The Essential Doctrine of the Trinity

by Bruce Mills

I was recently asked to teach on the doctrine of the Trinity to a men’s discipleship group.  As I prepared for the lesson, I realized that there is, perhaps, no doctrine which causes as much general confusion among Christians as the doctrine of the Trinity.  Most Christians will very quickly tell you that they believe in the Trinity, but they haven’t the foggiest idea as to what it teaches or how to explain it.  In fact, when they try to explain what they believe this doctrine teaches, they often end up unwittingly falling into one of the many heresies that have arisen throughout the history of the church, such as modalism or Arianism.

Now, I will admit that the doctrine of the Trinity is an infinite mystery which is incomprehensible to the human mind, but the essential elements of the doctrine can be known based on their revelation in Scripture.  Every mature Christian ought to be able to explain the Trinity to a new Christian or an unbeliever.  Scripture calls us to be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  If we can’t even give a limited, but accurate, explanation of the Trinity, then we are not obedient to the imperative to defend and explain the faith.

So what are the essential elements of the doctrine of the Trinity?  The Bible reveals several:

1. There is one, and only one, true and living God.
2. This one God eternally exists in three persons--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
3. Each of these three persons is of the same divine essence, and is not inferior or superior to the others in divine essence or attributes.
4. While each person is fully and completely God, the persons are not identical.

The following diagram gives a pictorial representation of the above four propositions.

Let’s biblically analyze each proposition.

There is one, and only one, true and living God.  The classic Biblical passage to establish this claim can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4--“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”  With that statement, the ancient Israelites established themselves as monotheistic.  This would set them apart from all of their neighbors who were polytheistic.

The monotheism of Israel is a strict monotheism; i.e., there is only one God and He is Yahweh (“I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God” [Isa. 45:5]).  It is clear that Yahweh is claiming to be the one and only true and living God.

This one God eternally exists in three persons-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This monotheistic God exists in three persons.  The key to understanding this is balance between unity and distinction within the divine being.  There is a unity in essence and a distinction in person (or function).

The best example found in Scripture of the plurality of persons within the Godhead is at the baptism of Jesus.  As Jesus is being baptized, we see the Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father speaking from heaven declaring his approval of the Son.  Other NT examples of plurality are the many uses of the Trinitarian formula in the epistles (e.g., 2 Cor. 13:14).  Finally, we have the famous baptismal formula used in the Great Commission in Matt. 28:20--“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Each of these three persons is of the same divine essence, and is not inferior or superior to the others in divine essence or attributes.  By this we mean that within the Godhead, there is a unity of substance or essence, so that each person is equal in every way to one another.  When theologians speak of God, they often refer to God’s attributes; those qualities of God that can be ascribed to him and define him.  Some examples of God’s attributes would be omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, holiness, justice, goodness, wisdom, knowledge, etc.  When we say that the three persons of the Trinity denote a unity in essence, we mean that they each fully possess attributes that can be predicated of God.

Since each member of the Godhead is wholly and completely equal in essence and attributes, this means that no member is intrinsically subordinate to any of the others.  All three persons of the Godhead are completely and eternally equal in every way.  The Son is divine in the same way and to the same extent as the Father, and this is true of the Holy Spirit as well. 

While each person is fully and completely God, the persons are not identical. This speaks to the distinctions within the Godhead.  The distinctions in the Godhead relate to function, not essence.  The function of one member of the Trinity may, for a time, be subordinate to one or both of the other members, but that does not mean He is in any way inferior in essence.  Each of the three persons of the Trinity has had, for a period of time, a particular function unique to Himself.  This is to be understood as a temporary role for the purpose of accomplishing a given end, not a change in His status or essence.  The Son did not become less than the Father during His earthly incarnation, but He did subordinate Himself functionally to the Father’s will.  Similarly, the Holy Spirit is now subordinated to the ministry of the Son as well as the will of the Father, but this does not imply that He is less than they are.

We see this hierarchy of function demonstrated in various ways.  In creation we see that God the Father speaks forth the creation, God the Son is the agent of creation (John 1:1-3) and that God the Holy Spirit superintends the creation (Genesis 1:2).  In salvation, it is God the Father who elects us unto salvation, it is God the Son who provides the atonement for salvation, and it is God the Holy Spirit who sanctifies those who have been elected and atoned for.

There are some common errors that arise in regard to the doctrine of the Trinity.  In general, all errors concerning the doctrine of the Trinity originate from an over-emphasis of one of the four points discussed above to the expense of the others.  Each of these four truths must be held with equal conviction in order to avoid error.

The first error to avoid is tritheism.  This error comes from an over-emphasis on the function of each of the three persons within the Godhead at the expense of their absolute equality.  In essence, tritheism asserts that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct gods.  This clearly contradicts the first proposition; namely, that there is one, and only one, true and living God. 

The second error to avoid is called modalism.  This is the opposite extreme of tritheism.  Modalism is an over-emphasis of the unity of God at the expense of the distinction of persons within the Godhead.  Modalism will teach that there is one and only one God who manifests himself at various times as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The third and final error is Arianism (named after the 3^rd century monk, Arius).  This error denies the third proposition by making the Son and Holy Spirit lesser created deities.  This is the heresy which is held by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In conclusion, the doctrine of the Trinity is not an easy doctrine to understand.  As I mentioned earlier, it cannot be completely comprehended by our finite human mind.  However, that doesn’t excuse us from our responsibility to gain as much of an understanding of this doctrine as is humanly possible.  The doctrine of the Trinity is an essential doctrine.  It is a revelation of God’s divine and mysterious nature, and we are commanded to worship the God who is and who reveals himself in Scripture.  In other words, to deny the Trinity is to fall outside the sphere of Christian orthodoxy and a failure to worship the true and living God.

Does God Love All People?

by Bruce Mills

Sometime within the past few months a close friend wrote me with this question: When presenting the gospel to an unbeliever, can we legitimately say "Jesus loves you" when we know that there are many who will ultimately die, still at war with God, and will thus experience His judgment and wrath for all of eternity?  This question naturally leads to a follow-up question as to whether or not we can also say to the unbeliever, “Jesus died for your sins,” since many who hear the gospel will reject it, die, and spend eternity in hell?

I have dealt with the second question in a post on 11/22/07, and my fellow team member, Robert Fraire, posted regarding that question on 7/17/09.  So I would refer anyone interested in that question to locate those posts in the blog archive and read them.

However, the first question regarding whether or not we can legitimately tell an unbeliever to whom we are presenting the gospel that “God loves you” is not one which I have specifically dealt with in the past, so that will be the subject of this post.

This question is interesting because there are passages which sound like God does not love sinners.  Perhaps the most direct statement is found in John 3:36 where Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”  At the same time, we have those great passages such as 1 John 4:8, 16 which state that “God is love.” 

So what is the answer?  The answer is that it depends on whether we are speaking of God’s general love for all His creation, or His redeeming love which is given only to those whom He has elected and chosen to love in a redemptive way.  If we are speaking of His general love for His creation, we can tell every person “Jesus loves you” or “God loves you.”  He demonstrates that love by sustaining His creation and providing for the needs of His creatures.  Jesus said that God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).  It is that rising sun and falling rain which provide the necessary food for mankind, and thus our Lord meets the needs of everyone, regardless of their relationship to Him.  Therefore, His general love for mankind is demonstrated by His care, generosity, and benevolence in meeting man’s physical needs.

God also demonstrates His love for mankind in general by His provision of the opposite sex.  When God created Adam, He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18).  God understood that man needed a companion who would complete him emotionally, in addition to providing physical intimacy.  So He showed His love for mankind by providing Him with a partner of the opposite sex who could meet those needs.

But if we are speaking of God’s redemptive love which takes the rebellious sinner and draws Him to Jesus Christ, then regenerates him to new life and grants him the faith to believe in Christ’s substitutionary death, then we cannot say “God loves you” to everyone in that sense, because that love is placed only on the elect. So we must be careful that we don’t go too far and make it sound like God loves all people redemptively because He does not.  And those who remain in their rebellion against Him are those of whom Jesus was speaking when He made the statement in John 3:36 that I mentioned earlier—“the wrath of God abides on him.”  So while God does love the unbeliever in a generic, general sense, He does not love the unbeliever in a redemptive sense.

Now, someone might say, “But doesn’t Romans 5:8 tell us that ‘God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’?  Doesn’t that mean that God loves everyone the same?”  No, it doesn’t.  This particular verse speaks of both God’s love for “us” and Christ dying for “us.”  Obviously, it is important to answer whether or not the “us” is a general statement regarding all mankind or a statement regarding only those who are the elect.  The answer is found in the context of the verse.  Even a superficial reading of the passage reveals that when Paul says “us,” he is speaking to those who have “been justified by faith" (Rom. 5:1).  So Rom. 5:8 is not a statement regarding either God’s love or Christ’s death for all sinners.  In fact, it is the opposite; it is a statement regarding God’s relationship with the elect.  So one cannot appeal to that verse to support the position that God loves all sinners equally.

So the answer to the question is, Yes, God does love all sinners in a general sense, but He loves only a certain limited number of sinners (those who have been elected to eternal salvation) with a redemptive love.  The rest of the sinners who are not elected to eternal salvation are the objects of His eternal wrath.

What are Angels?

by Joe Trofemuk 

Note - I apologize in advance for the length of this post. There was no natural dividing point for making multiple posts, and I believe the length is necessary to lay the proper foundation for the posts which follow.

What are angels? This may seem to be an overly simplistic question with which to start this series. But it is crucial, because in our modern world it is very common to hear people, even those who are not Christians, discussing angels. Depending on what movie or television show is on, angels may be drunkards, slap stick comedians, chubby cherubs, or irreverent rebels. Or they may be nothing more than wobbly guards on automobile dashboards, a cosmic insurance policy against careless driving.

Of course society’s views are not where one turns to determine truth about angels. The only relevant question is “What does the Bible say?.”

So what does the Bible say? The word translated from Hebrew as angel means messenger. The Greek word translated as angel also means messenger.

So in terms of basic word meaning, the word angel means a messenger. But we learn much more by looking at what Scripture says about angels, rather than merely looking at the dictionary type meaning of the word.

And even on this foundational point we have to be cautious. Because everything the Bible says about angels is really as an aside to some other topic. The Bible does not have an encyclopedia entry on angels. Rather Scripture is the unfolding revelation of God and His plan of redemption through His Son. Angels are always presented in Scripture as part of this broader story line. They are never the focus, in and of themselves.

Even in Hebrews Chapter 1, which gave rise to the instant study, the focus is not on angels. The focus is on Jesus, God’s Son. It just happens that because of people’s wrong view of angels, they were viewing Christ wrongly.

So as the true starting point for this discussion on angels, I am going to go beyond the root meaning of a Hebrew or Greek word. I am going to start with a biblical definition found in a current theology textbook, which I have chosen because of its biblical accuracy.

The definition comes from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: “Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence, but without physical bodies.”

We will look at each aspect of this definition in more detail to insure this is truly a biblical definition upon which to build our study.

a. Angels are created beings

The Bible makes clear that angels are merely created creatures.

Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.

This makes clear, with the exception of God Himself, everything that exists was created by God the Son. This truth is further affirmed in John 1:3 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

And this clearly includes the angels.

Nehemiah 9:6 6 "You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.

Psalm 148:1-6 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.

Angels were created by God. This is the clear teaching of Scripture.

To suggest otherwise would be to make angels eternal. And this is not the case. Only God is eternal. 1 Timothy 6:15-16 15 which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Another question might be asked on this same issue: When were angels created?

While this cannot be answered with pinpoint certainty, we know it occurred within the 6 days of creation described in Genesis. And an argument can be made that they may have been created early on the very first day of creation. Let’s review for a moment what we find in Genesis.

Genesis 1:1-5 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 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. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

In Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

These verses make clear that all that was created by God was created in 6 days. So clearly by the end of the 6 days of creation all angels were in existence.

But we see something else about angels and the time of their creation when we look at another portion of Scripture. It appears that angels were witnesses to God's creative work on the earth.

Job 38:4-11 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? 6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; 9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, 11 And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop '?

If the angels (described here as morning stars and sons of God) witnessed God laying the foundations of the earth and these other creative acts, it would imply that they were created early on day 1 and thus able to witness the remainder of God's creative acts (i.e., the rest of days 1-6).

But this is in the end speculation. We do not know for sure the exact time of their creation. But the Scriptures prove without a doubt that angels are created beings.

b. Angels are spiritual beings, i.e., they do not have physical bodies

The definition by Grudem claims angels are spiritual beings. Is this scriptural? Absolutely.

Hebrews 1:13-14 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET "? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Likewise fallen angels are referenced as spirits in the NT.

Matthew 8:16 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.  So it is clear all angels are created spirits.

That means that if they are spirit, they do not have flesh and blood bodies. Again we see this by extension elsewhere in Scripture.

Luke 24:37-43 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them.

If angels are spiritual beings (and they are) this means that we as humans do not normally see the angels around us. This is one of the things I believe Paul was alluding to in Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.

And there are numerous biblical examples of angels being invisible as well. One of the clearest examples involves the OT prophet Elisha.

2 Kings 6:15-17 15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

So angels are spirits; they do not have physical bodies, and are normally not visible.

c. Angels have moral judgment

Angels are not morally neutral. They are capable of knowing right from wrong, and they at least at some point in time were capable of sinning. We know this because all angels were originally created good, but some of them sinned, incurring God’s judgment. So they must be capable of moral judgment.

How do I know that all angels, which would include every current demon and Satan, were originally created good?

God’s Word says so. Genesis 1:31 - 2:1 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

Yet by Genesis Chapter 3 Satan is tempting Eve to Sin.

When did angels sin? It had to be sometime after Genesis 1:31, before Genesis chapter 3. We cannot pinpoint this any further, because Scripture does not specifically say.

But all of this means that angels made moral judgments. Some chose to obey. Some chose to be disobedient. That division between “good” or “holy” angels, and “bad” or “fallen” angels continues to this day.

Those who obeyed still obey.

Mark 8:38 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

In fact, as I read one commentator, even the Lord’s prayer makes clear that angels are obedient.

Matthew 6:9-10 9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

So angels who are still with God do His will to this day.

Sinning angels will be addressed in more detail later. But for now it is suffice to note their moral choice. 2 Peter 2:4 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

d. Angels are personal beings, i.e., they have individual personalities

It is clear from Scriptures that angels are not mere robots. Nor are they some type of collective consciousness. They have individual personality. Partly we know this because at least two angels have names; Gabriel and Michael.

And we know angels are curious, and are capable of rejoicing.

1 Peter 1:12 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.

Luke 15:7 7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Finally, Scripture shows that angels interact on an individual basis at times with humans. Revelation 22:8-9 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God."

Angels are not a collective consciousness. They are personal beings.

e. Angels are highly intelligent beings

We know angels have intelligence. In fact they have the capacity, as noted above, to be curious about things that they do not know and understand. 1 Peter 1:12 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.

Angels do not know everything. But they apparently know more than humans know. We see this by implication in Jesus’ teaching.

Matthew 24:36 36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Jesus is saying that lest any human think he can figure out the hour or day of Jesus future coming, not even the angels in heaven know that information. This argument only makes sense if angels are much more knowledgeable than we humans are, which implies that they are highly intelligent creatures.

So even though angels do not know everything, they are intelligent creatures.

Conclusion

Let’s look back at the definition we started with.

“Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence, but without physical bodies.”

I believe that this definition is not just the thought of a wise man (and Wayne Grudem is undoubtedly that). I believe we have seen that this definition reflects the teaching of Scripture. And this definition will be the foundation upon which the further posts in this series build. This is a good and biblical answer to the questions "What are angels?."

A Biblical Look at Angels - Introduction

by Joe Trofemuk

I am currently teaching through the book of Hebrews in the FaithBuilders Sunday School class at Lakeside Community Chapel. Chapter 1 of Hebrews establishes the superiority of Jesus Christ over every other thing in the universe. The book begins with an unapologetic declaration that Jesus Christ is God’s perfect revelation (1:1-2), God’s perfect representation (1:3a), creation’s perfect sustainer (1:3b) man’s perfect Redeemer (1:3c), and God’s perfect Son (1:4).

Owing no doubt to strands of Jewish theology which carried over into the church, the recipients of Hebrews apparently not only needed encouragement and teaching regarding the character of Jesus Christ, they also needed correction regarding angels. Some apparently had elevated angels to a status equal to, or perhaps even higher than, the Son of God.

As such the writer of Hebrews spends the majority of chapter 1 (verses 4-14) arguing that Jesus as God’s Son is far superior to the mere created beings which are angels. The chapter concludes with an intriguing statement regarding the nature of angels: 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

After completing Chapter 1, I did a five part series on angels in FaithBuilders, examining the biblical teaching on this important topic. I wanted to add depth to the statement of verse 14, while also providing a corrective to our society’s consistently wrong portrayal of angels. A chubby cherub with a bow and arrow, for example, does not do justice to the truth regarding angels which is set forth in Scripture. For my first substantive postings on Inverted Planet I have decided, over the course of several posts, to provide a summary of those teachings on angels.

A couple of caveats/disclaimers are in order (the fact that I was formerly an attorney will likely be obvious in my posts…I cannot escape caveats and disclaimers). The following posts are distillations of my own teaching but I do not pretend to have any original thoughts on angels. After thousands of years of biblical history, I am at best standing on the shoulders of men much more capable than I would pretend to be. I readily acknowledge the value of numerous commentaries and theologies, as well as a very helpful and concise summary on angels I found by Phil Johnson (of Pyromaniacs fame).

Also, my material is merely a summary, presented in what I hope is a logical order. I am not going to quote every verse on every topic related to angels. I did a non-scientific Bible search using some Bible research software. I found the word angel in 188 verses, the word angels in 89 verses, the word demons in 42 verses, and the word demon in 18 verses. All told this shows at least 337 Bible verses that touch on angels. Obviously this is far more than I could ever cover in detail in this format.

So bear with me. I may not mention a verse that pops to your mind on a particular point. And it may have relevance. I am merely trying to give a biblical overview of angels, not recreate a theological treatise.

Finally, a preview of what to expect is in order. The following questions will be addressed in these posts on angels:

1. What are angels?

2. How many angels are there?

3. How are angels organized?

4. What do “good” angels do?

5. Who or what is Satan?

6. Who or what are demons?