Reformed Theology: 4. The Trinity

Welcome back to the Basics of the Reformed Faith series. Today's topic is the Holy Trinity. It's common to hear people claim that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God, but that is not true.

The Triune God Revealed in Scripture

Unlike those who worship Allah or those Jews who claim to worship the God of Abraham, Christians worship the true and living God who reveals himself in three persons, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It has been said that the Holy Trinity is Christianity's most distinctive doctrine.

No other faith or religion worships a triune God except Christianity. Although in many ways the doctrine of the Trinity is beyond our comprehension, we believe this doctrine because this is how God reveals himself to us in his word, the scriptures, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are the one true God.

This understanding of God sets itself apart from the monadic or unipersonal God of Islam or Judaism. The doctrine of the Trinity is a difficult topic to discuss because it stretches the limits of human language and logic.

Despite the difficulties this doctrine presents to us, we must believe and confess that God is triune because this is how God reveals himself to us in his word, which is our ultimate authority. There's no analogy we can use in the natural world that is going to codify exactly who this supernatural and transcendent God exists.

Because God exists above and outside of nature, nothing in nature will completely comprehend or illustrate to us exactly what God's nature is. The three persons of the Godhead are revealed as equal in divinity, equal in glory, and equal in majesty.

Each of these three persons are expressly called God in the New Testament, and to each of them is assigned the same divine attributes, as well as the same glory and majesty which are ascribed to the other persons of the Trinity.

The One God of Deuteronomy and the New Testament

The scriptures are absolutely clear that there is only one God. In Deuteronomy 6 .4, Moses declares, Hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. In Isaiah 44 .6 we read, I am the first and I am the last, besides me there is no God.

The same assertion is found throughout the New Testament, even though we learn of three distinct persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 8 .4 -6, Paul writes, There is no God but one.

For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

This sounds a lot like the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 .4. Elsewhere, James writes, You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and shudder. The scriptures are crystal clear, there is but one God.

Yet, the Bible plainly teaches that although there is one God, he is revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Godhead are mentioned together throughout the New Testament.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Together in Baptism and Benediction

When Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, the Father declares, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, even as the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus as a dove. Here is a picture of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all present in one event at the baptism of Jesus.

In Matthew 28 .19, Jesus commands his disciples to, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the church is to go into all the world and make disciples by baptizing them in the name singular of the three persons of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In his benediction, in his second Corinthian letter, Paul blesses his readers in the name of the Triune God.

2 Corinthians 13 .14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In John 14 .26, Jesus informed the disciples that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, Jesus' name, he will teach you all things.

As God in human flesh, Jesus mentions both the Holy Spirit and the Father as equals. Another line of evidence for the Trinity in the Bible is that the same divine attributes, glory and majesty, are assigned to each of the three persons of the Godhead.

The Eternality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The scriptures teach that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are all eternal. According to Isaiah, God says, I am the first and the last, Isaiah 44 .6. And Paul adds that God is eternal, Romans 16 .26, that is, without beginning or end.

John records the Son saying, I am the first and the last, Revelation 22 .13. And Micah notes that his coming and going are from everlasting, Micah 5 .2. In Hebrews, we read of the Holy Spirit as the eternal spirit, Hebrews 9 .14.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternal, without beginning or end. The scriptures also speak of the fact that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created all things. Each is attributed with the creation. Paul states, God who created all things, Ephesians 3 .9.

While the psalmist declares, know that the Lord, he is God, it is he who made us, and we are his, Psalm 100. Yet in John's gospel, we read of the Son, Jesus. All things were made through Jesus, and without him not anything made that was made.

In Colossians 1 .15 -17, Paul writes that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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.

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. In Job we read of the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit of the Lord has made me. In Genesis 1 .1 we read that at creation, the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are said to have created all things. What we can say of the Father, we can say of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is also a distinctly Trinitarian effect. In eternity, the Son entered into a covenant with the Father to save a people for himself.

The Father chose a bride for the Son. The Son dies on behalf of the bride he loves, and the Holy Spirit brings the bride to life, walking her down the aisle in preparation for the wedding supper of the Lamb.

It's the Father who appoints, the Son who accomplishes, and the Holy Spirit who applies. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in the redemption and salvation of his people. As we see from this brief summary of the biblical evidence, this is why we must affirm that there is one God who exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are equal in glory, equal in majesty, and equal in power.

This is how God reveals himself in his infallible and inerrant word. So let's quickly review. Many monotheists claim to worship God, but only Christians worship a God in Trinity. There is one God revealed in the scriptures, and this God is one in essence, and three in person.

Matthew 28 19 reveals the three persons of God and uses only one name. Each of the persons has the same attributes and is eternal. Creation is attributed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a distinctly Trinitarian act, and we are his new creation.

Thanks for joining us in this lesson. Look forward to seeing you in the next.