The Trinity

 
The Trinity:  
The Presence, Person and Preeminence of God

By Pastor Dan Kennedy
©	2011

The Trinity is a mystery!  We can see the unified activity of the Trinity-Godhead throughout the Scripture, but the truth also is, that the Trinity is still a mystery to our finite minds.  The following pages give practical and Scriptural reason for us to acknowledge and accept the validity of such an awesome, Triune God.  Let’s first consider the Presence, Person and Preeminence of God.

	1.  The Presence of God
God is everywhere.  His power sustains life and all things.  His Presence cannot be avoided.  We somehow think we can hide from the Presence of God…but only the fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”  No one but God creates, sustains and justly calls life into accurate accountability.
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. 

If we are honest, we all know from personal experience that we cannot escape from the Presence of God!  
If the Presence of God is, of necessity, everywhere, then the Person of God must be profoundly unique.  That is why the first two of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3,4) require us not to worship any other God and not to make any physical representation of God, because the Creator God of heaven looks nothing like anything we could humanly represent and His Spirit and Person cannot be replicated in any way.
	2.  The Person of God
The Person of God must, of necessity, have the abilities (among many other things) to be the following: 
A.  God is Ruler over all – Psalm 2; 11:4; 29:10.  He is everywhere (and He sustains everything), while at the same time being Ruler of all from His Majestic Throne in heaven.  God is Spirit (John 4:24).  God, the Father.
B.  God is capable of being humanly and visibly Present – John 1:14; Col. 1:15-20 (since He provided the only pure sacrifice possible for sin).  He is our Eternal High Priest, having, Himself, provided for us the Redemptive Sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews chapters 8-10).  God, the Son.
C.  God is The Holy Indweller, and the “Along-side-one” for those transformed by His Power, to New Birth and Salvation, to inherit eternal life – John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5,6.  God, the Holy Spirit.
These three necessities alone require God to be far greater than our limited comprehension.  God is far greater than a vague human philosophical idea.  God is considerably greater than any ethereal emotion.  He is more than an image we can draw on a wall, carve into an idol, or contrive in our limited minds.  He is far greater than the impressions given to us by deceptive religious voices, depraved minds, or unseen demonic spirits in the world.  These spirit forces are fully aware and tremble at God’s Presence though they work destructively against Him for their own ends (James 2:19).
The Persons of God are seen Scripturally in God, the Father; God, the Son; and, God, the Holy Spirit.  We see in Scripture (see appendix) God is diversely Three yet united profoundly as One:  One God, Three Persons.
•	The Person of God reveals Unity and Diversity
Another philosophical dilemma that we humans face and is found in no other religion is that of “unity and diversity”.  The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer offers this explanation:
 “Every once in a while in my discussions someone asks how I can believe in the Trinity.  My answer is always the same.  I would still be an agnostic if there were no Trinity because there would be no answers.  Without the high order of personal unity and diversity as given in the Trinity, there are no answers….  Einstein taught that the whole material world may be reduced to electromagnetism and gravity.  At the end of his life he was seeking a unity above these two, something that would unite electromagnetism and gravity, but he never found it.  But what if he had found it?  It would only be unity in diversity in relationship to the material world, and as such it would only be child’s play.  Nothing would really have been settled because the needed unity and diversity in regard to personality would not have been touched.  If he had been able to bring electromagnetism and gravity together, he would not have explained the need of personal unity and diversity.  
In contrast, let us think of the Nicene Creed – three Persons, one God.  Rejoice that they chose the word “person.”  Whether you realize it or not, that catapulted the Nicene Creed right into our century and its discussions:  Three Persons in existence, loving each other, and in communication with each other, before all else was.  If this were not so, we would have had a God who needed to create in order to love and communicate.  In such a case, God would have needed the universe as much as the universe needed God.  But God did not need to create…because we have a full and true Trinity. 
Let us notice again that this is not the best answer; it is the only answer.  Nobody else, no philosophy, has ever given us an answer for unity and diversity.  So when people ask whether we are embarrassed intellectually by the Trinity, I always switch it over into their own terminology – unity and diversity.  Every philosophy has this problem and no philosophy has an answer.  Christianity does have an answer in the existence of the Trinity.  The only answer to what exists is that He, the Triune God, is there.”
                   He is There and He is not Silent, by Francis A. Schaeffer.  1972. Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Ill.  Selections from pages 14-17.  

We may have human parallels that give us insight into unity in diversity.
¬	The Church Body.  Many Unique and Diverse Individuals = One Body, as evidenced in the Church. (Romans 12:3-10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-19; Ephesians 4:2-16)
¬	The Husband and Wife.  These example being Unified as One, exampled by Christ and the Church. (Ephesians 5:22-33)
¬	Any Successful Team or Unit of Individuals.  Any corporate success story, winning football team, or dynamic management team mirror the fundamental attributes of unity in diversity as evidenced in the Trinity, if their goals are to be met and exceeded.  

The unity with diversity, in the Trinity, is the underpinning of Spiritual unity and relational interactions of all humans, for we were made in the Image of God.

•	The Person of God reveals Order, Authority, Love, Submission and Power
All of the factors necessary for successful leadership (involving diversity and unity) are found in the Trinity.
Order in Authority:  God gives authority.  People choose to either accept, or not to accept authority over them.  Any unit of people must have order in authority or they will eventually collapse, be it family, tribe, team, small group, church or nation.  Someone must be given the authority to lead in that unit grouping, and that same someone must also choose to lead.  If there are those within the unit of people who want to have the final say in leadership, but simply give lip service to those in leadership (all the while undermining the leader’s decisions), then that unit of people will become unstable, deteriorate and never succeed to the same degree that could be accomplished through submission to authority. 
Within the Trinity, there is Order in Authority.
  God, the Father is over all.  
1 Corinthians 15:28
28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. 
God, the Father is over all, but He is not like the dominant rulers portrayed in the world.  This is what Jesus said about the example His Father establishes in His Kingdom – which Jesus Himself as God, the Son, was following:
Matthew 20
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 
	God, the Son submits His will to His Father – Even though He is Equal with His Father.  
John 5
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. 

	God, the Holy Spirit comes to teach us about Jesus Christ, God, the Son, not to lift up Himself.  
John 14
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 
John 16
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 
As we have seen in the passages above, within the Trinity there is Love and mutual Submission, together with Order and Authority.  This gives dynamic Spiritual Power.  God’s Person commands His preeminence over all.
	3.  The Preeminence of God
God is uniquely present everywhere and reigning from His heavenly Throne, while also being capable of revealing Himself as a living, breathing human, who sacrificed Himself for our sins, through His Son.  He indwells believers, guides them to spiritual maturity and prepares them for eternity to share in Christ’s Kingdom.  God therefore, is Preeminent.  No one is like Him and no one will ever have His Presence and His Power.  He is over all.
We submit our will to God, if we are to be truly successful in life and eternity.  God must be preeminent in our lives.   What does that look like in daily life for you and me?
Theologians have not contrived the Trinity; it is the identification of the uniqueness of the Persons of the Godhead, as seen in Scripture (see Appendix).  In doing so, we have sought to be faithful to understand (in human terms), a Spiritual dimension that we cannot naturally comprehend.  
The Preeminence of Christ; God, the Son
Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 

The Presence of God	 	
The Person of God 	
The Preeminence of God
__________

Appendix (endnotes) – Thoughts and Scripture on the Trinity
The Trinity

The Trinity is a mystery, a Divine Mystery!  

The following gives Scriptural reason for the validity of an awesome, Triune God.  His Three Persons give logic and reason to philosophical “unity-in-diversity”, which examples are seen in united marriages, families, churches, businesses, and societies, as well as in all other diverse but unified elements – known and unknown, seen and unseen, throughout the universe.

We can see the unified intensity of the Trinity-Godhead in the Scripture.  In our human limitation we illustrate this mystery through unified tri-partite embodiments around us.  But, unlike our earthly examples, the everlasting and spirit-embodied Godhead-Trinity will always be profound to finite minds!

A Divine Mystery among Millions of Mysteries Around Us 
The Trinity is obviously a mystery, but in our universe, many mysteries abound!  Many absolute essentials for our daily existence are utterly unexplainable – such as a beating heart muscle, oxygen, photosynthesis and atmospheric stratification around our privileged earth; a reasoning, rational mind, a delicate eco-system, a dazzling array of billions of galaxies each with billions of stars illuminating the vast expanses of the universe …and the mystery of life itself, given by God!  Can we comprehend the number and magnitude of these mystifying and unexplainable elements, which responsibly and imperceptibly  integrate and regulate our normal daily life?  We accept (and expect) the involvement of these mysteries without question!  Is the extraordinary wonder of the Godhead Trinity, as revealed in the Bible, something to be avoided or disbelieved because total explanation of such mystery does not meet the full approval of a questioning mind?

Read the following Scripture with a heart of understanding, a mind of inquiry and a spirit of awe, for Almighty God has revealed Himself and the dynamic mystery of His Person, through His Holy Word.
_______

Biblical Confirmation of 
The Trinity

The Plurality of the Singular Godhead, Evidenced through Wording in the Verse

Read the following Scripture with a heart of understanding, a mind of inquiry and a spirit of awe, for the Almighty God has revealed a mystery of His Person, through His Word.   

Gen 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  

Gen 3:22
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."   

Gen 11:5-9
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.  6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.  7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.  9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.  

Deuteronomy 6:4 
Hear, O Israel: The LORD (Yâhovah - singular) our God ('Elohiym - plural), is one LORD {Yâhovah - singular} .

Isa 6:3
And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."   

Rev 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."   

Isa 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"   

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (The Almighty God is evidenced in His Three Persons in this Child who is born:  Wonderful Counselor [God, the Holy Spirit]; Everlasting Father [God, the Father]; and Prince of Peace [God, the Son]!)

The Godhead, in the Scripture, refers only to “The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit”
No one, and nothing else!

Matt 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….   

Luke 1:35
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.   

John 3:34-35
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.  35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.  

John 14:16-17
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—  17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 

John 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.   

John 15:26
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.   
					
John 16:13-15
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.  15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.				

Acts 2:32-33 
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  

Acts 1:4-5
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 

Acts 10:36-38
36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.  37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—  38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 

Rom 1:1-4
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—  2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures  3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,  4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 8:9-11
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 

1 Cor 12:3-6
3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 

2 Cor 1:21-22
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,  22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 

2 Cor 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.   

Gal 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."   

II Th 2:13
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

Titus 3:4-6
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior….

Heb 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!   

1 Pet 1:2
…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.   

1 Pet 3:18 
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit….   

I Jn 5:6-9
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  7 For there are three that testify:  8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.  9 We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

Evidence of the Trinity as Recorded 
In the Creation

The Father – Administration/Oversight “from whom…”
The Holy Spirit – Life-generator, “the Breath of Life”
The Son – Creator, "Maker of all things," “through whom…”

The Holy Spirit 
The Life-giving Breath of all Creation

Genesis 1:1-2 
In the beginning God ('Elohiym) created the heavens and the earth.  2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  

Let Us make man in Our Image
Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

Genesis 2:7 	
…the LORD {Yeh-ho-vaw' - singular} God ('Elohiym - plural) formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
 
Jesus Christ (the Word) 
"Made all things…"

John 1:1-3, 14 
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was with God in the beginning. 
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

    Verse 14 shows Who “the Word”(above) is really referring to…
John 1:14The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Cor 8:6   
…yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.   

Colossians 1:15-19 
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. É18É And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him ….

Jesus Christ Is God, the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer from Sins and Intercessor for His Children
Hebrews 1:2-3 
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.        

Evidence of the Trinity as Recorded - In Jesus' Baptism
	
Matthew 3:16-17  
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:22   
…and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."   

John 1:32-34   
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” 


God the Son Speaking of His Relationship to God the Father

Isa 61:1-2	
(Prophecy fulfilled in Christ - See Luke 4:14-21)
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn…

Matt 11:27   
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.   

Luke 9:26
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   

Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"   

John 3:35
The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.   

John 5:18
For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.   

John 5:19-27
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.  21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.  22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,  23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 
24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.  26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.  27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

John 10:30	
"I and the Father are one." 

John 10:36-38
36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?  37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.  38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

John 14:9
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? 

John 16:15
All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 

John 16:28
I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 

Romans 9:4,5
4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons… 5..and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 

I Jn 2:22-23
22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.  23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 

I Jn 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 


The Father with the Spirit,
and the Son with the Spirit

Isa 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD….   

Isa 42:1
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.   

Isa 48:16  
"Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there." And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit.   

Isa 63:9-10   
9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.  

Matt 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.   

Matt 1:20
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.   

Matt 12:18
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.   

Matt 12:28  
But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  
 
Luke 3:16   
John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.   

Luke 4:1   
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert….

Luke 4:14   
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.   

Luke 4:18, 21"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed…21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
 
John 16:7
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

John 20:22
And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.   

Acts 1:2
…until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.   

Rom 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. 

1 Cor 2:10-11
8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— 
10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

1 Cor 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own….

2 Cor 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.   

2 Cor 5:5
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.   

Gal 4:4
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law….

Phil 1:19
…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.   

Col 2:2
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ….

2 Thessalonians 2:16
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope….

1 Timothy 3:16
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.   

Hebrews Chapter 1
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? 
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” 8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, 
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom… 

10 …“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? 


The Trinity
– A Short Outline:  Dr. R.A. Torrey

1.     Doctrine of the Trinity as proved from Scripture. Mt 3:16,17; 28:19; Ro 8:9; 1Co 12:3-6; 2Co 13:14; Eph 4:4-6; 1Pe 1:2; Jude 1:20,21; Re 1:4,5. 
2.     Divine titles applied to the Three Persons in. Ex 20:2; Joh 20:28; Ac 5:3,4. 
3.     Each Person of the Trinity, described as:
a.	Eternal. Ro 16:26; Re 22:13; Heb 9:14. 
b.	Holy. Re 4:8; 15:4; Ac 3:14; 1Jo 2:20. 
c.	True. Joh 7:28; Re 3:7. 
d.	Omnipresent. Jer 23:24; Eph 1:23; Ps 139:7. 
e.	Omnipotent. Ge 17:1; Re 1:8; Ro 15:19; Jer 32:17; Heb 1:3; Lu 1:35. 
f.	Omniscient. Ac 15:18; Joh 21:17; 1Co 2:10,11. 
g.	Creator. Ge 1:1; Col 1:16; Job 33:4; Ps 148:5; Joh 1:3; Job 26:13. 
h.	Sanctifier. Jude 1:1; Heb 2:11; 1Pe 1:2. 
i.	Author of all spiritual operations. Heb 13:21; Col 1:29; 1Co 12:11. 
j.	Source of eternal life. Ro 6:23; Joh 10:28; Ga 6:8. 
k.	Teacher. Isa 54:13; Lu 21:15; Joh 14:26; Isa 48:17; Ga 1:12; 1Jo 2:20. 
l.	Raising Christ from the dead. 1Co 6:14; Joh 2:19; 1Pe 3:18. 
m.	Inspiring the prophets, &c. Heb 1:1; 2Co 13:3; Mark 13:11. 
n.	Supplying ministers to the Church. Jer 3:15; Eph 4:11; Ac 20:28; Jer 26:5; Mt 10:5; Ac 13:2. 
4.     Salvation the work of. 2Th 2:13,14; Tit 3:4-6; 1Pe 1:2. 
5.     Baptism administered in name of. Mt 28:19. 
6.     Benediction given in name of. 2Co 13:14. 

Postscript…
It is interesting that there are several cultic religious groups who try to call themselves “Christian” or “Bible believing”, who deny the existence of the Trinity.  One should not overlook this glaring problem, which is symptomatic, so as to expose other false beliefs they may be perpetrating.

The doctrine of the Trinity is an important Scriptural doctrine for several reasons:  

 The Trinity reveals that God’s Presence is universal, because He is uniquely Spirit.

 The Trinity shows Order and Authority in the Person of God, the Father.

 The Trinity shows the Revelation of God in human form and the Deity of His Son in God, the Son, Jesus Christ, Who has been given the full Authority to cleanse and forgive our sins through the sacrifice of His Blood.

 The Trinity shows the power and work of God, the Holy Spirit, Who transforms us through New Birth and empowers us to live as true Children of God.

 The Trinity gives reason, through the fundamental unity and diversity of its union, for our own individual meaning, and further, for our family, Church and business cohesiveness in the diversified world that God created.

***

Our Eternal Redemption 
Only Comes Through Jesus Christ

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.  Luke 12:4,5

All of us have broken God’s laws and deserve judgment –
 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

•	We don’t have to become “good” before God saves us:
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Roman 5:8

•	Sin’s wages bring death, God’s gift brings eternal life:

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23

•	We must Believe in Jesus Christ and Confess Him as Lord:
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”   Romans 10:9,10


PRAYER for Salvation:  

“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You.  There have been thoughts in my mind and actions of my life, which reveal my sin against You.  

I deserve punishment, not forgiveness!  But I know that You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for my sins.  I believe that Jesus Christ died for me, that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day – to show that He is God the Son, all-powerful over sin and death.  

Heavenly Father, I now, by faith, ask your forgiveness for my sin because of the blood of Jesus.  I repent of my sins, and invite Jesus Christ to come into my life as my Savior.  I ask that Jesus’ precious blood, that He shed on the cross, to cleanse my guilt and sin before Your Holy Presence.  I choose Jesus Christ to be my Savior and confess Him to be my Lord.  

By Your Grace, I receive your free gift of eternal life and ask that Your Holy Spirit transform me into Your Child and fill me with His Presence.  Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your Mercy and Salvation, which gives me this opportunity to be born again into Your Heavenly Family!  

In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!”