:3, 10)
>
> God plainly states in Exodus 34:14 that man is not to worship any
> other God. "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose
> name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Colossians 1:18 states that Jesus
> is to have the preeminence in all things. "And he is the head of the
> body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
> that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18).
> Further, Jesus was worshiped many times while on earth. (See Matt.
> 2:11, 15:25, 28:17; Mark 3:11, 5:6, 33, 14:33 15:19; Luke 5:8; 8:28,
> 41, 17:16, 24:52; John 9:38; Rev. 5:14) Jesus accepted the worship of
> men because He is God.
>
> Obviously, there is a pattern presented by these Scriptures. God the
> Father is emphatically said to have created the heavens and the earth
> and at the same time Jesus is proclaimed to be the Creator. In
> Genesis 1:2, the Holy Spirit is shown as having "moved" upon the face
> of the waters." (Also see Psalms 104:30) The only way these are true
> because is if God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are one
> God.
>
> ________________
> John 8:58
>
> "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
> was, I am."
>
> In John 8:58 Jesus ended a confrontational discourse with the
> religious Jews and proclaimed that He was "I am," a name that only
> applies to God the Father. The Jews then rioted and took up stones to
> kill Jesus, but He eluded them and passed through the midst of them
> unharmed. What caused them to riot was that Jesus said plainly that
> He was Jehovah God, the "Self-Existent One." (Exodus 3:14) Using the
> name "I am," He identified Himself as the One who sent Moses to the
> children of Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt. The Jews
> fully understood what He had said and were so angry with Him making
> the statement that they rushed to kill Him. There can be no mistake
> that Jesus stated He was Jehovah God, which certainly confirms the
> biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
>
> ________________
> John 10:30
>
> "I and my Father are one."
>
> In John 10:30, Jesus said that "I and my Father are one." The word
> "One" is in the neuter gender. This statement rules out the meaning
> that they are only one in purpose as some misinterpret this verse to
> say. It affirms that Jesus and God are separate persons, but one God,
> with the Holy Spirit. The verse says they are in perfect unity in
> their natures and actions. Jesus emphatically stated on this occasion
> that He was God. The Jews who heard Him saw a man standing before them
> and they fully understood what He had just stated. They were so
> offended at His statement that they took up stones to put Him to
> death, "because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God" (John
> 20:33b) These Jews fully understood that God presents Himself in the
> Old Testament as monotheistic, which in their minds precluded that
> Jesus could be God also.[9] Here again the Bible unmistakably tells
> us from Christ's own words that God the Father and Jesus Christ are One.
>
> _______________
> Matthew 1:23
>
> "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."
>
> The angel announced to Joseph that Mary was with child and the Son she
> would give birth to would be called "Emmanuel," meaning God with us.
> Matthew clearly claimed not only that Christ was born of a virgin, but
> that this was anticipated by the prophecy of Isaiah as being the
> method by which God would become a man.[10]
>
> _______________
> 1 Timothy 3:16
>
> "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
> manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
> preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
> glory."
>
> This passage begins with "without controversy" as if anticipating
> those who would deny the Trinity. It then soundly affirms the
> doctrine. The phrase "without controversy" means simply "obviously" or
> "beyond all question." The next statement "The mystery of Godliness is
> great" denotes the importance and magnitude of this now revealed
> mystery or truth that was not revealed in the Old Testament. A mystery
> in the Bible is simply a previously unrevealed truth. In other words,
> in the Old Testament this truth was not stated.
>
> The mystery is that "God was manifest in the flesh!" This is as
> straightforward a statement as can be made on the matter. This verse
> says that God is manifested in the flesh or God is incarnate in flesh.
> The Greek word is "phneroo" meaning, "to make visible." (See John
> 1:1-14, 14:7, Col. 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) Jesus was "justified in the
> Spirit" proclaiming that it was not the flesh that justified, but the
> Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was thus vindicated in the Spirit at His
> resurrection. Some believe this means Jesus was "seen of angels" but
> the word is "angelos" which means a messenger. Contextually, it is
> referring to the Apostles who saw the Lord in the flesh and preached
> the Gospel to the Gentiles. That Jesus was "preached among the
> Gentiles" refers to the scope of His ministry that He came to save all
> nations, not just the Jews. He was more than the Jewish Messiah, but
> was the Savior of the world. Jesus was "believed on in the world"
> being proven to be the Redeemer and is believed on and accepted as
> Savior by those who seek after God. He was then "received up into
> glory when His work was finished. Today Christ is at the right hand of
> God, making intercession for those who by faith are trusting in Him.
>
> There can be no mistake that this verse reveals that Jesus Christ is
> God and attests to the fact that Jesus and God are One.
>
> SUMMARY
>
> The verses presented and many others clearly teach that God is One
> God. These passages state that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are
> also God. Thus the Bible affirms one of the most important doctrines
> in Scripture that God is one God existing in a unity of God the
> Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The full importance of understanding and
> accepting this truth is found in the Epistle of 1 John:
>
> "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
> are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
> Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that
> Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that
> confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
> and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
> should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4:1-3).
>
> It must be noted that the phrase "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh"
> is a direct reference to His deity and that GOD came to the earth in
> flesh. All men are "born in the flesh," therefore this verse has no
> significance unless it is referring to God coming in the flesh. John
> says those that deny this revealed truth of the Trinity are not of God
> and the denial of this doctrine comes from the spirit of the
> antichrist who is directed by Satan.
>
> The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any
> church. Its origin is in the plain and unmistaken statements made
> throughout the Bible. It is revealed truth and a part of salvation.
> When a person comes to God he must accept who He is and what is His
> revealed nature.
>
> "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
> to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
> diligently seek him. " (Hebrews 11:6)
>
> How Can We Understand that God is One God Existing in Three Distinct
> Persons?
>
> How can we understand that God can be One God, yet be three distinct
> persons? The answer is really quite simple and easy to understand if
> we accept that the Bible is the very word of God and what we are
> reading is God's revelation to man about Himself. Thiessen states,
> "His (God) being is simple; man's is compound, having both a material
> and an immaterial part. But God is spirit and is not susceptible of
> such division."[11]
>
> Is it reasonable for us to demand that we understand perfectly
> everything about our Magnificent and Almighty God? Do we understand
> fully everything we believe and know to be true? Do we fully
> understand our own selves or most of the things in the world in which
> we live? How can we expect fully to understand the eternal, wholly
> spiritual, Almighty God?
>
> The answer is "No." Man knows very little about the world in which he
> exists. 2 Timothy 2:23 rightly warns us to avoid foolish and
> unlearned questions.[12] A foolish question is one that is used to
> attempt to overthrow a plain Bible teaching, such as questions about
> the Trinity, or the resurrection, or the incarnation of Christ, or the
> condition of man after death.
>
> The false teacher asks foolish questions, which causes people to doubt
> the Word of God. The true teacher encourages people to believe the
> Word of God despite whether its teachings seem perfectly reasonable to
> human understanding or not.[13] The problem is not with what the
> Bible reveals, but with man's unwillingness to accept and understand
> what God has stated as fact.
>
> The following illustration is not a perfect example, but helps
> illustrate a point. We all believe in gravity but we cannot explain
> it. Our inability to explain or even understand what gravity is does
> not mean there is no gravity. It exists and we can see what it
> does. We cannot see it or touch it or in any way explain what it
> is. Gravity is the most important force in the universe and affects
> everything in it. The physicist tells us even the smallest particle of
> subatomic matter is held in place by the force of gravity, yet no one
> knows what gravity is or what makes it work.
>
> Wouldn't it be reasonable and logical to accept, that although we do
> not understand with human reasoning how it is possible, that God is
> three Persons and One God? If we deny the possibility of the Trinity
> then we must also declare that we are omniscient, which means our
> knowledge is infinite and absolute. Do we know everything there is
> to know about everything? Do we even know everything about our
> physical world? How then can we honestly proclaim we know everything
> in the realm of the spiritual world where God exists? We are in
> essence a spiritual being, but physical. When we consider, as this
> paper shows, that the Bible, that is God's own word on the matter,
> plainly establishes Trinity, how can we set ourselves up as judges of
> God's word and declare that God is not a Trinity with your limited
> knowledge of the universe? How can any man set himself up as an
> authority on something he cannot explain? Is it logical to say
> because I cannot explain or understand the Trinity in physical terms
> that it does not exists? The answer is obvious.
>
> Do we deny the existence of gravity, atoms, electrons, protons, and
> the atomic particles of the Universe because we do not know how they
> exist or can explain them? We accept it by faith because scientists,
> who we trust, tell us they exist and we accept their statements. They
> reveal to us the existence of atomic and subatomic particles that we
> cannot see. Do we call the scientists, who have knowledge of these
> things, liars because we cannot understand or see what they reveal to
> us? In a similar way we accept the truth of the Trinity, although not
> being able to fully understand it or explain it, because God, who
> certainly knows who He is, has revealed it to us in His written word.
>
> It is a fact that those who deny the Trinity also deny the clear
> teachings of God's word. The cults and false religions deny the deity
> of Jesus Christ, and the cardinal doctrines of Bible. The basic flaw
> in their theology is although they proclaim to have God's truth, the
> in fact deny God's statements about Himself and truth. Can such as
> these have any credibility in having any knowledge of God? If they
> did not get their knowledge from God's word, where could it come from
> except faulty human reasoning?
>
> Why then is it so hard for some men to accept the biblical
> truth of the Trinity? The key to this misunderstanding lays in man's
> microfying our infinite Creator. In other words, making Him finite
> like us? This act demeans and debases our omnipotent and glorious
> God and brings Him down to the level of man. God is not man and the
> immensity of His being is so far beyond our finite understanding that
> we cannot even begin comprehend who He truly is. However, He has
> revealed to us through His word the Bible; all we need to know about
> Him and thereby to fully believe and trust in Him.[14]
>
> John 3:19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
> the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
> deeds were evil." The verse says that "light," referring to God's
> revealed truth of Jesus Christ the Savior, has been given to us by
> God, but because of his sin man refuses to accept it.
>
> We must understand that man lives in a material universe and is
> subject to physical limitations of this world and to time and space.
> However, God exists in a spiritual world outside our universe that is
> not material nor subject to time and space. God says He is Spirit
> (John 4:24), which is simply revealed truth from God about Himself.
> God does not explain what a Spirit is because we cannot understand it.
> There is nothing in our material world to compare with the spiritual
> realm of God. But we do know that it is different from the material
> universe that we live in, and that God's essence as spirit is
> different ours.
>
> In our physical world we can only describe something by using words,
> terms or things that are familiar to us. If I try to tell someone what
> a house is, I have the advantage of that person having seen other
> houses. Therefore, even though there are many different kinds of
> houses, it is understand what the word "house" is generally referring
> to. Yet, when we try to describe God as a Spirit or the Trinity, we
> have no such advantage. There is nothing in our material world with
> which we can compare a Spirit or the spiritual realm wherein God exists.
>
> God exists outside the universe and in a spiritual dimension beyond
> our human ability to perceive. The physical laws of our universe do
> not apply. Our world is material, not spiritual, and therefore the
> concept is foreign to us. This is why God does not attempt to explain
> the Trinity to us in His word. We cannot understand it because we are
> material beings and only know material things. Yet, the doctrine is
> true because God has revealed it to us as fact in His word. The Bible
> teaches that God is one God existing in three distinct persons; God
> the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Those who believe and trust
> God believe this doctrine because it is revealed truth from God, who
> cannot lie.
>
> The Bible also reveals that God is eternal, yet some of the same
> people who deny the Trinity, will accept that God is eternal and
> infinite. Yet, the idea that God is an eternal God is just as
> foreign to our understanding as the Trinity. In our world nothing is
> eternal and everything has a beginning and will have an end, but not
> so with God, who is not subject to time and exists in a realm in which
> there is no time. Psalm 90:2, states, "Before the mountains were
> brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even
> from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." The term "everlasting
> to everlasting" means that God is infinite in time, having no
> beginning or end. This is another revealed truth that we cannot
> comprehend. Man, is as a material being, is limited by time and space.
> Being limited by time, we cannot conceive of an infinite God that
> exists outside time. This universe, including you and me, had a
> physical beginning and we will have a physical end. Yet, says He is
> eternal, having no beginning or ending. God reveals Himself in His
> word saying "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the
> first and the last" (Rev. 22:13).
>
> Many who deny the doctrine of the Trinity also deny other clear
> teachings of the Bible such as the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by
> grace apart from works, the miracles, the prophecies, and a host of
> other cardinal doctrines God has revealed to us. These truths are the
> supernatural works of God. Man is not able mentally to perceive of
> God's unity, spirituality, independence, immutability, eternity and
> immensity. Drawing from man's limited material existence and
> prejudice, those that deny these carnal doctrines conclude that these
> things are impossible in a material world and therefore illogically
> proclaim they do not exist. Humanly speaking, the supernatural acts of
> God are impossible for mortals in a material universe to understand.
>
> What so many fail to understand is that God is a supernatural Being.
> He is not limited to the restrictions of a material universe. God is
> Spirit and thus a supernatural Being that exists outside the universe.
> He, from the realm of His spiritual dimension called Heaven, drawing
> from His infinite power, created our material universe "exhilo," which
> means out of nothing. Being supernatural, which means being beyond
> material limitations, God, simply spoke the universe into being.
> That, too, is a reality we cannot comprehend. In our material world
> it is impossible to create something out of absolutely nothing. Yet,
> with God all things are possible.[15]
>
> No one can mistake that the Bible is a supernatural Book which reveals
> the supernatural works of God in creating and working with man through
> the ages. The Bible presents mankind with God's ultimate and
> supernatural plan; that man, by simple faith in Jesus Christ the
> Savior, can have forgiveness for sins from his Creator, receive
> eternal life, and receive the spiritual nature of God. Those who
> believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior become a part of Heaven.
>
> True Christians should not be frustrated because the world does not
> understand the clear teachings of the Bible. It is the ministry of
> God, the Holy Spirit, to reveal truth, but one cannot understand
> spiritual things until they are spiritually reborn. The beginning of
> wisdom is the fear of God. (See Prov. 9:10) That means accepting that
> He is who He is and humbling oneself to before Him as one's maker.
>
> The unbeliever, by his unbelief, rejects God and does not submit
> himself to God. He cannot understand the things of God because he does
> not have the capacity to do so. He has not truly accepted God and he
> is bound to his earthly and carnal understanding because he has not
> received the new nature of God and thereby has not become a "new man"
> in Christ Jesus. (See Eph. 4:24, Col. 3:10)
>
> God explains this in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man
> receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
> foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
> spiritually discerned."
>
>
>
> _________________
> Conclusion
>
> The carnal man has a false idea of God because he tries to liken God
> to being like himself and his material world. This limits one from
> understanding the reality of who God is. Further, man, instead of
> believing in our infinite Creator, invents degraded gods that are like
> himself.
>
> "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
> clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
> eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because
> that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
> thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
> heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became
> fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image
> made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and
> creeping things." (Romans 1:20-23)
>
> The mark of cults or false religions is that they all have gods who
> are made in man's image and are limited in power and existence to
> material limitations. (Also see Isa. 44:9-18)
>
> That is what Romans 1:21-23 says: "Because that, when they knew God,
> they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain
> in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
> Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the
> glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
> man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
> (Underline added)
>
> The false gods that men invent are always patterned after man himself
> or things he sees in nature. Some false religions go as far as to
> teach that God was a man or that men can become gods. In other words,
> they deify man. Deify means to make something a god and worship it.
> God says He created man . . . and it is foolishness to suggest that
> man created God. Yet, this is plainly what is done when Almighty God
> is said to be a man or that a finite man could become God. The
> perfect example of this absurd idea in found in Mormonism. How could
> a man, born into the universe that existed before he did, be the
> creator of himself and the universe? God, as Genesis 1 and 2 states,
> created all things. Man was created on the sixth day of the Creation
> week and was very last act of creation. It was God who created man.
>
> Most of mankind has no real idea of who God really is. The gods of
> unbelieving men are small and do not take into account the immensity
> of Almighty God as He is presented in the Bible. J.B. Phillips wrote
> a book in 1952 called, "Your God Is Too Small." He exposed the
> misconceptions that many have about God, in that their understanding
> of God superimposed upon Him human characteristics.[16] In His
> greatness and power the Bible says He spoke the universe into
> existence. God affirms this truth saying, "Through faith we
> understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
> things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. "
> (Hebrews 11:3)
>
> Believing that God is a man or any material being shows one does not
> comprehend the true omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present
> everywhere), omniscient (knows all things) nature of our sovereign God
> and Creator, nor does he bow in humility to his Creator. Like Satan,
> the lost man seeks to elevate himself to God's level and above. A
> man in denying the truth of the Trinity sets himself as God's judge
> and foolishly declares God cannot be what He says He is.
>
> Therefore, many men miss the truth and reality of God's essence
> because they ignorantly try to perceive Him as being as a physical
> being, as are they. God has revealed Himself to all men in His word,
> the Bible, and it would behoove all men to believe what their Creator
> has said about Himself. Paul stated God's mandate when addressing the
> unbelieving Athenians as recorded in Acts 17:30 "And the times of this
> ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
> repent."
>
> The Psalmist declared the unlimited greatest of God "By the word of
> the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath
> of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
> he layeth up the depth in storehouses." (Psalms 33:6-7)
>
> A person must understand the immensity of God and His power. Seeking
> to comprehend God one must take into account that he is not trying to
> understand that which is physical or material, but supernatural and
> beyond man's ability to comprehend. Not being able to comprehend God
> we must simply take Him at His word as to who He is.
>
> John said, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
> whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into
> the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
> confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every
> spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
> not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have
> heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (1
> John 4:1-3 ).
>
> The Bible without question affirms the plurality of God and the only
> way to understand God's plurality is to accept that God the Father,
> Son, and Holy Spirit are One God which establishes the Trinity.
> John's statement makes it absolutely vital that a person fully believe
> in the Trinity, which means to accept who and what God really truly
> is. To believe anything else is to believe in a false god that does
> not exist.
>
> Because all men are lost in sin, only our supernatural Creator can
> save this lost and dying world. Only by fully believing in our Creator
> and God's promise of salvation can one be saved and receive
> forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The truth of the Trinity is
> unconditionally tied to accepting Him as He is.
>
> (December 2001, September 2005, February, 2012, August 2013, January
> 2014)
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> [1] 1 John 5:7 says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven,
> the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
> Some Bible critics have stated that this passage is not authentic
> because it is not found in some older manuscripts. This verse is found
> in mss, 61, 88mg, 629, 634mg, 636mg, omega 110, 429mg, 221, and 2318)
> along with two lectionaries (60, 173) and four fathers, Tertullian,
> Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. However, the biblical
> doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but
> is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. This verse accurately
> states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons.
>
> [2] The word "scripture" graphe is found fifty-three times in the Bible.
>
> [3] Arianism is the heretical teaching of Arius ( AD 250-336), a
> Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, that Jesus did not always
> exist, but was created by God the Father.
>
> [4] This is the teaching of "monotheism" which means "one God."
>
> [5] R. Laird Harris; Gleason L. Archer; Jr; Bruce K Waltke,
> Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago:Moody Press, 1980,
> p30.
>
> [6] Henry Clarence Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic
> Theology, Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 1949, p134.
>
> [7] Renald E. Showers, Israel My Glory, God is Triune, Friends of
> Israel, January/February 2002, p37.
>
> [8] The name "Elohim" the Bible calls God occurs only in Hebrew and in
> no other Semitic language.
>
> [9] "Thou shalt have no other gods before me(insert period)" (Exodus
> 20:3)
>
> [10] . John F. Walvoord, Matthew Thy Kingdom Come, Chicago:Moody
> Press, 1974, p20
>
> [11] Thiessen, p134.
>
> [12] "But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do
> gender strifes." (2 Timothy 2:23)
>
> [13] David Cloud, Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible and
> Christianity, Computer Version 4.0, 2000. "Trinity."
>
> [14] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
> higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
>
> [15] "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
> impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mostafa" <mostafa.almahdy at gmail.com>
> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 1:51 AM
> Subject: [Faith-talk] Can you explain the Trinity?
>
>
>>
>> Dear all, peace be with you.
>>
>>
>> When Christian Apologists attempt to explain the Trinitarian mystery,
>> they ordinarily endup confessing ancient heresies.
>>
>>
>> God has constantly been likened to apples and eggs.
>>
>>
>> Christian Apologists tend to equate its mystery to physical objects.
>>
>>
>> They aim to somehow clarify its vagueness.
>>
>>
>> Does the Trinity make any sense?
>>
>>
>> Does it stand up for scrutiny, or it conveniently crumbles under
>> critical examinations.
>>
>>
>> Well at its inception, let us be really fair in defining what the
>> Trinity is.
>>
>>
>> It is not three Gods as some people like to describe it in their
>> unjust strives to criticize the Christian faith.
>>
>>
>> So what is it then?
>>
>>
>> The Trinity is the belief in the Union of the Father, the Son, and
>> the Holy Spirit in a one godhead.
>>
>>
>> Although the term technically refers to the Judeo-Christian God, but
>> we will find that Orthodox Jews are explicitly declining the
>> Trinitarian conception.
>>
>>
>> In spite of their political controversy, but we will find that
>> Muslims and Jews have mutually apportioned their incredulity to the
>> Trinity.
>>
>> Is the Trinity mentioned in the Old Testament?
>>
>> Is the word Trinity found in the New Testament?
>>
>> Had Abraham been ever informed about the Trinity?
>>
>> Had Moses been commanded to adhere the Trinity?
>>
>> Did he even auspicate for its forth coming?
>>
>> Christian Apologists have numerous methods to illustrate and justify
>> the Trinitarian doctronal tennet from their perspective but, I doubt
>> they will ever be adequate to convey its concept to others.
>>
>> It will everlastingly remain undecipherable, and Christians are
>> utterly accountable for their crucial insistence to verbalize this
>> blasphemy.
>>
>> Every Sunday, Christians gather in congregations worldwide to
>> deliberately desecrate the divine being.
>>
>> I thank Allah for the grace of Islam, and enough of it as a bounty
>> and amplitude.
>>
>> All redemptions and atonements are merely belong to Allah glory
>> be to Him.
>>
>> I have Christian friends who ask me to pray for them, but I am
>> afraid, I never asked a Trinitarian for prayers.
>>
>> I am really sorry, but I cannot flatter on that regard.
>>
>> It is approximately the time to pray the noon prayer here in Cairo.
>>
>> I have to prepare myself.
>>
>> With all deference to the difference.
>>
>> Peace be with you.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
>
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