Auto Generated Transcript
I’m going to invite you, I’ll just say good morning to you and glad to see everyone here for the series that we’re in together on the topic of belief, we’re going through the first three chapters of Genesis and dealing with really the major themes of what makes Christianity and the beliefs that that summarize the pillars of what Christianity is about. And together we’ve, we’ve looked at the identity of God, the identity of man, our sinful nature, God’s plan of redemption, and redeeming us from the curse of sin and Adam’s sin that’s upon us and his plan for that and his kingdom. And today, one of the topics we are going to address, I’m going to let you know ahead of time. I am going, we’re not going to keep this very well. This is going to go very wide and very deep because we’re on the topic of the Trinity, the Trinity.
We’re going to look at in the beginning in Genesis, the first couple of chapters and how it establishes itself. But we’re going to trace this theme throughout scripture. So I’m gonna let you know ahead of time. We’re going to bounce around. I want to hit this hard. I want to hit it heavy. I want to answer all of the difficult questions that people may ask about this. I would say people find it difficult. I find it very simplistic in the way scripture communicates that. Do you have any questions about the Trinity? This should alleviate some of those. This is a pillar of the Christian faith and so this is one of those topics I’m going to address so deeply that this is probably, if you have any questions about the, the idea of the Trinity, you may even want to go back to our website and watch this sermon over again just so you can have some of the questions that often hear about the Trinity and living in Utah.
A lot of the questions I find about the topic of the Trinity are based on false assumptions of what Christianity believes about the Trinity and so when you go to answer a question for someone about the Trinity when they’re already operating, operating from a false assumption, you have to first begin with the correct way of thinking before you can answer questions related to what the Trinity is about and hope this is helpful for you as it is for those who may be able to communicate what the idea of the Trinity is. There are three principles or three truths about the Trinity. I really want to harp on and for us to to take away from that together. We’re going to make some application together and then I’m going to answer some peripheral CRA questions about the Trinity. When it comes to the topic of the Trinity, the Bible certainly proclaims it, but one of the complexities is that while the Bible proclaims that I don’t think that we can fully comprehend it.
Though I believe we can apprehended and what I mean is when it comes to the idea of God, when we dive into the nature of God, the character of God, we might expect that since God is a being higher than us, holier than us, greater than us, that to wrap our minds around everything that is connected to God, our minds may not fully be able to comprehend it, but it can. It can in some ways apprehended. Let me just give you some examples. The the topic of the Trinity isn’t, the only thing I would say is something that we can, can not comprehend but apprehend. When we talk about God’s nature in general, the incommunicable characteristics of God, which is characteristics we don’t relate to him, and those are often characteristics we can’t always comprehend as it relates to God. Meaning when you talk about an eternal God existing before anything else exists, it’s not a topic that we can necessarily comprehend our mind, but we can apprehend that, that that is, that is who God is.
Someone who is all powerful, all knowing. That is the being an existence of who God is incomprehensible. But apprehendable when we talk about the, the word Trinity, I think it’s important to say that it is not found in scripture. The word Trinity isn’t found in the Bible. And that doesn’t mean that it’s not biblical. Because when we say the word Trinity and talk about it not being found in scripture, there are many words we use today in relationship to understanding God that are not found in scripture. Though we use it in summary of his identity. Words like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence. Not words found in scripture, but words that we’ve come to understand who God is. All powerful, all knowing everywhere. Presence. The word atonement was one that, uh, William Tyndale formulated when he was translating scripture. It’s one that we’ve come to embrace and our English language, but previous to Tyndale wasn’t a word that was used that was word that he, he formulated together in order to summarize the identity of what God has done for us and the way that we can understand it in our language.
And so that was an invented word. Just because the word Trinity is made up doesn’t mean it’s not biblical. I’ve heard people often assert that the word Trinity was a part of the apostasy that came in the Nicene creed, which is a completely inaccurate to history. Tertullian was the first one historically that used the word Trinity. He started, uh, Tertullian was born in the second century. He was a church leader or early church father. He used the word he was, he actually spoke Latin. So the word he used was tryna toss where he said, it’s una substantia trace persona, which is one substance, three persons. And describing the Trinity, I a and just particularly to me do not, do not prefer the word Trinity, actually like the word try unity, which emphasizes the threeness of God and the oneness. The Trinity. I think emphasizes the threeness, the word unity emphasizes the oneness of God.
But the word Trinity came long before the Nicene creed. It was a, it was a word that Tertullian use to summarize what he discovered in scripture, so that rather than just define the full nature of God, he summarized this idea or this, this concept of God’s nature in just one word. And so rather than give this long, lengthy explanation, his purpose in and using the word Trinity was to fine tune what he meant about the nature of God rather than describing it out. And so if we were to just begin the journey of understanding why we believe in the Trinity, where this comes from in the Bible, if you were to just start in the book of Genesis, in chapter one it says this very first few verses of the Bible. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was moving over the serpent surface of the waters.
Then God said, let there be light and there was light. So what you see in the very first two verses the Bible is God speaking in the spirit hovering, right? You start to see this, this idea of a distinction in his being and even the book of John when it starts in John chapter one it says this in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. John starts with a similar way that Genesis starts in the beginning and just as as Genesis starts with with God speaking in the spirit hovering here, we’re looking at God, the father and Jesus. Jesus is referred to as the word though the word in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God. What in the world is happening here? If you go back to the book of Genesis chapter one again, and you see when God’s making man and he makes us in his image, listen to the way he describes this.
God said, look at this and the plural, let us make man in our image according to our likeness and let let them rule over the fish of the scene. Over the birds of the sky and over the creeping things that creep on all the earth, right? The cattle and all over the earth and every creeping thing. So verse 26 he says, in the plural, let us make man. And so people have asked the question, okay, who is this us? What does, what does the plural word that’s being used in the context of scripture? When God makes man, what is he formulating it? And then some people here have asserted, well, it’s, it’s God and the angels. He’s building us in that concept. But then when you read verse 27 and explains it, he says this, God created man in his own image, in the image of God.
He created him. So it starts in this plurality in verse 26 but then it goes to the singular thought in verse 27 what is this plural yet singular thing that’s being described in scripture? Another interesting comment we’ve used in the series together is Deuteronomy six four we’ve gone to this often. It’s the great Shamal of Israel. It’s the word Shamala comes actually from the first couple of words here. O Israel. This, this word in the Hebrew says Shamar Israel, Yahweh, Elohim, Yahuah Cod. That’s why it reads in the Hebrew and this one, this word for one is an interesting word, it Cod in Hebrew. It’s literally a plurality of one when you, when you study it in the Hebrew language, the way that Hebrew commentary is often used to describe this word is a cluster of grapes. This, this is the substance of one yet plurality, and so it’s saying about Elohim, Ja or Yahuah, Elohim.
Yahweh is a plurality of one. This Deuteronomy chapter six verse four is talking about the existence of only one God. Yet it’s also at the same time referring to the plurality of this one, God. Matthew chapter 28 in verse 19 it says this, Jesus declaring to his disciples at the end of the book of Matthew, this is what he says, good, therefore, and make disciples of all nations and look what he tells him to do, baptizing him, and then the name of the father, the son, and the Holy spirit. The authority of all three carried out in the mission that he’s called the church to. And the interesting thing about this comment is that when he makes the statement baptizing in the name of the father, son and Holy spirit, the word name is in the singular. Yet when he communicates what we’re to baptize in, he mentions in the plural.
Now why doesn’t it say names rather than name Paul in second Corinthians chapter 13 says this, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God referring to the father and the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with you all the triunity of God working in his church peculiar how all this plays out. When you consider the gamut of scripture. When Tertullian uses the word Trinity or Trinity or tri unity, he’s using this word to express the nature of God as it plays itself out in scripture. And so when we use the word Trinity, the definition of the term of the Trinity is very simplistic and it’s understanding. All it is is looking at the evidence of what is stated about God throughout scripture and then re communicating to that in the word of Trinity. Joss. So when we define the word Trinity, what is it that we mean?
I’m going to show you this to you. It’s, it’s three simple thoughts. Ready? There is only one God who exists in three eternal persons that are distinct and equal. There is only one God who exists in three eternal persons. Each of those persons are distinct and equal. One being three persons, una substantia trace persona. That’s what Tertullian said. That is the Trinity. And when you look at it in scripture, this is the way it communicates to us in the Bible. We’ve said this repeatedly throughout this series together. I don’t, I don’t know that we need to go back and highlight much of this, but the Bible communicates repeatedly. There is only one God. In fact, just to highlight this, I’ve, I’ve gone to other verses that we have not used in this in the series together to reiterate the fact that the Bible says there is only one God, first Kings eight 60 that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else. Isaiah 45 verse five I am the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded the the tho thou has not known me. Deuteronomy four 35 unto thee that was that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God. There is none else beside him. There is only one God.
This one, God exists eternally in three persons. Galatians one one Paul an apostle not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead. So one God existing in three persons. You see in this passage that God is referred to as the father. There is God the father
in addition, in in other scriptures, his refers refers to Jesus as God. Colossians two nine we studied recently together for in him talking about Christ. All the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. Hebrews chapter one verse three, he is the radiance of his glory. Jesus is the radiance of the father’s glory and the exact representation of his nature. This is a particularly important verse because when people study the idea of the Trinity, the tendency is sometimes it’s to lower the identity of Jesus, meaning he’s, he’s a what they call a subordinate to the father, which isn’t biblical or, or he’s one third of God, which isn’t biblical either. Um, Jesus is completely, fully God. The father is completely, fully got the Holy spirit is completely fully God. They’re not subordinate to one another, but rather equal. And so it’s telling us in Hebrews one and referring to the nature of Christ, he is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his nature.
Jesus is everything that the father is in, the nature that is of God. And then the Holy spirit. The same thing John four 24 tells us that God is spirit doesn’t say God has a spirit. God is a spirit, but rather God is spirit and acts five and verse three and four and a nice sense of fire when they’re, when they’re lying to the apostles, they’re, they’re also lying to God. And it says this to them. This is just the summary of the statements in verse three, chapter five of acts and says, Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy spirit. And then in reference to the Holy spirit says this, you have not lied to men, but to God, it’s saying the Holy spirit is God. In this passage of scripture, when we talk about the, the, uh, three personages are in the one being, that is God. What makes the Holy spirit a person or personality is demonstrating in the fact that there’s passages of scripture that tell us, for instance, in Ephesians chapter four, in verse 30, do not grieve the Holy spirit. The Holy spirit can grieve as a person or, or an a. In first Thessalonians five 19, do not, um, do not coach the Holy spirit. The Holy spirit can be quenched.
And so the representation, the personality of the Holy spirit is seen in its, in its ability to be grieved or to be quenched. And so you see that the God being explained being represented three persons in these passages of scripture and these aren’t the only ones in the Bible there, there is a plethora demonstrating this and you see it in the equality that’s that’s talked about as each person is mentioned as being distinct and equal. In Matthew 28 when Jesus declared the church going to all the world and baptize in the name of the father, son, Holy spirit, he’s showing the distinction of the triunity, the distinction of the spirit, distinction of the son, distinction of the father and the equality being baptized in all three. In Matthew chapter three in verse 16 and 17 Jesus at the baptism, it shows the triunity of God at work. Here again, it says after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open and he saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and light lining on him. And behold, a voice of the heaven said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and this passage you see the distinction of father, son and spirit, Jesus being baptized, the father speaking in the spirit descending. Jesus himself said this in John 10 and verse 30 I and the father are one.
This idea of one isn’t one in purpose. In fact, if if what Jesus was saying here is I and the father are one in purpose. If you read the rest of this passage in John 10 verse 33 it tells us the Jews picked up stones to stone him because he not only he made himself equal with God. That was the claim that they said Jesus is making himself equal with God and so they wanted to kill him. If what Jesus meant in this passage was that I and the father, just one in purpose, the Jews would have heard. Jesus said, you know what, we are too. We want to live the purpose of the father in this world as well. There had been no reason to stone Jesus, but they understood exactly what Jesus was saying and by saying I and the father are one. He’s equating equality with the father, which is why the Jews wanted to stone him. You see the distinction and the equality of the three persons making up the one being of the Trinity within the passages of scripture.
Desiring God’s ministry is led by John Piper. When it talks about the definition of Trinity, this is the way he says it. This is the way they define it. There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons. Father, son and Holy spirit stated differently. God is one in essence in three in persons. These definitions express three crucial trues. The father, son, and Holy spirit are distinct persons. Each person is fully God and there is only one God. That’s an important concept of wrapped our mind around. Remember, there is only one God who exists eternally, each person distinct and equal in their nature. The reason this is important to grab a hold of is because of the misconception. I often hear communicated about the Trinity. For example, Matthew chapter three in verse 16 this is a very popular one. I hear people bring up, well, how can Jesus be being baptized in the father speaking?
This is often referred to as the ventriloquist passage of scripture. People think that we believe Jesus is the father and they are and it is the spirit and so they read this passage before Christians and think, well how could you believe in the Trinity when Jesus is here and the father is speaking in the spirits descending? What is Jesus throwing his voice from heaven pretending to be the father as if we believe that the father and Jesus are the same thing and we don’t. That is not biblical. Anytime someone takes you this passage as if it this proves the Trinity, you can look at this passage and be like, I believe this passage, the father is not the son and the son is not the spirit. They are distinct to assert that we would believe they’re the same thing is what’s called modalism and that’s been declared heretical throughout church history. We do not believe that the father and the son and the spirit are distinct from one another. They’re not the same person.
One of the concepts then that goes further from this, well, the reason that you believe in the Trinity and you’re so confused about this is because the Nicene creed Constantine came along in three after three 12 he, he, he gave the edict of Milan, which, which for the first time made Christianity legal and the Roman empire. In three 25 he brought together the church for the Nicene creed. Over 318 church leaders gathered together. They wrote the creed of the church and, and Constantine, because he was a worldly man, he corrupted it. And that’s where Christianity was perverted. That’s where apostasy came in. And from that point forward, it was just darkness on the world because of the corruption of Constantine presented into the church. That’s, that’s what a sir, it’s asserted. And that’s why if Christians believe in the Trinity, why they’re wrong. And I just want us to know this morning, if someone shares that with you, you do not let them walk away believing that, okay, that is inaccurate to history.
It is a gross perversion of what happened in history. It is so far from the truth. It’s, it’s almost if you just studied church history and you genuinely think that people believe that a part of you just wants to feel bad, that someone would believe that. And a part of it is laughable. I mean, just just to think that, that concept that, that that’s the portraying of belief of what church history was. It’s not, it’s a gross misrepresentation. So let me just share with you a little bit about church history, so you know, okay. Um, you’ll, you’ll hear this come up sometimes when people dialogue the word Catholic, the word Catholic was used from the first century of the early church. The word Catholic literally means just universal. The Catholic church to its earliest can date itself to around the sixth century with Pope Gregory.
Okay. So the Catholic church did not come into existence in the first century, but the church used the word Catholic to represent itself. It referred to itself as the universal church, the uh, the people of God. And so that, that term was used and when the Catholic church was born, they began to just grab hold of that word to refer to themselves as the universal church into the sixth century. In the sixth century there, there wasn’t just the Catholic church. The church was divided between the East and the West. There was the Eastern Orthodox, the Catholic church, and there were other branches of Christianity during that time as well. Okay. But dealing with the detail of the nice creed, just so you’re aware of what happens.
Christianity began to be persecuted from the very first century. People like Peter and Paul were, were killed by the emperor Nero for the next 250 years. Christianity faces persecution out of the 250 years, the next 250 years after nearest persecution in the 60s and sometimes it was localized, sometimes it was throughout the Roman empire. In fact, Trajan the emperor Trajan is there’s a writings of him writing to apply any of the younger talking about killing Christians and how they go about executing justice against Christianity. A Ignatius Iranian giving their lives in the first century, they were discipled by John as, as followers of the apostle John, they gave their lives for Christ into the next 250 years. This persecution is throughout the Roman empire. The last emperor before, um, before Constantine was a man by the name of Diocletian Diocletian’s desire was to wipe Christianity off of the earth and to burn every copy of the Bible.
That was his stated goal against Christianity. After Diocletian, that’s when Constantine comes in. Tom Constantine gives the edict of Milan. He conversed to Christ, having seen the vision, uh, of Christ to the cross going into battle. He becomes a believer, writes the edict of Milan declaring the legalization of Christianity. And now for the first time Christian leaders can gather together without the fear of persecution. He brings them together. In Nicea, they formulate the niacin creed. 318 church leaders gathered together to write the formulation of what is the belief of Christianity. One of the reasons that that Constantine calls the Nicene creed together is because of a man named areas. Areas was a heretic who taught against Christianne or taught against the Trinity. Constantine brings all of the church leaders together to give a declaration of the Trinity and invites areas to the event.
When these individual leaders gathered together, they are just coming off the back of persecution. I have read church history related to the nice credence and the individuals that gathered together. Some historians estimate that over 300 of those 318 that gathered for the Nicene creed had been in prison, had suffered. Shame, had been beaten for their faith in Christ. Some of them were blind, some of them were lame. Some of them didn’t have use of their hands or their arms. These were individuals that stood for their faith and belief. They were not afraid to stand up to the emperor. There was no way Constantine was going to influence them because no emperor to that point had, and they were willingly giving up their lives to stand for what they believed in and to, to suggest that Constantine influence those who had previously been in jail, who had been released by the edict of Milan. Now gathering together is laughable to consider. These individuals were giving their lives for Christ. We’re being beaten for Christ, and they were not afraid to stand up to an emperor.
So when they gathered together for the first time publicly able to articulate the beliefs and pillars of what made up Christianity, Arius was invited heretic related to the topic of the Trinity. They even gave an opportunity to share during that time. Interesting fact about the Nicene creed is that Santa Claus was present. If you go back, and you can look at this later for fun, but as Arius was sharing his heretical view on Christianity, Santa Claus actually punched him in the face. You can get t-shirts that says Santa Claus punch. They’re nice. Or at least that’s what history says. And so if you hate on the Nicene creed, you hate Santa Claus. Um, 318 people sharing the beliefs of Christianity. When they finally articulated the the faith of Christianity and they put it to a vote, one person disagreed along with his follower on the topic of the Trinity. Do you know who it was? Areas, areas. One of his followers, the rest of Christianity formulates what is the Trinity or or or proclaims I should say, what is the Trinity?
They didn’t invent the concept here. A Trin Tertullian had already been using the word and it has been communicated in scripture and one of the reasons I think areas had such a misunderstanding of scriptures because he didn’t understand the way it was communicated in the new Testament. I want to share some of that with you now. Areas comes from the background of a place where they spoke Latin rather than Greek and not understand the Greek manuscripts of the Bible, I think led to his perversion of understanding how the Trinity works. And so let me just throw out for us some of the questions that are often asked about the Trinity or misconceptions that are developed in the Trinity that people try to root itself in scripture. The first comes from Colassians chapter one in verse teen, find the word firstborn unrelated to Jesus. In fact, Jehovah’s witness will often come here to show you that Jesus was born. They’ll, they’ll assert that Jesus was born and there’s a lesser being than the father when the problems with that is they don’t understand the origin of the Greek texts from which this verse was written, nor the nature of Jesus as is communicated in scripture. And so in Clawson chapter one in verse 15 it says this, talking about Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. And then from there it goes on to explain the deity of Christ. But let’s just harp on on this verse for a minute. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation in Greek. There are two words for firstborn. One is part of [inaudible] and the other is proto. TCS, okay? Proto Tokos is what’s used here. Prototype DCS means firstborn as well, but something different related to the firstborn prototype.
This means preeminent. The one who rules the firstborn, who rules put a TCS means the first born in order, okay? When they use [inaudible] in this passage and not prone to TCS, what they’re saying is Jesus is the preeminent one. The ruler, not literally the first born, okay. And in Psalm chapter 89 verse 27 talking about King David, it refers to him as the first born, but Jesus was, or excuse me, David wasn’t the first born in his family. When it’s referring to David as being the first born in saying he is the preeminent one, he is the King of Israel. And so in Clawson, chapter one, verse 15 when it’s talking about Jesus in reference to being firstborn, it’s not literally saying proto TCS, the first one born, but rather [inaudible]. The first one in preeminence. Jesus is the ruler. He is the head. He is everything that the church is centered on her and the rest of Clawson’s goes on to explain this. So the, the phrase firstborn doesn’t mean the first one literally born to just assert that from the text is a misunderstanding of what’s communicated in the Greek language. It’s a misunderstanding of the tribal unity of God.
In addition to that, the phrase son of God, right? Mark one one starts off like this and the the, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God, Jesus. Dan must literally be the physical son of God, right? That’s, that’s the assertion people make. And so that makes him less than the father because he was, he was the son of God. Now keep in mind here, this is the nature of God trying to explain itself to us and concepts that we can grasp in our own relational understanding. And so when it’s trying to explain the nature of God, it’s using the phrase son of God. But this is what’s important to understand what the phrase son of God is, to look at the way that this passage or this statement is used within scripture.
In fact, when you look at other places of scripture, the phrase son of his used to state the nature of or the representation of, okay, so you think about Judas for a minute. Judas in John 17 is called the son of perdition or literally the son of hell. It’s not telling us hell had children, but the nature of hell is represented in Judas. James and John are called the sons of thunder. Thunder can’t have kids, right? But what it’s saying to us is the nature of thunder is represented in, in their behavior. Barnabas is called the son of encouragement. Not that encouragement had children, but that the nature of encouragement is represented in, in Barnabas. So when Jesus is called the son of God, it’s saying to us the nature of God is in him, which is congruent with the rest of scripture. Jesus in him, the deity dwells Colossians one 15 and two nine he is the exact representation of his being.
And Hebrews chapter one in verse three I and the father are one in John chapter 10 and verse 30 in John chapter 20 in verse 28 my Lord and my God, Thomas says before Jesus and John chapter three in verse 16 you may turn to this and say, well, what about this? When it references Jesus, his son, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. I would say for us that in reference to being the son, recognize that it says he is the only one like this, but the nature that Jesus possesses, scripture makes clear it’s only in Jesus is not in anyone else. In fact, when it talks about us being children of God are sons of God, it says to those who received him become children of God and you’re not by nature a child of God, but rather you have to be adopted in by nature.
Jesus is the son of God, the only one who is like this, the only begotten son of God. And when you study this phrase, only be gotten in the Greek. It’s Managa NACE, which is where we get the word singular motto and genetics. It’s literally saying Jesus is the only one of this kind or class, and so when scientifically you rank species according to kinder class, Jesus is the only one that could be ranked with the father. He is the only one that possesses this. Nature is the only begotten son of God. The Greek text isn’t trying to get us to take this literal in the sense that he is physically birthed from God, but rather saying to us that he is the representation of the nature of God. God is in him. It’s a claim to his deity.
What about the phrase father then, right? It talks about, you know we talked about Jesus being the son, but what about God being the father? Let’s say the same thing again. God is communicating his, his character, his attributes to us and concepts that we can understand relationally. And when you go back and study the phrase father as it relates to God within scripture, it relates to spiritual beings within scripture. I mean it uses the phrase father for the devil and it uses the phrase father for Jesus as well. John eight 44 Jesus and referring to those that are rejecting him. He says, you are your father, the devil, Jesus literally asserting here that the devil had children but rather than nature of their behaviors reflecting where they are from. Isaiah chapter nine in verse six I’m talking about Jesus in this coming. He says this for child to be born to us, somebody given to us, the government rest on the shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, Prince of peace. Jesus in this passage is referenced as the father.
So when you look at problem passages of scripture or places that people go and misunderstanding of the Trinity, it’s, it’s honestly just their misunderstanding of what a passage of scripture says. Firstborn is his preeminence, not the order of him coming into existence. The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 13 verse eight Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His nature has always been consistent. He doesn’t change. And the reason he doesn’t change is because he is eternal God.
He has always been. So revelation refers to him as the alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. That’s what Jesus called himself the great I am the one who exists or the self existent one and and John eight 58 is his nature is that of the father. It’s consistent in being the same because that’s what eternal God is. And Jesus being God therefore holds the same nature. It’s the reason Hebrews chapter one and verse three tells us he is the exact imprint of his nature, the radiance of his glory. So when you study the idea of, of firstborn it in relationship to the Trinity, it’s the preeminence of Christ. The phrase son of God isn’t reflecting physically being born from God, but rather the nature of God. Again, the word only be gotten son isn’t saying that he is, he came from God being born again, but rather the nature of God being expressed in the son. He is the only one of that kind or class. And so when Jesus, Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 says, go into all the world and baptizing in the name of the father, son and Holy spirit. It is exactly Esther toy communicator, tryna toss trace persona onus, substantia three persons or three personalities represented in one being Jesus isn’t less than the father. The spirit isn’t less than Christ equal to one another, one God, eternally existing, distinctly and equally in three persons. That’s the Trinity, right?
It is not always comprehensible, but when you just look at the verses of the Bible, it’s apprehendable. You’re saying your head wall. How? How can I wrestle with this on my mind? Or how can I even begin to grasp how God has one being but, but three in person? How does that work? And I gotta be honest and tell you every example in nature breaks down to some degree because there is nothing like it in nature. That’s the incomprehensibility of the nature, the nature of God. But here, here’s something that might help your mind. Think about it. You being created in God’s image. Just think about this for a moment. God created you. There’s theological debate over a trichotomy or dichotomy. We’ll go dichotomy here. God created you as a two part being. Okay, body and spirit.
When you die, your body will be separated from your spirit, right? But the Bible promises that God will resurrect your body and join body and spirit again in a glorified state. But when you die and your body and spirit are separated according to scripture, though your spirit is in one place and though your body is in another, it’s still you. You will be separate, but yet you will still be one. Your body and spirit is will still be you and God will resurrect that and rejoin that together. So if you could just conceive in your moment how you can separate from yourself, they give you a little bit of idea of how the nature of God could do the same. Well, let me give you some practical thought too. Why is the doctrine of the Trinity so important for us? Well, God created us in his nature. Alright?
Which to be honest is probably why we as people yearn for community so much because God within his nature, his community, one of the TV shows that I have maybe a slight addiction to is the show called alone where they drop people off on an Island by themselves and they have to see how long they can survive. They’ve done two seasons of this. I think the longest guy that survived is like a little over 60 some days. Most of the people that go on this Island do pretty good. They get survivalist. They do pretty good in surviving on their own, but the thing that drives them crazy is that they’re alone. There’s no companionship there. Within the Godhead, there is community and you being created in God’s image long for community. But here’s the cool thing about God’s community. God’s community isn’t dependent upon us. It doesn’t need us.
His community among the Trinity is perfect. It’s a demonstration to us of how our community should interact, right? I mean, when you think about first Corinthians chapter three in chapter 13 verse 14 explains how this community works on our Bennett for our benefit that God doesn’t need us, but even still, he chooses to lavish his grace and love upon you that you may experience fellowship with him for all of eternity. God’s community isn’t dependent upon him, but look, this community works for our wellbeing. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross and the love of God displayed to us as he sent the son on the fellowship of the Holy spirit. Be with you all or you think about the way biblically. We’re taught to pray in scripture. We pray to the father in the name of the son by the power of the Holy spirit that indwells us. You pray to the father because of the authority of the son or in the name of the son, by the power of the Holy spirit that ends Wells, his people, God is community, not dependent upon us, but in his community. He demonstrates to us why and our nature we loaned to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
Why companionship is so important. Why loves to be expressed, why we live life, eh, seeking fellowship with one another. It’s because it’s rooted in the identity of the Trinity. And so when we think about the Trinity for us, not only is it biblical Nolan, is it a pillar of the Christian faith? It’s also foundational to the way that we express ourselves as human beings. You can’t have community without unity and you can’t have unity without community. God’s desire for his church, it’s to make his glory known. And I think one of the most beautiful ways that we display his glory is in the community that we carry. In fact, let me just close with this thought in acts chapter two in verse 42 it’s talking about the church here.
It says this, they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship and the breaking of bread and everyone kept feeling a sense of all in many wonders and signs were taking place to the apostles and all of those who had believed were together and had all things in common and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing with them with all as anyone might have need day by day continuing with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house. They were their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and so you see as they’re describing themselves, living as a community and how beautiful it looks.
Listen to this and the Lord was adding to their number day by day, those who were being saved. When a community lives in unity, the way that God designs us to it is beautiful. It is attractive and is glorious. Seeing the way the Trinity works for the redemption of our souls, father sending the son, son, giving his life with the spirit may indwell us. It is beautiful. It is attractive as redeemed to us. We as a church display that unity that God has demonstrated to us and the way that we live our lives. It is beautiful, does attractive you to scaling. It is helpful to those around us within your own home, God creating marriage in the beginning of the book of Genesis, when you experience unity within your relationship, the home has blessed. It is beautiful, it is attractive. It is life giving to those around you. Trinity is biblical. It is practical and it’s a pillow over her face.