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Home , Regeneration (theology)

The Messages Part 1

By Lehman Strauss

Lehman Strauss:

Today I want to bring the first of a series of studies on a difficult and controversial subject.

Namely the doctrine of the Trinity. Now, I want to say at the outset that I'm not making any

attempt to prove the existence of . The scriptures themselves never attempt to prove God's

existence, but throughout they always assume or affirm it. The opening statement in the Bible says in unmistakable clarity, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis

1:1. God's existence is the necessary ground and condition of the existence of everything else.

The knowledge of God's existence is universal because God himself has put the evidence of this

basic and essential truth in every man. God is moreover, God is knowable. Romans 1:19 says,

"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shown it unto

them." And also in Romans 1:21, "They knew God." inasmuch as belief in God's existence is both universal and necessary, I believe that it is intuitive and accepted by the unprejudiced mind.

In this brief series, I would like to set forth as clearly as possible those foundational truths concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. Now my chief concern will be the scriptural evidence on

which the doctrine rests. Here the finite comes to grips with the infinite. Therefore, its depth is

immeasurable. It's our intention to avoid speculation, but hope that under the guidance of the

Holy Spirit, we shall be enabled to set forth some of what the Bible teaches. Actually, the word

Trinity does not appear in the Bible. The Greek word was used by Theophilus, the Bishop of

Antioch, back as early as 168-183 A.D. and always applied to the Godhead. Later in A.D. 220, Strauss — The Trinity Messages Pt. 1

Tertullian reportedly used the Latin term to define and describe the tri-personal existence of God.

The contains their statement on the Trinity as follows, "We worship one God

in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confounding the person nor separating the substance." The

Westminster shorter catechism says, "There are three persons within the Godhead, the Father, the

Son and the . And these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and

glory". The Augsburg confession, one of the older Protestant creeds, has this to say, "There is

one divine essence which is called and is God eternal, without body, Indivisible of infinite

power, Wisdom, goodness. The creator and preserver of all things visible and invisible. And yet

there are three persons of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father, the

Son, and the Holy Spirit". Now, I will not attempt to escape from the fact that the doctrine of the

Trinity in some of its aspects is a mystery. But does not the human mind see mystery in

everything that is in the realm of the supernatural and miraculous? Indeed, this is a distinctive feature in Christianity. Paul wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "But we speak the wisdom of

God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory,

which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have

crucified of Glory. But as it is written, eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have

entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But

God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit; for the spirit searcheth all things yea, the deep

things of God." 1 Corinthians 2:7-10.

Christianity is a supernatural which contains many mysteries. Deep secrets known only to

God until he saw fit to reveal them to his own children through his word. A few of these hitherto

unrevealed truths are the mystery of the incarnation. 1Timothy 3:16, the mystery of the Rapture of the Church. 1 Corinthians 15: 51 and 52, the Mystery of Lawlessness. 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the

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Mystery of Babylon. Revelation 4:48. Explain any of these mysteries to a rationalist or an atheist

whose mind is prejudiced, and it will not make sense to him.

The doctrine of the Trinity is indeed a mystery to the uninitiated. That is, to those who have not

been and are not children of God. I do not expect that such a person would be

interested in studying Bible doctrines. I assume, therefore, that the majority of those of you

listening to my voice are confirmed theists. That is, you are people who believe in the existence

of God. But not all persons who believe in the existence of God will accept what the Bible

teaches about the plurality of persons in the Godhead. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is

strongly denied by many who hold to theism. Their common objection is that the Trinity

involves tri-theism, a belief in three , or, as the sect of Jehovah's Witnesses rudely put it, a three headed god. On the contrary, the fact of the matter is that the biblical doctrine of the Trinity

stands opposed to the idea of three gods. That there is one God is one of the major teachings of

the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, "Hear Oh Israel, the Lord, our God is one Lord." God

is spirit Therefore, he does not consist of parts nor is he susceptible to any such division.

There are many things in the world which are true and important, but which cannot be fully

understood. Electricity was discovered by man. It is important, and the electricity is here to stay.

But the real nature of electricity is not fully understood. Now, does its existence depend upon

man's understanding of it? Of course not. God exists in three persons, but the existence of a tri- personal God is not dependent upon man's understanding of that God. In almost every area of our

existence, we are called upon to accept facts which cannot be fully explained. Shall we lay aside

the doctrine of the Trinity merely because man's finite mind cannot fully understand it? This is

unthinkable. The doctrine of the Trinity lies in the very heart of Christian truth. It is the center

from which all tenets of our faith radiate. If we entertain wrong ideas of the nature of the

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Supreme Being, Our entire theology is imperiled. The doctrine of the Trinity is but one of the

many-sided facets of the nature of the only true and living God. It's important to see in the fact

that throughout the history of the Christian church, it has been believed and confessed. And

whenever it has been abandoned, further apostasy has followed. Any departure from the doctrine

of the Trinity is an apostatizing from the faith according to 1 Timothy 4:1. Therefore, we must

consider it of prime importance. I have learned that many cast off the whole history of

for no other reason than because they have not attained to a conception of the

Trinity. The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity is evidenced by its necessary relation to the

work of God in creation and redemption. It is not possible to place in true perspective the work

of God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit Apart from the Trinitarian system of

theology. Every religious or theological system which denies the Trinity has failed to give the

Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit their proper place in the divine plan of . And

history proves that all such systems tend to drift away from the Bible as the final authority. Each

person in the Godhead must be seen as he is presented in scripture.

One organized group, which call themselves the Jesus Only Group, have certainly made a

mistake. Now I'm not bringing into question their motives or intentions, but I state unhesitating

that even such a system is woefully lacking and therefore must be, to say the least, a superficial

system. Any theological system which detracts from either of the three person, the Godhead, the place given to them in the scripture is a perversion of the historical Christian position as recorded

in the Bible.

The doctrine of the Trinity is important because of the influence of the extreme liberal theology

of Unitarianism. This man-centered religious philosophy was prompted by Jonathan Mayhew

and William Channing in the 18th century. These men believed that their own reason was the

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final court of appeal for everything associated with religion. And this led them to reject the

teachings in the Bible, which were not compatible with human reason. Their influence led many

members of the in New England to become antique Trinitarian in their

belief. The Unitarians are unable to accept what the Bible teaches about the Trinity simply

because they do not accept the Bible itself. As read a recent as 1960 Mr. Mendelssohn, who was

minister of the Arlington Street Church in Boston, published his book entitled "Why I am a

Unitarian". On page 34, he said, "Churches, Bibles, and creeds are the creation of men who once

exercised their freedom to create". And then he added, "The Bible is replete with inaccuracies,

inconsistencies and error".

Now Unitarianism is anti-Trinitarian because it rejects the Bible as the inspired word of God.

And the human penman is holy men of God who were controlled by the Holy Spirit as they

wrote. The doctrine of the Trinity does not in any way detract from the unity of God. The Bible

teaches both the unity of God and the Trinity of God. It is not necessary to reject one in order to

believe the other. The failure to accept this fact will lead to the rejection of the doctrines of the

deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unitarians, Jews, and all others who are anti-Trinitarian do not

believe that Jesus Christ is God. This fact in itself indicates the importance of the doctrine of the

Trinity. Dr. Lorraine Bettner has said, "Inscrutable, yet not self-contradictory, this doctrine

furnishes the key to all of the other doctrines which have to do with the redemption of man.

Apart from it, the doctrine of the Trinity that is, doctrines such as the deity of Christ, the

incarnation, the personality of the Holy Spirit, regeneration, , , the

meaning of the crucifixion and the resurrection cannot be understood. It thus underlines the

whole plan of salvation." The Christian idea of the Trinity is necessary to the salvation of man. It

is necessary to the enrichment of the Christian's life. It is necessary to peace of mind that the

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human heart seeks. Faith in the death of God, the son, and the coming of God, the Holy Spirit

into the believing sinner's Heart, according to the plain teaching of Holy Scripture, provide the

of salvation and the of sins. Herein lies the strength of the Trinitarian

theology. If there were no Trinity, man's state in sin would have been hopeless.

My dear friend, you and I need the God of the Bible. The world needs the God of the Bible. And

the God of the Bible differs from all other gods in many respects. But in this one, particularly for

this series of messages in the fact that there is a tri-personal God revealed in Holy Scriptures.

God the father, and God the Holy Spirit. And you cannot find God The first person

in the Trinity, apart from the redemptive work of God, the son, The second person, And the

convicting and converting work of God, The Holy Spirit The third person. Oh, if you would be saved, if you would have secure a place in heaven for you and be delivered from the divine wrath

to come from the lake of fire, then turn to God at once Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

And may God help you to do that. Now we're going to continue in our series on the Trinity in the

next broadcast. But for now, let us pray.

Loving father, Take thy holy word and do thou seal it to the hearts of all who have heard. And

grant Lord that unbelievers will be saved and the minds and hearts of Christians strengthened

through the Ministry of Thy Holy Word this hour, we pray in Jesus' precious name, amen.

[Second message begins]

Lehman Strauss:

Thank you. We want you to turn now to what the scriptures have to say on the doctrine of the

Trinity. Because the doctrine of the Trinity is exclusively a truth of divine revelation and not

human reason, we’re going to examine the biblical evidence on which the doctrine rests. Now let

us pursue our study prayerfully so as to grasp truth for mind and spirit in order that we might

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increase in spiritual growth. First, let me say the God of the Bible is the only true God. Thus

sayeth the Lord, the King of Israel and his , the Lord of Hosts, "I am the first, and I am

the last, and beside me there is no God", Isaiah 44:6. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me",

Exodus 20:3. "We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but

one", 1 Corinthians 8:4. "Thou believest that there is one God, thou do it well", James 2:10.

These verses make it obviously clear that the God of the Bible is the only true God.

Second, the God of the Bible is a living God. And Joshua said, "Hereby Ye shall know that the

living God is among you", Joshua 3:10. "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God", Psalm

42:2. "But the Lord is the true God. He is the living God and an everlasting king", Jeremiah

10:10. Nebuchadnezzar said, "I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, men

tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God", Daniel 6:26. Christians are

said to be the temple of the living God, 2Corinthians 6:6. "And who trust in the living God", 1

Timothy 4:10. These verses set forth clearly and conclusively that the God of the Bible is a living

God.

Now the God of the Bible is not only the only true God and a living God, but the God of the

Bible is a personal God. God is not an impersonal spirit, but a living personality, possessing self-

consciousness and self-determination. God possesses perfect intellect and full knowledge, the

scope of his knowledge being unlimited. Proverbs 15:3 says, "The eyes of the Lord are in every

place beholding the evil and the good." Hebrews 4:13, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight But all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have

to do." God only can know the future, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient

times The things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand and I will do all my

pleasure", Isaiah 46:10.

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In the next place, The God of the Bible exists as three persons. Within the Godhead there are

three persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And these three are one God. While the

creedal statements of men are not found as such in the Bible, And while there is no single

passage of scripture which states the doctrine of the Trinity, there are numerous passages in

which the plurality of persons is stated, and others where the three persons are shown in their

unique unity and sameness. First, we see the plurality of persons in the Godhead in creation. For

example, Genesis 1:1 says in the beginning, "God created the heaven and the earth." In Genesis

1:26, "And God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness." Now it is noteworthy that

the name of God, which is Elohim, is plural in both of these passages, Genesis 1:1 and Genesis

1:26. The one speaking is addressing others who certainly can't be angels because in the next

verse, Genesis 1:27, we read, "So God created man in his own image." In these verses we have

conversation and counsel within the Trinity. Just as was active in creation, even

so was God the son John chapter 1 says, "All things were made by him", that is the second

person of the Trinity, "And without him was not anything made that was made." Even so, we see

God, the Holy Spirit active in creation. Job says, "The breath of the almighty hath given me life,

or the spirit of the Almighty hath given" [recording ends]

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