The Triune God: The Godhead-Trinity 1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

The Triune God: The Godhead-Trinity 1Jn 5:7  

Father, Son, Holy Ghost

The Triune Godhead-Trinity

There are numerous passages that teach that God the Father, God the Son, And God the Holy Ghost are distinct persons and yet each hold the attributes of deity.  The Bible teaches there is One God (Duet 6:4, Mal 2:10, Isa 44:8, 45:18, James 2:19) to mention a few. The Trinity is a mystery and must be revealed by the Holy Ghost to the believer by the Word of God. There has been much debate about this since Christ came to earth. The Bible teaches us "that no man can call Jesus Lord (Jehovah or the Son of God), but by the Holy Ghost (1 Cor 12:3).  As a matter of fact the very reason the Jewish leadership had him killed was that he declared himself to be the Son of God (Matt 26:63). The best way to understand this truth is simply to go directly to the Word (Bible) and allow it to speak for itself. We could write for a long time on the history of this doctrine and cite the divisions and errors that have occurred in ancient and modern history regarding this truth, but to keep this brief, yet succinct we will allow the whole counsel of God to declare it:

1 Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost

Eph 4:4-6

4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling

5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6. One God and Father of all, who above all, and through all, and in you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 

I. New Testament Writers- and the Trinity (1 John 5:7, Matt 28:19-20, Eph 4:4-6, 2 Cor 13:14). As we look at the writings of the New Testament which contains the doctrine of the Trinity, we will begin with John’s first epistle (1 John 5:7) where he says there are three persons that are in the Godhead and testify in heaven, The Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost. In John (1:1-3, 14) The apostle John in his Gospel tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh and that he with the Father, and the Holy Ghost created all things. Some quibble that (1Jn 5:7) is not included in the most recent discovered manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. Moreover, these arguments really deal with textual criticism which we do not have time to discuss presently, but it must be mentioned that for this reason some of the new bible versions being translated omit this passage from their bible translations. But Jesus himself should silence all the critiques by his own testimony in the Gospel of Matthew when he sent the church out in the Great Commission to disciple and baptize those who had been born again and become followers of Christ by stating in his last command before his ascension,  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have told you…”(Matthew 28:19-20). Here the Lord and Master, the Father’s final word (Hebrews 1:2) provides us testimony that there are three in the Godhead. If someone was going to trust anyone’s testimony about Heaven, Jesus’ testimony would trump all others. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul encourages the church to walk worthy of the Lord in all humility and to forgive and love one another, as Christ has loved them and has forgiven. By doing these things Paul encourages the church to endeavor (work) to keep the unity of faith in the bond of peace for they are one body and the Spirit (the Holy Ghost) dwells in that bond of peace (Eph. 4:4). Secondly, Paul reminds them of the authority of the Lord (Jesus Christ) had brought them only one faith (one body of doctrine-or teaching) and they were to remain committed to that doctrine (Matt 28:19-20) as a marriage makes two-one (one baptism). Finally, we see the third person of the Trinity, the Father who oversees all things and is working through love in each member of the church (Eph. 4:6) as they strive toward unity to build up each other in the perfecting process of the work of the church (Eph. 4:1-16). Another example in Paul’s writings where  he commits the church and its’ issues to God and we see the Trinity as he closes his second epistle to the Corinthians and says that the grace (power to perform) of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (the Father), and the communion (bond of peace) of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

Revelation 1:4-6

4.  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Read Chapter 5)

Matt 3:13-17 

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matt 17:1-2, 5-8

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

II. Carefully examining pivotal moments in Jesus’ ministry (Rev 1:4-6, Matt 3:13-17, Matt 17:1-2, 5-8). As we read the final written Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John for the church, we again see the Trinity in full operation as they were at the beginning of Genesis and all through eternity. John begins writing the Revelation of Jesus Christ of things that are past, present, and to come and begins to declare to the seven churches of Asia by the Seven Spirits of God (the Holy Ghost Read Isa 11:1-3), Jesus Christ the faithful witness (martyr) who washed us and made us kings and priests to serve the God and Father of all creation. Moreover, we see in the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist that when Jesus came out of the water that the Spirit of God came down upon Jesus and abode on him, that the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” As one old time preacher said, “I ain’t all that smart, but I can count to three and here I see Jesus Christ (one), The Holy Ghost (two), and The Father (makes three), well there you have it, blessed Trinity!”  If that was not enough when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John they saw Moses and Elijah, and the Shekinah Glory (the Holy Ghost), and heard again the Father speak out of the cloud of how pleased he was of his Son, and that he was the final word and they needed to hear him, and then as they fell upon their faces only Jesus was there. 

Gen 1:1-3

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever:

Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Isaiah 6:3, 8

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

John 17:21-22

21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

III. Old Testament Writings (Gen 1:1-3, Gen 1:26, Gen 3:22, Gen 11:7, Isa 6:8, 3, Jn 17: 21-22). Of course there are too many examples that can be quoted to show the Doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament, but a few good examples should be sufficient.  As we peer into the record of creation in Gen. 1:1-3 We See the Father (God), the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost) brooding over the waters, and the eternal light (Jesus). It must be noted that the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day. Understanding this we know that God is light (1Jn 1:5-7, 1Tim 6:16) and that according to Hebrews 1:3 Jesus is the Brightness- or light ray, spark, life of all men (Jn. 1:1-4, 14-18). This is the same light we read about in Revelation 22 when the sun moon and stars are put away and the Lamb is the light thereof (Rev 22:5).  The word God in Hebrew is the word Elohim which means creator, and it must be noted that the ‘im’ makes this a plural noun, but in Hebrew is singular. This is particular to the Hebrew language. So it can be seen even in the grammar of Genesis the One God in three persons. In addition, in Gen. 1:26 God said, “Let ‘US’ make man in ‘OUR’ image, after ‘OUR’ likeness…” which shows us that man is unique to creation made on the close of the sixth day and God gave him power over all of creation. Man was created with something no other created thing received first he was made in God’s image, man is a triune being BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT (1Thess 5:23). Made in the image of the Triune God, and he was made after our creator’s likeness with his spirit he breathed into man and gave him a holy spirit that is eternal (Gen 2:7). We can find this reflected in many places in the scripture but for brevity consider the Tabernacle of Moses or the Temple of Solomon, both symbolize the person of Christ, and the Godhead, but also man in his composition. Each had a Court (body), an inner court also called the holy place where service was done (soul), and the Most Holy Place where the Ark of God dwelt (spirit). Again for brevity we have chosen only three other examples of this for the reader, but we see in Gen 3:22 the Lord God speaking saying “the man has become as one of “US” and lest he should try to eat of the tree of life he was put out of Eden. In Gen. 11:7 man decides to rebel against the Lord and build a tower to escape God’s judgment of sin (consider the flood of Noah), he says in verse 7 “Let US go down,” and again in Isaiah’s recommission to preach the Word it says, Whom shall I send and who will go for “US.” Before someone would try to make explanations to try to deny the Godhead, let us read Jesus' words in the gospel of John confirming in the Greek language what is seen in the Hebrew word Elohim, Jesus prayed concerning the unity of the church and said,  "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in “US”: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as “WE” are one:" (John 17:21-22). It must be noted that both Isaiah and John the apostle both recorded the seraphim (living creatures) in their writings and said they cried, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY,” and John says, there are three that bear record in heaven.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

IV. The Creation Declares The Godhead-Trinity and Eternal Power (Romans 1:20). Paul declares that mankind learns two important truths from creation about God, first his Godhead can be clearly seen and understood by his creatures. Consider the Sun, one cannot look directly upon it long without damage occurring to one’s eyes naturally, but what we actually see is the rays of light coming from the Sun, and we feel the heat of those sun rays. This is one of those objects God created to help us understand the Godhead-Trinity, the sun could represent the Father, but we see the light coming from the sun (Jesus) and we feel and experience the power of the light (the Holy Ghost). Now one who is rational would argue that the heat, the light is all the sun because each part is equal to the sum. Another example would be an apple bud, you cannot see what is in the bud until the proper time comes and the bud opens revealing the flower that is pollinated and dies which over a short time then forms a sweet fruit most enjoy. Taking this analogy from the creation the bud can represent the Father, the flower the Son which reveals all of the beauty of the life giving bud, and the flower dies representing the death of Christ which produces the fruit the apple which can represent the Holy Ghost who would come after Jesus’ death to produce fruit in those who believe.  One can see water manifests in three ways: Solid, Liquid, and Gas, or an Egg: Yoke, White, and the Shell. The other point the creature  can see in the creation is his eternal power, just try to look at the Sun, in just a few moments you will turn away because of it's awesome power, now God made this object on the fourth day!

The Triune Godhead-Trinity is a bible doctrine. We have seen in these few verses that it can be found in the first verses of Genesis and in the last words of Christ Jesus to the church. It is woven throughout the scriptures both in Old and the New Testament. Jesus confirms that there are three that bare that record in heaven that are One God and that when a believer is baptized, they are to be baptized in that in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. For the church to become all that he called it to be we need the Trinity! The Trinity can be seen at Jesus’ baptism, transfiguration, Resurrection, Ascension back to heaven, and in the Final Revelation of Eternity. God is One in three persons, this is as much a mystery as marriage where God makes two one flesh, yet when I buy a pair of shoes my wife wants a pair too! The sunlight we enjoy and causes all living things naturally to live comes from the Sun and the heat and energy are all part of the Sun, So FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST ARE ONE.  For further reference a chart of some scriptures of the Triune Godhead will be provided below for further study!

THE TRIUNE GODHEAD PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE:

	GOD FATHER	GOD SON	GOD HOLY GHOST
Called God	Phil. 1:2	John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9	Acts 5:3-4
Creator	Gen 1.1.2:4,14:19-22, Duet 32:6, Ps102:25, Is 42:5,45:18, Mk 13:19,1Cor 8:6, Eph 3:9, Heb 2:10, Rev 4:11	John 1:1-3, Col1:16-17, 1Cor 8:6, Heb1:2, 8-12	Gen. 1:2, JOB 33:4, PS 104:30
Resurrects	1 Thess. 1:10	John 2:19, 10:17	Rom. 8:11
Indwells	2 Cor. 6:16	Col. 1:27	John 14:17
Everywhere	1 Kings 8:27	Matt. 28:20	Psa. 139:7-10
All knowing	1 John 3:20	John 16:30; 21:17	1 Cor. 2:10-11
Sanctifies	1 Thess. 5:23	Heb. 2:11	1 Pet. 1:2
Life giver	Gen. 2:7: John 5;21	John 1:3; 5:21	2 Cor. 3:6,8
Fellowship	1 John 1:3	1 Cor. 1:9	2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1
Eternal	Psa. 90:2, Psa 102:25-27, Is 43:10, Mal 3:6	Micah 5:1-2, Col 1:17, Heb 1:8-12, 13:8, Jn 8:58	Rom. 8:11; Heb. 9:14
A Will	Luke 22:42	Luke 22:42	Acts 13:2, 1 Cor. 12:11
Speaks	Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22	Luke 5:20; 7:48	Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2
Love	John 3:16, Rom 8:39, Eph 6:23, 1 Jn 4:6, 4:16	Mk 10:21, Jn 15:9, Eph. 5: 25, Eph 6:23	Rom. 15:30
Searches the heart	Jer. 17:10	Rev. 2:23	1 Cor. 2:10
We belong to	John 17:9	John 17:6	-
Savior	Is 43:11, 45:21, Hosea 13:4, 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10	Jn4:42, Act 4:12, 13:23, Phil 3:20, 2 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 1:4; 2:13, 3:6	Jn 3:5, 1 Cor12:3
We serve	Matt. 4:10	Col. 3:24	-
Believe in	John 14:1	John 14:1	-
Gives joy	John 15:9-11	Luke 1:14, John 15:11, 17:13	Rom14:17
Judges	Gen 18:25, Ps 7:11, John 8:50	John 5:21-27, Act 17:31, 2Cor 5:10, 2 Tim 4:1	Act 5:1-13