The church has made up a calendar of events. The ones we recognize most are Christmas and Resurrection Sunday. Now, of course we don’t know the actual day or month of the year these events took place so the church decided to choose dates that were approximately where we thought they should be according to the available historical data.
What we do know from the most accurate historical data, that is the eyewitness accounts found in the Bible, is that the ascension of Jesus took place 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus and the Holy Spirit was given 10 days later on Pentecost.
With that being said, last Sunday would have been Pentecost Sunday and this Sunday is designated as Trinity Sunday on the church calendar.
Today we'll take a look at the Trinity …
(First, show the slide of the Trinity showing that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all God yet they are not each other and leave it up for the congregation to view as the Anathasian Creed is read.
http://www.dtl.org/trinity/images/picture/trinity.jpg )
This is the section of the Athanasian Creed that deals with the Trinity
[W]e worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Spirit unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite.
So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Spirit Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty.
So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Spirit Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian [faith]; to acknowledge every Person (of the Trinity) by Himself to be God and Lord; so are we forbidden… to say, there are three Gods, or three Lords.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another.
But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him think of the Trinity in this way.
Aren’t you glad that we live on this end of History when so much has been revealed instead of shrouded in mystery.
Over the thousands of years the Lord used progressive revelation.
The Trinity was firmly in place from eternity past but not yet ready to be revealed.
Over the thousands of years of the Old Testament messianic Scriptures were placed throughout the Old Testament.
Let's look through the Bible to see the eternal existence of God the Son even though He was not fully revealed until His incarnation.
John 1:1-3
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Revelation 13:8b
“… the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”
So you see, Jesus is God and was God even at the time of creation but He was not revealed as the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity until the fullness of time had come.
In addition to that, His part in the plan of salvation, that of being the perfect, sinless sacrifice was determined from the beginning of time.
But, it was all revealed to humanity progressively.
So, it is when Jesus arrives on the scene that in just a few short years the image of the Trinity explodes onto the scene. Not because the Trinity did not exist from the beginning but because the MYSTERY OF CHRIST had not yet been revealed.
It’s not as if God was saying, “Well, that didn’t work so let’s try this.” Not at all! This was the plan of God the Trinity from the beginning and it was perfect from the start and still remains perfect even though we cannot completely wrap our minds around it.
There are many critics of the Bible who say that there are contradictions in the Scriptures and it certainly must have seemed that way in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 6:4 says,
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
This verse is the beginning of the Shima Israel which must be recited twice daily by Jews along with the blessings.
OK, The LORD is one … so, what do Jewish scholars make of these verses?
Genesis 1:26a, 27a
26 “God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness …’ 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
It seems as if in verse 26 God is referring to Himself in the plural and in verse 27 He is referring to Himself in the singular! Is God confused? The same thing happens in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve sin …
Genesis 3:22-24a NASB
“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.’
“Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out …”
But then …
Isaiah 45:5-6
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
“that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other …”
And then … Elohim, one of the primary titles of God in the Old Testament (occurring over 2,500 times), is in the plural form.
So, as a person in the Old Testament times what does this all mean?
Some say that God was using the “royal we” such as
“We will see him now …”
Some say that God was speaking to the angels
There is no evidence that angels are made in the image of God
So why did the Lord say, “Let Us make Man in Our image.”?
Then why is Elohim plural?
In the end it seems that the Jews used the plural word of God as if it were singular and, guess what?
They were right to do so!
Galatians 4:4a
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son …”
We see God’s miraculous introduction of Jesus into the world.
The virgin birth
The intricate planning for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem
The prophecies of Simeon and Anna in the temple
God’s intervention on Jesus’ behalf in escaping Herod’s murderous plans
Jesus starts referring to God as the Father and as His own Father.
Even with all of the miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ birth even His parents don’t understand when He refers to God as His Father.
Luke 2:46-50
“Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
“When [Joseph and Mary] saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.’
“And He said to them, ‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?’ But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.”
Just in the Book of John you can find such statements as
“The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” - Jesus (5:20)
“I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.” (8:28)
“For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (5:18)
The Jews were starting to get the idea and they didn’t like it or believe it!
But Jesus went even further, He said …
“The Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (10:38)
“I and the Father are one” - Jesus (10:30)
OK. So now all those Elohim pronouns that were plural but used as singular in the Old Testament were starting to make sense.
Here’s another verse about Jesus and the Father …
John 15:26
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father - He will testify about Me.”
Oh, No! Who is this Advocate? Don’t tell me this singular/plural God is more than two in one! Is He actually Three in One? A Trinity?
So, let’s start with a statement that we can agree on … Only God can raise the dead. Right?
So, who raised Jesus from the dead? God the Father, God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?
Acts 3:15a
“You killed the author of life (that is, Jesus), but God raised Him from the dead.”
John 2:19
“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’”
Romans 8:11
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
So, there are Three who raised Jesus from the dead and yet the Bible declares only One God???
But Jesus said …
Matthew 28:19
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …”
OK. So, this brings us to Pentecost!
We’ve seen the activities of this plural/singular Triune Godhead throughout the Scriptures without being able to really envision Him.
But remember progressive revelation?
In the fullness of time Jesus comes to earth and is revealed as the Son of God. Distinct from God the Father but also One with God.
Then, when Jesus returns to Heaven, the Holy Spirit is sent and we find that the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son but One with God!
We were actually going to go into the day of Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit from God but we’ll have to leave that for next week.
You know this progressive revelation that we’ve been talking about so much this morning?
God has progressive revelation in store for each of us as well. It’s not that He’s going to show us some new truth to bring to the church that will radically alter God’s plan of salvation.
But, God wants to do something in your life. And, when He does something in our lives it is whenever we are prepared by Him to receive it.
We must be yielded to God and yearning for Him to use us in any way He sees fit.
They He will reveal to us what He would have from us.
He may only reveal the first step and we should be ready and waiting to take that step.
Conclusion and invitation if the Lord leads.
