THE GOSPEL STUDY (PART 1 - WHO IS GOD?) “Sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel.” (1Tim1:10-11) by Steven Rodrigue Section 2 - The Trinity and The Hypostatic Union - THE TRINITY: While the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, it was first used by Tertullian (c.155-230), an early church father, to express the Scriptural truth that God exists as One, in essence, yet also as Three, in persons. This truth, while impossible for any finite man to fully comprehend, must be nonetheless accepted and embraced, because Scripture affirms it. - There is only one true God: Scripture teaches that the God of the Bible is not only “the true God,” (Jer10:10) but “the only true God.” (Jn17:3) Any other supposed gods, are not really gods at all, but false gods. OT & NT agree: - Old Testament: “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isa45:5) “The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.” (Deut4:39) - New Testament: “There is no God but one.” (1Cor8:4) “There is one God.” (1Tim2:5) “There is one God, and there is no other but He.” (Mk12:32NKJV) - Other so-called gods: All other powerful beings (angels, demons, etc.), while they may be supernatural, are merely the result of God’s creation, not other gods. In fact, these so-called gods which other nations worship, are actually demons, deceiving men to believe that they are true gods. “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God.” (1Cor10:20NKJV) Satan himself, while greatly powerful, when compared to God, is like holding a burning matchstick next to the sun. - God is one in essence: The word one comes from the Hebrew word ‘echad, which often refers to a unity of more than one person.16 “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one (‘echad) flesh.” (Gen2:24) God exists as one in essence, and therefore, one being. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one (‘echad).” (Deut6:4) Even the demons recognize God is one: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder!” (Jas2:19) To be even more precise, essence is what you are.1 God’s essence includes all aspects of His divine nature (power, wisdom, beauty, etc). In this sense, “God is one.” (Gal3:20) We should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. The substance of God is God, not a bunch of ingredients that taken together yield deity.1 - God is three in person: By person we mean someone who has a distinct center of consciousness. The distinction between persons is not a difference of being, but of relationships. By person, we mean someone that regards themself as “I," and others as "you." While essence is what you are, person is who you are. Each person of the Trinity has all the attributes of God, none having any attribute that’s not possessed by the others. This plurality of God in persons is displayed clearly throughout the Bible: - Old Testament: The word Elohim, used for 2,570 times in the Old Testament for God, literally means “the powerful ones,” and Adonai, used - All Bible verses are from the ESV unless otherwise indicated - Page 1" THE GOSPEL STUDY (PART 1 - WHO IS GOD?) “Sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel.” (1Tim1:10-11) by Steven Rodrigue 449 times, means “my lords.”11 God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen1:26) God is speaking: “The LORD GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.” (Isa48:16) Note all three distinct persons! - New Testament: “When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Mt3:16-17) All three persons of God are interacting at once, defeating the heresy of modalism (which says God is one person, playing three roles). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2Cor13:14) - Each person is fully God: The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.3 The Bible ascribes the fullness of deity to each individual person of the Trinity: - God the Father: “There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things.” (1Cor8:6) “One God and Father of all.” (Eph4:6) “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” (Phil1:2) - God the Son: Thomas calls Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn20:28) “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Tit2:13) The Father says, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.’” (Heb1:8) - Problem passage: Jesus is referred to as the “first born of all creation.” (Col1:15) However, “first born” (prototokos) does not mean that Christ was created. In Scripture it could either mean, “the first born Child,” or it often meant, “one who possessed priority.”11 Many translations read, “the firstborn over all creation,” a concept Paul supports three verses later by saying, “that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Col1:18) - God the Holy Spirit: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts5:3-4) Christians are “God’s temple,” (1Cor3:16) and “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1Cor6:19) - God exists as three persons in one essence: We need to realize that we are talking about one what and three who’s. The one what is the Being or essence of God; the three who’s are the Father, Son, and Spirit.2 “The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world,” (1Jn4:14) demonstrates that the Father is not the same as the Son He sends. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,” (Jn14:26) demonstrates that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and Son who send Him. Jesus prays to the Father for believers, “that they may be one even as we are one.” (Jn 17:22) The phrase “we are one,” is a great Trinitarian verse, demonstrating the idea of a plurality of persons within the unity of divine essence.4 Jesus is described as being with God, “the Word was with God,” and simultaneously being God, “and the Word was God.” (Jn1:1) “Go therefore and make disciples of all - All Bible verses are from the ESV unless otherwise indicated - Page 2" THE GOSPEL STUDY (PART 1 - WHO IS GOD?) “Sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel.” (1Tim1:10-11) by Steven Rodrigue nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:19) Notice that name is singular and yet it is ascribed to three different persons. The verse does not say in the names of the Father, Son, and Spirit, but in their one Name, because the Three are One.16 The God of the Scriptures exists simultaneously as three distinct and equal persons who are one in their divine essence, who dwell in perfect equality and unity, each of whom are fully God, none of whom are the other. An accurate representation of the Trinity: Bible verses describing Personhood and Deity within the Trinity: - All Bible verses are from the ESV unless otherwise indicated - Page 3" THE GOSPEL STUDY (PART 1 - WHO IS GOD?) “Sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel.” (1Tim1:10-11) by Steven Rodrigue - THE HYPOSTATIC UNION: This term refers to the union of Christ’s divine nature, with a human nature, occurring at His birth, called the incarnation (lat. in carne, “in flesh”). “The Word became flesh.” (Jn1:14) “God was manifested in the flesh.” (1Tim3:16NKJV) “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” (1Jn4:2) As the union of the soul and body constitutes a man one person, so the union of the Son of God with our nature constitutes Him one person.5 - Christ is two in nature: Christ took on all attributes of humanity, yet without sin, while simultaneously remaining fully God with respect to His divine nature. They do not alter one another’s essential properties and neither do they mix together into a mysterious third kind of nature.1 Remaining what he was, he became what he was not.6 Jesus is called Immanuel, which means, “God (divine) with us (man).” (Mt1:23) “According to the flesh, Christ came… the eternally blessed God.” (Rom9:5NKJV) Two natures, one being (essence): - Divine nature: “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Col2:9) Jesus was still fully God after becoming man. Eternality: “Jesus Christ… who is and who was and who is to come.” (Rev1:1,8) Creator: “All things were created through him and for him.” (Col1:16) Omniscience: “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” (Jn4:29) “We know that you know all things.” (Jn16:30) Omnipresence: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Mt18:20) Omnipotence: “He upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Heb1:3) Self- Existent: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (Jn14:6) Sovereign: “He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Phil3:21NKJV) Immutable: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb13:8) - Human nature: Jesus’ divine immutability implies He in no way gave up His divine attributes to become a man.