The Trinity
As I have mentioned in the past, there are thousands of different groups which claim to part of Christianity. The simple reason there are so many that claim a single banner is the fact that people adopt beliefs they can rally around in an attempt to form a unique identity apart from others they do not agree with. In the first century, there were both Jew and Gentile followers of Christ. It did not take very long before questions about the Jewish Law and the Gentiles threatened to splinter even that small community. Those followers eventually were called Christians (Acts 11:26). Over the centuries, due primarily to the involvement of world kingdoms and their rulers, those who identified as Christian splintered into various sects, groups, and identities. One of the knives that sliced Christianity into parts is called doctrine. The wielders were those who chose to separate from others as they carved out a name for themselves based on their particular chosen beliefs and interpretations of Scripture. And so we have it today where some 40,000 of these groups exist, or so I have read.
2 Peter 3:15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Not everything in the Bible is simple and straight-forward, though some pretend otherwise. Matters of salvation are definitely simple because God wants all people to be saved. But matters of doctrine require dedication, study, and an ability to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Even though every single believer has this ability to learn and understand the Word of God (because the Spirit of God dwells in every believer and He is the teacher), most people do not dedicate enough time in their life to actually learn and understand. Most simply look around for a group they feel comfortable with, or that is close to what they think they believe, or they get drawn in by some influence or influencer in their life, and the hop on the wagon for a religious identity. Or, they respond to someone approaching them with religious material and become hooked by the oil being sold to them. Thankfully, others seeking the truth eventually find it. The parable of the sower comes to mind.
One doctrine that seems to be a focus of misunderstanding is the doctrine we call the Trinity. The word is not found in the Bible. It is a word that has come to represent the subject of God and how He manifests Himself to His creation as three distinct yet unified identities: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). In this study, I am going to attempt to explain and defend this important doctrine of Christianity by focusing on what the Word of God says about this teaching.
If you have studied this topic even a little, you know that the doctrine of the Trinity is defended or discredited using three arguments. There is the argument the Bible teaches the Trinity as found in the Scriptures. There is the historical argument that attempts to point to some event that is the source of the teaching. And there is tradition, the accepted teachings of the various groups. For me, the Bible is the final authority in all matters. If history supports the Bible, it doesn’t make the Bible more authoritative. It just means man recorded something truthful. If history rejects the Bible, it is no less the Word of Truth. As for tradition, well, following some established rule, policy, edict, or statement of faith, rather than the Word of God, is as foolish as a blind man leading a crowd towards a cliff. But surprisingly, many do that very thing, especially when it comes to doctrine. Alright, that is enough of an introduction. Let me save you some time by stating I believe the Trinity is a genuine and true doctrine found in both the Old and New Testament, and I intend to prove it to the best of my understanding. Read on if you want to learn what the Bible says about the Trinity, or else move on and find something else to do with your valuable time.
When I was a pastor, I often said that someone can teach anything from God’s Word – But God’s Word only teaches one thing: the mind of God on any particular subject. The vast majority of false teachings can be condensed down to the fact that people take one or two verses or passages from the Bible, ignoring the rest of the Bible, and claim the Bible teaches something it does not teach. However, to properly study a doctrine of the Bible and understand the whole teaching on the matter requires comparing Scripture with Scripture to obtain the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Isaiah 28:9-10 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
1 Corinthians 2:11-13 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
The Holy Ghost is the teacher of Scripture and the revealer of truth. Just as you know yourself better than others do, God knows Himself better than others Him. He has given us of His Spirit so that we may know the things freely given to us of God. What things? For one, His Word. How do we understand God’s Word? We compare spiritual things with spiritual, Scripture with Scripture if you please. I think two things are required to truly understand God’s Word. First, a person needs to be saved, born again, so that the teacher and revealer of truth is in the person. Lost people cannot understand God’s Word. Oh, they can pretend to understand, but they are blinded without God’s help. The next thing that is important and critical to understand God’s Word is faith.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
If you don’t believe the Bible is the pure Word of God, how can you let the Spirit of God teach you the truth of it? Simply put, when we read the Bible, we should believe what it says, even if we do not understand everything. We must let God’s Word be the final authority and not our opinions or beliefs about it. That means, when faced with seeming or supposed contradictions in the Bible, our attitude must acknowledge there are no contradictions in the Bible, only contradictions in our understanding of the Bible. If you approach Bible study with this attitude, and you are truly born again, the Truth will set you free.
Alright, let us dive right into the subject of the Trinity.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
There are many beginnings in the Bible. This is the beginning as it relates to God’s creation. We know this because that is the subject of the entire chapter.
Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
The events recorded in Genesis chapter one occur over a period of six days. Some believe the unit of measure in Genesis One is not a 24-hour period, but could be any span of time. There is no room in this study to chase that rabbit. The chapter mentions signs, seasons, days, and years (Genesis 1:14). I think that is sufficient to show what God meant by days. Moving on…
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The question I want to raise is what existed before God’s work in Genesis chapter one? Let us consider a few questions God asked Job.
Job 38:4-7 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Some take this passage to mean that God created the angels before Genesis 1:1. I believe the angels were created during this process in Genesis chapter one, not before.
Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
If Genesis chapter one describes the creation of creation, which I believe it does, then the heaven and the heaven of heavens with all their host, are included in that creation process. Paul the apostle mentioned three heavens.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
What are the three heavens? One is the atmosphere that surrounds earth.
Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
The second is space, where the sun, moon, planets and stars abide.
Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
The third is beyond the second heaven, where God and the heavenly host dwell.
1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
What existed before creation?
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Before God created, there was only God. The evolutionist has a real challenge with the Big Bang theory. If everything came from an explosion, who lit the fuse? If everything started from one atomic particle, where did the particle come from? If a mass of something became everything, who created the mass? But the creationist does not have that problem. Faith understands that everything started with God, the eternal One. Before Him there was nothing but Him. No time, no space, no anything – just God.
Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
God stated there is no other God that He knows of besides Himself. He is the creator of all things, the originator. Before creation, there was nothing but God. Our finite minds cannot comprehend that God did not have a beginning. After all, the context of our understanding is framed by time and space. But with God, there is neither time nor space except what He created.
The heavens, all three of them, along with the filling of those three heavens with creations of God, occurred in Genesis chapter one.
Now let me present what I consider is an important thought. Before God created anything, He was alone. Only He existed. In that state of eternity, He needed no identity, no form, no shape, no visage, no expression or explanation of Himself. Why? Because there was nothing to express Himself towards or to be the recipient of that expression. There was just God. When God decided to create something separate from Himself, I believe that is when He chose to manifest Himself with an identity as the Creator and Maker of all things. Now let us consider these verses.
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Ironically, that verse is one of the primary verses that many claim proof that Jesus Christ was created by the Father and therefore was not eternal. But hold on. Before God created, there was no need for Him to distinguish Himself in any way because there was none to convey His person to, but Himself. But once He decided to create something, He started with His identity. I believe that is what Revelation 3:14 means. When God created, He first established His identity. I believe that act was the start of creation. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not part of creation. He was God making the decision to identify with His creation.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Paul stated in Hebrews that Jesus Christ made the worlds. He also stated that He is the express image of his (God’s) person.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
If no man has ever seen God, then who walked in the garden of Eden with Adam?
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
God’s voice, His presence, His identity walked in the garden with Adam. We know from the Bible that God’s identity is comprised of three representations: The Father, the Son, the Holt Spirit. This is not conjecture. This is fact.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
1 John 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Here is the common explanation from those who deny the deity of Christ. They say He is the representative of God, but He is not God Himself. The problem I have with that is that such a narrow definition of Christ denies so many verses that claim the opposite. Here are a few:
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
John 14:8-9 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
I think one major problem with those who deny the deity of Christ is that they fail to acknowledge that God manifests Himself progressively. In other words, He did not present Himself in all His identities at the same point in time. No, He revealed Himself over hundreds and thousands of years. First, there is the introduction of God the Creator.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Next, God the Spirit is revealed in verse two.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Further, in many places in the Old Testament, God manifests Himself namelessly. We have Jacob as an example.
Genesis 32:27-28 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Hosea 12:4-5 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.
God exposed His identity to man over time, not all at once. That is the point I want to make. In fact, there is an identity of God that is yet to be revealed.
Revelation 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Exodus 6:1-3 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
God has many names and identities. God the Father was not known as the Father until the Bible starts speaking of God the Son. But the concept of God having a son is not limited to the New Testament. His name was not completely revealed until He took on a human body. But His presence was alluded to in several places in the Old Testament.
Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
Unless I have overlooked a verse, I believe this is the first occurrence of the identity of God as Father and Son. To have a son insinuates a father.
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD (Father) said unto my Lord (Son), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Mark 12:35-37 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
I find it very interesting that verse 37 states the common people heard him gladly. Why? Because they believed what He said. They did not try to unravel a simple truth, like the naysayers do. But why did God establish an identity for Himself in the form of Father and Son? Those are human identities, right?
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
God shall call the son by a name. What is that name?
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
God knows of no other God but Himself (Isaiah 44:8). Why would Christ be called Immanuel, God with us, if He is not God?
Hebrews 1:5-6 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Take note. God tells the angels to worship His Son. That is very powerful, because we know that God is a jealous God and demands that only He be worshipped.
2 Kings 17:36-37 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
If Jesus Christ is not an identity of the true God, then He would be another God. That would go against everything about the nature of God.
John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
I believe people have a hard time understanding how the Father and the Son can be mentioned as being separate, but at the same time be one and the same. When we take all the verses about God’s identity and place them together, it is very clear that Jesus Christ is as much God as the Spirit of God, which is also as much God as the Father. Let’s return to Genesis chapter one.
Genesis 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our 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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
I have heard some say God was speaking to the angels when He said, “Let us make man in our image.” But there is only one Creator. “Let us make.” That does not include angels. Angels are not creators, they are creation. Besides, verse 27 states, “So God created man in his own image.” The “us” in verse 26 is the “his own image” in verse 27. Clearly, God had already manifested Himself with more than one identity by the time He made man.
I want to provide a summary of claims from the Scriptures that substantiate not only the deity of Christ, but also the doctrine of the Trinity. But before I do, I think it is prudent to mention some of the common arguments against Jesus Christ being God, which if true would also deny the doctrine of the Trinity. I will just mention a few.
Claims People Make That The Trinity is Not Real and Jesus is Not God
1. Claim: Jesus Christ prayed to God and therefore He is not God.
Some have claimed that God would not pray to God and therefore, since Jesus prayed to God, He is not God. John chapter seventeen records a very long prayer Jesus Christ made to the Father. Please read that chapter. The argument is that He would not need to pray to the Father if He also was God. I wonder if they do not realize that had Jesus Christ not prayed those words, they would not be in the Word of God for us to read and learn from. In fact, that IS the reason He prayed. The interactions between the Father and the Son teach us more about God.
John 11:41-42 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Jesus Christ, the Word, prayed to the Father many times. Why did He essentially pray to Himself? Because He was teaching us more about Himself? His Word records the prayers and thus we learn more about God, His plan, His promises, and His nature. To claim Jesus Christ cannot be God because He prayed to God seems to me to be such a weak argument against such a strong fact. Everything He did, He did for us, so that we might know more about Him. Prayer is talking to God, is it not?
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image…
God talks to God in the first chapter of Genesis.
Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost (God the Spirit), The LORD (God the Father) said to my Lord (God the Son), Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
In that verse, God the Father speaks to God the Son. And the naysayer would claim that God the Father did not need to say that if Jesus was God. Jesus Christ would know that already. Of course. It seems strange that someone would deny God something we do ourselves. Have you ever talked to yourself? I actually have rather long conversations with myself. Besides, conversation is not always made to teach or instruct. Sometimes things are spoken even when the one hearing it already knows the answer.
2. Claim: Jesus Christ claimed He could do nothing. Since God is omnipotent (all powerful), Jesus Christ cannot be God.
John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
This is not an admittance of feebleness on the part of Christ. It is an acknowledgment that there are no contradictions between what Jesus did and what the Father wanted Him to do. They are in complete agreement.
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Consider this question, “Can God sin?” I hope you know the answer is “No.” Does that mean God is not omnipotent because He cannot sin? Of course not. Can God lie?
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Does that mean that God is not omnipotent? Of course not. Jesus Christ was no less powerful even though He submitted Himself to the Father’s will. In fact.
Matthew 28:18-19 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
The naysayer will say, “See, He was not God because God already has all power.” The purpose of the verse has nothing to do with the potential of the Son. These are teachings, principals, doctrines, and truths. The manifestation of God as the Son is meant to teach man about God. I believe submission to the Father was part of His mission to Earth, to show us how to be submissive to God.
John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
3. Claim: Jesus stated He did not know everything, and therefore, since God is omniscient, He cannot be God.
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
So, the claim is that since the Son does not know the day or the hour, He must not be God. All this shows us is that God is so powerful that He can choose to know or not know anything He desires.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
To claim that God the Son is not God because He does not know something is no different than accusing God the Father of not being God because He does not remember iniquity. God has selective memory because He is God. I wish we could forget some things, don’t you?
Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Does that mean God never knew of them? Or, does it mean something different?
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
It only takes a few moments of common-sense backed by Scripture to make these arguments weightless. By the way, those verses in Matthew are excellent for the subject of eternal security. If someone can get saved, then lose their salvation, then get it back, that statement, “I never knew you” would be false. Moving on.
4. Claim: Jesus Christ was not God because He had to learn obedience and had to be made perfect.
Hebrews 5:8-9 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
For God to die a sinner’s death is profound and practically unfathomable. But He did it.
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
This speaks of experience, not ignorance or lack of knowledge. At what time did God ever experience what He experienced on Calvary? I will tell you something else that God had never experienced.
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
I do not pretend to understand that God separated Himself from Himself while His Son took upon Himself the sins of the world. This was something that had never happened before. The learning had to do with experience, not lack of knowledge. The same is true for being “made perfect.” It does not mean Christ was defective. It meant that He needed to complete something.
Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Perfect means complete, not defective. God’s trip to earth as a man, to live a perfect and sinless life, but to die a sinner’s death completed His mission. Perfect does not insinuate lack of perfection. It speaks of completion of the work He was sent to do.
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5. Claim: Because Jesus was tempted, He cannot be God because God cannot be tempted.
Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
The temptations Jesus faced were not presented to Him because it was possible for Him to sin. They were presented to Him because it was IMPOSSIBLE for Him to sin. Remember that He took our place.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
He faced every point of temptation (the world, the flesh, and the devil) and was victorious. This speaks to the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Where we can and do sin, He did not nor could not sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Also, it is important to note that temptation, in an of itself, is not a sin. It only becomes sin when we yield to it.
James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
These are five claims I have found from those who deny the deity of Christ. I am sure there are many others, because there are no lack of “scholars” who twist the Word of God to prove a point.
2 Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
From what I have read and studied, the common arguments made against the Trinity and the deity of Christ are made by those who try to understand the Bible through the lens of human reasoning, and not through the eye of faith. “How can God pray to God?” “How can Jesus be God if He does not know something?” “How can Jesus be God if God cannot be tempted?” These questions are clearly answered when we look at what the Bible says about the deity of Christ as a prelude to the subject. What I mean is, when you start on a foundation of FAITH and build upon that foundation with the Word of God, faith grows. But when you start on a foundation of DOUBT and build upon that foundation with the Word of God, faith is destroyed.
This is why I want to now take a look at so many verses that show and prove the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. These verses taken together make the arguments against His deity fall flat.
1. There is only one true God
Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
One in agreement, or one and the same? That is the distinction between those who deny and those who believe in the deity of Christ.
2. Jesus claimed to be God
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Was Jesus Christ God’s representative, or was Jesus Christ the representation, identity, persona, manifestation of God Himself?
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Matthew 9:2-6 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Only God can forgive sins, period. Why? Because sin is against God.
Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
John 5:39-40 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
3. The Jews recognized Jesus claimed to be God
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Matthew 21:38-39 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Matthew 21:42-45 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
4. The disciples claimed Jesus was God
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
5. The Scriptures claim Jesus is God
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Revelation 19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
6. Jesus Christ is the Judge
Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Notice what Jesus said:
John 8:50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
John 5:22-27 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Some people have a hard time understanding the Scriptures. They see verses like John 8:50 and then they read John 5:22-27, and because they do not believe the Scriptures, they choke on the Word. They read that Jesus said He did not seek His own glory, but then said there one that seeketh and judgeth. What they fail to see is that Jesus is talking about Himself in both parts of John 8:50.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 1:13-15 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
In Genesis, God is the judge. In John, Jesus Christ claimed that all judgment was given to the Son. In Revelation, Jesus is the judge.
At some point I have to bring this lesson to a close. I have quoted about 100 passages and verses of Scripture to show the Bible clearly, emphatically, and conclusively proves the deity of Christ and substantiates the Trinity as a true doctrine of the Bible. Either a person believes it or not.
I would like to close with these warnings. Anyone who attempts to teach anything less than the deity of Christ should be suspect. Why deny something so clearly and openly taught in the Bible? The deity of Christ is the foundation of Christianity. Christianity is the one and only true faith. Therefore, to teach against that fact is to be a false teacher.
2 Peter 2:1-2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Jesus Christ is the way of truth.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
To speak that Jesus was not God, IS not God, is to speak evil of the way of truth. To make Him less than deity is to dishonor Him. To make him part of creation (He was in His humanity) but deny Him as the Creator (He is in Hid divinity), is to dishonor Him.
John 8:49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
I hope, dear reader, that you do not dishonour Jesus Christ by denying his divinity.
John 3:31-36 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Amen.