The Trinity in Scripture?

[ajpirc]

How can I show a Pentacostal (or any non-trinitarian) that the Bible supports the three divine and distinct Persons of God?

 

[noobio]

How can I show a Pentacostal (or any non-trinitarian) that the Bible supports the three divine and distinct Persons of God?

The doctrine of the trinity teaches that God is three persons. The bible does teach this

Genesis 1:26 says “God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Genesis 3:22 says "Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever”

Genesis 11:7 says Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

You can see that God is reffering to himself as “us”. This shows God is more then one.

Also in Genesis 1 the hebrew plural noun “Elohim” is used.

Each member of the Trinity is God.

Jesus Christ is God ( John 1:1)
God the Father is God ( John 6:7)
The spirit is God ( Act 5:3-4)

All of them are one God but different persons.

Jesus claimed to be a different person and not the Father ( John 8:18).
Jesus is not the Holy Spirit. John 14:16–17 talks about Jesus asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit. This shows that the Holy Spirit is not Jesus.

The trinity is biblical.

 

[Defender1]

How can I show a Pentacostal (or any non-trinitarian) that the Bible supports the three divine and distinct Persons of God?

Read Matthew 28:18. (I believe that is the correct verse my bible is not in front of me )Right out of Jesus mouth . Who this to them . Tell them its in their bible too.

 

[Trebor135]

1. Oneness/Jesus-Only Pentecostals are the nontrinitarian sect unfortunately linked by name to the otherwise Christian Protestant Pentecostal denomination. (I’m mentioning this just to make sure anyone new to this stuff doesn’t inadvertently throw some orthodox believers out of Christianity, as James White and his ilk are quite happy to do.)
2. As the previous poster pointed out, Matthew 28 holds one key to defending the trinity from the Bible (from the NIV):

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It’s verse 19 that the poster was probably thinking of, however.

 

[ajpirc]

“…19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

But I’ve heard many Pentacostals use this verse to defend modalism. They say “in the name of” means that there is a singular person that takes the place of “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

 

[bogeydogg]

But I’ve heard many Pentacostals use this verse to defend modalism. They say “in the name of” means that there is a singular person that takes the place of “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

The error here is that the Oneness folks cannot distinguish between essence and person.

The Church uniformly teaches that God is One essentially and three personally. There are those who argue that this is contradiction but it would be contradiction if the confession was a=non-a in the same way and at the same time. So if the Church had said God was three personally and one personally then it would have contradicted itself.

So what does the confession mean?

First off we have to say that this is not knowable to us so the best we can do is take what the Bible plainly teaches and then try the best we can to apprehend it.

In saying that God is essentially One what the Church is saying is that God has certain attributes. He is holy, just, love, mercy, grace, wrathful, peace, life, etc and He is all of those things perfectly. His being is one of perfection and He needs nothing to be except Himself. Therefore in order to be God He must have all of these attributes and He must have them perfectly. God in His perfection is One because to be God is to be perfect.

So the Father is God in that He holds all that is God in His being perfectly and always.

The same is true of the Son and the Spirit.

Therefore the being of God is essentially one.

But in that One there are three persons the Father, the Logos who became flesh and dwelt among us and the Spirit. All are One in that they are God and three in person.

This does not mean three gods and neither does it mean that sometimes God is Father or Son or Spirit. but that God is always Perfectly Father, Son and Spirit. Because that would mean that either God was perfectly (essentially) three or personally one.

I know this is impossible to grasp but it is what the Bible teaches. For example…

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 have said to you.

John 15: 26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

So the Son clearly says one is coming from the Father who is not the father and is not the Son. In one verse the Father sends in anther the Son sends, this does not mean two helpers but one whom the Father and Son perfectly will to send and the Helper wills to be sent because all are God. In the same way the Father wills to send the Son, the Son wills to come, and the Spirit wills to descend on the Son for His ministry.

God is always in perfect agreement with Himself willing to do His own will in perfection as only God could do.

Essentially One God

Personally Three

The Bible teaches this and we are not at liberty to argue with it.

God Bless

 

[TrueLight]

I have never even heard of oneness pentecostals. All the pentecostals I know are trinitarian.

 

[noobio]

I want to listen to an argument against the diety of Christ or the trinity. I don’t understand how anyone can reject it, the bible does not have one verse that goes against the trinity.

 

[bogeydogg]

There is at least one very popular preacher in Dallas who is on TV quite regularly who is a Oneness Pentecostal.

 

[TrueLight]

I want to listen to an argument against the diety of Christ or the trinity. I don’t understand how anyone can reject it, the bible does not have one verse that goes against the trinity.

Sure there are. Opponents don’t just pull arguments out of their

Here is but one of several examples:

1 Corinthians 15:
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

This seems to say there is God, and there is Christ. God puts everything under Christ and not only that, Christ will be subject to him.

Now, I am a trinitarian, but the key to debating against opponents is to know all the verses they use as proof and to be able to show in context why they are wrong.

 

[Nelka]

Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

 

[TrueLight]

Compare Isaiah 45: 21-25:

21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

** 23I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.**

24Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

25In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

to Phillipians 2

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature** of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 **that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. ****

Notice also the “Word” came out of the father.