God In Three Persons

Clarifying Muddy Water

Attempts to fully explain how God exists in three persons, yet as One will never be completely satisfactory.

Illustrations can clarify the muddy water, but cannot fully explain.

We must be careful in our explanations not to teach false doctrines.

Today we will explore some false doctrines and dig deeper into the truth.

Correcting False Doctrines and Faulty Illustrations:

•Tritheism – a belief in three distinct persons who make up God, but assuming a separation of substance.

•John 10:30-33 – “I and the Father are one…The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

Sabellianism: Different “modes” or aspects of the same God, rather than three distinct persons

•Matthew 3:16-17 -- After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Arianism and Docetism

Arianism = Jesus created and not fully GodDocetism = Jesus fully God but never fully human

Philippians 2:5-7 -- Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Bad illustrations

•Water: three states – solid, liquid, gas – but still water. What’s wrong with this illustration?

Clover – three lobes, one leaf

•But if you remove one lobe, the rest is still “clover” – yet if you remove one person of the godhead, you no longer have God.

Three-fold nature of man

•Body•Soul•Spirit

•But if body dies, rest remains.

Progression in Salvation History•God the Father has eternally dwelt in heaven

•Romans 16:26 -- …according to the commandment of the eternal God….

•1 Timothy 1:17 -- Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

God the Son was begotten and dwelt on the earth

•Psalm 2:7 -- I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

•John 1:18 -- No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Isaiah 9:6

•For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

God the Spirit proceeds from the Son and dwells in the saints

John 14:26 -- "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

John 15:26

•"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father….

•John 16:7 -- "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Hebrews 9:14

•how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

•Yet the Holy Spirit is eternal

Final Examination of the Oneness of God

•Galatians 3:20 -- Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.

•God does not need a mediator between Himself – He is One!

1 Corinthians 2:10-12

•…for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God…Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God…Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God….

1 Corinthians 8:6

• yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

•Jesus and God are both divine, both creators and both One.