Biblical proof of the Trinity

[jericho777]

I could never say that the Trinity is “Clearly” in scripture. It isn’t. That is why the Council of Nicaea was called in AD 325 to combat the Arians who used scripture to “prove” there was no Trinity…

A few verses used by the Jehovah Witnesses are John 17:1-3, John 20:17 and Acts 7

John 17:1-3 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”

John 20:17- Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to **my Father **and your Father, **to my God **and your God.’”

A Jehovah Witness will say that even AFTER Jesus was resurrected, Jesus STILL has a God and that we should have that same God.

Another good verse for them is Acts 7:55-56 where Stephen is dying and he is full of the Holy Spirit he looks into heaven and sees Jesus standing at the fight hand of the Father.

Those verses hardly show One God or Three Persons in One God. The Trinity is not clearly in scripture.

I was challenged by a JW about the trinity “how it’s not in the bible”. So I commenced to reading and studying scripture. I had no idea if I could prove it or not but I am now fully convinced about their existence. It truly has made my faith stronger for it. They don’t look at all the verses of scripture and try to reconcile them but rather deny their meaning. Their defense is you want it to mean that and the Watchtower Society says it doesn’t exist besides they have sanitized their scripture.

The relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all runs together and they are co equated with each other. In Gen 1:1 where elohim is the plural form of God and Elohim is the third word of the text. Bereshyt bara Elohim. While in Deut 6:4 the shema God is in the plural form but is proclaimed to be as one the singularity of plurality.

You can demonstrate scripture upon scripture to them but unless the Holy Spirit opens their eyes they will be blind.

 

[mdgspencer]

Thanks for this good quote.

+As a Bible teacher of both children and adults . . . I’ve come to absolutely love the clear way the reliable Catholic Baltimore Catechism approaches the basics of the Faith . . . below are quotes from same which contain specific Biblical references from Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . the easily approached question-and-answer format is a marvelous teaching tool . . . great for the students . . . great for the teachers . . . hope this helps . . .

**. . . :coffeeread: . . . **

The Unity and Trinity of God
Lesson 3 from the Baltimore Cathechism

24. Is there only one God?
Yes, there is only one God.

I am the Lord, and there is none else: there is no God besides me. (Isaiah 45:5)

25. How many Persons are there in God?
In God there are three Divine Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Going, therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19)

26. Is the Father God?
The Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1:3)

27. Is the Son God?
The Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

28. Is the Holy Ghost God?
The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (I Corinthians 3:16)

29. What do we mean by the Blessed Trinity?
By the Blessed Trinity we mean, one and the same God in three Divine Persons.

Going, therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19)

30. Are the three Divine Persons really distinct from one another?
The three Divine Persons are really distinct from one another.

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove, upon him. And a voice came from heaven: “Thou art my beloved Son. In thee I am well pleased.”** (Luke 3:22)**

31. Are the three Divine Persons perfectly equal to one another?
The three Divine Persons are perfectly equal to one another, because all are one and the same God.

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30)

32. How are the three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, one and the same God?
The three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God because all have one and the same Divine nature.

33. Can we fully understand how the three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God?
We cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God because this is a supernatural mystery.

34. What is a supernatural mystery?
A supernatural mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand, but which we firmly believe because we have God’s word for it.

:coffeeread: Link: catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson03.html​

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Gracious Heavenly Father+
. . . thank You dear Lord Jesus+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Mary+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Church+
:harp:​

 

[thistle]

I need it because I am defending my faith. I am told that the Catholic Church is a hoax therefore my faith would be for nothing.

If someone makes a claim about the Catholic Church it is up to them to provide doumentary evidence to back up their claim which you can then read and discuss. It is not up to you or us to have to refute any unsupported claims. The onus is always on the person making the claim.

 

[rcjones]

Now if one were to substitute the words “the beginning” in Genesis with Jesus’ name, we would have the following: In Jesus God created heaven, and earth.

In the beginning - In Christ

Elohim has a pun meaning - the not dark
created also means separated
aleph tov (untranlated) is similar to alpha and omega meaning eternal
heavens is a dual form meaning two heavens and representing the Father and Holy Spirit
earth represents Christ in human form.

In Christ, the not dark separated the eternal Father and Spirit from the incarnate Son.

This ‘unpacking’ is consistent with the 32 rules of Rabbi Eliezer.

 

[Prodigal_Son1]

**1Jn 5:7 And there are Three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. **

 

[mackbrislawn]

There is no direct proof of the Trinity explicitly in the Bible. If there were there would have been no Arian heresy that denied the Trinity and there would have been no need for the Council of Nicaea. There would be no Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses.
The theological definition of the Trinity comes from the Catholic Church and not explicitly from Scriptures. THe Mormon and Jehovah WItnesses have just as many verses to “prove” that there is no Trinity as Christians have to prove there is.

An Evangelical I know said that the Trinity was taught in the Bible but not defended in the Bible. I think that’s true. The Trinity kind of has to be inferred.

But the divinity of Christ was believed by Christians very early, much earlier in my opinion, than would have been derived from just studying scripture. Therefore, belief that Jesus is God was an apostolic teaching, or tradition, and Christians did not have to wait for scripture to be written and canonized before knowing that Jesus was God! Because they had benefit of that apostolic tradition they knew how to properly interpret the scripture passages that teach Jesus’ deity.

Those who reject apostolic tradition, and we know who they are, do not have that benefit and therefore come up with all sorts of man-made interpretations.

 

[rcjones]

If you believe the scriptures, then the apostles weren’t the only ones who heard Jesus himself claim to be God. “Before Abraham was, I am”. They picked up stones to kill him. Perhaps some of those people actually got saved as well. So many of the original Christians knew his claim for himself.

 

[mackbrislawn]

If you believe the scriptures, then the apostles weren’t the only ones who heard Jesus himself claim to be God. “Before Abraham was, I am”. They picked up stones to kill him. Perhaps some of those people actually got saved as well. So many of the original Christians knew his claim for himself.

Good point. The people at that time knew what Jesus meant when He said “I am”!