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Trinity part 2 - Three in One and One in Three

Plurality in the Godhead and the Deity of Jesus

So we're in the second part of our four-part study together about the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity is a doctrine that teaches that in essence, God is One, and in person, God is Three. They are not three Gods, or three beings, but One God, in three persons. The word 'person' carries with it a sense that we don't want, because when we use the word 'person' among humans, we're describing different beings. But, it's as close as we can get to defining the nature of the different persons of the Ineffable Godhead, our Great Lord.

Today, we're going to be looking at where the Bible teaches there is more than one person within the Godhead. Without further ado, let's go together to the book of Genesis chapter 1.

Gen. 1:26-27

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Here we have the Genesis 1 account of the creation of humankind. In this text, the word 'God', is followed by the surprising declaration that God is an 'us' and an 'our'! Further on, it returns to the singular 'his' and 'he'. Here we have a clear text showing us that God is both One (He, His) and more than One (Us, Our). Interestingly, the same is then used of man - humanity is called 'man', singular, and 'them' multiple. The genders reveal a unity in the Godhead, as we are made in His image.

There's more!

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." - Isaiah 6:8

Again, we have The (singular) Lord declaring that He is an 'us'! What are these texts telling us? I believe they hint at and reveal the unity of persons within the Trinity. Isaiah has another interesting verse about this,

"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." - Isaiah 44:6

Here, the LORD, AND the King of Israel His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts say, "I". There are definitely two people speaking here - both the Lord, and the Redeemer who is the Lord of Hosts - but at the same time, the verse is declaring the existence of One, Single God, and none other there be! Some have suggested that the King and Redeemer of Israel is the actual physical King at the time of Isaiah's prophecy - but how can the King be called the Lord of Hosts, as this is a common Old Testament name for God, the great Jehovah? And how can the physical King of Israel at this time be considered God? Such would be blasphemy. No, we have here a clear statement that there are at least two people in the unity of persons within the One God of the Bible.

Well, that's three scriptures. I haven't gone to the examples of the 'Angel of the Lord' being called '; the Lord' and yet speaking to 'the Lord', as every matter need only be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses, and I've given three scriptures.

However, another step needs to be taken. Even if what I just wrote persuades you that there is more than one person in the Godhead, we aren't any closer to discovered who! So, we go to the New Testament.

John 1:1-2

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."

So here at the beginning of John's Gospel, we have this 'Word' who both is God and is with God. But who exactly is this 'Word'? Verses 14-17 --

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

So this Word has lived among Humans, is the Son of the Father, is full of Grace and Truth, is testified about by John the Baptist and we receive from Him grace and truth. So who is this Word? The answer is verse 17 -- the Word is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God, so Jesus is God. Proving that Jesus is God is bound up with the Trinity -- we're now two people into the nature of God. One God, and now at least two persons. But doesn't the word 'Trinity' denote three? Next time we will be looking together at the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit.

Some texts to think about regarding the deity of Jesus:

John 8:58, John 10:30, John 20:28, Rom. 9:5, Rom. 16:20, Col. 2:9, Tit. 2:13, Isa. 9:7-8.

Keep reading! The waters are becoming clearer.

Love in Christ,

Arron