davidmarkbecker
03-22-2006, 09:42 AM
Henry Morris, a conservative Baptist and prolific author, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, and editor of the Defender's Study Bible, passed away recently. One of his last articles was "The Wonderful Truth of the Trinity." A link to it is at http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=2494.
Also, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's question and answer service has addressed the issue of the Godhead many times, such as here.
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuTopic_topicID=399&cuItem_itemID=114 09
Q: i have been confronted by a friend who doesn't believe in the trinity. can you give me some passages to prove the existense of it?
A: First start with passages that emphasize that there is but one true God. Passages that make this point would include Deuteronomy 6:4 and Isaiah 45:22 (and many, many others!). It's important that people understand that when we teach the Trinity we are not speaking about three separate Gods.
The place to go after that is to show them a basic passage such as Matthew 28:19 which mentions the three distinct persons within the one God. Notice in particular the part of that passage that shows the unity (the first point above) even in the midst of the distinction of the persons (this second point). Jesus speaks of baptizing in "the name" (NOT "the names"!)of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In this subtle and yet significant way, that passage emphasizes both the unity of the one "Godhead" and at the same time the very real plurality of the persons. (Of course, how God can be truly one and yet truly three will forever go beyond our ability to comprehend! I wonder how much it may be troubling your friend that he/she is trying to figure out that which forever will go beyond our understanding!)
Perhaps it would also be good to be prepared with a passage such as Matthew 3:13-17 (the baptism of Jesus) which shows us that the three persons are clearly distinct persons as we see them all active at the same time at Jesus' baptism. Sometimes false teachers in the church have distorted the doctrine of the Trinity by teaching that these three names (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are nothing but different "modes of activity" as one person plays three different parts at different times. That's impossible as Matthew 3 (and other passages) shows.
Finally, consider the literally hundreds of passages that show the Son and the Holy Spirit to be fully God in every way (not 1/3 of God, but wholly God every bit as much as the God the Father). Among such passages we would include: Colossians 2:9 (notice "all [not one third] the fullness of the deity" lives in Christ!), Acts 5:3-4 (notice that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God!), Revelation 22:12-16 (here Jesus uses for himself clear terms of eternal and infinite deity!).
How else can we understand these passages (and so many, many others like them!)without ending up teaching multiple "Gods" unless we maintain the unity in diversity and diversity in unity that is the doctrine of the Trinity! Certainly, we will forever struggle to come up with adequate ways of expressing the awesome truth of what Scripture clearly paints before us about our awesome Triune God. Even though it is true that the word "Trinity" itself is not used per se in the Scriptures, the teaching is clearly able to be shown in many places in the Scriptures!
God's blessings as you seek to witness to your friend the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity!
Also, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's question and answer service has addressed the issue of the Godhead many times, such as here.
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuTopic_topicID=399&cuItem_itemID=114 09
Q: i have been confronted by a friend who doesn't believe in the trinity. can you give me some passages to prove the existense of it?
A: First start with passages that emphasize that there is but one true God. Passages that make this point would include Deuteronomy 6:4 and Isaiah 45:22 (and many, many others!). It's important that people understand that when we teach the Trinity we are not speaking about three separate Gods.
The place to go after that is to show them a basic passage such as Matthew 28:19 which mentions the three distinct persons within the one God. Notice in particular the part of that passage that shows the unity (the first point above) even in the midst of the distinction of the persons (this second point). Jesus speaks of baptizing in "the name" (NOT "the names"!)of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In this subtle and yet significant way, that passage emphasizes both the unity of the one "Godhead" and at the same time the very real plurality of the persons. (Of course, how God can be truly one and yet truly three will forever go beyond our ability to comprehend! I wonder how much it may be troubling your friend that he/she is trying to figure out that which forever will go beyond our understanding!)
Perhaps it would also be good to be prepared with a passage such as Matthew 3:13-17 (the baptism of Jesus) which shows us that the three persons are clearly distinct persons as we see them all active at the same time at Jesus' baptism. Sometimes false teachers in the church have distorted the doctrine of the Trinity by teaching that these three names (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are nothing but different "modes of activity" as one person plays three different parts at different times. That's impossible as Matthew 3 (and other passages) shows.
Finally, consider the literally hundreds of passages that show the Son and the Holy Spirit to be fully God in every way (not 1/3 of God, but wholly God every bit as much as the God the Father). Among such passages we would include: Colossians 2:9 (notice "all [not one third] the fullness of the deity" lives in Christ!), Acts 5:3-4 (notice that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God!), Revelation 22:12-16 (here Jesus uses for himself clear terms of eternal and infinite deity!).
How else can we understand these passages (and so many, many others like them!)without ending up teaching multiple "Gods" unless we maintain the unity in diversity and diversity in unity that is the doctrine of the Trinity! Certainly, we will forever struggle to come up with adequate ways of expressing the awesome truth of what Scripture clearly paints before us about our awesome Triune God. Even though it is true that the word "Trinity" itself is not used per se in the Scriptures, the teaching is clearly able to be shown in many places in the Scriptures!
God's blessings as you seek to witness to your friend the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity!