Scripture on Christ's Divinity

The Three Foundations of Trinitarianism

Last week, we left off in the middle of a lesson, similar to the last we had when we first started. As I said, each one of these is a single lesson, but I'm not going to be able to do any of them in a single span of time.

I've been asked in January if I would come and give a lecture on the doctrine of the Trinity to a local group of Reformed men who meet once a month. And they asked me for this particular subject to come give a lecture and I have to try to condense six lessons into 45 minutes.

It's never going to happen. So I've been trying to think what is the most profound important thing about this subject that I could kind of cut down and deal with just that, especially for men who make it their life's ambition to study the Scripture.

Something that, not necessarily that they haven't heard, but as a reminder of maybe something that they know that they need to be reinforced on. But as we started last time, and if you do not have the notes, they are here, I have these for everyone who would like them.

Is there anyone who needs an extra copy? Could I just have you pass this back, brother, just pass it to her? No, no, no, you don't have to walk around and pass it out. I was just saying hand it to her and she'll pass it.

There you go, there you go. Thank you, though. Did you get you one? Do you need one? Yeah. I'll keep you one for both of you there. Yeah, good, thank you. And as you can see on this, the way we started this second session was by reminding ourselves of the three pillars of Trinitarianism.

The three pillars of Trinitarianism, very simple. And maybe calling it the three pillars is a little negative because of the five pillars of Islam. It's not that, and nothing nowhere near that. But the three foundations upon which Trinitarianism rests.

There is one God, the Bible clearly teaches that. And we looked at the scriptures relevant to that last time. There are three persons who are called God. The Father is called God. The Son is called God.

The Spirit is called God. And that's what we're looking at, where we're in the midst of that. And then those three persons are co-equal and co-eternal and distinct. That's the three foundations. And what we did last time, we said, okay, here's some scripture on the oneness of God.

And if you weren't here, I'll be happy to give those to you later, or you can go back and listen to the audio. So we looked at the oneness of God, that we know is true. We have looked also at the three persons who are called God.

We said the Father is called God. No one really debates that. Jesus referred to the Father as God. The scripture refers to God. In fact, the use of the term Father, though, does make a distinct change in the New Testament versus the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, when God has spoken of His Father, it's more in regard to being the Creator. Like if you said, you know, the Father of modern medicine or the Father of a nation, you know, like George Washington or something like that.

It was God the Father wasn't as intimate. When Jesus spoke of God as Father, it was in familial relationship. Not just, you know, He's the Creator, so thus the Father. But He was my Father, our Father, who is in heaven.

You know, there was a familial sense. And that's why there was such a backlash against Jesus' teaching. No one had spoken of God in such familial terms as Jesus had. And when they said, when you speak this way, you make yourself equal with God because you're saying you're His son.

You know, you're speaking of God in a different way than is typical among our people. So Jesus speaking of God the Father is familial and intimate. Much different than what we have under the Old Testament.

Or within the Old Testament. So when Jesus speaks about the Father, we know He's talking about God. But is Jesus called God? Well, last week we looked at John 1 and 1. And John 1 and 1 says, in the beginning was the Word.

And who is the Word? It's Jesus because it says later in verse 14,. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. So we know who the Logos in the Greek is. And the beginning was the Word.

And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. So there was that distinction that's made that He was with God. And that's referring to His relationship with the Father. And yet He was at the same time, He was God.

Because they share the nature that is God. And then as we talked last time, it goes on to say, In verse 3, all things were made through Him. And without Him was nothing, or was not anything made that was made.

And then in verse 4, it says, In Him was life. And that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. It says about Jesus, it says in Him is life. That's a statement of divinity in itself.

To say that in Christ is life. Because we say that about God. We say in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17 when Paul is talking to the Areopagus and he's talking to the Athenian philosophers.

And he says in God you live and move and have your being. And then in John's Gospel in the first chapter, in the first couple of verses, he says, In Christ we have life. And His life is the light of men.

He is the one who brings true life. And there are those who hate that life. But they are not going to overcome it. And that's what that first section is about. Speaking of His divinity. We did reference, and I'm not going to go over this again.

But we made reference last time to the fact that the Jehovah's Witnesses have perverted this text to add the indefinite article A. So it says in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. And the Word was a God.

Adding the indefinite article A creates Jesus as a second type of God. Not equal with the Father. Not eternal with the Father. And certainly while they would say He is distinct, they would say He is distinct because He is different than the Father.

And they add that indefinite article. I'm not going through the whole reason why that's unnecessary. But I will remind you what F .F. Bruce says. He says, To add the indefinite article proves nothing except their ignorance of Greek grammar.

It's not necessary to add the indefinite article there for that passage. Well tonight we're going to move on a little. We're going to look at a few other passages. Because I do want to If there's one thing that the cults and the false teachers want to take issue with, it's the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Very few times will you have anyone who shows up at your door or you meet them in an evangelistic conversation who wants to argue with you about the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Now they may argue with the personality of the Holy Spirit.

We're going to talk about that in a minute. Whether or not He's truly personal. Jehovah's Witnesses will say the Holy Spirit is not a person. He's a power. He's like the electricity that flows through your home.

He's a force. Not a person. And we're going to talk about why that's not true later. But generally that's not the argument. When they come to your door they're not arguing for the personality of the Holy Spirit.

They're arguing for the subordinate nature of the Son. And the fact that He is not equal with the Father. Neither is He fully divine as is the Father. So tonight we're going to look at a few very important passages.

In fact, we may spend all of our time on this one and have to move to the Holy Spirit next week. But this is important stuff. This to me is the heart of the Gospel. If you don't know who Jesus is and you don't understand who Jesus is as the God-Man then everything else from there really creates confusion.

Jesus' Claim to Preexist Abraham as the I AM

So we're going to look at first John 8 .58. One of my favorite passages on this subject John 8 and 58. So since we're in the Gospel of John I invite you to turn over just a few pages because there are people who will say this, well Jesus never said I am God.

Well they will say He never said I am God. He never used the phrase I am God in that many words. Neither did He go up and say I am man either. But there were certain clues that He gave and certainly things that He said that were very specific that only God could say but this particular passage in its in the scheme of the life of Christ is hugely important.

Starting in verse 48, we're going to read a long section here. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees well He's talking to the Jews and the Jews answered Him and said are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?

Samaritans were half Jew, half Gentile, sort of half breed, they weren't considered really part of the Jewish nation and thus they're not only saying you're a demon possessed man, they're saying you're not even really a Jew.

You're a half breed, demon possessed person. Are we not right to say that? Jesus answered and said I do not have a demon but I honor my father and you dishonor me yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it and he is the judge.

Truly, truly I say to you if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. Again, that's a veiled reference to divinity right there because whose word do we keep for eternal life? God's word and Jesus said my word.

So that's a veiled reference there but it is there. So if anyone seeks my word or rather, excuse me I do not if anyone keeps my word, verse 51, he will never see death. The Jew said to him now we know that you have a demon.

Abraham died as did the prophets yet you say if anyone keeps my word he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham who died and the prophets died? Who do you make yourself out to be?

Jesus answered if I glorify myself my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me of whom you say he is our God. But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say I do not know him I would be a liar like you.

But I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jew said to him you are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them truly, truly I say to you before Abraham was I am.

So they picked up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Verse 59 is important because why did they pick up stones? Because it would have been blasphemy if it weren't true.

Because he just identified himself in several ways. One he said if you keep my word you have life. He is identifying himself with God. Then he says God is his father and he speaks very specific of having that relationship but then he said this Abraham looked forward to when I would come.

My day. He looked forward to when I would come and they said how could Abraham you are not even fifty years old. Abraham has been dead for hundreds of years. At this point well over a thousand years he has been dead.

How could he know that you were coming? Well before Abraham was I was. Isn't that what he said? But linguistically what he should have said if he was only saying I predated Abraham. If he only was saying I existed before Abraham he would have said before Abraham was I was.

But he didn't. He said before Abraham was well ago and me. I am. This is the Greek form of the word existence. It's the same idea that God had when he spoke to Moses and Moses said who is it that I should say has sent me to you and the voice spoke and said say that I am who I am and I am has sent you.

I am is not a statement of predating something. I am is a statement of being that is not dated. It's a statement of being. It's a type of being. When God says I am it's a in sorry I lost my word independent word.

When God says I am I am independent of all other things. I exist in and of myself. God is the only being in the world that is eternally existing and he's the only being in the world who is eternally existent.

He requires nothing of anyone. You know we talk about worship service as if we were serving God and giving him something but really God as Paul said in Acts 17 he doesn't need the work of our hands. He doesn't it's not as if we're feeding him with food he didn't have or nursing him with ministry he didn't possess.

You know he says I own the cattle on a thousand hills. We do in the relationship with God to glorify him but he is the one who has all glory. We are glorifying him because that's what we were created to do.

But anyhow we go back to this text Jesus uses the divine title of himself the title of I am and I could spend more time here but I do need to move on but that is one of the most precious passages because Jesus didn't say ego ame this is often something I like to point out.

Jesus didn't speak wait he probably spoke Greek because it was a common tongue but when Jesus was speaking to Pharisees particularly he would have been speaking Hebrew or Aramaic which is a dialect of Hebrew but whatever he said the Holy Spirit translated it as ego ame so I assume that it was the exact same idea in the Hebrew.

It could have been that he said what God specifically said to Moses those Hebrew words God said to Moses here the Spirit is translating this into Greek for us through the person who is writing this who is the prophet John so it is liable that Jesus used the divine title of himself in that language in such a way that they immediately reached down and grabbed some stones because this guy just called himself God so like you said he didn't say I am God but in no uncertain terms they knew what he meant and while scholars of today and heretics of today might try to say he never said I am God they thought he did.

They were confident that that's what he was saying so much so that they were ready to take his life over it. So I like to look at that not again these are not proof texts these are texts that we use to again build our theology on.

And a proof text is one that is ripped from its context simply to prove a point we read the whole context. We know who he was talking to what he was talking about and why that's important. The next passage that I want you to look at is in in Hebrews chapter.

Actually you know what we are in John. Let's stay in John cause I got another one from John. John 12 cause it really doesn't matter the order we go in John 12 37 -41. So if you'll turn a few pages over John 12 Jesus is talking about himself.

And he's talking about what he came to do. He came to save the world. And it says actually starting in verse 36 he's talking about himself as the light. He says while you have the light believe in the light that you may become sons of light.

When Jesus had said these things he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them they still did not believe in him. So that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled Lord who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed.

That's a quote from Isaiah 53. Therefore they could not believe. That's an important Calvinistic section not to take that road left. But we could it says they could not believe. For again Isaiah said he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn.

And I would heal them. Verse 41 is the passage Isaiah. He's quoting the passage from Isaiah. Isaiah said these things because he. Isaiah saw his. That's Jesus in the context in the pronouns because he Isaiah saw his.

That is Jesus's glory and spoke of him. Now we can go back to Isaiah and we could we could play find the prophetic word. And we could go to Isaiah 9 and verse 6 and it talks about Jesus. We could go to Isaiah 53 and it talks about Jesus.

You could go all through Isaiah and it talks about the coming of Messiah. But where in Isaiah did he see the glory of Christ. Because it says right here he saw his glory and spoke of him. Turn to Isaiah chapter 6.

Isaiah chapter 6 give you a.

Second to get there it's 6.

1 so am I bad joke.

It's 6 1 I'm 6 1. Ok chapter 6 verse 1. In the year that king Uzziah died I that is Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet and with two he flew and one called to another and said holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is filled with his glory.

This is in my belief in the belief of many scholars the point that John is pointing back to because this is the point that Isaiah sees the glory of God. But what does he say in Isaiah 12 he saw Jesus's glory.

Let me ask you this. Has anybody ever seen the father according to the new testament. No no man has seen the father. No one has seen the father. So who is Isaiah seeing. Here in Isaiah 6 the son must be right because it says very specifically no one has seen the father.

I would say Moses saw. Well Moses saw Christophany in the bush. Abraham would have saw Christ because he saw a person. Figure what we saw what we call there are two different what we call Christophany's and Theophany's.

And really they can be sometimes a debate as to which is which Theophany is a divine presence like the flame in the in the oh is she okay a Theophany would be like the flame in the bush that's not consuming the bush that's a divine presence.

Again though there's a specific reference to not seeing the idea of seeing something but not God face to face as it were and I don't know how that worked out. I'll be honest with you when it comes to how Moses saw the back of God in his hands like the King James the Hinder parts is what it says.

I don't know how that worked out but whenever there is a time in the Old Testament where we are face to face with Jesus I'm sorry with God as a man where it's at the Oaks of Mamre with Abraham whether it's here with Isaiah in the temple anytime it seems obvious that it's not the father because of the passage in the New Testament that says no one has seen the father.

It even causes me to question whether or not Adam saw the father because it says he walked with him in the cool of the day was that the father or the son that he walked with. I don't really want to get into that as a debate but personally I tend to think it was the son because no one has seen the father and that seems to be a universal negative you know.

But again in looking at this passage though we have specifically in John saying he saw his glory. Now if you asked Isaiah who did you see? I saw God because he wouldn't have understood at that point in the progressive revelation he wouldn't have understood a distinction between the father and the son and the spirit he would have said I saw the Lord and that's what he said.

But what does Jesus call? The Lord right. So I believe and I think that this text this isn't where I would go to prove this to an unbeliever necessarily or especially to a cultist but for me when I look at that passage in John 12 and I come back here to Isaiah 6 I see Isaiah seeing Christ a pre-incarnate vision what we would call a Christophany a pre-incarnate expression of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man.

The Son Is Called God in Hebrews and Colossians

Uh do you have a oh ok sorry. I want to move now to Hebrews if we might Hebrews chapter 1 really jumping past some but so many that we can look at but these these are these are really just ones like I said I believe they're important.

I think we should know them. Hebrews chapter 1 beginning of verse 5 there's an entire litany of verses that are quoted um some of them are from. We have some from Deuteronomy, some from Psalms uh 2 Samuel is in there so we have some passages that are quoted from the Old Testament but in verse 8 Hebrews 1 .8 we have a very important one because in Hebrews 1 .8 it says this but of the Son He says your throne O God is forever and ever the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness before your companions it calls the Son God and then says your God. So it's an interesting dynamic there again referring to the Father as God as well.

But here's the here's the real cool part. Cool like we're. That's a silly thing. Here's the real groovy part. Now here's the part that's neat. Hold your place back to Hebrews 1. Maybe stick a little bookmark in there or whatever.

And go back to Psalm 45 Psalm 45 and go down to verse 6. Psalm 45. Verse 6 says your throne O God is forever and ever the scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore God your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness before your companions.

If you were to have a Jehovah Witness come to your door as I said.

Last time arguments about the Trinity might not be where you want to start but if you wanted to address this issue in a way that might get them to think a little differently than maybe they have before invite them to open their Bible to Isaiah 45.

Ask them to read verse 6 your throne O God is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. And ask them is that talking about Jehovah. They would have to say yes. Is this talking about Jehovah.

Your throne O Jehovah O God is forever. Is that Jehovah. Yeah it has to be. Then in their Bible you don't even have to use your Bible. Say turn to Hebrews chapter 1 and read verse 8. But of the Son it says your throne O God is forever and ever.

And here's the cool part.

If they just happen to have one of their.

Kingdom interlinear Bibles which has the study notes. If they go to the study note at this part in the Jehovah witness translation it says the passage that we just read in Psalms. It points them back to that Psalm.

So you can say your Bible agrees with me because you can't get around this. The Son is called God but of the Son it says your throne O God is forever. Jesus is either God or he's not. He cannot be half God because that is meaning that God is in some way diminishable or divisible which he is not.

He cannot be a created God because to be created means he's part of creation not the creator. And he has a beginning and he has a beginning. And we'll move on to the Holy Spirit. We will get through this tonight.

It looks like is Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9. I've mentioned this one a few times but it is a good one to memorize Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9. And if you wanted to for the context sake you could begin in verse 6 he's talking about receiving Christ.

Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. And you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. Verse 9 is the key in him. The whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Does anybody here have a King James Bible because in the King James there is a different translation but it's very good.

It's just different because it doesn't use the word deity uses the word god head. Is there anybody who has a translation that says god head which is that the NAS.

New King James how does it read brother. Lee dwells all the fullness of the god head bodily.

Yes in him dwells the fullness of the god head bodily. Do you have a different word there. No. Oh that's ok. So the word deity or the word god head can come into play. There are some people that take issue with the newer translations because they put in the word deity rather than the word god head.

But ultimately I do think that deity while god head is a fine word I think deity expresses more of what is the intention of the author and that is Paul because the idea behind the Greek that underlies this is that all of that which is god is in christ.

Christ doesn't have a part of god and christ isn't a part of god. Remember we talked about modalism a few weeks ago how he was the father then he was the son then he was the spirit. Well there's other views that say well god is in everything.

So god was in christ and there's something called adoptionism and that's the idea that christ you know we all had that sort of god spark within us. But christ was adopted as god's son when he decided to you know obey and when he chose to be obedient god adopted him and thus through that he became his son.

So again that is not what the bible teaches. The bible says that in christ the fullness of god the fullness of that which is god that's what the word deity is that which is god. The fullness of that which is god dwells in christ not half of it not a third of it not a portion or a gradient form but the fullness thereof dwells in him.

Now there's one passage in colossians that often times can trip people up. And I want to look at it since we're in colossians because I do want to help you understand it. If you turn over to colossians 1 .15 and 1 .16 1 .15 and 1 .16 this passage has been used to to great extent by the by the cults and by those who seek to confuse because it says in verse 15 he speaking.

Of christ is the image of the invisible god the first.

Born of all creation there. That's where they get. We're going to talk about that word in a minute. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth. Visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him.

And for him. Stop real quick before we even deal with the issue of him being first born. I want to mention that there is an addition here again in that jehovah witness translation they say all other things were created through him.

They add the word other. Why add the word other. Because he's created. According to them he's created. He's not fully god. He's a created deity which again is an oxymoron. But he is created and thus so he didn't create everything.

He created every other thing than himself. So even in their translation they have to add to to make their point a word. So let me go back to this word. The image of the invisible god the first born of all creation.

People say boy that's the proof. Jesus wasn't and then he was he wasn't and then he was born and he's the first born of all creation. And that's proof. Positive. That arianism is right. You know he was the first created thing.

And all the jehovah witnesses are right. We need to just throw our bibles away and go become jehovah witnesses because no one's ever read it or studied it before we now know. We gotta quit this and start that.

No. The word first born here has two variations of meaning particularly in the greek. First born can reference the first in order. But it can also reference the first in placement. And in the greek this is referencing the first in placement.

Christ is the head of all creation. And that's what the term first born here is intended to mean. If i had my greek text with me i would be able to tell you the exact greek word. But for the life of me i can't come up.

I think it's protocos but i could be wrong. But it references his position as being over all of creation. Like uh he is not in order of creation but over all of creation. Yes sir you have your.

I'll tell you the timing of where hebrews kept one or two.

Yeah. Well let's look at that just quickly. Hebrews. Oh i dropped my recorder here. Back to hebrews. Just briefly. Hebrews 1 2. Long ago at many times and in many ways god spoke to our fathers by the prophets.

But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son whom he has appointed heir of all things through whom all so he created the world. Yes yeah. He is the heir of all things. And he's the image of the invisible god in the sense that he and god are together are part.

Well i have to catch myself because christ isn't part of the trinity share the glory of god together. And thus there is this image relationship that they have with one another. Did you have a question.

Okay. I'm sorry i thought i saw your hand. He just said hebrews 1 1 and 2 which talks about him being heir of all creation. But i like to i like to at least point that passage out because you'll get that if you try to have this conversation somebody will throw that out there.

And i do recommend your further study if you're interested in that passage to go get the study on the greek word and how it is used and seen in other places in scripture to verify what we're saying about not necessarily placement in order but placement over all things.

Christ is the firstborn in the sense that he is the he is the one who is over all. Uh the last one that we're going to look at for christ. Uh well i'm going to put one up there. But we don't have to go there.

Uh because there's two more. Revelation 2213 everybody should remember this one. What does revelation 2213 say. I'll start it. You'll you'll you'll finish it. I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end.

I am the alpha and the omega the first and the last the beginning and the end. Who's speaking jesus. He is the beginning and the end. And he he. And that's not to say he had a beginning but in him is the beginning and the end.

And he is fully god and and in him the fullness of the godhead dwells bodily. Now the last one like i said we're not going to necessarily look at that. That's a if you were would be a proof text but it's just one to look at.

The last one is in john 2028. I've mentioned this one already but we haven't looked at it and i think the context is helpful. John 20 and 28. One of my favorite characters in the bible is thomas. There's a point at which thomas really impresses me.

And it was the point when lazarus dies. It's not the part we're looking at tonight. But in that point you know everybody gives thomas a hard time because he doubted. There's a point at which though when lazarus died jesus wanted to go and thomas said let us go that we might die with him.

That's a statement of faith. You know somebody said well maybe he's being a downer. Let's just all go and die with him. We'll go with him and we'll die with him. It was a statement of confidence in christ.

So don't always give thomas such a hard time. Thomas responded in much the same way many of us probably would have if everyone else saw the raised christ. And we didn't we might have a little. Why not me feeling in regard to that.

Maybe we wouldn't be so bold as to say unless I see the nail scars in his hand. But maybe we would so. But thomas is always referred to as the doubter. And we know the story of thomas and his situation.

But in john 20 beginning of verse 24 it says. Now thomas one of the twelve called the twin was not with them when jesus came. So the other disciples told him we have seen the lord. But he said to them unless I see the hands unless I see his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side.

I will never believe. Eight days later he had to live with that for eight days. Did anybody try to convince him. During those eight days I really did see him for eight days. That's a long time. For eight days his disciples were inside again and thomas was with them.

Although the doors were locked. Jesus came and stood among them and said peace be with you. Then he said to thomas who at this moment was probably eating his words put your finger here and see my hands and put out your hand and place it in my side.