Impact 6 - The Trinity

This Christian Journey:

Impact Six

The Trinity
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Dr. Walter D. Huyck Jr. D.Min. D.R.S.

www.thischristianjourney.com

Unit One, Unit Two, Unit Three, Unit Four

UNIT ONE

THE TRINITY

The doctrine of the Trinity deals with the study of the Godhead. This is a study focused upon discovering what the Bible reveals about God Himself. As one diligently studies the manifestation of God in Scripture, one will inevitably come away with a sense of the incomprehensibility of God. He is greater than anything we could ever hope or imagine. God truly is awesome. The expanse of our understanding can only touch the surface of who He really is, yet God desires that we know Him enough that we can hear Him and trust Him. Therefore, God has taken all of the necessary steps to reveal Himself to us at a level equal to our cognitive ability.

As we study and discover the many deep truths revealed in the Bible about our omnipotent (all-powerful) God, let us refrain from the assumption that we know all there is to know about God. The Bible reminds us:

Deuteronomy 29:29 The ______________ things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are ______________________ belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we _________________ all the words of this law.

Everything that we know about God is merely what He has revealed to us about Himself. Our God is still greater than all of His creation and by far exceeds all of our thoughts and our ability to understand. God reveals and manifests those things that He teaches us so that we might understand and be united to His great love and incredible gifts.

As you study this unit, be careful that you do not try to shove God into the shoe box of your understanding. We often try to define those things we encounter in terms that we can explain. We call this reason, but God is greater than all of our understandings. He breaks every reasonable explanation. He is greater than man’s philosophies. He is greater than science and those laws He created that define our sciences. The creator truly is far greater than His creation. Hence, we must learn to receive what He reveals about Himself, even when it doesn’t seem to make good sense.

Teachings About The Trinity

There are generally two views concerning the Trinity. One view teaches that the Father became the Son who in turn became the Holy Spirit; this is called the Unitarian view. In support of this view, its proponents state that there is only one God, and He is not three little gods. Those holding this view presume that statements like “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost” must refer to three gods rather than one.

In opposition to this view is the traditional view of the Trinity. This view also teaches that there is but one God. However, it teaches that this God is composed of three separate persons (not three little gods). These three persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three work harmoniously together and together they form one God. They are not three separate parts of one God, possessing a portion of the collective power; they all possess all of the power of God and are each individually Almighty God. One does not exist or work apart from the other; they are ONE GOD.

Perhaps the confusion of many stems from the traditional statement, "we believe in one God composed of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit." Some may misunderstand this statement, thinking it a declaration of three little gods. However, the statement is not intended to imply such an interpretation. Instead, the statement is intended to imply that these three persons together comprise ONE ALMIGHTY GOD; the Father, who is Almighty God, the Son, who is Almighty God, and the Holy Spirit, who is Almighty God. Three PERSONS yet ONE GOD.

Many people have trouble with the traditional view, because it is hard to understand. In reality, we never could and probably never will fully understand the truths of the Trinity of God for the creator can never be fully understood by the created. However, God has revealed many things about Himself to us in Scripture, and Biblical faith must accept God's self-revelation as it is for nothing of the inconceivable God can truly be known, save only that which He chooses to reveal.

Let’s investigate what is revealed in Scripture about God and His tri-unity.

1. What do you personally believe concerning the Trinity?

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2. How do you support this view?

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3. In your King James Bible, look up 1 John 5.7. What does this verse say about God and the Trinity?

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According to this verse, there are three persons: the Father, the Word (Son, Jesus, cf. John 1.1-3,14) and the Holy Spirit. in mind that the Bible is very clear that there is only one God, yet it also clearly indicates that all three of these persons come together as Almighty God. are not three little God's, they are one God.

Let’s consider some more scriptural evidence.

4. According to Genesis 1.1, who created the heaven and the earth?

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5. According to Genesis 1.2, who was involved in the creative process?

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6. According to Colossians 1.13,16-17, who created all things?

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7. According to the above three references, who were involved in the creation process?

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

Notice that the Bible attributes the creation process to all three members of the Trinity, yet we know that there is clearly only One God. also helps us to realize that all three persons of the Godhead have existed from eternity past. ’s look at more verses.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let __________ make man in ___________ image, after ____________ likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

8. Read Genesis 1.26 carefully. Who created mankind (look at the plural words)?

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9. What do the plural words in this verse indicate?

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10. How would you personally explain this?

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Isn't it interesting how God uses these plural words in the first chapter of the Bible to point us toward a deep truth that He wants us to know about. that I did not say "understand", but instead, God wants us to know about this incomprehensible truth. That is, the concept of the Trinity is something very difficult for us to understand, yet it is a divinely revealed truth. has presented an aspect of Himself to us that we find impossible to understand. As a matter of fact, some people go as far as to say that the Trinity is impossible, and therefore, they refuse to accept what God has made so clear about Himself.

The truth is I don't have to understand every thing that God reveals about Himself. a matter of fact, I am glad that my God is greater than my ability to understand. I can say about the Trinity is that God presented it. expects us to accept it, and I do accept it. You should too. have to learn that the things of God are far bigger than our reason or understanding. If God says it, then we need to simply accept it.

There are some who have tried to explain the Trinity by comparing it to a piece of pie: it has filling, fruit, and the crust, yet they are all required to make the pie. teach that the Trinity is like water. Water can be liquid, steam (gas), or ice yet it is all water. are interesting examples, but they still fall short of the truth of the Trinity.

In the God-head, there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are all three fully God, in complete agreement, yet are three different persons. God is awesome and beyond our comprehension. ’s look at some more Biblical evidence.

11. Who was present at the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1.9-11)?

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12. What does this reveal about the Trinity?

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13. According to Hebrews 9.14, who was involved in our salvation?

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14. Who was responsible for the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2.32)?

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15. According to Romans 1.4, who was responsible for the resurrection?

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16. Who did Jesus state was responsible for His death and resurrection (John 10.17-18)?

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17. What does this indicate about the Trinity?

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We can see how all three persons of the Trinity are involved in most aspects of life through these verses.

18. According to John 14.16-17, who dwells within the believer?

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19. Who does John 14.19-21 and Revelation 3.20 indicate dwells within the believer?

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20. Who else dwells inside of every Christian according to John 14.23?

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21. What does this reveal about the indwelling of God within the believer?

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These are just a few examples of the many Scriptural evidences of the Trinity and the harmony of the three persons of the Godhead in every facet of creation and in our Christian lives. The truth of Scripture is undeniable; there are three persons in the Godhead, and they co-exist with one another while working in perfect and harmonious unity. Whether or not we are able to fully understand this Biblical truth or not is of no recourse; what God has revealed it in His written Word, and we are compelled to accept His revelation by faith.

UNIT TWO

GOD THE FATHER

The study of the Trinity naturally leads us to an indepth study of each member of the Godhead. The purpose of this study will be to lead you into a fuller understanding of the revelation of God the Father.

Please keep in mind that the things we study throughout the remainder of this text, pertaining to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot possibly fully describe God. Almighty-God is far bigger than anything our minds might think that He is. Should the following studies cause you to form some personal image of God, you must immediately know that your image is wrong. God is too great to be represented by any created image, even those of our imagination. We don't create God in our minds; we simply strive to understand that which He has chosen to reveal to us and know that there is much more that has not been revealed. The fact is that we cannot even begin to understand the greatness of our holy God.

The Relationships Of God

1. Who is God the Father of according to Exodus 4.22?

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2. Who is God the Father of according to Matthew 3.17?

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3. Who is God the Father of according to Galatians 3.26?

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The Bible reveals that God is the Father of Israel, Jesus, and all who have faith in Jesus Christ. There are some who hold and teach that God is the father of everyone, but Scripture does not declare this mistruth. God is the creator of everyone and everything. God wants everyone to be one of His children, but only those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are the children of God the Father.

John 1:12-13 ¹²But as many as _____________________ him, to them gave he power to _____________ the _______________ of God, even to them that believe on his name: ¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Revealed Facts About The Father

4. Why did God send Jesus? (John 3.16)

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5. How is the Son described in John 3.16?

. . Only ____________________ Son . . .

6. What does begotten mean?

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7. What does Ephesians 1.4 reveal about God and His desire for us?

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8. What does Ephesians 1.5 state that God has done for us?

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9. What is God's will for mankind? (Matthew 18.14; 2 Peter 3.9)

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10. Why did God create all things? (Revelation 4.11)

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11. Read Isaiah 59.2 and Proverbs 15.29, what do these passages state about God?

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12. How do we overcome the separation caused by our sins? (Jeremiah 29.13)

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are many things revealed about the Father in the Bible. We have only touched on a few. It would be wise for you to continue to study on the person of God the Father, for as you understand more about God, you will begin to understand more about yourself and your reason for being.

CONVINCING FACTS

In the Old Testament, one of the ways one can determine the character of someone is by their name. Names are more than just a designator in the Hebrew language; they are descriptions. There are many names for God in the Old Testament, and they reveal much to us about the character of God.

Here is a list of some of the names for God found in the Bible:

ELOHIM - Strong one (Gen 1.1)

EL ELYON - Most High God (Gen 14.22)

EL OLAM - Everlasting God (Gen 21.33; Ps 90.2)

EL SHADDAI - Almighty God (Gen 17.1)

EL GIBBOR - Mighty God (Isa 9.6-7)

EL ROI - The God who sees (Gen 16.13)

ADONAI - Lord (Master) (Josh 5.14; Isa 6.8-11)

YAHWEH - I am the one who is (Exod 3.14)

YAHWEH JIREH - The Lord provides (Gen 22.14)

YAHWEH NISSI - The Lord is my banner (Exod 17.1).

YAHWEH SHALOM - The Lord is Peace (Judg 6.24)

YAHWEH SABBAOTH - The Lord of hosts (1 Sam 1.3)

YAHWEH RAAH - The Lord my shepherd (Ps 23.1)

YAHWEH SHAMMAH - The Lord is there (Ezek 48.3)

YAHWEH ELOHIM - The Lord God of Israel (Judg 3.5; Isa 17.6)

YAHWEH TSIDKENU - The Lord our righteousness (Jer 23.6)

YAHWEH MACCADDESHCEM - The Lord our sanctifier (Exod 31.13)

YHWH YH - Jehovah - The Existing one; the proper name for God. This name for God was formed because the name YAHWEH was considered to sacred to be used, thus it is an artificial name for God (Gen 14.22; Isa 12.2).

YAHH - Contraction of YHWH YH - Jehovah in the shortened form - The existing one (Ps 68.4)

UNIT THREE

GOD THE SON

Having considered the Scriptural revelation of God the Father, we must now go on to diligently study God the Son: Jesus Christ.

We will start our study by considering some of the attributes of Jesus Christ. An attribute is something that can be known about God. What we know about God is restricted to what He has revealed about Himself to us.

1. How long has Jesus existed? (John 8.58; 17.5)

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This is commonly referred to as the ETERNALITY of Christ.

2. What does Scripture reveal about the knowledge of Christ? (Luke 6.8; 11.17; John 4.29)

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This is referred to as the OMNISCIENCE of Christ; it implies that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. God knows all.

3. What is revealed about the abilities of Jesus Christ? (Mark 5.11-15; John 11.38-44)

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This is referred to as the OMNIPOTENCE of Christ; it declares that God is all-powerful.

There are many divine attributes demonstrated by Jesus Christ in Scripture. However, these three clearly reveal that Jesus, while a man, was much more than a man; He possessed supernatural abilities that only God could have possessed or wielded. He was and is Almighty God.

The works that Jesus performed reveal who He was.

4. Read Mark 2.1-12. What did Jesus claim to do in verse 5?

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5. Who is able to do this (vs 8)? __________________

6. What is Jesus able to do according to John 5.21?

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7. What did Jesus do in the account given in John 11.38-44?

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8. What will Jesus do according to John 5.22,26-27?

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There are some today who would try to convince us that Jesus never claimed to be God, but that He only claimed to be the Son of God.

9. What did Jesus claim in John 10.30?

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Jesus was not hated and then crucified for claiming to be less than God. He was crucified because He clearly claimed to be God.

There are three ministries commonly attributed to Jesus Christ. He is said to be our Prophet, Priest, and King. Let’s consider the Scriptural support for these three ministries.

Prophet - Speaking to men for God

10. What does Deuteronomy 18.15 and Acts 3.22-24 clearly declare?

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11. Was Jesus ever considered to be this prophet? (Matt 21.11,46; John 7.40)

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12. Did Jesus ever claim to be a Prophet? (Matt 13.57; Mark 6.4; John 4.44)

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Priest - Speaking to God for men

13. Does Jesus ever declare to be a Priest in Scripture? (Hebrews 5.6)

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14. He is a Priest after what order? (Hebrews 5.6)

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15. What is Melchizedek described as in Hebrews 7.1?

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16. What kind of ancestry does this Priest have? (Hebrews 7.3)

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17. How long will this Priest abide? (Hebrews 7.3)

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King - Protecting, Providing, and Reigning

While Jesus does not appear to be currently reigning as the King, He truly is. Scripture clearly reveals that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

He was Promised (2 Sam 7.12-16).

He was Protected (Isaiah 9.7).

He was Offered (Matt 2.2; 27.11; John 12.13).

He was Rejected (Matt 8.34; 9.3; 11.20-30).

He will be Realized (Matt 25.31; Rev 19.15,20).

The clear revelation of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is Almighty God. He possesses the power, knowledge, abilities, and ministries of God. He claims to be God, and He currently lives physically as God. One day soon, He will return to redeem to Himself that which has always been His. Are you ready to meet Him?

UNIT FOUR

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are many who teach that the Holy Spirit is merely the power of God. They believe that He is the essence of God and possesses no personal characteristics of His own. However, Scripture reveals something different about the Holy Spirit of God. He is a thinking, rational individual, and is the third person of the Godhead. Lets briefly consider the Scriptural reality of the Holy Spirit.

One of the ways that we can know the Holy Spirit is to understand the attributes He possesses as they are revealed in Scripture.

1. What does the Holy Spirit search (1 Cor 2.10-11)?

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2. What does Romans 8.27 reveal about the Holy Spirit? Does He have a mind? ______

3. What is the Holy Spirit described as doing (1 Cor 2.13)?

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4. What are we told not to do in Ephesians 4.30?

___________________________________________

5. Can a mindless essence be grieved? ____________

6. What does 1 Corinthians 12.8-11 tell us that the Holy Spirit has? How are these gifts divided?

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7. Does the Holy Spirit ever direct the activities of mankind? (Acts 16.6-11)

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8. From the references considered in questions 1 thru 7, is the Holy Spirit a mere essence, or is He an individual with a personal intelligence?

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Since the Holy Spirit possesses a divine intelligence, let’s consider some of His other attributes.

9. What does Psalm 139 .7-13 reveal about the Holy Spirit?

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This is referred to as the OMNIPRESENCE of God, in this case the Holy Spirit. It reveals that He is everywhere, all of the time.

10. What do Psalms 104.30 and Job 33.4 reveal about the power of the Holy Spirit?

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This reveals that the Holy Spirit is OMNIPOTENT, or all-powerful, so from only these three revealed attributes of the Holy Spirit—His intelligence, omnipresence, and omnipotence—it is clearly revealed that He is God.

Let’s consider some other Scriptural facts revealed about the Holy Spirit.

11. What was the Holy Spirit doing in Genesis 1.2?

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12. What was He doing in Luke 1.35?

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13. What did the Holy Spirit do according to 2 Peter 1.21?

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14. What does John 16.13 say that the Holy Spirit does?

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15. What does all of this reveal about the Holy Spirit of God?

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While there is much more in Scripture about the Holy Spirit of God, such as His indwelling, His gifts, His fruits, and His baptizing, what we have touched on clearly reveals that He is an individual, a person, and that Almighty God.

Conclusion

In these last three studies and throughout this book, we have investigated the clear testimony of God's Word. The Trinity is clearly revealed in Scripture. There are three persons that work harmoniously together and form one unified God. No single person of the Godhead functions independently from the other two.

While it is difficult for us to understand this revealed fact, our inability to understand it does not change its reality. We must be very careful to avoid the tendency to depart from Biblical reality for the sake of our personal understanding. Faith accepts God's Word without the limitations of personal boundaries. We must trust that it is so and look to the future, when we will know Him as He now knows us.

It should be of great comfort to every child of God to know that our God is truly inconceivable. We have an awesome God that has indeed created all things. If it were not for His great desire to be known by you and I, then there would be no divine revelation, and there would be no hope for mankind. However, our awesome God loves us, wants to be one with us, and has revealed certain things about Himself to us for the sake of drawing us into a personal relationship with Him. Praise God for His glorious revelation.

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