On May 11, 7:45 am, "Carl" <sai...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> The following article by Van Lees concerns the Biblical doctrine of the
Ho=
ly
> Trinity. It is a enlightening and informative article.
>
> May God bless,
> Carl
> my website --http://www.nettally.com/saints/
> my blog --http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
>
> ---
>
> THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
> by Van Lees
>
> One of the more im****tant and central doctrines of Christianity is the
> doctrine of the Trinity. The concept that there is one God that
subsists =
in
> three persons is essential to the Christian faith. ...
"Concept" ???!!! When does a reality become a concept? It reminds
me of a chap God commissioned to pastor ACC and who consistently
called God an "idea".
> ... J. Oliver Buswell, Jr.,
> in his Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion states, "The
doctrine=
> of the Trinity is indispensable for the harmony and unity of other major
> doctrines in the Christian system" (p. 126). A good example of the
> essentiality of the doctrine of the Trinity is its relation to the
> incarnation of Christ. It would be impossible to conceive of God
becoming=
> man, dying for the sins of man, and rising from the dead apart from the
> concept of the Trinity.
>
> "For God (the Father) so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
So=
n
> (the second person of the Trinity) that whosoever believeth in him
(throug=
h
> the conviction and enabling work of the Holy Spirit, John 16:8; Eph.
2:1-8=
)
> should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) (Buswell., p.
128)=
..
>
> The doctrine of the Trinity is not an arithmetic paradox; it does not
teac=
h
> that one equals three. The doctrine propounds that there is but one
God,
> that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is each God; and that the
> Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is each a distinct person - a
> self-conscious being. The classic definition of the Trinity is: God is
on=
e
> in essence and three in person. The reason people usually have trouble
> understanding this is that we are accustomed to the idea that "one
person
> equals one essence." While there is mystery involved in the Trinity, it
i=
s
> not irrational; it does not present an antinomy.
>
> The doctrine of the Trinity is not explicitly, but rather implicitly set
> forth in the Scripture. This format, however, in which the doctrine is
> presented does not cause it to be an unbiblical concept. B. B.
Warfield, =
in
> his article, "The Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity" states: "The
doctrine =
of
> the Trinity lies in Scripture in solution; when it is crystallized from
it=
s
> solvent it does not cease to be Scriptural, but only comes into clearer
vi=
ew
> (Biblical and Theological Studies, p. 22)
>
> The entire Bible is Trinitarian to the core. It is incorrect to
advocate
> that the New Testament is Trinitarian and the Old Testament is
monotheisti=
c.
> The doctrine of the Trinity is present in the Old Testament, but it is
> enunciated more in the guise of intimation than direct revelation. Some
o=
f
> the indications of the Trinity in the Old Testament are: the employment
of=
> plural pronouns in reference to God (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa. 6:8),
> repetitions of the name of God that seem to distinguish between God and
Go=
d
> (Psa. 45:6,7; 110:1), and threefold liturgical formulas (Numbers
6:24,26;
> Isa. 6:3).
>
> The Angel of God in the Old Testament is a particularly strong
indication =
of
> the Trinity (Gen. 16:7-13; 22:1,2, 11-18; 31:11-13; 48:15,16; Exo.
3:2-6;
> 13:21 and 14:19; 23:20-23 and 33:14; 32:34 - compare Exo. passages with
> Judges 2:1-4 and Exo. 20:1,2; Josh. 5:5:13-15; Judges 6:11-23; 13:18-22;
2=
> Sam. 24:16; Zech. 12:8). In every context the Angel of God speaks and
> performs deeds as if he were God himself, but distinguishes himself from
> God.
>
> The Old Testament also contains references to the Son (Psa. 2:12) and to
t=
he
> Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2). There are many passages which depict God's Word
a=
nd
> Spirit as co-causes with God of his work (Gen. 1:2; Psa. 33:6; Isa 42:1;
> Hag. 2:5,6). Included in this category are passages that tend to
> personalize God's Word (Psa. 33:6; 107:20; 147:15-18; Isa. 55:11;
63:10).
>
> The Trinity is also alluded to in those passages in which the Messiah as
a=
> Divine speaker refers to the Lord and/or the Spirit as having sent him
(Is=
a.
> 48:16; 61:1 [see: Luke 4:16-18]; Zech. 2:10,11). The distinct persons
of
> the Trinity are also implied in Isaiah 63:9,10. Isaiah speaks of the
Lord=
,
> the Angel of his presence, and his Holy Spirit as distinct persons.
>
> These implications in the Old Testament that God is triune in his nature
> were prepatory for the fuller revelation of the New Testament (ibid., p.
> 29,30). Concerning this B. B. Warfield states:
>
> The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly
> lighted; the introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not
in=
> it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but
w=
as
> only dimly or even not at all perceived before. The mystery of the
Trinit=
y
> is not revealed in the Old Testament; but the mystery of the Trinity
> underlies the Old Testament revelation, and here and there almost comes
in=
to
> view. Thus the Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the
> fuller revelation which follows it, but only perfected, extended and
> enlarged (p. 30, 31).
>
> In the New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity is not seen as a
gradual=
ly
> developing doctrine; it appears as a fully mature concept. The theme of
t=
he
> New Testament caused the doctrine to be the fully established conception
o=
f
> God within the Christian community. The process of redemption was God's
> complete revealing of himself to man; the incarnation and the subsequent
> manifestations of the Holy Spirit set forth the full revelation of the
> Trinity. Consequently, the New Testament writers did not consider
> themselves to be departing from the God of the Old Testament, but rather
> felt that the God of the Old Testament had made himself more fully known
t=
o
> man through the redemptive process. The doctrine of the Trinity
constitut=
es
> the conception of God set forth through the incarnation of the Son and
the=
> outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the basic proof that God is a
> Trinity lies in the sup****t for the deity of the Son and the deity of
the
> Holy Spirit. Thus, the whole mass of the New Testament is evidence for
th=
e
> Trinity because the core of the New Testament is concerned with the
> documentation of the deity of Christ and the deity of the Holy Spirit
> (Warfield, p. 35).
>
> The New Testament abounds with proof for the deity of Jesus Christ. In
> eight passages, Jesus is described by the Greek word Theos (God): John
> 1:1-3; 1:18; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 John
5:2=
0.
> Divine attributes, such as eternality (Isa. 9:6; John 1:1,2; Rev. 1:8;
> 22:13), omnipresence (Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13), omniscience (John
> 2:24,25; 21:17; Rev. 2:23), omnipotence (Isa. 9:6; Phil. 3:21; Rev.
1:8),
> immutability (Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8), and in general, every attribute of
the
> Father is ascribed to the Son (Col. 2:9).
>
> The New Testament also depicts Jesus as exercising Divine prerogatives
and=
> works: creation (John 1:3,10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2,10), providence (Luke
> 10:22; John 3:35; 17:2; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3), the forgiveness
o=
f
> sins (Matt. 9:2-7; Mark 2:7-10; Col. 3:13), resurrection and judgment
(Mat=
t.
> 25:31,32; John 5:19-29; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Phil. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:1), and
th=
e
> final dissolution and renewal of all things (Eph. 1:10; Heb. 1:10-12;
Phil=
..
> 3:21; Rev. 21:5) (see: Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, p. 94, 95).
>
> The New Testament also affirms the deity of Jesus in calling him Yahweh.
> Old Testament prophecies concerning Yahweh are quoted in the New
Testament=
> as being references to Jesus (compare Mal. 3:1 and Luke 1:76; Joel 2:32
an=
d
> Rom. 10:13; Isa. 45:23 and Rom. 14:10). (Buswell, p. 104, 105). These
> examples are adequate to demonstrate that the New Testament contains a
> myriad of proof for the deity of Jesus Christ.
>
> The deity of the Holy Spirit may be proven through a line of reasoning
> similar to that used to demonstrate the deity of the Son. Peter uses
the
> terms Holy Spirit and God interchangeably in Acts 5:3,4, thus directly
> calling the Holy Spirit God. Divine attributes are ascribed to the Holy
> Spirit: omnipresence (Psa. 139:7-10), omniscience (Isa. 40:13,14,
compare
> with Romans 11:34), omnipotence (1 Cor. 2:11; Rom. 15:19), and
eternality
> (Hebrews 9:14). Divine works are performed by the Holy Spirit such as
> creation (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13), regeneration (John 3:4,5; Titus 3:5),
and
> the resurrection of the dead (Rom. 8:11) (Berkhof, p. 97, 98).
>
> The Holy Spirit is also ascribed the qualities of personhood and
personali=
ty
> in Scripture. These qualities consist of mind, will, and emotions. For
> example, in Romans 8:26, 27, the Holy Spirit helps in prayer, searches
> hearts, is said to have a mind, and intercedes for the saints (see also
1
> Cor. 2:11).
>
> 1 Corinthians 12:11 states that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to
> various Christians "just as he wills." Ephesians 4:30, in providing
ethic=
al
> exhortations, urges Christians not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
thus
> attributing emotion to the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5:3,4, Peter said that
> Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit. One does not lie to an impersonal
force.=
> This passage not only affirms the deity of the Holy Spirit, but also
> demonstrates his personhood. The following passages teach that the Holy
> Spirit will teach, speak, guide, convict of sin, witness, comfort,
glorify=
> Christ, give gifts, etc. All of these are qualities of personality:
John
> 14:26; 15:26; 16:14; Acts 13:1-3; 16:6,7; 20:22,23; 21:11; Rom. 8:14-16,
> 26,27; 1 Cor. 2:10,11; 12:1-3, 12,13; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians
1:13,14=
;
> 4:30; Titus 3:3-5; Hebrews 10:29; Jude 20; Revelation 22:17.
>
> These proofs of the deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit implicitly
teach
> the triune nature of God.
>
> Even though the doctrine of the Trinity is basically taught implicitly
in
> the New Testament, it is also explicitly set forth in numerous passages.
> The teaching of Jesus affirms a Trinitarian concept of God. Concerning
thi=
s
> B. B. Warfield states: ...
>
> read more =BB
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