I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal all that we are going to do in this studies.
1 Cor 2: 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
If you want to know God to His full extent then I am inviting you to do this studies with me. This next series of studies will be about The Trinity.
THE TRINITY OF GOD
While the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible, the concept is clearly biblical. The doctrine of the Trinity or Triunity of God is a very difficult mystery to understand but is essential to believe by faith.
The basic concept of the Trinity is that the LORD is ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS and THREE PERSONS in ONE GOD.
The persons are distinct but not separate and are all equally of the same essence or nature.
OLD TESTAMENT KEY TEXTS
The Old Testament at least implies the existence of the Trinity although it does not expressly teach it. Here are some key texts:
Threeness - (diversity) of persons.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[b] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Isaiah 48:16 “Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there.
And now the Lord God and His Spirit
Have[a] sent Me.”
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord
And the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.
10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.
Oneness - (unity) of nature or essence.
Deuteronomy 6:4 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one![b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Isaiah 6:3-8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Functional role of the Son
Psalm 2:2
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
Psalm 2:6-7
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
Isaiah 61:1-3
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 53:3-6
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Functional role of the Holy Spirit
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
1 Samuel 16:13-14 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
Nehemia 9:20
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And gave them water for their thirst.
Ezekiel 36:27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
The next study will be the New Testament Key texts for Trinity with regards to
- Oneness
- Threeness
- Functional roles
- Eternality
There will be an assignment at the end of the next study.
I did this Bible School course more than 20 years ago over a period of 2 years, and it is now my privilege to share it with you.
Thank you for reading and studying with me, I am really blessed by your participation!
Dr Dennis J. Mock: Bible training for church leadership, Bible Doctrine Survey, course no. 4
Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage - New King James Version
