The Trinity in Scripture

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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November 2, 2016

00:00: Well, good evening and welcome back to our series on the Doctrine of the Trinity.
00:07: And we looked already at part one.
00:14: And some might say that we're going backwards because part one was defining the Doctrine of the Trinity.
00:23: And part two, beginning tonight, is the scriptural support for the Doctrine of the Trinity.
00:29: And some might say, well, you should have started with the Bible.
00:32: You should have started out with the Scripture.
00:35: And in a way we did because as I was giving the definition of the Trinity, I was referencing Scripture here and there as we went.
00:42: But tonight we're going to get more into an exposition of certain passages that provide to us not only proof texts for the Trinity, but provide for us the foundation whereby we can honestly declare that unless a man believe in the Trinity, he does not believe in the God of the Bible.
01:03: Because the Trinity is what the Bible has described to us about God.
01:08: And so it's not just we're going to pick a few passages and say, well, I'd go here, I'd go there.
01:14: We're going to look at the heart of these passages.
01:16: We're going to dig deep into them.
01:18: And we're also, I don't know if we'll get through this all in one night, we'll see, but we're going to be looking at Scripture that supports each one of them.
01:25: Remember when we said there were three legs to the stool? Well, tonight we're going to look at Scriptural support for each one of those foundational principles for the doctrine of the Trinity.
01:39: Like I said, I've seen people talk about the Trinity and they'll throw out one verse or two verses or whatever.
01:45: No doctrine that has the weight of the Trinity is ever founded upon one singular verse.
01:54: But it is the support of the whole of Scripture that we want for something as foundational as this.
02:01: It's almost as if we were discussing something like the doctrine of justification by faith.
02:07: I wouldn't just go to one verse to support the doctrine of justification by faith, but I would go through entire sections of Scripture and demonstrate that not only is that what is said, but that's the implication of other things that have been said.
02:20: And so that's what we're going to look at tonight and try to show that the whole of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation supports the doctrine of the Trinity in a progressive revelation.
02:34: And that's the first thing, it's not in your notes, but that is one thing I want you to understand is a part of our conversation tonight is something called progressive revelation.
02:48: Progressive revelation means that from the time God began to reveal himself to his people, to the time that the canon of the Scripture closed, and we believe that the canon closed with the book of Revelation, that was the last book written and thus it's the last time that God has revealed himself in that way to man, to his people.
03:13: That there was a process and a progressive process whereby God revealed himself.
03:19: I've said something in the past, some people get offended by this, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I've said I think that we today know more about God than Abraham did.
03:32: People say, wait a minute, Abraham was the friend of God.
03:35: Yes, but Abraham lived at a certain time where God revealed himself in a way that was in a sense more limited than what we have, because Abraham, though he knew a Messiah was coming, I believe, he knew there was a promised savior.
03:51: He didn't know who Jesus was or all of the particulars that were going to happen.
03:54: In that sense, we know more than Abraham did because we have the benefit of looking backward.
04:00: Now, I'm not saying we have a closer relationship to God because you can know a lot about God and not have a relationship with him.
04:06: Bart Ehrman knows the Bible, but he's lost.
04:10: Bart Ehrman is a secular scholar who goes around trying to disprove what the truth of the Bible.
04:17: And he knows the Bible.
04:18: He's a scholar.
04:19: He knows the original language of Greek probably better than most people in the world.
04:25: And he's lost as a goose.
04:26: So to say that you have more knowledge about something does not necessarily mean your relationship is closer.
04:30: I'm not saying I have a closer relationship to God than Abraham, but I think that I benefit from being on this side of the revelation of the cross.
04:41: I benefit of being this side of the revelation of Paul's writings and of John's writings and the other apostles who wrote and those who wrote the scripture.
04:51: So so I benefit also from 2000 years of church history.
04:58: A lot of people forget church history has importance in the life of the believer, but it does.
05:05: Church history is something we should never forget the importance of because we are not coming into this as the first generation that's thought these things through.
05:15: Every generation before us and going back to the first century and on, the generations of Christians who preceded us have thought these things through and many of them have thought much deeper and wider than we have.
05:28: Because they committed themselves to these things, it was so amazing, I mentioned on Sunday about John Calvin, about how John, how much John Calvin, John Calvin wrote with a quill pen and ink and candlelight more in his 20s than I will ever write in my lifetime.
05:45: In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, all these things, he had so much prolific writing and so much that God gifted him to think through and think about.
05:53: And so, you know, we have the scripture, we have 2000 years of tradition.
05:58: So we're on it.
05:59: We're in a good place.
06:00: We're looking back at all this.
06:02: Revelation may have ceased with the last book of scripture as far as God revealing himself in that way.
06:08: But we can look back with great understanding about what the Bible says and what it teaches.
06:14: And like I said, I just want to point out that when God revealed himself in Genesis.
06:21: Well, when God revealed himself to Moses and he gave Moses the book of Genesis because Moses wrote Genesis, you realize Abraham didn't write the story of Abraham and Abraham didn't, Adam didn't write the story of Adam.
06:35: It was much later that those stories were written by Moses.
06:40: But he's been, he's given revelation.
06:42: What is the thing that Moses is given revelation of, most importantly, above all other revelations about the nature of God? Moses's revelation about God, the most, the singular, most important thing was that God is one.
07:02: That to Moses is hugely important.
07:09: Go all the way back to the book of Genesis.
07:11: He is pinning the book of Genesis.
07:13: And how does he begin the book? Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
07:24: Now, there is interesting because the word there for God is not Yahweh or Yahweh as it's pronounced.
07:33: It's Elohim and Elohim is actually plural, but it's not ever translated as the plural because it's obvious in the context that Moses is speaking singularly of God.
07:55: But later, what does he say when he says he created man? Let us make man in our image and according to our likeness.
08:07: So it's interesting that there is hints at plurality in the singular nature of God.
08:15: You say, well, how do you know there's a singular nature of God? How is this oneness? Go to the Ten Commandments.
08:21: What does Moses say in the Ten Commandments? What's the first commandment? I am the Lord, your God, and what? Have no other gods before me.
08:33: That's the first commandment, right? And the second one is like it.
08:36: Do not make for thyself any graven image.
08:40: People have a hard time understanding how those two are different.
08:44: They say, well, it seems like the same thing.
08:46: Have no other gods.
08:46: Don't make any idols.
08:47: Is it making an idol, having another God? No.
08:52: Having another God is to say that there's more gods than the one God.
08:56: Having an idol is saying this thing is that one God.
08:59: And that's different.
09:01: If I say there's this God and other gods, that's a plurality of gods or I'm worshiping multiple gods.
09:09: But if I say this is God, that's making the idol.
09:12: And that was the second commandment was about fashioning something and calling it God.
09:17: Don't call anyone else God and don't call anything else by my name.
09:23: Don't call me.
09:24: Don't call anything else God.
09:27: So God is one is foundational to the Old Testament and to the people of Israel because they were surrounded by people who did not believe that God was one.
09:44: Even Abraham, go back in Genesis, what do we learn about Abraham? He was called out of polytheism.
09:56: Abraham would have been an idolater.
09:58: Abraham would have been in people who would have been worshiping several gods.
10:02: And God reveals himself to him, gives the covenant to him, calls him out of that and into a land that he promised him.
10:11: Right.
10:11: So Abraham comes out of polytheism.
10:14: Moses comes along.
10:16: And where are they when Moses comes along? Egypt.
10:21: What's Egypt known for? They got a God for everything.
10:24: Now, they had one big God, you know, Ra, the sun God.
10:27: But then they had other gods.
10:29: Each of the plagues that were given under Moses to the people of Israel, you know, the toads and the frogs and the blood and the water turning to blood and all of the different plagues was a strike against one of the Egyptian gods because there was a God for everything.
10:49: And each one of those plagues was a strike against one of those gods.
10:54: So that's a plurality of gods.
10:56: And so what was the thing that made Israel distinct? One God.
11:04: Move on to Deuteronomy 6.
11:08: Deuteronomy 6 is what we call the Shema, Deuteronomy 6, 5.
11:14: Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God, the Lord is one Lord.
11:21: And you shall worship the Lord with all or love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
11:25: That's the Shema.
11:27: That's the that means the prayer of Israel.
11:29: That's their that's the that's the statement of faith.
11:33: There's one God and he's ours.
11:35: It's Yahweh.
11:36: He is our God.
11:38: There's no other God like him.
11:40: He's a singular God.
11:42: Right.
11:43: So we have this revelation of God, of his singularity.
11:47: But there's hints of plurality within the singularity.
11:50: And people say, now, how how can that be? Go back going back to Genesis one.
11:53: How can there be hints of plurality? Well, there are times when a singular can be denoted by a plural for the purpose of linguistic expression.
12:08: For instance, the what we have is something called the majestic plural.
12:15: Kings will often reference themselves as we, even though they're speaking of themselves only because they're speaking not only of themselves, but of their reign, of their authority, of their monarchy.
12:25: It's we, not I, who makes this decree.
12:29: So oftentimes when we go back to Genesis one, we say, well, how is it that Elohim is plural? And and we see, let us make man in our image and our likeness.
12:38: Were they polytheists? No, they may have been simply speaking in the majestic plural that God would not simply say I, but but we, because he's speaking of the authority of who he is.
12:48: Is that possible? Yes.
12:49: Is it a veiled reference, though, to the Trinity? Possibly.
12:54: I will say this, and I hope that no one would want to argue this, but if you do, there's always Facebook.
13:01: No, I do not believe that you can prove the doctrine of the Trinity from the Old Testament alone.
13:16: Because I believe progressive revelation.
13:21: The three persons, remember, that's the three pillars or the three legs, because what's the next one? God is one.
13:28: Three persons are called God.
13:30: Right.
13:31: Well, three persons are called God in the New Testament.
13:42: Three persons are not called God in the Old Testament because Jesus of Nazareth, by name, is not called God in the Old Testament.
13:50: Unless you want to say there are prophecies where it says he will be called mighty God.
13:56: All right.
13:57: You can say, well, that prophecy says that he'll be God.
14:00: He was to be called.
14:01: What is the title? Not his name, but what was the title? Well, Christ, the Christos, the Messiah, the anointed one.
14:09: But what was the Immanuel? Which means what? God with us.
14:15: All right.
14:16: So there were references, there were veiled references to God coming and God being with us.
14:23: And those are Old Testament references.
14:24: But I don't think that you can formulate the doctrine of the Trinity from the Old Testament.
14:28: Somebody may come along and want to argue that.
14:30: But from my perspective, in my position, I don't think that you can prove the Trinity because it's progressive revelation.
14:37: The Trinity as authoritative, clear teaching comes in the New Testament when Jesus Christ comes onto the scene.
14:48: And shows three persons being called God.
14:52: The father, obviously, is called God.
14:56: The son, Jesus, called God.
15:00: And we're going to look at passages tonight, eventually, I promise we're going to get there.
15:05: And the spirit also called God in several passages.
15:10: What's the third leg of the stool? No, no, no, not the third person.
15:20: You have God as one, three persons are called God.
15:22: This is what we learned last time.
15:24: Remember, there were three, three things that make up the definition.
15:27: The third is, the three are, the three are what? Well, first, it's co-equal, co-eternal, and distinct.
15:49: The son is not the father, the father is not the spirit, the spirit is not the father or the son.
15:54: You know that we made that distinction and said they're distinct.
15:57: So where do we get this? That they're co-equal, co-eternal and distinct? The New Testament.
16:04: So that's why I wanted to point out progressive revelation from the beginning.
16:08: So that when we're looking, when we try to prove God is one, that's all through the Bible.
16:12: But when we try to prove three persons are called God, we are going to be limited to the New Testament.
16:18: Now, we'll make some veiled references from the Old Testament, but our proof will come in the New Testament.
16:25: Likewise, for the third point.
16:28: So where you might think, OK, why is this important? Think about how you might try to share Christ with a person who doesn't accept the New Testament, like a Jew.
16:41: All right.
16:43: Well, would you immediately go and start arguing for the doctrine of the Trinity or would you go to their text and show the promise of Messiah to come? I think that's where I would begin, Isaiah 53 and other places that prove that there's a Messiah coming.
16:58: And once we understand Messiah is coming and Jesus is that Messiah, then we show what the New Testament says about him, that he is, in fact, God in the flesh.
17:08: So we we've already looked at the first.
17:11: If you're looking at your notes, you've already looked at the first three pillars upon which Trinitarium stands.
17:15: That's what we were just doing here, reminding you of what you've learned up until this point.
17:19: God is one.
17:20: Three persons are called God.
17:21: And they're these three are co-equal, co-eternal and distinct.
17:24: So now let's look at Scripture for each one of these.
17:27: We've already looked at one Deuteronomy six, four through six.
17:32: I've already mentioned it.
17:33: The Shema, Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God, the Lord is one.
17:37: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your might.
17:42: And these words that I command shall be on your heart.
17:46: That's biblical monotheism, and there should be no doubt about that.
17:54: Another passage which we could go to if somebody said, well, where where would you prove this? We could go to Mark chapter 12.
18:04: You can just write these down if you want.
18:05: You don't have to say that because we're doing a lot of gymnastics if you try to follow me everywhere tonight.
18:09: But Mark chapter 12, verses 28 to 30.
18:13: One of the scribes come up.
18:17: I'm sorry, Mark chapter 12, 28 to 30.
18:24: One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with another and seeing that he answered them well, asked them which commandment is the most important.
18:31: Jesus answered the most important, Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.
18:36: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.
18:40: That was Jesus's answer to the question, what's the greatest pass? What's the most important scripture? Know that God is one.
19:02: The word one in Deuteronomy six is the word, is the word Akkad.
19:14: And some people have tried to make the argument that it doesn't mean absolute singularity.
19:24: But it means unity.
19:27: For instance, you don't have to look these up or anything, but just for your own benefit.
19:32: Numbers 13, 23.
19:35: They came unto the brook at Eschol and cut down from dense a branch with one cluster of grapes and they bear it between two upon the staff and they brought upon the pomegranates and of the figs.
19:47: The word cluster, the one cluster, that's Akkad.
19:51: So it's not one grape, but it was one cluster of grapes.
19:55: So some people have tried to make the argument, well, when it says God is one, they're trying to force the Trinity into Deuteronomy six.
20:01: And while I do think the Trinity is there, I don't think we have to do so much manhandling to try to force it in.
20:08: But Akkad does open up more than just absolute singularity and unitarianism, which is often the argument.
20:16: The one that I just mentioned was numbers, numbers 13, 23.
20:24: Well, in English, it's ECHAD, Akkad.
20:31: Likewise, when it says a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh, that's Akkad.
20:38: The two becoming one, that's the same, same idea.
20:45: Genesis 22 to this is probably the one that I think is most interesting, because in Genesis 22 to it says this is the passage of of Abraham being told to take Isaac and sacrifice him on the mountain.
21:05: And God said, Take now thy son, thy only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I will tell thee of.
21:20: That word only is also Akkad or Yaqid, which is a similar expression or I'm sorry, rather a different expression.
21:32: Because this is saying only this is the singular, this Yaqid and Akkad are different.
21:38: And if there was an attempt to make this point in Deuteronomy six, absolute singularity, it could have used Yaqid instead of Akkad.
21:47: I don't mean to be confusing.
21:49: Sometimes talking about Hebrew can be a little a little confusing for everyone.
21:53: If they were trying to make the point that God is absolutely singular without and disproving the Trinity, Yaqid would have been the more appropriate word than Akkad.
22:08: And like I said, I think that while the Shema is not necessarily proving the Trinity, I don't think it denies it either.
22:17: I think it's one of those things where if you look at the word Akkad, the way it's used in other places, it can certainly fit into our understanding of the doctrine.
22:27: Another very important verse that supports the fact that there is only one God is found in the book of Isaiah.
22:32: And I do want you to go here because this is really where my focus is going to lie on the oneness of God.
22:38: Go to Isaiah 43, 10, Isaiah 43, 10, Isaiah 43, 10 says, You are my witnesses, declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
23:19: Before me, there was what? No God formed, neither shall there be any after me.
23:28: And I think if if if somebody said, how would you prove monotheism from the Bible there? Because even though Deuteronomy six has, you know, the Lord is one, we've shown that it can have a plurality of oneness reference.
23:47: This is clear about God's nature in a way that I think we all need to understand.
23:53: And especially if you ever do any ministry with Mormons, I mentioned Mormons already a few times.
24:02: But if you ever do ministry with Mormons, Mormons believe that God was once a man who lived on another planet, who, because of his allegiance and fidelity to Mormon teaching.
24:18: Died and became a God and through celestial marriage was able to then through this relationship with his his eternal or with his forget the word for the wife, but for his wife, who was also with him, they were able to have spirit children and those spirit children are who you are.
24:42: You are the spirit children of Elohim.
24:46: Elohim was the man who became God and before him there was another God and before him there was another God and before him there was another God.
24:56: And the Mormon has a doctrine, the eternal regression of God's essentially goes on and on and on forever.
25:04: So you might say, well, that sounds silly, whatever the issue is.
25:11: This passage is where I say here the passage says before me, there was no God formed and after me, neither shall there be.
25:26: And so because Mormons believe they can become gods, that it is possible through fidelity and allegiance to Mormon teaching that they can themselves become gods and have spirit children of their own in eternity.
25:41: Not according to this, not according to this.
25:48: This speaks of the eternality of God.
25:51: And when God says before me, there was no God, he's not indicating that there was a time before him.
26:00: But he's indicating that he has always been.
26:04: And thus there was nothing before him.
26:11: The Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus is a God.
26:17: We've talked about this before, that in their very scriptures it says in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was a God.
26:24: Believing that Jesus is a created being, a created divinity or created deity.
26:30: This passage says after me, no God shall be formed.
26:36: There was none formed before me and there will be none formed after me.
26:40: Disproving the entire setup and proving on our side a very important issue of the person of Jesus Christ.
26:48: If Jesus Christ is God, he was always God.
26:52: Let me say this, because Jesus Christ is God, I want to say if as if to put some kind of doubt.
26:57: Because Jesus is God, he must always have been.
27:01: Because was there ever a time when he wasn't, he could not be now.
27:04: Because Yahweh has said, there shall be no more formed after me.
27:10: That's an important proof text, if you will.
27:13: Not that we're proof texting, but that's proof for a later point that we're going to make.
27:18: But like I said, a few of the texts that we've seen, but that one I think is the most important.
27:26: Whether I'm speaking to a Jehovah Witness, to a Mormon or whomever, Isaiah 43.10 is always sort of in my mind.
27:32: Because, again for the Mormon, do you believe that you can become God? Well, how do you determine from this text that doctrine? And for the Jehovah Witness, do you believe Jesus was created as a God? Yes.
27:46: Well, how do you get that from here? Sort of like when you try to get directions from certain people if you're lost in the city.
27:54: And they say, you can't get there from here.
27:56: Well, you can't get there from here.
27:57: You can't get there from this text.
28:00: Neither one of those directions can you get from here.
28:04: So I think Isaiah 43.10 is one of those very important foundational passages.
28:11: It speaks of the monotheism of God and it speaks of the absolute nature of His having no gods before and no gods after.
28:18: What does that also disprove? It disproves any type of polytheism.
28:21: There are no other gods.
28:23: All other gods other than Yahweh are idols.
28:28: They are fabrications.
28:31: Okay, so looking at that, we now move to the second.
28:36: I think we've proved that God is one, at least from the scripture.
28:39: And we can certainly look at other passages, but we've looked at at least three and I do want to move on.
28:44: Because the second part is a little more difficult.
28:48: Is it true that three persons are called God? Is it true that three people, three persons, all bear the title, not only of Theos, which is God, but of Yahweh, of the name of God? The answer is yes.
29:11: But let's begin in the most obvious place.
29:14: And anyone who knows anything about the doctrine of the Trinity knew we were going to end up here eventually.
29:19: But go to John chapter 1 and verse 1.
29:26: By the way, if you are ever having a conversation with a Jehovah Witness, and you're trying to prove the divinity of Jesus Christ to them, I do not recommend going to John 1.
29:37: They have studied this.
29:39: They have many, many, many, many times had to deal with this passage.
29:45: And if you want to get an answer that comes out almost robotic, mention John 1.
29:51: And they will almost go cross-eyed to give you the answer that they have trained to give about the necessity of the indefinite article.
30:04: And some don't even know what an indefinite article is, and why it would be necessary, and how the indefinite article doesn't exist in Greek, but we put it in English because it does exist in English, and how because of the lack of the definite article on Logos, there must be, or rather on Theos, in the third clause of John 1, there must be the addition in the English of the indefinite article.
30:28: And unless you want to have that conversation, I'd recommend going elsewhere.
30:31: It's kind of a long, drawn-out conversation, and if you've never studied it, you might not know how to answer it.
30:37: And that's why I say Isaiah 43.10 might be a better place to go.
30:41: Hebrews 1 is certainly a much better place to go, and we're going to go there in a little while if we get there tonight, which we ain't finishing tonight, by the way.
30:48: I'm just looking at the clock.
30:49: But I've probably given an exposition to this text 20 times over the last 10 years because at least two or three times a year I'll teach on this text, whether it be on Wednesday night or Sunday morning or Sunday night, because I love John 1.1.
31:04: En arche ein halagas.
31:09: Let me try it again.
31:10: En arche ein halagas.
31:12: Kai halagas prostanteon.
31:15: Kai theos ein halagas.
31:16: That's the Greek for, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
31:23: And having looked at it in the original language, I love it.
31:26: I love the way that it flows and what it says.
31:30: Because it says literally what it says in the English, but if you know how it speaks in the Greek, it's so clear.
31:37: It says en arche.
31:38: In the beginning, the word arche is like where we get the word archetype or like arch.
31:45: It's the first point at the very beginning.
31:49: In the beginning, where else do we hear that language in Scripture? Genesis.
31:55: In the beginning God created heavens and the earth, right? Well, this says in the beginning was the Word.
32:01: En arche ein halagas.
32:04: Was the Word.
32:07: We don't often think about the word was because was is sort of a not super important word, but it is in this context because it doesn't say in the beginning the Word was created.
32:26: It doesn't say in the beginning the Word came to be.
32:30: It says in the beginning the Word was.
32:34: In fact, in the New English translation, which I think is actually a Greek textual critical translation.
32:46: The notes are textual critical notes.
32:48: It's a very interesting translation.
32:49: I use it all the time and study.
32:50: The New English translation attempts to get the feel of this passage by saying in the beginning the Word already was.
32:59: Because that's what it's saying.
33:00: He was already in the beginning.
33:02: In the beginning was the Word.
33:03: He was already there.
33:04: It's not as if in the beginning he came into being.
33:07: He was there.
33:13: Kai halagas.
33:15: And the Word.
33:19: Ein pros tan theon.
33:21: Was.
33:22: With.
33:24: God.
33:28: Now, who is the reference of God? And by the way, in Greek, there it would be tan theon.
33:43: Who is being referenced here? The Father.
33:49: I believe.
33:50: I would say the reference is to the Father.
33:52: Because the distinction is being made between the logos, the word Word, who is Jesus.
33:59: And if you want to prove that, go to verse 18.
34:01: No one has ever seen God.
34:02: The only God whom is by the Father's side.
34:04: He has made Him known.
34:05: I'm sorry, that's not what I was thinking of.
34:06: Verse 14.
34:07: And the Word became flesh.
34:09: And the logos became flesh.
34:10: That proves who the Word is.
34:12: It's Jesus.
34:13: Right? Not that we have any doubt who He's talking about.
34:16: But if we want to prove from the text, go to verse 14.
34:18: It shows us who it is.
34:19: Yes, ma'am.
34:22: Tan theon is a definite article.
34:25: It's not translated in English.
34:27: And I'm going to talk about why in a moment.
34:29: But.
34:30: And this is where I wish I could just write the whole verse out for you.
34:32: But for simplicity's sake.
34:34: Tan theon is the first reference to God in the beginning was the Word.
34:41: And the Word is.
34:43: What? In Archaic Ayn.
34:46: Ha lagas.
34:49: Ha lagas is the Word.
34:52: Ha is the.
34:55: Lagas is Word.
34:57: That's the definite article here.
35:01: Right? And the Word was pros tan theon.
35:08: Pros is.
35:12: Pros is with.
35:17: Tan theon is God.
35:20: Literally, it could say.
35:22: And the Word was with the God.
35:27: But it's not necessary.
35:29: There are many, many, many times in the Greek language.
35:32: Where there is a definite article.
35:33: Where we do not place the definite article in Greek.
35:35: Because it's not necessary in English.
35:38: So you won't find a translation that says.
35:40: And the Word was with the God.
35:42: Because in that particular section.
35:45: You're looking at subject and predicate.
35:48: Right? And the with the God is the predicate.
35:54: The Word is the subject.
35:56: So we don't add necessarily the definite article there.
36:01: But it is there in the Greek.
36:03: Here's where it gets real interesting.
36:07: What? Am I doing alright? Following? Okay.
36:13: So in the beginning was the Word.
36:15: And the Word was with God.
36:18: And the Word was God.
36:22: Right? That one.
36:38: Kaitheos ein halagos.
36:42: And is Kai.
36:45: Theos is what? Theos is God.
36:50: We know that from the word theology.
36:53: And theos ein halagos.
36:56: Right? What is halagos? The Word.
37:00: Right? Halagos is the Word.
37:01: So the Word.
37:02: So what does it literally say in English.
37:05: If you translated it literally word for word.
37:07: From the Greek.
37:12: And God.
37:14: That's was.
37:14: Was the Word.
37:18: Why is it that none of the translations translate it that way? Because halagos is the predicate nominative.
37:26: It is the subject still.
37:28: And so the subject in English.
37:30: Not in Greek.
37:30: But in English goes where? At the beginning.
37:34: So how do you translate something into English? And the Word.
37:40: Was God.
37:44: Okay? You say well why does that matter? Well in the Jehovah Witnesses Bible.
37:53: It says.
37:55: And the Word was a God.
37:58: Why do they argue that there should be a.
38:01: A.
38:02: Here.
38:05: Because.
38:06: Theos.
38:07: Unlike.
38:08: Tantheon.
38:09: Which came earlier.
38:11: Does not include.
38:14: A definite article.
38:16: By the way.
38:17: You know what a definite article is? The.
38:20: If I say.
38:23: You're the man.
38:26: What am I saying? Out of all the ones.
38:29: He's the one.
38:31: But if I said Jack you're a man.
38:34: I'm saying you are one.
38:36: Of many.
38:38: Definite article.
38:39: The man.
38:41: Indefinite article.
38:42: Amen.
38:44: In the Greek language there is no.
38:47: Indefinite article.
38:48: The indefinite article is always assumed.
38:50: If there's not a definite article.
38:53: Okay.
38:54: So you will find a place.
38:56: In certain passages.
38:57: Where they've included the letter a.
38:59: And there are times where it says you know.
39:01: You know a fish was caught.
39:03: Or a this or a that.
39:04: You'll see the indefinite article.
39:05: Know that that's not the original.
39:07: That is included.
39:09: Because it is how we would say it in English.
39:12: We wouldn't say.
39:14: Fish jumped in the boat.
39:15: We would say a fish jumped in the boat.
39:17: You know we wouldn't just say fish.
39:19: Or you know whatever.
39:21: Man we'd say amen.
39:22: Right.
39:23: So they say.
39:24: The argument from the Jehovah Witnesses.
39:27: I hope I have time to get through this.
39:29: This is very interesting.
39:29: Because the argument is.
39:31: That Theos requires.
39:34: An indefinite article.
39:36: Because it's not given the definite article.
39:39: What would you say? Uh uh.
39:43: No.
39:47: And they'll show you places.
39:49: They'll say see over here.
39:50: Where it says this.
39:51: There's an a there.
39:53: See over here.
39:54: Huh? The Jehovah Witness will argue.
40:00: I wish I had this all up here to show you.
40:01: They will argue.
40:02: That because this reference to Theos or God.
40:06: Does not have the article.
40:10: It's called an unorthos noun.
40:12: A noun without an article.
40:13: It's an unorthos noun.
40:16: And because it is an unorthos.
40:18: Or a noun without an article.
40:19: It requires.
40:21: An indefinite article.
40:23: Which in English would be a.
40:25: So a God.
40:27: So Jesus is not God.
40:29: Because he's not the God.
40:31: He's a God.
40:36: Now if a Jehovah Witness came to you.
40:38: And made that argument.
40:40: How would you respond? I would respond how FF Bruce responded.
40:46: FF Bruce said you show nothing.
40:49: Except your lack of understanding of Greek grammar.
40:53: But then I would show them.
40:56: The indefinite article isn't necessary.
41:00: In this particular case.
41:02: Because of the context.
41:04: Context if you remember.
41:05: Is how we determine many things.
41:06: And how we interpret and translate passages.
41:10: I want to show you.
41:11: There are three different ways.
41:13: That a noun can have a place.
41:16: In a sentence.
41:17: The first is called.
41:18: Well actually two ways.
41:20: I'll show you in a minute.
41:22: Quantitative.
41:26: A quantitative noun.
41:29: Is intended to describe quantity.
41:34: For instance.
41:35: The man.
41:36: A man.
41:37: The man.
41:37: One of many.
41:39: A man.
41:40: One among many.
41:41: Right.
41:42: That's quantity.
41:44: And quantitative.
41:45: And thus would require either a V or an A.
41:50: To describe the amount.
41:52: And how it relates to the rest.
41:54: There's also something called a qualitative.
42:00: A qualitative noun.
42:03: Is intended to describe a type.
42:07: Not a number.
42:09: If I said.
42:10: Cody you're the man.
42:11: Jack you're a man.
42:13: I'm saying one of many.
42:14: Or one out of many.
42:16: And one of many.
42:16: But if I said.
42:18: Dale you are a man.
42:19: And Jackie you are a woman.
42:22: Did that require a article? No.
42:27: Because I'm speaking now in the context of type.
42:30: Not of amount.
42:34: When we say the word was God.
42:37: We're not saying he's one of many gods.
42:39: We're speaking of his quality.
42:41: Not quantity.
42:42: We're speaking of who he is.
42:45: Not in amounts.
42:47: But of type.
42:50: God was the word.
42:52: The word was God.
42:55: And we prove this by going over to Colossians.
42:57: Which says in him.
42:59: The fullness of God dwelt bodily.
43:06: See Christ is in every way.
43:10: God in the flesh.
43:13: And so when it says.
43:15: In the beginning was the word.
43:16: And the word was with the God.
43:19: Why is the God referenced there? Because it's making a distinction between the word and the father.
43:25: It's making that.
43:26: Remember we talked about that third line.
43:28: Distinct.
43:29: It's making a distinction between the word and the God.
43:32: Who is the father in that context.
43:34: But then the very next line.
43:36: Not attempting to create corruption or contradiction.
43:39: The very next line.
43:40: Attempting to demonstrate the quality of who Christ is.
43:47: It says not only is he with the God.
43:50: But he is God himself.
43:52: Not only is he with the father.
43:54: But he himself is God.
43:57: There is no way to understand this passage.
44:02: From a biblical perspective.
44:03: Without being a Trinitarian.
44:06: Because every other way violates.
44:08: Either that God is one.
44:10: Or that the three are co-equal, co-eternal and distinct.
44:16: This passage demands Trinitarianism.
44:20: And those who deny Trinitarianism.
44:23: Must at some point make this passage say something that it's not.
44:27: If Jesus is a God.
44:30: What does that mean? There is more than one.
44:35: If Jesus is a God who was created after God.
44:38: What does that mean? Isaiah 43.10 is not true.
44:47: John 1.1 is foundational.
44:49: But I don't argue it.
44:50: Again, I don't argue this with the Jehovah Witness.
44:52: Because they are going to argue for that.
44:55: For that need for the indefinite article.
44:58: And that's not the argument I want to have on my doorstep.
45:00: At 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning.
45:02: Know what I say to the Jehovah Witness.
45:04: And we will end with this.
45:05: Know what I say to the Jehovah Witness.
45:06: He, according to He.
45:14: Was in the beginning with God.
45:19: I'm saying He was in the beginning with God.
45:33: If He read to me.
45:38: And I drop down and go to the tree.
46:07: I would look at this whole passage.
46:08: I certainly wouldn't stop at just verse 1.
46:10: Or even verse 2.
46:17: That's Mormonism.
46:18: Yeah.
46:30: Well, I want to tell you what I'm going to use of everybody.
46:35: Everybody who comes to my door gets pretty much the same thing.
46:38: But let me answer his question.
46:39: And then I'll show you what I say.
46:42: Yes.
46:43: We've talked about this before.
47:01: This also does point to the distinction between the persons.
47:05: Just like Jack just said.
47:06: He was with God.
47:07: That's a distinction in person.
47:09: But yet He was God.
47:10: Because they are the same being.
47:13: That's what we talk about.
47:14: God is one in being.
47:14: Three in persons.
47:15: That's where that separation of being in person must be understood.
47:22: As we end, I just want to.
47:23: No, I want to say this.
47:24: Because this is important.
47:25: People say, what do you say when Jehovah Witness comes to your door? Normally.
47:29: I don't argue.
47:31: John 1.1.
47:33: What I say.
47:34: I say, okay.
47:36: Normally you can tell whether it's a Jehovah Witness or a Mormon.
47:38: Mormon will be two guys on ten speeds.
47:41: And a Jehovah Witness will usually be an older person with a younger person.
47:45: The older person is the seasoned person who's training the younger person.
47:51: And one of them is either the younger person is practicing.
47:54: And they're going to be the ones talking.
47:55: Or the older person is the one who's teaching the younger person what to say.
47:59: And I usually let them get a few things out.
48:01: You know, Jehovah Witnesses have a wake magazine.
48:04: And they'll want to hand it to you or whatever.
48:06: I say, okay.
48:07: If you came to my door today.
48:10: And it was cracked a little bit.
48:12: And you knocked on the door.
48:13: And it swung open slightly.
48:15: And you found me on the ground with a knife in my back.
48:20: And I were dying.
48:22: And I only had two minutes to live.
48:25: And you had two minutes to tell me how I can enter into eternal glory with God.
48:32: What would you say? Go.
48:41: And I said, go.
48:45: Well, what they say, what the one said to me.
48:48: He said, well, what kind of life have you lived? I said, obviously not a good one.
48:52: I'm dying with a knife in my back.
48:54: I've made somebody mad.
48:57: He said, well, he who endures to the end shall be saved.
48:59: I said, dude, I am at the end.
49:03: I'm going to die.
49:05: I said, the reason you don't have an answer is you don't have the gospel.
49:08: You don't have a gospel that can save a dying man.
49:13: Can I share the gospel with you? And see, that jumps way past the whole Trinitarian debate.
49:22: And I'm not saying it's not important.
49:23: I'm not saying you don't have to deal with that at some point.
49:25: But the most important thing that Jehovah Witness who comes to your door needs is the gospel.
49:29: The most important thing that Mormon who comes to your door needs is the gospel.
49:33: Not an argument of whether or not the Aztecs became the ancestors of the Mormons or all that strange historical nonsense.
49:42: They need to know that Jesus Christ is a perfect Savior.
49:45: And unless they place their trust in Him and not in the watchtower and not in the temple out in Salt Lake.
49:53: But they put their trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation.
49:57: That they will spend an eternity separated from Him.
50:00: No matter how many doors they knock on.
50:03: So, I just encourage you.
50:05: While we will talk about Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons.
50:08: Never allow these types of intramural debates to allow you to get knocked off of the key.
50:14: And that's the gospel.
50:16: Let's pray.
50:17: Father, I thank you for your word.
50:19: I thank you for the truth.
50:20: I pray that it's been faithfully proclaimed.
50:21: And I pray Lord that in the weeks to come that we'll better understand these passages that we're learning.
50:27: In Jesus name, Amen.