THE TRINITY ANSWER
I am suspicious of the Trinity doctrine but I accept it because no
other explanation fits the evidence. The Mormon idea does not fit the
evidence. They say the Godhead consists of three distinct Gods who are
united in purpose. This does not fit verses which say there is only one God
Being (cf.Is 43:10,11). The United Pentecostal idea does not fit the
evidence. They say Jesus is merely the Father in a different form. But, we
know Jesus was WITH the Father from the beginning (John 1:1, Phil 2:6,7;
John 17:5)! So, it is not enough to say Jesus was God, you must also say he
was WITH God, making him a distinct person, other than the Father. In
addition, Jesus prays to his Father (John 17:5) which also proves Jesus is a
different person than the Father. The Jehovah's Witness idea does not fit
the evidence. They make Jesus to be a created being when scripture
identifies him as from everlasting (Micah 5:2) to everlasting (Heb 7:3).
But, just what is the evidence? Basically there are five categories of
evidence.
The Five Evidences only one Being is truly God, and His name is Jehovah.
The Father is identified as Jehovah or God. Jesus is identified as Jehovah
or God. The Holy Spirit is identified as Jehovah or God. All three are
identified as separate persons from one another.
Let us presume for a moment all five are true. If we do, then the answer
we come up with must not deny any of the five evidences. If you say there
are three separate Beings like the Mormons do, you contradict the first
point. If you say there is only one person like the United Pentecostals do,
you contradict the last point. If you say Jesus is only a created being like
the Jehovah's Witnesses do, you contradict the center point. The only
answer which can fit all five pieces of evidence is the Trinity.
But, what is the definition of the Trinity? That God is a singular
Spirit Being who is hypostatically three persons. What is meant by
hypostatic? First, realize we are dealing with a Being of Spirit. It may
help to compare a Spirit Being to a Being of Light or a Being of Fire.
Imagine a single flame which divides itself into three flames and then the
three move together as one again, but the three remain distinctly different
from each other while burning together as one flame. Hear them speaking to
each other within the flame. Yet, when they speak to us they speak in the
singular, I AM. Or picture a Ball of Light which separates itself into
three balls of Light and then comes together again as one glowing orb. Yet,
the three remain distinct from each other within the one. That is
Hypostatic Union.
A hypostatic union is where there is absolute unity of essence without
loss of individual identity. But, Light and Fire can not pass through walls
whereas Spirit can. So Spirit lends itself fully to hypostatic union as
compared to Light or Fire. Someone might say to me the flame was not three
(3) until it divided itself, therefore there was a time when the other two
did not exist. That is due to the weakness of my illustration. I ask you to
imagine it was always three in one. Besides, if I reach down in the
fireplace and pull out a log and there is fire on that log, which is older?
Is the fire in the fire place older or the fire on the log? They are both
the same age. They are both the same name. Further, if I move the fire
which is on the log back into the fire which is in the fire place, all I did
was restore it the way it was. Therefore it was already two in one before I
pulled it out!
Let us suppose Jesus came from the Father like fire comes from fire. God
from God, fire from fire. Is he any younger than his Father? No. Is there
any difference in the type of substance or nature? No. The fire on the log
demonstrates all of that. Yet, though the fire on the log is equal in age
and substance it is logically subordinate to the fire in the fire place,
because that is where it came from. So, there is a sequential relationship
but not one we should measure by time.
But all of this presumes the Five evidences exist. Here are some proofs
to help you decide.
I. Only one Being is truly God, and His name is Jehovah.
In Isaiah 43:10,11 we read: "..Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD
(Jehovah) ...before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after
me..".
You might ask where I get authority to place Jehovah in parenthesis. Any
place in the KJV Old Testament where the word Lord is in all capital letters
(LORD), it is the name Jehovah. [There is some question as to which vowels
go between the consonants, therefore LORD is used.] Here is another proof
Jehovah is the only God Being: "...I am the first and I am the last and
beside me there is no God....Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God;
I know not any". Isaiah 44:6,8
As you can see, there is no room for two Gods nor for three. Jehovah says
none exist except for himself. This rules out the Mormon idea of three Gods
and it rules out the J.W. idea that Jesus is "a" god. No God exists except
Jehovah. We have proven our first point. Only one Being is truly God and
his name is Jehovah.
II. The Father is identified as Jehovah or God.
The Father is identified as Jehovah in Ps 110:1: "The LORD (Jehovah) said
unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy
footstool". Also in Psalms 2:7: "I will declare the decree: the LORD
(Jehovah) hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten
thee."
The person speaking is the Father, and the person being spoken to is
Jesus. This makes the Father Jehovah. It might interest you that the
Mormons deny the Father is Jehovah!
In case there is still doubt the Father is the one speaking in these two
verses, I refer you to Heb 1:5. We have proven our second point. The Father
is Jehovah.
III. Jesus is identified as Jehovah or God.
There are numerous verses which identify Jesus as Jehovah. Let us begin
with Heb 1:10-12: "And (the context means, "And also the Father says this
about Jesus" see v.8), Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation
of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands; They shall
perish but thou remainest; and they shall wax old as doth a garment; And as
a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art
the same, and thy years shall not fail."
Someone might ask how the verse makes Jesus to be Jehovah. Well, the
whole passage is a quote from Psalms 102:25-27. The only difference is
Psalms makes it refer to Jehovah whereas Hebrews makes it refer to Jesus!
Ask yourself these questions:
In Psalms, who is it that laid the foundation of the earth (V.25)?
Jehovah (cf v.1). In Hebrews, who is it that laid the foundation of the
earth? Jesus (v.10).
In Psalms, the heavens are the work of whose hands (v.25)? Jehovah. But,
whose hands were they according to Hebrews (v.10)? Jesus.
In Psalms, who is it that shall endure longer than the heavens (26)?
Jehovah. But, who is it in Hebrews (11)? Jesus.
In Psalms who is it that never changes (v.27)? Jehovah. But, who is it
that never changes in Hebrews (12)? Jesus.
Here is another passage which does pretty much the same thing: "I the
LORD (Jehovah) search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man
according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah
17:10
Now, compare that to this: "...I am he which searcheth the reins and
hearts: and I will give unto everyone of you according to your works." Rev
2:23
So, who is it that searches the reins and hearts? Well, in Jeremiah
17:10 it is Jehovah but, in Rev 2:23 it is Jesus! This is proven from
v18,25,27 where it is clear Jesus is speaking. We have established our
third point of the five. Jesus is identified as Jehovah.
IV. The Holy Spirit is identified as Jehovah or God.
In Acts 5:3-4, Ananias and his wife lied to the Holy Ghost. Peter tells
them they have not lied unto man but unto God. And, what about this well
worn verse? "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost." Mat 28:19 By mentioning the Holy Spirit equally
with the Father and the Son, it means the Holy Spirit must also be Jehovah.
And, here is one more: "...well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias (Isaiah) the
prophet ...saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand..." Acts 28:25,26 The point is Jehovah does the
speaking in Isaiah 6:9 but Acts credits the Holy Ghost as the speaker. We
have established our fourth point. The Holy Spirit is identified as Jehovah
and/or God.
V. All three are identified as separate persons from one another.
This has already been proven with John 1:1 as far as Jesus and the Father
are concerned. The Holy Ghost is proven to be a distinct by the equal
billing He is given in the baptismal formula and by the words of Jesus in
John 14:26, "But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,...he shall teach
you all things...." Jesus refers to the Holy Ghost in the third person
,"he". So the fifth point is established. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
are identified as separate persons from one another.
In Summary
The Trinity is the only solution which does justice to the five
evidences. The theories offered by the Mormons, J.W's and the United
Pentecostals, all deny at least one of the five. The doctrine of the
Trinity says Jehovah is a singular Being but hypostatically triune. One in
Being, three in persons. An example of this would be three flames burning
as a single flame. Jesus may have come from the Father as fire comes from
fire. There is no difference in age or substance or name though there is a
distinction in personality. Yet, it is a case where Jesus had always been
from the Father. There was never a time when Jesus did not exist as a
distinct person. As an example of how Jesus can proceed from the Father but
have always existed I offer this. If there was such a thing as an eternal
flame then the heat and light which proceed from it would also have been
equally eternal and there would never have been a time when the flame
existed with out the heat or light.