Various Scriptures - The Doctrine of the Trinity

I Timothy 1:17 - Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

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

Titus 2:1 - But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 

Isaiah 55:8 - For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. 

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

What the Lord is Saying: Tabletalk now takes a moment in this months lessons to speak more of the Trinity. 

"Many people believe the doctrine (of the Trinity) is a contradiction because it refers to both a oneness and a threeness in God....but the way in which God is one is not the same as the way in which God is three. It (is true that it) would be a logical contradiction to say that there is one God and there are three Gods or that God is one in essence and three in essence. However, the doctrine of the Trinity asserts neither option. Instead, it says there is only one God in whom are three personal subsistence or that God is one in essence and three in person - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 

Subsistence is an interesting word. To define it, the Webster dictionary states, "as in existence or the fact of being or being real." In a sentence...believes in the subsistence of a soul as a separate entity from the body. A human being is one person and yet has a soul and body and each is a subsistence. Another definition of subsistence is an individual instance of a divine essence. 

The Westminster Confession 2.3 states, "In the Unity of the God-head there be three persons, of one substance, power and eternity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding: The Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Ghost is eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son."

Trinitarian personhood is not human personhood. “Person” carries with it the linguistic baggage of human personhood connected to human essence. There is a personal property of each that distinguishes Him from another person. And yet in this distinguishing this does not result in three gods. John 1:18 states, "No one has seen God (the Father) at any time; the only begotten God (Jesus/Son), who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained/declared."  They still have the same essence (Incomparable or "no one like thee (2 Samuel 7:22)", Inscrutable (impossible to understand-Isaiah 40:28), etc.). 

Monotheistic religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) have a common belief that there is only one God, but differ in defining the person of God, in other words, there are differences in defining the essence of God as it relates to persons. Christianity does not teach that there are multiple divine essences, but that this divine essence belongs equally to three distinct divine persons. The Father, Son and Spirit are fully equal, and none is more or less God than the other. Each person of the Trinity does not have His own unique mind, will, or power. They all have the same mind, will, and power; thus, all of the same essence "homoousios". 

Psalm 110 is an interesting text. It reads in verse 1, "The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” Looking at the words for Lord and their Hebrew word meanings, it reads the "Lord" (Yahweh) and my "Lord" (Adonai) and this points us in the direction of the Trinity. Jesus quotes this as recorded in Matt. 22:41-46 as He speaks to His opponents, letting them know He is more than a mere human. 

2 Corinthians 13:14 is another text in the New Testament that implies that all three persons of the Trinity God are divine - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 

We can have a clearer understanding of the Trinity when looking at some alternate beliefs (heresies). God is simultaneously Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Modalism is a heresy that says that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one God and one person. The Holy Spirit is God in action, Jesus is Savior and God the Father is creator. Thus, God reveals Himself in different ways or modes. Another alternate idea is Arianism with the idea that Jesus Christ is not equal to the Father by nature, but He is the first creation of God. One prevalent group believing in Arianism today are Jehovah Witnesses. 

I must admit, I have a hard time concluding this study. I feel like I could go on a lifetime trying to study it and understand it. I could look at all of the names of God and compare them one to another. I could look at all of the different attributes of God, again comparing them one to another. And yet, I need to conclude this and continue with my study of other material and then as I do, I will discover more of this subject and what it means. 

Summary: The Trinity is the understanding that God's essence or the way we describe Him is one. But it is explained further in the expression of 3 persons - Father, Son, and Spirit. Each has the same divine essence. The Father is not the Son nor either the Spirit. They are distinct and yet of the same attributes. Let me continue to discover and understand this. 

Promise: Even though we do not fully understand the Trinity, we can still affirm it. It is taught so we can still believe in as we are still comprehending it. God is one in essence and there in person. We do not know fully how that can be; nevertheless, it is the only formula that allows us to affirm everything that scripture says about God. In other words, our Bible sets us up to conclude in a trinity. So it is not something we just force to believe, but the way the Words of God are written cause us to conclude this. And yet we still seek to understand it more fully.

Prayer: Lord, you are good and Holy. Your ways are true and right. I need You every day in every way. I want to know You as You really are. And yet I know that is impossible. So I strive to know you to the best of my ability. There is a little bit of joy that every day I get to know you better and more. I thank you for all the people that have come before me to learn of You and know You and that they have written down their understandings for me to learn from as well. I thank you for the people that you have placed in my path today that are writing today of these subjects of You. Lord, it saddens me that we often don't give you the praise and glory throughout our lives that you deserve. Help me to balance out my days in such a way that will honor You and yet doing things that I enjoy. Sometimes Lord, I just want to do nothing but study and yet you have placed people in my life that I can encourage and even help educate with Your word. Lord, strike the balance in my life so that I know when to keep studying and when to get busy applying and get busy living. 

Psalm 110:1 - Divine Diversity

Psalm 110:1
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Message: Divine Diversity

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

I looked at this passage of Scripture in October as I was studying the book of Mark and Jesus took a moment to quote these words from Psalm 110 as he gave a response to a question from the scribes.

At the time of my reading of it, I was interested in the terminology and what Jesus was saying in these verses, namely that He was offering a defense of Jesus and His relationship to Father God. As this verse states - The Lord says to my Lord - so there are two Lords present in this verse with one speaking to another.

As I continue to look at specifics regarding the doctrine of God and have previously studied that there is only one God. All other gods may be claimed to be gods but there is only one true God and He is one. He is a God to all people everywhere for all time. He is also displayed in 3 persons. He is a singular God but has 3 essences in the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There is often confusion in thinking that this somehow means that we Christians worship 3 Gods, but that statement is invalid. God is still one but throughout Scripture comes on the scene in 3 forms or persons and now we want to look at the idea that those 3 forms are distinct.

The Tabletalk reading today wants to make the point that the Bible does not speak of Modalism which says that while there is one God that God manifests itself at different times as the Father, then other times as the Son, then other times as the Spirit and those manifestations are never at the same time. So, God starts out as Father, then comes to earth as Son, then after ascension as the Spirit. Beliefs are interesting because I notice that people will often try to define something that makes the most sense to them and this idea of God is often a challenge for people and so throughout the ages people try to make God out to be something that fits their thinking but it isn't the entire truth and suddenly we have many different belief systems with millions of adherents and all have a little different picture of God:

• Mormons speak of many gods, so Joseph Smith saw the Father, saw the Son, saw the Spirit. They were separate and Mormons speak of man one day becoming a god. Again, Joseph Smith saw a physical representation of God. Perhaps he wanted to see God and so this became His theology. 
• Jehovah Witnesses also wanted to say that God and Jesus are separate. They have decided that Jesus was on the scene during Old Testament times as Michael the archangel. Thus, they seem to recognize Jesus as being there before he came to earth, but they fit him in as the Archangel and then the Holy Spirit as a completely separate force. Unitarianism is also another name or belief system of this. 
• Islam believes the New Testament text has been corrupted and therefore teaches that the scriptures we have about a resurrection are misconstrued and Jesus was actually a really great man and similar to other men called prophets like Moses and even Muhammad. But, they do not believe in a Trinity and instead focus squarely on only one God, not in 3 persons and call their god Allah. 
• Judaism is another monotheistic belief that says there is 1 God, not 3 persons of the Trinity. There are several holy books that speak of this. It speaks of God having a purpose, man inability to follow that purpose and God repeatedly pulling them back or bringing them back to His purpose. But God is always singular and do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. 

Verse 1 of this passage is very interesting. David is in the middle of a conversation between on one side the Lord, Jehovah, and on the other side, Adonai. The Lord (Jehovah) is speaking to his Lord (Adonai).

Jehovah is one of the primary names for God in the Bible. Sometimes it is used for God the Father, sometimes for God the Son, sometimes for God the Holy Spirit and the context of the passage determines which person of the Trinity Jehovah is. Here in this passage Jehovah is God the Father. The word Adonai or who David refers to as my Lord is God's Son. Therefore, Jehovah is speaking to Jesus.

It is also interesting the word says or said is literally an oracle and this word is only used of a direct utterance of God, sometimes a word from a prophet, but it is more common as a word or oracle coming from God.

When Jesus quotes this passage he adds a statement clarifying where David received these words - David himself said in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the message that David records in this passage in Psalm 110 is not his own, but is said in the Holy Spirit. Thus, in a matter of words Jesus is saying David speaks from the Holy Spirit and witnesses THE LORD (YAHWEH) SAYING TO MY LORD (ADONAI) - SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET. 

Saint Augustine of Hippo who lived from 354 AD to 430 AD, stated:

Christ is both David's Son, and David's Lord: David's Lord always, David's Son in time: David's Lord, born of the substance of His Father, David's Son, born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Ghost...Unless our Lord Jesus Christ has vouchsafed to become man, man had perished. He was made that which He made, that what He made might not perish. Very Man, Very God; God and man, the whole Christ."

The Pulpit Commentary concludes it well:

From this verse (Psalm 110.) our Lord shows that the Messiah, such as he was, was not a mere man, as the Pharisees thought, but that he was God, and therefore David's Lord. The meaning, therefore, is this, "The Lord God said to my Lord," that is, Christ, "Sit thou at my right hand," that is, when, after his cross, his death, and his resurrection, he will exalt him far above all principality and power, and place him next to him in heaven, that he may reign with supreme happiness and power and glory over all creatures. These words show that this is a Divine decree, fixed and irrevocable. Till I make thine enemies thy footstool (ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου); literally, the footstool of thy feet; that is, reign with me in glory until the day of judgment, when I will make the wicked, all opposing powers, subject to thee. The word "till" does not imply that Christ will then cease to reign. "Of his kingdom there shall be no end." But he will then formally deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, only that he may receive it again as the second Person of the Godhead.

Thus, there is a clear distinction in the Bible between the persons of the trinity and their existence is that they are present at all time. Our God is personal.

Promise: God is personal and relates to us and is involved in the affairs of human beings. We must accept the God of the Bible instead of working hard to fit God into our own thinking.

Prayer: O God, as I spend more time in Your Word and reading and studying of You, I thank You that I learn more about You. I thank you for the people that have come before me that have gotten into your Word and understand it and You have given them understanding. Help me though to always see You as You are. It is amazing there are so many different beliefs and yet sad at the same time that so many have not been willing to accept You as You are.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.

Mark 12:35-37 - David's Prophecy of Christ

Mark 12:35-37
35 And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,

"SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET."

37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

Message: David's Prophecy of Christ

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus has been speaking to the religious leaders of the day and answering their questions. One of the scribes came to Jesus to ask him about the greatest commandment and Jesus responds by giving him the message of Loving God and Loving your neighbor. The scribe agrees and restates those words to Jesus. Jesus remarks that he is not far from the kingdom of God. Thus, agreeing with Jesus on that point was not all that was needed. There was more. But, at this moment, the scribes and others were finished asking questions. 

Now Jesus turns to the large crowd that is gathered to listen to Him and Jesus begins to ask questions. While the questioning of him is finished Jesus still has more to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?" I must remember that Jesus speaks as a religious leader as well. He uses language that would signify something else. In this question, Jesus is saying, "How is it that the scribes say the Christ is only a man or only a son of David?" This was the common complaint of the day or the expectation that the people had of the Messiah. The Jews expected a Messiah that was merely human, thinking he would be a great man but also only a man. 

See there is more that Jesus wants to say that the scribes and religious leaders are not asking. While they are asking about Jesus' understanding of God, they are not directly asking about Him - Jesus - and who He is. 

Jesus quotes the words of David recorded in Psalm 110. This text is cited multiple times in the New Testament. In the Psalm David makes reference to two Lords: the first "Lord" translates the Hebrew word Yahweh, God's covenant name and the second "Lord" translates the Hebrew word Adonai, a title given to Yahweh in the Old Testament. In these verses Jesus shows, through the words of David, the Trinity: (1) David said in the Holy Spirit, (2) The Lord (Yahweh) says to (3) My lord (Adonai).

Thus, Jesus is saying that the Christ, the Messiah is much more that only a man. David himself said in the Holy Spirit, thus David speaks in the power and words of God - THE LORD (YAHWEH) SAYS TO MY LORD (ADONAI) - SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET. And Jesus goes on to further clarify this passage by saying - David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son? Thus Lord, my Lord is Him, the Christ, the Messiah, so the Christ is not his son, but the Lord. He brings together the message that the Lord that David uses in Psalm 110 also speaks of Jesus. Psalm 110 is mentioned more in the NT than any other ancient scripture (Acts 2:34-35; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 5:6; Hebrews 7:17; Hebrews 7:21).Jesus is Lord.

Saint Augustine of Hippo who lived from 354 AD to 430 AD, stated:

Christ is both David's Son, and David's Lord: David's Lord always, David's Son in time: David's Lord, born of the substance of His Father, David's Son, born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Ghost...Unless our Lord Jesus Christ has vouchsafed to become man, man had perished. He was made that which He made, that what He made might not perish. Very Man, Very God; God and man, the whole Christ." 

Wow, what a wonderful passage that, frankly, I am just now discovering. Jesus himself is speaking clearly that he is God. And Hippo's phrase "The Whole Christ" reminds me I got a book of that title and didn't read it. Now I know what I think it is speaking about. I think it is so exciting discovering this phrase where Jesus states that He is the Messiah that He is the second Person of the Godhead.

The Pulpit Commentary concludes it well:

From this verse (Psalm 110.) our Lord shows that the Messiah, such as he was, was not a mere man, as the Pharisees thought, but that he was God, and therefore David's Lord. The meaning, therefore, is this, "The Lord God said to my Lord," that is, Christ, "Sit thou at my right hand," that is, when, after his cross, his death, and his resurrection, he will exalt him far above all principality and power, and place him next to him in heaven, that he may reign with supreme happiness and power and glory over all creatures. These words show that this is a Divine decree, fixed and irrevocable. Till I make thine enemies thy footstool (ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου); literally, the footstool of thy feet; that is, reign with me in glory until the day of judgment, when I will make the wicked, all opposing powers, subject to thee. The word "till" does not imply that Christ will then cease to reign. "Of his kingdom there shall be no end." But he will then formally deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, only that he may receive it again as the second Person of the Godhead.

Summary - The scribes and chief priests had been asking Jesus multiple questions and he had been responding. Most of the time they didn't seem to like what He said, but He spoke. But after answering the scribe that came to him his question on the greatest commandment no one would ask him anything again. But He had more to say and the first thing he brings up is that he is not simply the son of David, but He is Lord. A rather remarkable statement from Jesus. What a wonderful declaration.

Promise: Jesus proclaimed His humanity and deity. The whole Christ is the message of His true manhood and His true deity. Because He is man, He could atone for the sins of mankind. Because He is God, this atonement can cover all of our sins past, present, and future.

Prayer: O Lord, discovering this passage, in some ways for the first time, has enlightened me. It puts to silence critics who say you speaking yourself as Lord and God and Messiah is never present. It is here. Thank you for helping me walk through your scripture and see it, in some ways for the first time. Help me now to secure this message in my life and pass it on. I pray that people would rediscover You as I have. Continue to help me to see and know the significance of this message. Thank  you God for revealing Yourself to me. I am forever a changed man.