2. The Trinity

The fact that there is a God is clearly manifested to us by nature (Romans 1:20-21) and nature tells us several things about Him. It tells us that he is eternal, powerful, creative, and orderly in his design of things. But nature cannot tell us if he is good or evil, caring or disinterested, loving or vengeful, merciful or cruel. There must be some sort of direct revelation in order for us to learn about these things.

The facts concerning God’s character are manifested by the Bible (Romans 1:16-17) and it is in these hallowed pages that we find the answers to the nature of the Creator. In this section of study we will be looking at some of the characteristics revealed in the Scriptures.

Editor’s note:

As I prepared this study, I had to remind myself this was a first principles class. I am sometimes prone to saying too much, one of my many shortcomings. We will try to discuss briefly the nature of God.

1. The Concept of Oneness:

As we begin a study of God we must remember that because of the difference in God’s nature (the Creator) and our nature (the creation) there are simply some issues we cannot fully understand (Romans 11:33-36). These are issues that either have not been revealed to us or are simply beyond our capacity to fully comprehend and appreciate. The concept of the oneness of God may, in fact, fall into this category.

As we read the historical record of the nation of Israel, we find they constantly allowed themselves to be led into idolatry. God disciplined them on a number of occasions throughout history because of this unfaithfulness (Exodus 32:27, Joshua 7:25-26, I Samuel 15:17-23). When they returned from the Babylonian Captivity around 500 years before the birth of Christ, seemingly they were broken forever from this sin. As a probable direct result, they developed the synagogue system we find in the New Testament. It became a tradition among the Jews to open the synagogue service with the reading of Deuteronomy 6:4 which states:

“Hear, 0 Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.”

Finally the Jewish nation understood the concept that their God, Jehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was the only true God and that all other gods were simply the wicked imagination of men.

Whenever the Old Testament Scriptures speak of the one true God, it is making a comparison of the God of Abraham to the gods of men. There is one God. He is neither a stock nor a stone. He is the eternal existent one. But these passages were never intended to prove that God (divinity) was one in person. They were, instead, designed to show a distinction between God (divinity) and gods (the idols of men – I Corinthians 8:4-6). The distinction shown is that the God of the Bible is true; all other gods are false.

If we, then, are to truly understand the oneness of God, we must search all the Scriptures to allow God to define what oneness really means. We will begin by reading two passages:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood: and these three agree in one.”
(I John 5:7-8)

“Neither pray I for thee alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”
(John 17:20-22)

In these passages we find that Christ prayed for the members of the church to be one in the same way that He and the Father were one. Clearly, while church members are to be one, it cannot mean one in number (Romans 12:4-5, I Corinthians 10:16-17, Galatians 3:23), it must mean in some other way. The answer to our oneness is found in I Corinthians 1:10 which states:

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Our oneness is in thought, focus, direction, and purpose. This is the concept extended by the idea that we are all one: We are one in agreement, not in number.

Whenever the Scriptures talk about the oneness of God relative to the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, it is speaking of their nature or essence. They are one in eternality, purpose, attitude, righteousness, etc. In all of eternity there has never arisen an issue on which the Trinity did not fully and completely agree. It is in this way they are one. Three in person, one in essence.

In teaching this to others, I use the example of three matches. If you hold them together and strike them, you will have three matches burning with one flame. Thus it is with the Trinity; Three in number – One in essence.

2. The Concept of Plurality:

While it is true there is a sense in which God is one, there is also a sense of plurality found in the Trinity. We will look briefly at several ways in which the plurality of God is expressed in the Scriptures.

a. Linguistically: In Genesis 1:1 it says, “In the beginning God … ” The term here for God is the Hebrew word Elohim and is in the plural in this text. In Genesis 1:26 we also read “Let us make man … ” Again, linguistically, we see the concept of plurality.

b. Personally: There is presented in the Scriptures the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17, I John 5:7, Matthew 28:19).

c. Logically: Consider a sampling of passages relating to the concept of plurality.

“The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
Psalm 110:1

Question: Can one sit beside themselves?

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
Galatians 4:4

Question: Can one send himself somewhere?

“And l0 a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17

Question: Did the voice lie or was he really the father of Jesus? Can you be your own father?

3. Ultimate Oneness:

There is a final way in which the Bible presents the concept of one God. It is pointed to in Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm 45:6-7, I Corinthians 15:27, and many other passages which show ultimately Jehovah God is the God even of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jehovah, then, is the one ultimate, supreme God, the “God and Father of all … ” (Ephesians 4:6).

4. General Characteristics Of God:

The atheist says with all assurance and boldness that there is no God. He bases his assertion on the evidence he thinks he finds in nature. The Christian says with all assurance and boldness that there is a God. His position is based not only on nature but also on revelation. The confusion that is in the mind of the atheist comes from failing to examine all the pertinent evidence. Nature does not contain it all; Part of it comes from revelation. Without examining all available evidence, one can not come to the proper conclusion, no matter what the question. So it is with the existence and character of God.

It must first be remembered that God has not revealed all things to mankind. Some things are reserved for Himself (Deuteronomy 29:29, Isaiah 55:8-9). Even those things that are presently revealed are somewhat hard to understand, we being so closely tied to this world (Romans 8:5-7). But as we move away from this world and draw closer to the mind of Christ, then we can begin to better understand the things of God (I Corinthians 11:1, Galatians 2:20). Even then, whenever we have made every effort possible, there are still some things which our limited knowledge cannot fully grasp. These things we must turn over to our faith and trust in the Lord.

The first thing we want to reflect upon is the all-sufficiency of our God. Psalm 33:6-9 reminds us that all which exists in heaven or on earth was created by God. Psalm 50:9-12 tells us that, such being the case, God needs nothing from us. Paul draws on this concept in his Mar’s hill address found in Acts 17:22-31 when He points out to those caught up in idolatry that the true God needs nothing from man, neither food nor shelter, for He is the Creator of all that is. God is truly all-in-all!

The second thing we want to briefly consider is the things of God that we learn from nature and reason. We can look at the creation and know that God is eternal, creative, powerful, orderly, spiritual, and unchangeable. We can know he has great majesty and is deserving of honor, reverence, and praise. We can know he is greater than our understanding can begin even to fathom. But while nature gives us some understanding of God, it leaves us with many questions that only revelation can answer.

The third thing we want to consider is the three general characteristics revealed in Scripture about our God. We find that He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, i.e., He has all power, He is everywhere present, and He knows all there is to know. But what exactly does this mean? We will look at each of the characteristics individually and examine as best we know how.

A. Omnipotent:

This term simply means that God has all power. Such is said about the nature of God in Revelation 19:6 and alluded to many times in the Bible (Genesis 18:13-14, et. al.). But this does not mean that God can do anything man can conceive.

First, He cannot do that which is self-contradictory. An example of such is that He cannot create a rock so big that He cannot pick it up. This is a logical absurdity and is not under consideration when God is spoken of as omnipotent. Second, God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18, Titus 1:2) because everything He says is true and/or comes to pass. He also cannot lie because it would violate His very essence and nature. Third, God cannot find a better plan of salvation than the one He implemented through the sacrifice of Jesus. If He could have found a better plan, He would have used it. When we speak of God as omnipotent (all-powerful) we simply mean that every power that exists comes under His control.

We should also remember that to have such power does not demand that he use it. He could have created a race of humans with two heads but he chose to give us only one. He could have created through the process of evolution but chose immediate and complete creation instead. God can choose when to use his power and when to refrain from its use. This is totally dependent on His discretion.

B. Omnipresent:

God is presented in Scripture as being everywhere. David would say, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me” (Psalm 139:7-11). In times of trial and sorrow David would rely on this closeness and presence of God. Often he would cry in the Psalms for God to be near him.

There are two important facts the Christian should glean from this. First, in those times we are faithful, God is watching over us. He sees our needs, our trials, our struggles. He has prepared our ultimate reward in heaven and is watching over us patiently until we leave this world so He can welcome us home. He is prepared to do battle on our behalf should the need arise. This knowledge brings the faithful child of God an inner peace like no other peace on earth.

The second important fact is that if we are unfaithful, God is watching and sees our rebellion – even the rebellion within our hearts. This should cause us to pause and reflect on our actions. All that we do or think comes into the view of the Father and we should live in a way which demonstrates that awareness in our minds. The Scriptures teach this same truth in another sense, the sense that sometimes God moves away from us because of our rebellion. The Bible speaks of Lucifer (and many others) being fallen from or separated from God. It speaks of God departing from those that are rebellious and in sin. What a sad situation – to be in the presence of God’s wrath and judgment but separated from His grace and mercy. Truly God is, in every real sense, always present to see our thoughts and actions and the wise Christian will live his life accordingly – even behind closed doors!

C. Omniscient:

The word omniscient carries the idea that God sees all or knows all. The Bible suggests that God even knows the number of hairs on your head. Man cannot hide even one action or one thought from the omniscient God. Whenever the sinful man begins to plot his behavior the omniscient God observes those plans. One only needs to read the story of Elisha and Syria found in II Kings 6:8-12 to understand nothing is hidden from God. This truth, however, does not mean or prove God has a knowledge of every future event. There is the possibility, if not the probability, that God chooses not to know every future event. When Moses was returning to Egypt, the Bible says God came down to kill him because he had not circumcised his sons (Exodus 4:24-26). The wife of Moses circumcised her sons and God’s anger was turned away. I believe this story to be true. But to say God came down to kill Moses when, in fact, God already knew he would have His anger turned aside and not kill Moses seems to present the Bible as having recorded a statement that was not true. I cannot accept that the Bible is inaccurate in anything it states as fact.

J. D. Bales, in his book The Biblical Doctrine of God (copyright 1966 – pg. 46) puts it this way:

“God can, the above scriptures show, foreknow the future. Does God foreknow everything in the future? Surely God can do so if he wills to do so. However, one would not affirm that God must foreknow the future – that he could not choose not to know certain things. It would hardly be something that God could not refrain from doing. God has all power, but that does not mean that he must at all times exercise all of his power that he is capable of exercising. God could raise up children unto Abraham from the very stones, But he did not do so. (Matthew 3:9) God could have the power to foreknow all, but not choose to exercise that power and foreknow all.”

The child of God must realize and accept that in the day of judgment, God will have a perfect recollection of all that we have done or thought. The Christian should always conduct his life accordingly.