There are numerous passages
that teach that God,
the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit are
distinct persons and yet each hold the attributes of
deity. But the Bible also emphatically and unambiguously
declares that there is only one God (
Isaiah
44:8;
Isaiah 45:18;
Deuteronomy 6:4;
Malachi 2:10,
James 2:19;
Mark 12:29 ). Hence, taking all the
Scriptures into account, orthodox Christian theology has
always affirmed that the one true God is triune in
naturethree co-equal and co-eternal persons in the
Godhead.
This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude
to this aspect of His nature right in
Genesis 1:2627. There we read that God
said, Let us make man in our image . . . God created
man in His image. Here God is a plural
noun, said is in the third-person singular verb
form, and we see both the plural pronoun our and
the singular His referring to the same thing
(Gods image). This is not horribly confused grammar.
Rather, we are being taught, in a limited way, that God
is a plurality in unity. We cant say from this verse
that He is a trinity, but God progressively reveals more
about Himself in later Scriptures to bring us to that
conclusion.
In
Isaiah 48:1216 we find the speaker in the
passage describing himself as the Creator and yet saying
that the Lord God and His
Spirit have sent Me. This is further hinting at
the doctrine of the trinity, which becomes very clear in
the New Testament. There are many other Old Testament
Scriptures that hint at the same idea.
In
Matthew 28:1820 Jesus command His disciples
to baptize His followers in the name (singular) of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Johns Gospel tells us
that the Word is God who became man in Jesus Christ (John
1:13,
14). Jesus was fully man and fully God. Many
other verses combine together to teach that God is
triune.
As a
start on a thorough discussion on this topic, the
following chart is an accumulation of many of the
passages that show the deity of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. An expanded treatment of these points
will follow in a web article later this year.
| |
God, the Father |
God, the Son |
God, the Holy Spirit |
| is the
Creator |
Genesis 1:1;
2:4;
14:1922
Deuteronomy 32:6;
Psalm 102:25;
Isaiah 42:5;
45:18;
Mark 13:19;
1 Corinthians 8:6;
Ephesians 3:9;
Hebrews 2:10;
Revelation 4:11 |
John 1:13;
Colossians 1:1617;
1 Corinthians 8:6;
Hebrews 1:2;
1:812 |
Genesis 1:2;
Job 33:4;
Psalm 104:30 |
| is
unchanging and eternal |
Psalm 90:2;
Psalm 102:2527;
Isaiah 43:10;
Malachi 3:6 |
Micah 5:2;
Colossians 1:17;
Hebrews 1:812,
13:8;
John 8:58 |
Hebrews 9:14 |
| has a
distinct will |
Luke 22:42 |
Luke 22:42 |
Acts 13:2;
1 Corinthians 12:11 |
|
accepts worship |
Too
many to list |
Matthew 14:33;
Hebrews 1:6 |
|
|
accepts prayer |
Too
many to list |
John 14:14;
Romans 10:913
2 Corinthians 12:89 |
|
| is the
only savior |
Isaiah 43:11,
45:21;
Hosea 13:4;
1 Timothy 1:1 |
John 4:42;
Acts 4:12,
13:23;
Philippians 3:20;
2 Timothy 1:10;
Titus 1:4,
2:13,
3:6;
2 Peter 1:11,
2:20,
3:18;
1 John 4:14 |
John 3:5;
1 Corinthians 12:3 |
| has
the power to resurrect |
1 Thessalonians 1:810 |
John 2:19,
10:17 |
Romans 8:11 |
| is
called God |
John 1:18,
6:27;
Philippians 1:2,
2:11;
Ephesians 4:6;
2 Thessalonians 1:2 |
John 1:15,
1:14,
1:18,
20:28;
Colossians 2:9;
Hebrews 1:8;
Titus 2:13 |
Acts 5:34;
2 Corinthians 3:1517 |
| is
called Mighty God |
Isaiah 10:21;
Luke 22:69 |
Isaiah 9:6 |
|
| is
omnipresent/everywhere |
1 Kings 8:27;
Isaiah 46:10 |
Matthew 28:1820 |
Psalm 139:710 |
| is
omnipotent/has power and authority |
2 Chronicles 20:6,
25:8;
Job 12:13;
Romans 1:20;
1 Corinthians 6:14;
Jude 1:25 |
John 3:31,
3:35,
14:6,
16:15;
Philippians 2:911 |
1 Samuel 11:6;
Luke 1:35 |
| is
all-knowing |
Psalm 139:2;
Isaiah 46:10;
1 John 3:20;
Acts 15:8 |
John 16:3,
21:17 |
1 Corinthians 2:1011 |
| has
the fullness of God in him (not just a part of
God) |
N/A |
Colossians 2:9 |
|
| gives
life |
Genesis 1:21,
1:24,
2:7;
Psalm 49:15;
John 3:16,
5:21;
1 Timothy 6:13 |
John 5:21,
14:6,
20:31;
Romans 5:21 |
2 Corinthians 3:6;
Romans 8:11 |
| loves |
John 3:16;
Romans 8:39;
Ephesians 6:23;
1 John 4:6,
4:16 |
Mark 10:21;
John 15:9;
Ephesians 5:25,
6:23 |
Romans 15:30 |
| has
ownership of believers |
Psalm 24:1;
John 8:47 |
Romans 7:4,
8:9 |
|
| is
distinct |
Matthew 3:1617,
28:19;
John 17:1 |
Matthew 3:1617,
4:1,
28:19;
John 17:1 |
1 Samuel 19:20;
Matthew 3:1617,
4:1,
28:19 |
| is
judge |
Genesis 18:25;
Psalm 7:11,
50:6,
94:12,
96:13,
98:9;
John 8:50;
Romans 2:16 |
John 5:2127;
Acts 17:31;
2 Corinthians 5:10;
2 Timothy 4:1 |
|
|
forgives sin |
Micah 7:18 |
Luke 7:4750 |
|
|
claimed divinity |
Exodus 20:2 |
Matthew 26:6364 |
|
| is
uncreated, the First and the Last, the Beginning
and the End |
Isaiah 44:6 |
Revelation 1:1718,
22:13 |
|
| lives
in the believer |
John 14:23;
2 Corinthians 6:16;
1 John 3:24 |
John 14:2023;
Galatians 2:20;
Colossians 1:27 |
John 14:1617;
Romans 8:11;
1 Peter 1:11 |
| has
the godly title I Am, pointing to the
eternality of God |
Exodus 3:14 |
John 8:58 |
|
| is
personal and has fellowship with other persons |
1 John 1:3 |
1 Corinthians 1:9;
1 John 1:3 |
Acts 13:2;
2 Corinthians 13:14;
Ephesians 4:30;
Philippians 2:1 |
| makes
believers holy (sanctifies them) |
1 Thessalonians 5:23 |
Colossians 1:22 |
1 Peter 1:2 |
| knows
the future |
Isaiah 46:10;
Jeremiah 29:11 |
Matthew 24:151,
26:64;
John 16:32,
18:4 |
1 Samuel 10:10,
19:20;
Luke 1:67;
2 Peter 1:21 |
| is
called Lord of Lords |
Deuteronomy 10:17;
Psalm 136:3 |
Revelation 17:14,
19:16 |
|