the trinity

Copyright Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D. 1992

01850

GOD THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

An ancient diagram of the Trinity shows the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit at the three corners of a triangle. In the center of the triangle is the term God.

 
 
 
 
                                 o
 
 
                           o  FATHER  o
 
                       o     o      o    o
 
 
                    o      o          o     o
 
 
                 o       o      IS      o     o        
 
 
 
              o        o         o        o      o
 
 
            o        o           o          o       o
 
 
        IS NOT     o           __o__          o   IS NOT
 
 
        o        o             |GOD|            o       o
 
 
      o        o               -----              o       o
 
 
 
    o        o             o          o             o       o
 
 
 
  o       o            o                 o            o       o
 
 
 o      o         IS                        IS          o       o
 
 
 o    o          o                             o          o      o 
 
 
    o          o                                 o         o      o
 
 
  o         o                                       o        o   o
 
 
 o      SON                                        SPIRIT      o 
 
 
o  o  o  o  o  o  o   o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o
 
 
        o                                             o 
 
 
 
          o                                          o
 
 
             o  o  o  o  o  IS NOT    o  o  o  o  o

This is one of the best diagrams and illustrations of the trinity that I have run across.

We know that there are three persons in the trinity.

We know that there is the Father.

We know that there is the Son.

We know that there is the Holy Spirit.

We know that these do not operate in succession.

We know that these operate simultaneously.

We know that these are all a unity within God.

We know that there are subordinations among the three.

What we don't know is that they are all God. At times we tend to begin to think of them as individuals. They are all God, and as such they all deserve worship, adoration and all those things that we tend to think of as, for God the Father.

They are distinct in person and purpose yet the three are recognized in the Scriptures:

The Father: Rom. 1:7, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father...."

The Son: Heb 1:8, "Unto the Son he saith, Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever...."

The Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3-4, "Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost......thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God"

There are some reasons why there are distinctions:

1. IDENTIFICATION: There is the obvious, in that there needs to be a way of distinguishing the three members of the Trinity from one another.

2. MINISTRY: There is a specific area of ministry for all three persons of the Trinity. The Father is the Prime mover and planner. The Son is the prime activator. The Holy Spirit is the prime messenger between God and man.

3. SUBORDINATION: The three have definite ministries and places in the overall scheme of the decrees. The Father seems to be the one that set the plan into motion, while the Son is the one that provided the possibility of the plan's completion, through His shed blood. The Spirit is the person that moves in the universe and in man to do the work of the Father. (It is to be remembered that the Son also was about the work of the Father.)

4. MAN'S LIMITED UNDERSTANDING: Some might suggest that this is to help us grasp the concept of God. Man cannot comprehend God and so God put his Being into the terms that we could understand with our mentality. This would be similar to anthropomorphisms. To me the terminology used and the frequency of use would indicate that the three are very real and not to be viewed as anthropomorphisms.

We want to look at a few instances where all three are involved, but in different ways.

1. THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST:

THE FATHER: overseer

THE SON: participant

THE HOLY SPIRIT: ministering

2. IN CREATION:

THE FATHER: planner

THE SON: instigator

THE HOLY SPIRIT: actuator

3. IN REDEMPTION:

THE FATHER: planner

THE SON: provider

THE HOLY SPIRIT: applier

4. IN TEACHING:

THE FATHER: desire

THE SON: example

THE HOLY SPIRIT: illuminator

5. IN POWER:

THE FATHER: authority giver

THE SON: proclaimer (Acts 1:8)

THE HOLY SPIRIT: source (Acts 1:8)

6. IN ETERNITY:

THE FATHER: light (Rev 22:5

THE SON: (Do a research paper for me.)

THE HOLY SPIRIT: (Do a research paper for me.)

GOD THE FATHER: There are five areas in which He is the Father.

a. He is the Father of all creation. He planned and instigated the creation of the heavens and the earth. Mal 2:10, Acts 17:29, Heb 12:9, James 1:17.

b. He is the Father of Israel. Ex 4:22

c. He is the Father of Christ.

d. He is the Father of all believers. Jn 1:12

e. He is the Father of all mankind. This is accepted and taught by many religions, both past and present. Acts 17:22-31 Verse 29 mentions, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God...."

What is the Father to you? a. He should be your comfort. b. He should be your strength. c. He should be your hope. d. He should be your concentration in prayer. e. He should be your guide in holy living. If He is not these things to you, then you are not enjoying the God that saved you for His joy, His purpose, and His glory.

GOD THE SON:

1. He is the Son of man. This is a title that the Lord used of Himself. Lu 6:22

2. He is the Son of God. He is completely and totally God. Mk 1:1

3. He is the Son of Mary. He is completely and totally man. Matt 1:20-21

4. He is the Son of David. He is descended from the royal line of David, so that He can sit upon David's throne in the Millennial kingdom. Isa 9:6-7, Lu 1:30-33

What is the Son to you? a. He should be your savior. b. He should be your brother. c. He should be your example. d. He should be your message. e. He should be your reason for serving.

Again, if God the Son is not these things to you, you are then missing out on the true joy and power of Almighty God.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT:

1. He is the Spirit of God. He is in close relation to the Father. Matt 12:28

2. He is Spirit of the Lord. He is in close relation to the Son. Lu 4:18

3. He is the Holy Spirit. He is Himself. Lu 11:13

4. He is the Spirit of truth. Jn 14:17, Jn 15:26

What is the Spirit to you? a. He should be your guide. b. He should be your teacher. c. He should be your comfort. d. He should be your illuminator.

If God the Holy Spirit is not these things to you then you will not be in close communication with the God that extended His mercy to you through salvation.

Guthrie, Shirley C. Jr.; "CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES"; Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1968, has some good quotes from history if you have the book available to you.

Do we not see God the Father as the one over us with power to judge, God the Son as the one in front of us with power to cleanse, and God the Holy Spirit as the one in us with power to minister?

CONCLUSION:

The thought that was mentioned earlier is worth reconsidering. This is the God that we serve. He is not just the Father, He is not just the Son, and He is not just the Holy Spirit. This demands that we never concentrate on one or two to the exclusion of the other.

We tend to separate, divide and isolate the members of the trinity for our purpose of study, and I fear we leave them that way at times. He is all three AS WELL AS ONE.