‘TRINITY’ IN THE BIBLE

The Holy Trinity

Those who deny the Divinity of Jesus are compelled to deny the Divine nature of the Holy Spirit. For them, “The Trinity of God” is beyond human understanding. So they deny it. They just forget the fact that God, who created man, can never be a slave of human intelligence. The Holy Spirit is considered only as an angel or one of the seven spirits. They, try to confuse “Trinity” as “Tri-theism” (Three-gods) and criticize Catholics as ‘Trinitarians.’ Did God reveal Himself  as ‘Trinity’ in the Bible? Why do we believe in this Great Mystery?

The term ‘Trinity’

As we all know, Divine Revelation is explained through the centuries by some theological terms. Although they are insufficient to explain the truth revealed in depth. We can never find the word ‘Bible’ in an authentic translation of the Bible. The word ‘Bible’ itself is a term that appeared in history in the 4th century. But we believe in it. Similarly, we don’t see the word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible. But to explain the Divine Mystery revealed to us about God the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit, we use the term ‘Trinity.’

The word ‘Trinity’ is first used by St. Theophilus of Antioch in his book ‘Epistle to Antolycus’ in A.D. 180 (Greek: Triados). Remember, at that time there was no ‘Bible’ in the Church. In fact the term ‘Trinity’ is more ancient than the word ‘Bible’ itself. Before the formation of the Bible, those who worked behind the creation of a canonical book ‘Bible’ believed and accepted ‘The Trinity’ as God’s revealed truth handed over to them from the apostles. After some years, Tertullian (A.D. 160-250) used a Latin term for Trinity (Trinitas) in his work “Modesty.’ He wrote: “Trinity of the one Divinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (chapter 22).

ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF HOLY TRINITY

Plurality of God in The Old Testament

In the Old Testament, God reveals Himself not as a single person, but ‘persons.’ In Hebrew, the word for God is not ‘El,’ singular noun, but plural ‘Elohim,’ which can never be translated as a single person ‘god’ as we usually do. Elohim is a plural noun with a singular form. It has a plural morphological form in Hebrew (Ref: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). This plural word ‘Elohim’ occurs 2700 times in the Bible. Hebrews called God “Elohim,” which really meant ‘Divine Persons’ (Ref: Jerusalem Bible Footnote). There are evidences to prove this plural personality of God, in the Bible:

Genesis 1:26-Then God said: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air…” Here, the ‘likeness of God’ is plural as He creates ‘Man’ as ‘male and female.’ Therefore, Adam and Eve shared one flesh, just as Father and Son shares one substance. Adam and Eve were one spirit, just like Father and Son shares one Spirit  (Malachi 2:15). Thus, the whole creation becomes the ‘image’ reflection, or mirroring of the manifold life of Divine nature of Trinity.

Genesis  3:22-Then the Lord God said, “Behold the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil….”

Genesis 11:7-God said, “Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech…”

Isaiah 6:8-“I heard the voice of the Lord, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?’” But only Jesus can call God the Father in singular form. So, he did it while he was dying on the cross. “El, El, lema sabachtani.”-Matthew 27:46

Anti-Trinitarians always quote Deu.6:4 to deny this mystery, which says: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord.” In fact, the biblical word here used for ‘One’ is “echad” which is a corporate oneness. Not a numeric count.

The Bible says to us that there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost (1Jn.5:7). The Bible reveals “God has a Son” Prov.30:4; “Who knows the name of God and the name of His Son!” The Bible also says the Holy Spirit exists with God; “Now the Lord has sent me and His Spirit.”

God is defined as Love in the Bible. If God is a single individual, this definition becomes invalid as He could never give and experience love. C.S. Lewis, the famous thinker says: “If God was a single person, then, before the world was made, he was not love.”

HOLY TRINITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father in union with Jesus. John 15:26-“But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify me.” The Bible uses the Greek word ‘pneuma’ (pnyoo’-mah’) for Holy Spirit, which means ‘breath’ or ‘life-giving spirit.’ When God created man, He ‘breathed’ on Adam and gave him life. Jesus breathed on apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn.20:22). The Holy Spirit is the Breath of the Father and the Son, who is proceeding from both of them.

Jesus himself reveals the unity and equality of three persons of Trinity when he commanded: Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Here, the ‘name’ singular is used for the plurality of “Father, Son and the Holy Spirit” (not the plural ‘names’). This singular ‘name’ implies the fundamental unity of Three Divine Persons. Those who deny the divine nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are baptizing their members “In the name of the Father,the God, Son the man, Holy Spirit an angel.” Through baptism, God, who is the Trinity, chooses us. 1 Pet. 1:2, “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul explains this mystery more clearer when he says: “There are different  kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit, there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord, there are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). The creative work of Heavenly Father, the redemptive work of the Son and sanctifying work of the Spirit are same work of the Almighty.

There is only one God; the Creator! He has only one son; Jesus Christ! He founded only one Church; upon Peter! Only the Catholic Church has divine origin!

Next: God, the Holy Spirit 

Jesus is Worshipped as God

God commanded his people not to worship any other gods than him. Worship belongs only to God.

“For thou shall worship no other God: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). “Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thou serve.” (Mat.4:10)

But the Bible gives enormous evidences that worship was given to Jesus, as he is God.

“Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, ‘you are the Son of God.’ ” (Mat.14:33)

“And when they came into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.” (Mat.2:11)

We see Jesus receiving worship in:

Matthew 28:9 - And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. 

Mark 5:6 - Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him.

Luke 24:52 - They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

Revelation 15:3-4 - And they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, or glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Hebrews 1:6 - And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”

John 9:35-38 - When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

Matthew 2:10-11 - They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 9:18 - While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

Matthew 15:25 - But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”

The Bible gives all evidences to prove the Divine and Human natures of Jesus Christ. He is not merely a man who was favored by God, nor a prophet or messenger sent to establish a religion on earth. But he is the living God, “the Only Son,” who ‘existed before’ the creation of this world; who ‘received flesh’ in time, came down to save us, and who will come to judge the universe. He is God. The false propaganda, that he is only a man, as Jews, pagans and non-Christians always believed, is making the Holy Bible a great fraud and Jesus a big liar.

Next: 'Trinity' in the bible

Apostles proclaimed “Jesus is God”

Paul wrote: Jesus is God

St. Peter the Apostle (The first Pope)

Col. 1:16-17, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold.”

Romans 9:5, “Christ came,who is over all, the eternally blessed God, Amen.”

John says: Jesus is God

John 1:3, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

1 Jn. 5:20, “And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

Thomas proclaims: Jesus is God

John 20:27-28, “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Reach hither your finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said unto him, ‘My Lord and my God.’” Jesus accepted that declaration as coming from true faith, when he said, “You believed.”(John 20:29)

Jude believed: Jesus is God

Jude 25, “To the only wise God our Savior, (Savior in Bible means Christ) be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”

Peter teaches: Jesus is God

“Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of equal value of ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ…” 2 Peter 1:1

Epistle to the Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews states the equality of Jesus with God, the Heavenly Father.

Hebrews 1:1-3, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end. He reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the exact likeness of God’s own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.”

Bible proves beyond doubt: Jesus is 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 Timothy 1:16-17-“For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Titus 2:13-“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Titus 1:3-“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior.”

Titus 2:10-“…showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

Philippians 2:5-8-“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it is not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross.”

It answers the ignorance of Iglesia Ni Cristo (Iglesia Ni Cristo [Church of Christ]: a religious sect founded in the Philippines that propagates the doctrine that Jesus is not God) that denies the Divinity of Jesus because “Jesus  has flesh and

bones.” God has no flesh and bones, as He is Spirit. Jesus was in the form of God the Spirit, but took the form of man. So Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven” (Jn.6:37-40). Now, he is in the form of God again, and with God. He said, “When two or three gather in my name I will be in your midst” (Matthew 18:20).  When we pray, Jesus is present today in our midst, not materially, but spiritually. He is Spirit.

Next: Jesus is worshipped as God

Jesus is God

THE BIBLE PROCLAIMS:

JESUS IS GOD

Jews crucified him for blasphemy. ‘Being a man you make yourself God’ (Jn.10:33) was his crime. But the Church he established boldly proclaimed he is the Living God. Thousands of them became martyrs just for that cause. Roman Caesars and Neros worked hard to kill his Church, but Rome became its capital. Now new ‘churches’ have re-emerged here with old dreams. Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) spends millions in T.V. shows to propagate ‘Jesus is not God. He is only a man. The Church he established is dead. The Catholic Church is an apostasied Church.’ They try their best to prove it from the Bible! All tricks are used to confuse Catholics. Hundreds of them are already trapped in their propaganda. Many are wounded and pained because of harsh criticisms against the Catholic faith. What is the truth? What does the Bible really say about Jesus?

In John 8:40 (“Now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God”) is the Bible passage that is used by non-Catholic brothers to throw Jesus out of his divine nature. But in the same paragraph, there is a clear statement of Jesus about his divine and human natures. We can never deny the human nature of Jesus, but he is not ‘only man’. The Bible reveals him as ‘Man of God’. 30 times the Bible describes Jesus as ‘The Son of Man,’ but 30 times also it says Jesus is ‘The Son of God.’ He is the ‘Word that became Flesh.’ St. John starts his gospel with that solemn proclamation.

John 1:1-3 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. He made all things; and without Him was not any thing made that was made….and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Old Testament prophets foretold this mystery of the incarnation.

The Old Testament prophesied Jesus is God!

Matthew 1:23 states: “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means, God with us.” The scripture makes it clear that God has a Son when it asks in Prov. 30:4 (‘Who knows the name of God and the name of His Son!’)

Isaiah 9:6 clarifies the divine nature of that Son in his great prophecy about the birth  of Jesus (“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”).

Jesus claimed he is God

Those who deny the divine nature of Jesus always try to propagate that Jesus never taught he is God. That argument is unbiblical as there are clear evidences in the Bible that Jesus Himself claimed his divinity.

In Exodus 3:14-17, God reveals His name to Moses as “I AM who am.” God even commanded Moses to say to the Israelites “I AM sent me to you… This is my name forever. This is my title forever.” In the New Testament Jesus is using the title of God for himself.

John 8:57-59 states: “Then the Jews said to him, ‘you are not yet fifty-years-old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them: ‘Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ Then they took up stones to throw at him.” He even insisted to the Jews to believe that he is “I AM.” In Jn.8:24, Jesus says to the Jews: “If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

The Jews tried to stone him because he claimed his eternal existence, which is blasphemy. Only God exists eternally. In another occasion, Jesus instructed His apostles to believe that he is I AM (Jn.13:19): “You may believe that I AM.”

John 5:17-26 states: ”Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only  broke the Sabbath, but also said that God is his father, making himself equal with God.” But Jesus strongly defended his divine nature saying he is the master of life, which only God can claim, “For as the father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.” Jesus answered Philip: “I have been with you for a long time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn.14:9)

John 10:28-39, Jesus solemnly proclaimed before the Jews: “My father and I are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him, saying: “For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy, because that thou, being a man, make thyself God!” Jesus answered them; “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works: that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hands.”

When Satan tempted Jesus, he said to Satan: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” (Mat.4:7)

The Old Testament revealed God as First and the Last. “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 beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6) But the New Testament says that God, who is ‘The First and The Last,’ is Jesus; “And he (Jesus) said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him who is thirsty the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Rev. 21:6-7)

Next: Apostles proclaimed Jesus is God