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What do we mean by Trinity
Let me insert here an excerpt from a book:
Definition of Terms
Adequate definitions of the nature of God, the nature of
the Trinity, and the person and nature of Jesus Christ are
prerequisite to understanding the many Scriptures concerning
the deity of Christ.
1. God: The Scriptures teach that God is personal,
intelligent, loving, just, faithful, eternal, creative, and in
dynamic interaction with His creation. The attributes of God
can be summarized into two groups: general attributes and
moral attributes. Robert Passantino states, "God [according
to to his general attributes] is unique, eternal, immutable,
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, triune, spirit, and
personal." He continues, "The moral attributes of God
include his holiness, righteousness, love and truth."
Christianity teaches that God sustains and sovereignly rules
the universe in the present, and, as we will try to show,
became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.
2. Trinity: Out of all reality or existence, only God is
tri-personal or triune. When we say that God is triune, we are
labeling the view of God derived from a panorama of Scripture
passages that describe the personal nature of God.
By triune, from which the word Trinity comes, we mean that
God is consistently revealed as subsisting eternally as three
persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). These three persons
make up the Godhead, yet there is only one God.
We do not mean:
(1) There is one God and three gods.
(2) There is one God and one person with three names or
modes or manifestations.
(3) There is one God and one person who became three
separate and successive persons.
(4) There are three gods who are in one "family."
(5) The one God is schizophrenic.
The biblical doctrine of the Trinity can be summarized as
follows.
The one true God, as already established (Isaiah 43:10;
Deuteronomy 6:4), is made up of Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Each member of the godhead is called "God" in the
Bible. The Father bears the name God (Galatians 1:1; Titus
1:4; etc.). The Son, or Word (logos), is repeatedly called
God in verses like John 1:1,14; Acts 20:28; John 20:28;
Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8, etc. The Holy Spirit is identified
as God in various Scriptures (Acts 5:3-4; 1 John 4:2,3;
Hebrews 10:15,16). The concept of the unity within the
Trinity is seen in a verse such as Matthew 28:19, where the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit comprise one "name" (singular
in Greek).
For the purposes of this book we are not attempting to
defend the doctrine of the Trinity. Once a person comes to
believe in the divinity of Christ, belief in God's existence as
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is usually not a problem. For
the person wanting to research what the Bible says on the
Trinity, many verses can be studied (Matthew 3:16,17; Mark
1:9-11; Luke 1:35; 3:21,22; John 3:34-36; 14:26; 16:13-15;
Acts 2:32,33; 38,39; Romans 15:16,30; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6;
2 Corinthians 3:4-6; 13: 14; Ephesians 1 :3-14; 2:18-22;
3:14-17; 4:4-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14; 1 Timothy 3:15,16;
Hebrews 9:14; 10:7; 10-15; 1 Peter 1:2; to name a few).
3. Jesus Christ: "Jesus Christ" is both a name and a
title. The name Jesus is derived from the Greek form of the
name Jeshua or Joshua meaning "Jehovah-Savior" or "the
Lord saves." The title Christ is derived from the Greek
word for Messiah (or the Hebrew Mashiach - Daniel 9:26)
and means "anointed one." Two offices, king and priest, are
involved in the use of the title Christ. That title points to
Jesus as the promised priest and king of Old Testament
prophecies.
Beyond that, we believe that Jesus possesses two natures,
the human and the divine; thus we hold the view that Jesus is
fully God (in nature) and yet fully human - God revealed in
human form.
The Bible describes Jesus' dual nature as both God and
man like this:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God [His divine nature]
did not regard equality with God [the Father] a thing to be
grasped [held on to] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant [form number two, his human nature] and being made
in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Therefore also God [the Father] highly
exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
[worship] of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord [God the Son], to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:5-11)
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taken from "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of His Deity"
by Josh McDowell & Bart Larson, (c) 1983, ISBN 0-86605-114-7
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