Page Suggestions: Bible Facts

What does the BIBLE say about the Trinity

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Use of Plural Personal Pronouns

On three occasions the Old Testament uses plural personal pronouns when speaking of God. The first occurrence refers to the creation of humanity: "Let Us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.Genesis 1 verse 26). The second pertains to God deciding to confuse human languages at the tower of Babel: "Let Us go down" (Genesis 11:6-9(verse 6) And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

(verse 7) Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

(verse 8) So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

(verse 9) Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.Genesis 11 verses 6-9). The last reference is to the call to mission: "Who will go for Us?" (Isaiah 6:1-8(verse 1) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

(verse 2) Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

(verse 3) And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his glory.

(verse 4) And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

(verse 5) Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

(verse 6) Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

(verse 7) And he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

(verse 8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.Isaiah 6 verses 1-8).

The Angel of the Lord

Several times in the Hebrew Scriptures, reference is made to "the Angel of the Lord" (Yahweh). It is evident from the contexts that these references do not speak simply of a created messenger of God but of God Himself. In certain contexts the Angel of the Lord is identified as God Himself (Genesis 16:7-13(verse 7) And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

(verse 8) And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

(verse 9) And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

(verse 10) And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

(verse 11) And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou [art] with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

(verse 12) And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

(verse 13) And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?Genesis 16 verses 7-13, Genesis 18:1-22), but in others He is distinguished from God (Genesis 19:1-28, especially verse 24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.Genesis 19 verse 24; Zechariah 1:12-13(verse 12) Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

(verse 13) And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me [with] good words [and] comfortable words.Zechariah 1 verses 12-13; see also Malachi 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.Malachi 3 verse 1). Such appearances most likely are of the preincarnate Christ, who is the revelation of the Father (John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].John 1 verse 18, Hebrews 1:1-3(verse 1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

(verse 2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

(verse 3) Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.Hebrews 1 verses 1-3). After the incarnation such appearances of the Angel of the Lord end, for now the revelation of God is present as a human in the person of Jesus Christ (compare Exodus 14:19And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.Exodus 14 verse 19 with Exodus 23:20Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.Exodus 23 verse 20, 1 Corinthians 10:4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.1 Corinthians 10 verse 4).

The Explicit Teaching of the New Testament

The Teaching of Jesus Christ on His Relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit

Jesus is the Son of the Father. Jesus calls Himself the Son of God, and He also calls God His Father in a way that implies a profoundly unique association. Moreover, Jesus claims a relationship with God the Father as a partner from all eternity. At other times Jesus makes statements and does deeds that cause others to recognize His claim to equality with God. The specific charge of blasphemy made against Christ was His admission to being the Son of God (Luke 22:70Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.Luke 22 verse 70). These texts identify the person Jesus, preexistent to the world, as being God and yet distinct from God the Father.

Like Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit is also a divine Person. Before Christ left the earth to be with the Father, He promised a Comforter similar to but distinct from Himself. He and the Father come to the believer through this Person, the Holy Spirit.

In a sense, each Christian is identified with the Triune God. Jesus in His prayer for believers in John 17 indicated that God would dwell with believers in Christ, "I in them and You in Me" (John 17:23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.John 17 verse 23).

The Teaching of the Apostles on the Trinity

God is called the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as of Christians (Ephesians 1:2Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ.Ephesians 1 verse 2, Philippians 1:2Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ.Philippians 1 verse 2, 2 John 1:3Grace be with you, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.2 John 1 verse 3). The apostle John specifically calls Jesus God (John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1 verse 1, John 18, John 8:58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.John 8 verse 58). In several places Paul identifies Jesus as God (Romans 9:5Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.Romans 9 verse 5, Philippians 2:6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.Philippians 2 verse 6, Titus 2:13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.Titus 2 verse 13), as does Peter (2 Peter 1:1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.2 Peter 1 verse 1). The Holy Spirit is declared to be God by Peter (Acts 5:4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.Acts 5 verse 4) and is listed alongside the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.Matthew 28 verse 19, 2 Corinthians 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, [be] with you all. Amen.2 Corinthians 13 verse 14).