Doctrines the Apostles did not Teach | Articles of Faith | CafeLogos.org
The wording of the definition that is sometimes used to describe the Trinity; “God eternally exists as three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,” was never used by our founding apostles. While they certainly recognized the Three of scripture, the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God the Father who is “above all” (Ephesians 4:4-6), they kept their definitions very simple. Related Content - Understanding the Trinity from the Scriptures
“God Eternally Exists as Three Persons”
The Apostle Paul stated, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him" (I Corinthians 8:6).
The apostle did not mention the Holy Spirit because it was a given that the Holy Spirit is the Father’s Spirit (Matthew 10:20) and also Jesus’ Spirit (Romans 8:9). In other words, the Holy Spirit is both of them, by unifying the persons of the Father and the Son, and enabling them to indwell the believer - “I will come to you” (John 14:18), “We will come” (John 14:23). This is confirmed by the prophet Isaiah who reveals that God unified Himself with the Messiah by His Spirit, and God is never disconnected from His own Spirit. – “Behold My servant, whom I uphold; My elect, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1).
In this Messianic verse we can see that God the Father is unifying Himself with the Messiah’s person/soul, by the Father’s Holy Spirit, thus revealing the tri-unity or Trinity of the Three.
So we can see that the doctrine of the tri-unity of God with His Spirit and the Messiah is supported by scripture. The modern wording of the definition is not, and is misleading. Because of the wording of this definition, “God eternally exists as three persons,” etc., Jews and Muslims have mistakenly labeled Christians as polytheists. This tragically has contributed to the deaths of many Christians at the hands of Muslim extremists. For this reason alone, we need to follow the apostles’ example and keep our definitions of the Trinity in line with God’s word and apostolic simplicity. …”God is one” (Galatians 3:20).
Copyright 2024 by H.D. Shively
Doctrines the Apostles did not Teach | Return to Articles of Faith | Cafe Logos Homepage