Theology Club: God

I believe in one God that exists in three equal beings:  the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the core beliefs of Christianity.  One’s understanding of God will shape his view of Christ and ultimately influence the way he worships the Master.  In order to explain my personal view of the Trinity I will support the oneness, threeness, and three-in-oneness of God.

 The unique oneness of God is found throughout all of Scripture.  In Deuteronomy 6:4 Moses expresses God’s love and oneness to Jews in exile.  In Exodus 20:2 God tells Moses that He is the one true God and states that there is no other gods before (except) Him.  Furthermore, God’s oneness is evident in the second commandment where God expresses his disapproval of idol worship (v4-6).  Finally, throughout the entire New Testament, the idea of God’s oneness is expressed consistently as in James 2:19, 1 Cor. 8:4-6, 1 Tim, 2:5-6. 

In addition to the unique oneness of God’s nature, it is also Biblically apparent that God exists in three distinct beings.  God the Father is found in Genesis 3:8 looking for Adam and Eve.  He is the creative, powerful being in Genesis 1:1; the one who breathes life into Adam’s nostrils (Gen.2:7).  God the Son, Jesus Christ, is also found in Scripture.  In the Old Testament, some have debated that Christ is the Angel of the Lord found in Genesis 16:7, Zechariah 1:12, and Exodus 3:2-6.  However, most recognize God the Son as the Messiah of the New Testament, the savior of the world (Phil. 2:5-11).  Finally,  God the Holy Spirit is found in both the Old and New Testaments (Gen. 1:2, Ps 51:11, Jn 16:8-11).

I believe God the Father (1 Cor. 3:8), Son (Heb 1), and Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4) are all individual persons who make up one all-powerful God.  All three were present at the baptism of Christ (Luke 3:21-22) and Christ commanded His disciples to baptize in the name of all three (Mt 28:18-19).  Even Paul links the three in his benediction to the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 13:14).  Throughout Scripture it is apparent that our God, the God, is three-in-one.

2.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the second part of the Trinity, the Son of God (Jn 1, Mt 1:23, Phil. 2).  Jesus has existed eternally, but took human likeness in order to save mankind (1 Tim 1:15, Rom 5).  Jesus Christ was entirely God and entirely man.  He came to earth to pay the penalty of human sin and presently ministers at the right hand of God.

The deity of Christ is supported thoughout all of Scripture.  In the Old Testament, many prophecies such as Isaiah 7:14 told of a coming Messiah.  Such prophecies were fulfilled in Christ as recorded in the gospels (Mt 1:23, Lk 1:31).  The deity of Christ is also supported by the epistles (Phil. 2, Col. 2:9), confirmed by John the Baptist (Jn 1:34), and confirmed by God the Father (Mt 3:16-17).   Even Christ regarded himself as God by the way the forgave sins and handled the Sabbath (Mk 2:5, 2:27-28).  From Scripture it is clear that Jesus Christ is the Lord.

The humanity of Jesus is also supported in Scripture.  Jesus was born from a woman, lived in a human body, and grew just like every man (Gal 4:4, Lk.2:52).  He felt fatigue while traveling (Jn 4:6), as well as hunger and thirst (Mt 4:2, Jn 19:28).  Finally, Christ experienced pain to the point of death when He died on the cross (Jn 19:34).  From Scripture it is clear that while Jesus Christ is the Lord, He was also completely human.  I believe that the union of humanity and deity did not limit the power of Christ as Lord, but rather added human qualities to Jesus, the all powerful God of creation.  Both human and divine natures were present in Christ the God-Man (1 Tim 2:5). 

The death of Christ is the axis of Christianity.  The purpose of Jesus’ death was to provide a substitutional sacrifice for the sin of all humankind (Is 53:6, Jn 1:29).  Since the fall of Man in Genesis 3, humankind had been living in a broken relationship with God (Eph. 2:1).  However, the sacrifice of Christ paid the penalty for the sin of all (Rev 5:9, Lk 19:10, Heb. 9:12-14).  Man is no longer a slave to sin.  Instead, he is a true servant of the Master (1 Cor 6:19-20).  Through the blood of Christ we are reconciled with God (2 Cor 5:18-19)

Currently, Jesus ministers by ruling from the right hand of God the Father (Heb 1:3, Col. 1:18, Is 9:7)  He is the head of the church (Rom 8:34, Rev 2) and the advocate for believers (1Jn 2:1-2).  Jesus is still building as the one time carpenter preparing a place for all believers (Jn 14:2).  Finally, Christ promised to return with authority to take His people home (Phil. 2:10-11).

I believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit is a co-equal part of the Godhead and is also completely God (Mt 3:16, Jn 14:16, Acts 10:38).  In Scripture, we see that the Holy Spirit possesses both the attributes and the actions of God.  For example, the Holy Spirit is viewed as omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10-11), all powerful (Lk 1:35), and eternal (Heb. 9:14).  Furthermore, the Bible records the Spirit acting as God in creation (Gen. 1:2), in prophecy (2 Pt 1:21), and in judgment (Acts 5:3-4). 

Currently, the Spirit ministers to both the world in general and to the believer.  In general, the Spirit convicts the world of guilt, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:8).  However, to the believer, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is much more extensive.  Throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit plays an active role in the lives of the early believers.  In the same way the Holy Spirit ministered in the early church, I believe that the Spirit currently ministers through the regeneration (Titus 3:5), indwelling (Jn14:17), baptism (1 Cor. 12:3), and sealing (2 Cor 1:22) of the modern day believer (2 Cor 1:22).  The process of renewing, connecting, uniting, and owning the believer to Christ is the work of the “Counselor” Jesus mentioned in John 14:6.  The Holy Spirit intercedes in the prayers of believers (Rom 8:26-27), illuminates Scripture, opens the minds and hearts of believers (Jn 14:26), and is active in the process of sanctification of the believer (Rom. 8:2-14).

In addition to working in the lives of individual believers, the Spirit plays an active role in the church.  In 1 Corinthians 12:7,11 it is clear that the Holy Spirit is the giver of Spiritual gifts.  In this way, the Spirit equips the church for the ministry of Christ.  However, it is important to note that the purpose of such miraculous gifts is to glorify Christ (1 Cor. 12:3) and unite the church body (1 Cor. 12:1).  We must remember that above all else, love is the greatest gift we can share as a body (1 Cor 13).