"The Triunity of God"

( 2 Cor. 13:14)

Introduction: For the past several weeks we have spoken of the

attributes of God. When we speak of God, we must understand that
God of which the Bible speaks, namely, One who has three centers of
personality within Himself. Yes, all orthodox Christians are
monotheistic, that is, they believe in One God. But the Bible
clearly tells us that this One God is not monopersonal, that is, not
one person, but tripersonal, three persons. All other views and
concepts concerning this Being are false and end in false worship.
This is one of the irreducible foundational doctrines one must
believe in order to be saved. We do not worship a mere name. It
does matter that the One we call God is the God of Scripture. And
what I want you to see this evening is,

The God we serve has existed from all eternity as a

tripersonal Being, and each of the persons is involved in the
economy of redemption.

I. There Are Three Distinct Persons in the One Godhead. (The God
that You Serve Is One God and Three Persons).
A. The Bible Affirms that There Is Only One God.
1 . It is affirmed in the OT.
a. Deu. 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the
LORD is One!"
b. Isa. 44:6-8 "Thus says the LORD, the King of
Israel and His Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am
the first and I am the last, and there is no God
besides Me. And who is like Me? Let him proclaim
and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in
order, from the time that I established the ancient
nation. And let them declare to them the things
that are coming and the events that are going to
take place. Do not tremble and so not be afraid;
have I not long since announced it to you and
declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there
any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I
know of none.' "

2. It is affirmed in the NT.

a. 1 Cor. 8:4 "Therefore concerning the eating of
things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no
such thing as an idol in the world, and that there
is no God but one."
b. 1 Tim. 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator
also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
c. James 2 : 1 9 "You believe that God is one. You do
well; the demons also believe, and shudder."

3. This eliminates the possibility of polytheism as a

Biblical option.

B. The Bible Also Affirms that There Are Three Persons Who Bear
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the Name o f God and D o H i s Works.

1 . T h e Father i s God.
a. There i s v i r t u a l l y no d e b a t e about t h i s f a c t .
b. Those who d i s t o r t the d o c t r i n e o f the T r i n i t y a l l
agree the Father i s d i v i n e .
c. There a r e those who d i s a g r e e t h a t the Father i s
personal, t h i n k i n g H i m t o be the d i v i n e nature o f
Christ.
d . B u t the B i b l e a f f i r m s t h a t the Father i s God.
(il 1 Cor. 8:5-6 ”For even if there are so-called
gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed
there are many gods and many lords, yet for us
there is but one God, the Father, from whom are
all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord,
Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we
exist through Him.”
(iil 2 Tim. 1:l-2 ”Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, according to the prom se
of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my
beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God
the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

e. And w e w i l l see t h a t H e i s d i s t i n c t f r o m the S o n and

Spirit.

2. T h e S o n i s God.
a. H e d o e s the works o f God.
He creates: ”And He is the image of the
invisible God, the first-born of all creation.
For by Him all things were created, both in the
heavens and on earth, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities--all things
have been created by Him and for Him. And He
is before all things, and in Him all things
hold together” [Col. 1: 15-16).
He preserves all things: ”And He is the
radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature, and upholds all
things by the word of His power” [Heb. 1:3 ) .
He performs miracles: ”:For just as the Father
raises the dead and gives them life, even so
the Son also gives life to whom He wishes”
(John 5:21).
He judges all men: ”For not even the Father
judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to
the Son, in order hat all may honor the Son,
even as they honor the Father. he who does not
honor the Son does not honor the Father who
sent Him” (John 5 22-23).
He forgives sin: ”And Jesus seeing their faith
said to the paralytic, ’My son, your sins are
forgiven.’ But there were some of the scribes
sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
’Why does this man speak that way? He is
blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God
alone?’ ” (Mark 2:5-7).
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(vi1
He sanctifies His people: ”Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself up for her; that He might
sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing of water with the word, that He might
present to Himself the church in all her glory,
having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;
but that she should be holy and blameless”
(Ephesians 5:25-27).
(vii) He sends the Spirit: ”But I tell you the
truth, it is to your advantage that I go away;
for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not
come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to
you” (John 16:7).
(viii) He gives eternal life: ”My sheep hear My
voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and
I give eternal life to them, and they shall
never perish; and no one shall snatch them out
of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

b. He has the attributes of God.

He is eternal: ”He was in the beginning with
God” (John 1: 2 ) ; ”Jesus said to them, ’ Truly,
truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I
am’” (John 8:58); ”And now, glorify Thou Me
together with Thyself, Father, with the glory
which I had with Thee before the world was”
(John 17:5).
He is immutable: ”They will perish, but Thou
remainest; and they all will become old as a
garment, and as a mantle Thou wilt roll them
up; as a garment they will also be changed.
But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not
come to an end” [Heb. 1:ll-lZ); ”Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday and today, yes and
forever” (Heb. 13:81.
He is omnipresent: ”For where two or three
have gathered together in My name, there I am
in their midst” [Matt. 18:20); ”Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age”
(Matt. 28:19-20).
He is omniscient: ”He said to him the third
time, ’Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’
Peter was grieved because He said to him the
third time, ’Do you love Me?’ And he said to
Him, ’Lord, You know all things; you know that
I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ’Tend My
sheep’” (John 21 : 171.
He is omnipotent: ”And He is the radiance of
His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the word of
His power” (Heb. 1: 3); ”’ I am the Alpha and the
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Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was

and who is coming, the Almighty' '' [Rev. 1:8;
cf. 11: 17).

c. H e bears the n a m e s of God.

(i) He is called the Alpha and Omega: "Behold, I
am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to
render to every man according to what he has
done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first
and the last, the beginning and the end" [Rev.
22:12-13).
(ii) He is called "Lord," the NT covenant name of
God: "[There is1 one Lord, Jesus Christ, by
whom are all things, and we exist through Him"
(1 Cor. 8 : 6 ) .
(iii) He is called God: "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God" (John 1: 11; "Thomas answered and said
to Him, My Lord and my God' [John 20:28); "Be
on guard for yourselves and for all the flock,
among which the Holy Spirit had made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which
He purchased with His own blood" [Acts 2 0 : 2 8 ) ;
"whose are the fathers, and from whom is the
Christ according to the flesh, the One who is
over all, the blessed God forever, amen" [Rom.
9:5); "Looking for the blessed hope and the
appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior, Christ Jesus" [Titus 2:13).

d. H e i s w o r s h i p e d a s God.
(il The blind man worshiped Christ: "Jesus heard
that they had put him out; and finding him, He
said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' He
answered and said, 'and who is He, Lord, that I
may believe in Him?' Jesus said to him, 'You
have both seen Him, and He is the one who is
talking with you. And he said, 'Lord, I
believe.' And he worshiped Him" [John
9:35-38).
(iil The apostles worshiped Christ: "And when they
got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those
who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying,
'You are certainly God's Son! [Matt.
14:32-33).
(iiil Christ is made the object of supreme worship:
"Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on
earth, and under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father" [Phil.
2:9-11).

3. T h e S p i r i t is God.
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a. He is a person.
(il Jesus refers to Him as a person: ""But I tell
you the truth, it is to your advantage that I
go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper
shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send
Him to you" (John 16:7); "But when He, the
Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into
all the truth; for He will not speak on His own
initiative, but whatever He hears, He will
speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take
of Mine, and shall disclose it to you" [John
16: 13-14).
(iil He sends out the first missionaries: "And
while they were ministering to the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for
Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them" [Acts. 1 3 : 2 ) .
(iiil He can be obeyed or grieved: "And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption" [Eph. 4: 30).

b. He does the work of God.

(il He creates: "And the earth was formless and
void, and darkness was over the surface of the
deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the
surface of the waters" [Gen. 1: 2); "Thou does
send forth Thy Spirit, they are created; and
Thou dost renew the face of the ground" [Ps.
104: 30).
(iil He works miracles: "But if I cast out demons
by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God
has come upon you" [Matt. 12:28).
(iiil He distributes gifts sovereignly: "For to one
is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit,
and to another the word of knowledge according
to the same Spirit; to another faith by the
same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by
the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of
miracles, and to another prophecy, and to
another the distinguishing of spirits, and to
another various kinds of tongues, and to
another the interpretation of tongues. But one
and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually just as
He wills ( 1 Cor. 12:8-11).

c. He has the attributes of God.

(il Omnipresence: "Where can I go from Thy Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Thy presence?" [Ps.
139:7) "Or do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God, and that you are not your
own? ( 1 Cor. 6: 191.
(iil Omniscience: "For to us God revealed them
through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all
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things, even the depths of God. For who among

men knows the thoughts of a man except the
spirit of man, which is in him? Even so the
thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit
of God” ( 1 Cor. 2:10-11).
(iiil Omnipotence: ”And the angel answered and said
to her, ’The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; and for that reason the holy offspring
shall be called the Son of God” [Luke 1: 35).

d. He is called God.
(il He is called Lord: ”Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty” ( 2 Cor. 3 : 17).
(iil He is called God: ”But Peter said, ’Ananias,
why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the
Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price
of the land? While it remained unsold, did it
not remain your own? And after it was sold,
was it not under your control? Why is it that
you have conceived this deed in your heart?
You have not lied to men but to God” [Acts
5:3-41.

4. This eliminates the idea that only the Father is

properly called God.

c. The Whole Bible Bears Witness to This Plurality of Distinct

Persons Within the Godhead.
1 . The Old Testament represents plurality in the Godhead.
a. Gen. I: 26 ”Then God said, ’Let Us make man in our
image, according to our likeness.’”
b. Gen. 3 : 2 2 ”Then the LORD God said, ’Behold, the man
has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil.”’
c. Gen. 11:6-7 ”And the LORD said, ’Behold, they are
one people, and they all have the same language.
And this is what they began to do, and now nothing
which they purpose to do will be impossible for
them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their
language, that they may not understand one another’s
speech.’’
d. Isa. 6:8 ”The I heard the voice of the Lord,
saying, ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for
Us?’ ’’
e. The angel of the Lord is called God.

2. The New Testament represents plurality in the Godhead.

a. The fuller revelation of the New Testament
enumerates more clearly who the persons are in the
Godhead. (see above).
b. Several verses parallel their names together in such
a way as would be blasphemous if God’s name was
paired together with that of His creatures.
(il Matt. 28:19: ”Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
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of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

(iil 2 Cor. 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.”

3. The relations that they sustain to one another demand a

distinction of persons.
a. All three appear together at once.
(il Matt. 3:16-17: ”And after being baptized,
Jesus went up immediately from the water; and
behold, the heavens were opened, and He was the
Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming
upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the
heavens, saying, ’This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well-pleased.’”
(iil John 15:26: ”When the Helper comes, whom I
will send to you from the Father, that is the
Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,
He will bear witness of Me.”

b. The Father loves the Son.

(il He doesn’t love the human nature of Christ
which would be a shell without the personality
of the divine logos.
(iil He loves the person of the Son, the Son who was
with Him throughout all eternity.
(iiil ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God” [John 1: 11.
(ivl ”And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, glory as of the
only-begotten from the Father, full of grace
and truth” (John 1: 14).
(vl The Son prayed, ”And now, glorify Thou Me
together with Thyself, Father, with the glory
which I had with Thee before the world was”
(John 17:51. (He is obviously a different
person).

C. The Son loves the Father: ”But that the world may
k n o w that I love the Father, and as the Father gave
Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go from
here” ( J o h n 14:31).

d. The Father and Son send the Spirit: ”When the

Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the
Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
from the Father, He will bear witness of Me” ( J o h n
15:26). (Lit. ”that One” far demonstrative).

e. But the Spirit cannot come unless the Son departs:

”But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage
that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper
shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him
to you” (John 16:7).

f. When the Son prays in the garden, He cries out to

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the Father: "In the days of His flesh, He offered

up both prayers and supplications with loud crying
and tears to the One able to save Him from death,
and He was heard because of His piety" (Heb. 5:7).

g. When the Son becomes the sin-bearer of His people,

the Father forsakes Him: "My God, My God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46).

4. This eliminates the idea that there is only one person

in the Godhead, and that the other so-called persons are
merely different modes or manifestations of the Deity.

n. These Three Truths Must Be Maintained to Confess the True

God.
1 . It is a distortion and heretical to affirm only one of
the persons, and not the others as God.
2. It is a distortion and heretical to affirm all three as
God, and yet to hold that they are three separate Gods.
3 . And it is a distortion and heretical to affirm that
there is really only one person in the Godhead and
reduce the other two to modes or manifestations of the
one person.
4. The Trinity is the great affirmation of orthodox
Christianity.
a. The Apostle's Creed: "I believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in
Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord . . . I believe
in the Holy Spirit." (This affirms their
distinctness without necessarily speaking of the
deity of the Son and Spirit, nor of monotheism in
general, but without denying it as well).

b. The Nicene Creed: "We believe in one God, that

Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all
things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the
Father before all ages, God from God, Light from
Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father . . . And we
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of
life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and
with the Father and the Son is worshiped and
glorified."

(This Creed affirms monotheism, the Trinity, the

deity of the Son and Spirit, and their
distinctiveness as persons).

c. The Athenasian Creed: "Whoever desires to be saved

should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone
who does not keep it whole and unbroken will
doubt1ess peri sh eternal1y .
Now this is the catholic faith: That we
worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons nor dividing their
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essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct

person, the person of the Son is another, and that
of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their
glory equal, their majesty coeternal.
What quality the Father has, the Son has, and
the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the
Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The
Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable,
the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is
eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is
eternal. And yet there are not three eternal
beings; there is but one eternal being. So too
there are not three uncreated or immeasurable
beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable
being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is
almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there
are not three almighty beings; there is but one
almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is
God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not
three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father
is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.
Yet there are not three lords; there is but one
Lord.
Just as Christian truth compels us to confess
each person individually as both God and Lord, so
catholic religion forbids us to say that there are
three gods or lords. The Father was neither made
nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was
neither made nor created; he was begotten from the
Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made not
created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father
and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not
three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons;
there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing
is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three
persons are coeternal and coequal with each other.
So in everything, as was said earlier, we must
worship their trinity in their unity and their unity
in their trinity.
Anyone then who desires to be saved should
think thus about the trinity.

(This Creed affirms monotheism, the triunity of God,

the distinctiveness of the three persons, and the
impossibility of salvation apart from belief in the
Triune God of Scripture).

USE THE SECOND POINT AS THE THEME STATEMENT; MAKE THE FIRST POINT A
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF THE ONTOLOGICAL TRINITY; MAKE THE SECOND
POINT A DISCUSSION OF THE ECONOMIC TRINITY; MAKE THE FIRST POINT
UNDER THE SECOND A DISCUSSION OF THE FATHER’S ROLE AS REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE TRINITY, THE SON AS REPRESENTATIVE OF ELECT HUMANITY, AND THE
SPIRIT AS THE SOVEREIGN APPLIER OF THE WORK OF CHRIST. THE
COVENANT OF REDEMPTION IS ONE BETWEEN EQUALS; THE SON, AFTER MAKING
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THE COVENANT, WILLINGLY SUBMITS TO THE FATHER; IT IS VOLUNTARY

(ZECH. 6:12,13; LUKE 22:29; PS. 40, 6,7). THE REWARD FOR THE SON IS
A SPOUSE (JOHN 6:37) AND MEDIATORIAL GLORY [ISA. 53:lo). ”THE HOLY
SPIRIT IS CHRIST’S MESSENGER WHOSE APPOINTED IS ’TO CONVINCE MEN OF
SIN, OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND OF JUDGMENT”’ [GERSTNER 91-93). EACH OF
THE MEMBERS ARE EQUAL IN POWER AND GLORY, YET THEY ”ST HAVE MADE AN
AGREEMENT AS TO THIS ARRANGEMENT OF SUBORDINATION IN THE PLAN OF
REDEMPTION. ALL OF THIS 0s TO THE GLORY OF GOD, AND ALL THE THINGS
WHICH GOD DOES CAN BE SEEN AS A PART, OR APPENDAGES, OR IN SOME WAY
REDUCIBLE TO THE WORK OF REDEMPTION [GERSTNER 92).

II. Though They Are Eternally Equal In Power and Glory, Yet the Son
and Spirit Took Upon Themselves Subordinate Roles in the
Economy of Redemption. (In order to secure your salvation).
A. The Son Became Incarnate to Accomplish the Work of
Redempti on.
1 . It is the Lord Jesus Christ whom the Father sent to
redeem us.
a. He is the Lord, i. e., God.
(il The three persons of the Godhead did not become
incarnate.
(iil it was specifically the person of the Son who
was united with a human nature.

b. His name is Jesus, i.e. Jeshua.

(il It is a shortened form of Jehovah Shua.
(iil It means Jehovah is salvation.

c. This Lord Jesus is the Christ, i.e. Anointed One,

Messiah.
(il He is the One anointed with the Spirit beyond
measure.
(iil He is the long awaited redeemer of God’s
people.

2. He is the One who merited the grace of God for His

people.
a. Christ perfectly fulfilled the obligations of the
covenant of works which we could not.
b. By His perfect life of obedience and suffering, He
merits perfect righteousness for us.
c. He is the One who is head over His people and who
has all power in heaven and earth (Hodge 689).
d. This is the One who Paul invokes to bless his
believing readers (Hodge 689).
e. As the objects of His favor, then we have present
security and ultimate salvation (Hodge 689).

B. This Was the Ultimate Expression of the Love of God.

1 . The love of the Father issued forth in the sending of
His Son.
a. His love was the motivating force behind the sending
of the Son.
b. A love completely unmerited or deserved by us.
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2. But it is also that love which is given to us because of

the work and grace of Christ.
a. Pardon from the guilt of our sins.
b. Freedom from the pollution of our sins.
c. And participation in the intratrinitarian love ( J o h n
17:23).

C. The Spirit Unites Us to the Son.

1 . The work of Christ is no good to us as long as we are
outside of Christ.
a. Christ’s completed work of redemption does the
sinner no good as long as he stands outside of a
saving relationship to Christ.
b. One must be savingly united to Christ, to become a
partaker of His blessings.

2. The Spirit’s work unites us to, i.e. gives us fellowship

with or communion in, Christ and all of His benefits.
a. He is the gift earned by Christ <Gal. 3: 13-14>.
b. He is the One who applies to us the benefits of
Christ’s mediation (Hodge 690).
c. He is the One who is the spiritual bond of communion
with Christ, through which flow all the spiritual
blessings of God.
d. And He is the ground of the communion of the saints,
for we are all united into one body by the Spirit
(Hodge 690).

3. Here again we see the divine and yet distinctive persons

of the Triune God.
a. They are all One God, the same in substance, equal
in power and glory.
b. Yet in the economy of redemption, the Son and Spirit
took subordinate roles in order to bring the
blessings of God to His people.
c. The God of Scripture. the Triune God, is the true
God.
d. All the other gods of man’s making are idols and
cannot save.
e. Believe in the God of Scripture and know fellowship
with Him. Amen!