Reason and the Trinity: Part 1
First, the Trinity is not merely a doctrine that we believe in, although in theological discussions many of us, in our ignorance, have treated Him that way. The Trinity IS God. God IS The Trinity. The Trinity is the truth about God as He exists eternally as Three Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures declare in 1 John 4:7 that God is Love, and Love is best expressed in relationships. So God, as a Triune Being, is a living relationship of Three Persons co-existing eternally as the One God.
When someone such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses declare that the Trinity is “unreasonable” the declaration that they are making is not just denouncing a doctrine, it is denouncing God! God is the most intelligent being in the whole universe, and in their ignorance they are saying that He is “unreasonable” if He expects us to believe that He is a Triune Being. God tells us to understand Him in Isaiah 43:10-12:
- “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD, “that I am God.”
Those words “…understand…besides Me there is no savior…I am God” in that passage declare that we are to understand that the Lord is God and there is no other. None before Him, and none after Him. He alone was, and is, and will continue to be the only one and true God. And as we study the rest of the Holy Scriptures, we find that there are actually Three Persons who are shown to be God. Refer to this table:
The Father Is God |
The Son Is God |
The Spirit Is God |
Only One God Exists |
2 Peter 1:17 |
Hebrews 1:1-8 |
Acts 5:3-4 |
Isaiah 43:10;44:8;45:5 |
For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” |
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” |
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?…Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” |
“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen. That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me…You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one…I am the Lord and there is no other; There is no God besides Me…” |
Either God is confused when He says “I am God and there is no other” while the rest of His word shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are also called God, OR, the only conclusion that makes sense of it, the One God somehow exists as Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are many more scriptures that show each of the Three Persons to be God, and not just a part of God. So in light of the Scriptures that show God to be Triune, when God states in Isaiah 43:10 that He wants us to “understand” that He is God, He is also asking us to “understand” that He is a Triune Being.
This is the only rational conclusion when viewing the Scriptures as a whole entity as being divinely inspired by God, and True.
Congratulations for posting such a useful weblog. Your weblog is not only informative but also extremely artistic too. There usually are very couple of people who can write not so easy articles that creatively. Keep up the great writing !!
Thank you for this blog post, it was just what I was searching for. There is so much information here, so I thank you so much for enlightening my mind.