The hypostatic union: How can Jesus have two natures?

Jesus was fully God and fully human when He walked the earth. The Old Testament scriptures suggest the two natures in Isaiah 9:6a ^“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…” In his humanity Isaiah writes, “A child is born.”  In His deity he says, “A Son is given.”

The hypostatic union answers the question, how can one person have two natures.  This union is presented clearly in Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Once while I was jogging in the morning in downtown Bakersfield, I spotted two Jehovah Witnesses walking my way.  As I made eye contact I knew they wanted me to stop.  Of course this is exactly what I wanted.  As I jogged along I had been praying for a chance to share Jesus that day.  I just didn’t expect it to come during my run.

I had the Jehovah Witnesses read the Philippians chapter 2 and asked them does this teach that Jesus was in the form of a human.  They said yes it does.  I then said do you know the same Greek word (Morphe) used for “form” indicating He was human is used for stating he is in the “form” of God?  I had them read where it says, “He existed in the form of God.”  I said Philippians clearly says Jesus was in the form or nature of a man and He is also in the form or very nature of God.  Do you believe Jesus was in the very nature God?  They said they couldn’t answer this question because they didn’t know Greek.  I told them to go home and study the verses.  The fact remains these verses teach Jesus was fully God and fully man.  Since Jehovah Witnesses don’t believe Jesus is the same nature as God, they left me wondering how they could make sense of these verses and not give up their beliefs.

The hypostatic union and the kenosis help us understand how Jesus was a different person from the Father and how he sometimes spoke from his human standpoint and other times from His divine.  Jesus spoke in reference to His deity when he said: “I and the Father are one [‘one essence,’ lit.].” (John 10:30)  The word “One” here is not about purpose and unity but refers to essence; Jesus is the same stuff as the Father.

Other times He spoke in reference to His humanity: “…the Father is greater than I”[1] (John 14:28).  Greater speaks terms of station or position not quality.  The Father has a higher station or position than Jesus because of the humbling, the kenosis.

At other times, Jesus refers to different perspectives. Jesus the man becomes hungry and tired; God cannot be hungry or tired.  Hal Lindsey writes, “In Jesus’ humanity, He is subject to the Father because the Father is greater than His humanity. But in His deity, He is coequal with God the Father because He is of one essence with Him” (Lindsey, p.81).

The hypostatic union helps us understand who Jesus was during his incarnation.  We have single nature, we are human.  Jesus was fully God and fully man, two natures and yet one person.  This Biblical truth is not contradictory.

Conclusion

In part 1 I wrote about a wife who was contemplating joining the Jehovah Witnesses and how I debated two of their members.  That evening was incredible and one I will never forget.  We debated for 2 hours, spending 30 minutes on John 1:1 alone.  Finally, the wife called the debate to an end and had these words to say: “I would like to thank all of you for coming here to express your views.  I now know what I believe to be true and I am comfortable with these words from John 1:1, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and THE WORD WAS GOD!”  Truth had won out!  God had used me as an ambassador to communicate His Word accurately.  Today this couple still regularly attends a local evangelical church.  I did not succeed because I was smarter than these individuals; bottom line it is easier to defend truth than it is to defend error.

Debating Jehovah Witnesses is not for everyone.  God used my gifts and talents in a special way.  Each of us has been shaped and equipped in a unique manner to be an ambassador for Christ in your sphere of influence.  You can’t be me and I can’t be you.  Non-Christians come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and God wants to use each of us in our unique way to reach them.  We teach people the truth about Jesus because eternity hangs in the balance!

 Resources:

• The Forgotten Trinity by James White
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• The Bible Fast Forward by Greg Koukl

Incoming search terms for the article:

• god was in jesus (1)

Kenosis: How does God become a man? 

Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

In the words, “…did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,” we see the choice of the Son to empty Himself of His divine rights by becoming a man and also emptying Himself of His human rights by becoming a servant.[1]

The story of the King becoming a pauper is the best illustration.  The King is on the throne, with his regal splendor and people waiting on him.  Then one day he changes into the robes of a common beggar to interact with the subjects of his kingdom.  Never once does the King stop being King; he just lays aside his prerogatives, his kingly rights, his privileges to become this pauper.  This is what Jesus does.  He lays aside the prerogatives, his privileges of God and takes on a human nature.  He is still fully God and becomes a servant of men and eventually dies the death of common criminal.  The application is for us is to become humble like Jesus, who humbled himself unto death.

Jesus never ceased being God

Jesus did not lay aside his deity- He can’t do that.  He laid aside only His privileges of deity, not His divine nature.  As a human He had to learn like we do, to grow in understanding and knowledge (Luke 2:52). Some contend that on earth Jesus did not make use of His own powers of deity. Others think that He did.[2]  For example, he laid aside his omniscience (having all knowledge): “But of that day [the second coming of Christ] and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matt 24:36)  Here we see Jesus operating from His human perspective and claiming He doesn’t know when the end will come.  The 2^nd person of the Trinity, the divine nature of Jesus, knows when the end will happen but in his humanity He laid aside the prerogative or the privilege to know this information.  This is called the kenosis.

At the Incarnation God takes on human flesh.  The Kenosis is where Jesus humbles himself and lays aside the prerogatives of being divine.  However, Jesus never ceases being God–He “gives up” the privilege and glory.

Some ask was he fully God or fully man?

Was he simply a man with Christ’s self-actualized spirit within him?  I hear this all the time, especially on television. These individuals say Jesus had the Christ spirit within him and we can also.  This is what the new age teaches; this is what Christian Science teaches.  They say he wasn’t the Christ; he possessed the Christ spirit.  Jesus had this special knowledge.  They teach we can get that same Christ knowledge he had.  Have you heard this?

Jesus didn’t get a Christ spirit; this isn’t a spirit you get.  Christ means Messiah, the anointed one.  Jesus was not a human who received a special spirit to make him God; Jesus instead was fully God and fully man.  God took on human flesh.  It is called the Hypostatic Union.

Go to part 5 here

Incoming search terms for the article:

• jesus as god and man (1)

Now we need to answer the question, how can God become a man?  How can the creator of the universe become human?  Or as Bette Midler sang, “What if God was one of us?”  Well, Bette He did become one of us.

For some people Jesus as fully God and fully man is a major problem.  This is a huge stumbling block for Jehovah Witnesses.  They cannot understand how one person can have two natures, divine and human; they think he was only a man.  I will begin by looking at appearances of God in the Old Testament.

God visits the earth

• In the form of a man[1]

The technical term is a “theophany.”  God reveals Himself in some temporary outward, physical manifestation.  In both the Old and New Testaments the appearances were usually a voice or a physical appearance.  However, we must remember John 4 teaches that God is spirit.  Therefore, when God appears in the Old Testament it is some sort of projection, a theophany; God is a non-physical being.  In the Old Testament multiple times the appearance of God is referred to as “the Angel of the Lord,” though not the very substance of God Himself. [2]  Many Christian scholars believe “the Angel of the Lord” is none other than the pre-incarnate Christ.  What that means is Jesus made appearances before he was born to the Virgin Mary.

One example in the Old Testament was the Lord appearing to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre.  Genesis 18:1 ^“Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.”  God in the form of a person discussed with Abraham the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Other examples include Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:2 and Jacob wrestling with a “man” in Genesis 32:24-30.

In the Old Testament God visits the earth in the form of a man, but in the New Testament he primarily visits in substance, as a man in the flesh.  We do have a few examples of a theophany New Testament: a voice and a dove at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16f), voice at transfiguration (Matt. 17:5), Stephen and Paul’s visions, and a few others.  However, at the birth of Jesus Christ, this was not a theophany; he appeared in substance.

• In substance: We call this the incarnation.  In Micah 5:2 it says Messiah or King or ruler was to be born in Bethlehem (His humanity), yet He was from everlasting to everlasting to everlasting (His deity).

Micah 5:2 [God is speaking] “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”  God is going to bring forth an eternal ruler, implying He will be divine.

We see that ruler being born in Matthew 2:1-6: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ² ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ⁶ AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”  Here Matthew identifies this Messiah/ruler as Jesus.  He would fulfill what Matthew 1:23 says about Him: ²³ “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”  Clearly, Matthew is teaching through Jesus, God took on human flesh.

John 1:1,14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [deity]….And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory [humanity]….”  We call this stepping down to the rank of man the Kenosis.

Go to part 4 here

Incoming search terms for the article:

• was bette midler a Jehovahs Witness (1)

Most of you will never be asked to debate someone else (see part 1).  We all have different gifts and talents and God desires to use us with what He has given us.  He just wants us to be prepared to give an answer to those who ask us for the reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).  My debating the Jehovah Witnesses was stepping up and using the gifts God has given me.  My teaching others about the Trinity is also a way to utilize my gifts.

The Trinity is the foundation for understanding how Jesus could be fully God and fully man.  I will review a few key points from my Trinity series before launching into how Jesus can be one person and two natures.

Definition of the Trinity: One God subsists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-equal and co-eternal.

Bible teaches the Trinity: The Trinity is established by establishing these three key truths (see Loving the Trinity part 7 and part 8)

1. Only one God
2. Three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3. Father is God, Son is God, and Holy Spirit is God

All false religions violate at least one of these premises.  Mormonism believes in many gods, which violates “the only one God” pillar.  Oneness Pentecostals violate the 3 persons pillar by saying God operates at different times in different modes, one person at a time.  They believe the Father was present in the Old Testament (no Son or Holy Spirit), the Son mode followed while Jesus walked the earth, and today we are in the Holy Spirit mode.  Finally, Jehovah Witnesses affirm the Father is God, but deny the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.  They call Jesus a “lesser god” and the Holy Spirit is not a person but more like electricity.  My suggestion is to memorize these 3 pillars or key truths.  Knowing them will help you identify false belief systems and assist you in interpreting the Bible.  One more issue needs review to provide the foundation for what follows.

Understanding How the New Testament Uses Lord and God

Once we grasp the equality of the three persons in the one God, one wonders why the New Testament seems to call the Father God much more than the Holy Spirit or Jesus.  The issue the writers faced was to how to communicate the three persons each fully God without losing the distinctions.

Wayne Grudem writes: When we realize that the New Testament authors generally use the name “God” (Gk. theos) to refer to God the Father and the name “Lord” (Gk. kyrios) to refer to God the Son, then it is clear that there is another Trinitarian expression in 1 Corinthians 12:4–6: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.” Similarly, the last verse of 2 Corinthians is Trinitarian in its expression: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.[1]”  (2 Cor. 13:14)

When we read the scriptures in context and recognize the word “God” is primarily the Father, we will clear up the passages that seem to be contradictions.  The infrequent times the Son or Holy Spirit are called “God” are easily recognized by the context.  Occasionally, “God” means the Trinity.  Passages declaring the existence of only one God are not identifying one of the three persons but the entire Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  James says the demons recognize the one God in James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”  Here we see a perfect example of James identifying the Triune God.  (For more information on this topic go to part 12of the Loving the Trinity series)

Go to part 3 here

Incoming search terms for the article:

• grudem on mormon\ (1)
• One God Jesus Name Church DFW (1)

I am beginning a new series.  Foundational for understanding how Jesus can be fully God and fully man is to make sure you have read my previous Trinity series.  I begin with a true story.

While working as a pastor for Mission Hills Church in Escondido, I was approached by a man attending our church services.  His wife had become close friends with a  Jehovah Witness co-worker and was now considering  joining their church.  He said he was desperate and wanted help in showing his wife the truth of Christianity.  I told him I could help and I looked forward to meeting his wife.

A couple of days before our meeting, I got a call from the husband that his wife wanted to not only meet with me but with a Jehovah Witness to present the other side.  I said this would not be a good situation, as we would argue the entire time.  He said these were her terms and either the Jehovah Witness came alone or I joined in on the conversation.  So I told him I would do it.

I have to tell you this is outside my comfort zone.  Would I be a good ambassador and help his wife see the truth?  I spent the whole weekend getting ready for our Monday evening debate.  I specifically spent time studying John 1:1 because she wanted answers to whether Jesus was “God” or “a god.”  Fortunately, I had just finished my second semester of a doctrine class at Biola University (seminary) and we spent two days discussing John 1:1.  Armed with prayer and hours of preparation I was ready.

Monday evening arrived and as I entered the house I was surprised to find two Jehovah Witnesses seated at the table.  Both wore ties and had their books stacked beside them ready to challenge my beliefs.  As I sat down I felt an inner confidence.

After introductions we began the debate.  I volunteered to go first and everyone graciously agreed.  This was going to be to my advantage.  When debating a good tactic is to go first.  You set the table for what is about to follow; you force your opponent(s) to play by your rules.

I began by showing how the Trinity is Biblical utilizing the 3 pillars: The Bible teaches, 1) there is only 1 God, 2) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, and 3) each person is God.  I gave my definition; one God subsists in 3 persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-equal and co-eternal.  I supported each pillar with a few verses.  Then knowing their favorite scriptures, I decided to explain them before they had an opportunity to use them to refute my position.  I said if you understand the workings of the Trinity you would understand how the Son in human Flesh could say the Father is greater (John 14:28).  The Father is greater in position because Jesus humbled himself to become a man.  It was also acceptable for Jesus to call the Father “My God” (John 20:17) because of His equal relationship with the Father.  Jesus in human flesh was not an atheist and he would pray to the Father.  In fact, calling the Father “my God” in John 5, the Jews said he was calling Himself God.  For at least ten minutes I continued through some of their best arguments against the Trinity.

After I finished my opening remarks they began to make their case.  Each time they brought up a scripture against my position, I simply said, “Don’t you remember, I dealt with that passage in my opening statement.  These verses are consistent with a correct understanding of the Trinity.  Your trouble stems from your lack of understanding how Jesus can be fully God and fully man.  If you understood this all these so-called problems would be cleared up.  These passages actually strengthen my case for the Trinity. ” My strategy totally frustrated them.

We debated for 2 hours, spending 30 minutes on John 1:1 alone.  Finally, the wife called the debate to an end and had these words to say; “I would like to thank all of you for coming here to express your views.  I now know what I believe to be true and I am comfortable with these words, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and THE WORD WAS GOD!”  The truth had won out; Jesus is fully God and fully man.  The two Jehovah Witnesses left quietly and quickly.  I was not any smarter than these individuals but it is always easier to defend truth rather than error.  I could see tears of joy in the eyes of the husband.  As I left he gave me a big hug.  Upon entering my car I rejoiced.  It was a great feeling to be used by God as an ambassador to communicate His truth.

My goal is by combining the information found in this series and my previous Trinity series, you’ll be better prepared to defend the Christian beliefs.  Most people who don’t believe the Trinity struggle with how Jesus can be fully God and fully man.  I hope to clear away any misconceptions.  Jude 1 challenges us to contend for the faith.  My hope is to equip you to do that at your door.

Go to part 2 here

Incoming search terms for the article:

• challenging the belief that jesus is god (1)

As I close this series I want to ask one more question.

So why does all this matter?

The doctrine of the Trinity helps us understand and better appreciate the roles each member on the Triune God played in our salvation.  The Father provides us forgiveness of our sins.  The Son lives a perfect life, one that we were supposed to live and then provides the payment for our sins on the cross.  Jesus bore the penalty for sins so that we can be forgiven by the Father.  1 Peter 2:22-24 [Talking about Jesus] “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him [The Father] who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”  The son pays the price and the Father forgives.  The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict us of our sins and move us towards belief.  Upon belief in Jesus the Holy Spirit comes into our life so we can grow to be more like Him.  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

If the Trinity wasn’t true I have no idea how all these salvation roles could be accomplished.  God has to act to make salvation possible.  If He was a distant God who sat back and watched me suffer and wallow in my sins, I’d have trouble loving that sort of God.  However, knowing that God descended to earth as a man, to die on a Roman cross to pay for my sins, and came to live in me, I cannot help but love that God.  He took the penalty and pain for me.  This is the God I worship; this is the God I can love and more importantly this is the God that loves me!

This is why I share Jesus with anyone who will listen, even those who hate Him.  Jesus warned about false beliefs:  Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’  Jesus says the key to entering the kingdom of heaven is to do the will of the Father.  What does that mean?  It cannot mean good works, and why?  The individuals, who Jesus was speaking to, said to Him, look at all the things we have done in your name.  Jesus then says depart from me I never knew you.  Their works accomplished nothing.  We have to come to know him, so that He can say he knows us.  It is not good works that saves us, it is faith in Jesus.  Jesus shares this message of faith and not works in John 6:28-29.  He had just fed them bread and they want to know what they can do to be saved.  “They said therefore to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ [29] Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”  We can only receive the forgiveness from the Father, payment for sins from the Son, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through right belief.  Doing good works saves no one!

God reaching out to us so we can be saved is a message of good news which is UNBELIEVABLE!  This is what Jesus wants us to share.

Trinity Series Summary Points:

• The doctrine of the Trinity was supported from the beginning; by the apostles, through the early church fathers, and on up to today.  God has always been a Triune being. The early church utilized language to define the doctrine of the Trinity and did not invent the teaching as some contend.

• Yet, we don’t believe in the Trinity because of the work of the early church fathers but because the doctrine is Biblical.

• The Trinity can be defined as: One God subsists in three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-equal and co-eternal.

• The Bible teaches:

1. There is only 1 God
2. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate persons.
3. Each person is fully God.

My Jehovah Witness student who handed me the booklet actually did a great thing by embarrassing me in front of all the students that day.  Due to that incident I put in hundreds of hours studying the great truths of the Bible.  I have equipped thousands of individuals on the Biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity.

If anyone denies the Trinity, when that individual dies he or she will spend eternity separated from God.  This is the fate of all Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons.  Both groups worship a false Jesus and when they die He is going to say to them “I never knew you.”  Without true belief they will not receive the free gift of forgiveness.  Our task is to share the truth with them.

My next series will deal with Jesus as the God/man.  I will attempt to answer, how can Jesus have two natures and yet be one person.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• loving our lord Trinity audio (1)

I established a criterion to show the Trinity is Biblical.  In part 7 and part 8 I provided Biblical evidence for each of the following criteria.

1. There is only one God
2. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit are distinct persons, they communicate, love & have rationality.
3. Each person is fully God.

In part 2 I presented two problem passages John 1:1 & Matt. 26:39 that I struggled with before I understood the doctrine of the Trinity.  Equipped with the information from this series we should be able resolve these issues.

1. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  In this verse we know the Word is Jesus (John 1:14).  How can Jesus be with God and be God at the same time?  It sounds like a contradiction.  The solution is the first instance of the word “God” is speaking of God the Father, the first person of the Trinity.  How do we know this?  As we have seen previously the Bible teaches Jesus is God.  Since there cannot be contradictions, then whenever the word God and Jesus are used in the same sentence the first instance is speaking of God the Father; as is assumed in this passage.  Additional support can be found in 1 John 1:1-2, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— ² and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.”  Jesus was with the Father from the beginning. They are two persons of the one God.  Plus the writers of the New Testament gave different labels to the Father and Son to help keep them distinct.  When we see the word “God” most of the time it refers to the Father.  They used Lord to refer to the deity of Jesus (see part 12).  At times the Bible simply calls Jesus God, such as John 1:1, John 20:28, and Titus 2:13.  Here in John 1:1 we have the persons of the Father and Son together from the beginning (eternity past).  The apparent contradiction is solved.

2. The scripture my junior high student pointed to, Matthew 26:39 “Going a little farther, he [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”  If Jesus is God who is he praying to?  Is he praying to himself?  If we understand the doctrine of the Trinity teaches one God subsists in three persons, Jesus the person is praying to the Father person.  This is normal activity between two persons of the Trinity.  From all eternity past, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been in communication and have eternally loved each other.  Remember Jesus as a man did things a human would do.  As a man he grew in knowledge, got hungry, tired, and prayed to the Father.  On the other hand His divine nature has all knowledge, is all powerful, and is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  The Father and the Son take on different roles within the one Godhead.  Remember different roles do not equal inferior natures.

Through study of the doctrine of the Trinity I have become much more effective at sharing with Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses.  I can answer Biblical passages that used to give me trouble.  My challenge to you is to memorize much of the information in this series and then begin to share with those who disagree.  Supported with your understanding of the Trinity you will discover it is so much easier to defend truth than error.  These experiences will sharpen your knowledge and enrich your walk with Jesus.  Plus you may move someone towards faith in the Biblical Jesus Christ.  Your confidence in the truth of the Scriptures will be enhanced and your spiritual life will be blessed.

Go to part 14 here

Once we grasp the equality of the three persons in the one God, one wonders why the New Testament seems to call the Father God much more than the Holy Spirit or Jesus.  The issue the writers faced was to how to communicate the three persons each fully God without losing the distinctions.   Especially, the many times we see the Father and the Son interacting throughout the New Testament.  What the inspired writers did was primarily use God when referring to the Father and Lord when talking about the Son.  The word Lord in many cases when referring to the Son would be equal to calling Jesus God.

Understanding how the New Testament uses Lord and God

Wayne Grudem writes: When we realize that the New Testament authors generally use the name “God” (Gk. theos) to refer to God the Father and the name “Lord” (Gk. kyrios) to refer to God the Son, then it is clear that there is another Trinitarian expression in 1 Corinthians 12:4–6: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.” Similarly, the last verse of 2 Corinthians is Trinitarian in its expression: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). We see the three persons mentioned separately in Ephesians 4:4–6 as well: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.” All three persons of the Trinity are mentioned together in the opening sentence of 1 Peter: “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2 NASB). And in Jude 20–21, we read: “But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.[1]”

An example of where the Father and God are interchangeable (synonymous) can be found in Matthew and Mark.  I have underlined the key words.

Matthew 12:48-50 (NASB) But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:33-35 (NASB) Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ³⁴ Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

A second example comes from John 20:17 (NASB) “Jesus *said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Jesus is calling the Father his God, submitting himself to the Father.  The Son took the role of taking on a human nature and giving up certain divine prerogatives.  Jesus was still fully God but chose not to utilize his divine abilities (Phil. 2:5-8).  As Paul writes in Philippians 2, Jesus as a human submitted himself to death, something the Father cannot do.  A difference in function does not indicate inferiority of nature.

Again generally when we see the word “God” in the scriptures we can think of the Father.  However, sometimes the writers used “God” when referencing Jesus or the Holy Spirit or the Triune God.

Jesus is called God in John 20:28 “Thomas answered and said to Him [Jesus], ‘My Lord and my God!’” Jesus then commends Thomas for calling him Lord and God.  This is a very straightforward passage identifying Jesus as God. 

The Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5:3-4 “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’” Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God because the Holy Spirit is God.

The major problem for some people is grasping the fact that Jesus was fully God and fully man.  This is a huge stumbling block for Jehovah Witnesses.  They cannot understand how one person can have two natures, divine and human.  I will soon deal with this issue as I begin a series on Jesus as the God/man.

When we read the scriptures in context and recognize the word “God” is primarily the Father, we will clear up the passages that seem to be contradictions.  The infrequent times the Son or Holy Spirit[2] are called “God” are easily recognized by the context.  We can thus acknowledge we worship one God subsisting in three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-equal and co-eternal.

Go to part 13 here

[1] Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology, Zondervan Publ., 1994, p. 230.

[2] There are times when the word “God” means the Trinity.  Passages declaring the existence of only one God are not identifying one of the three persons but the entire Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  James says the demons recognize the one God in James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”  Remember the Trinity teaches one God subsists in three persons.

Here is the definition of the Trinity I have been utilizing: One God subsists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-equal and co-eternal.  Recently, while talking with two Jehovah Witnesses I was challenged on my view of Jesus and the Father being co-equal.

All three persons are co-equal

They attacked equality of the Godhead by saying the Father was greater and had knowledge Jesus lacked.  They used the verse in John 14:28 where Jesus says, “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” I explained Jesus had two natures being fully God and fully man.  In his human nature Jesus gave up the use of certain prerogatives such as all knowledge and subjected himself to the headship of the Father.  In his divine nature He continued to have all the attributes of God.  I said president Obama and I are equal in our human natures but since he is the president I could say he is greater than me.  Jesus as a human could say the Father is greater, speaking about position, just like Obama is to me.  Jesus and the Father are equal in they share the same divine nature.  My Jehovah Witness friends struggled with the idea Jesus could be fully God and fully man.  I took them to Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” I said as a human Jesus didn’t desire equality with the Father because he took on flesh (bond-servant) subjecting himself to death as a human something the Father cannot do.  Philippians says he was in the “form of a bond-servant.”  I asked do you believe Jesus was fully human?  They said yes.  I said the Greek word for form is “Morphe” which means nature or essence.  Jesus had a human nature.  Just like he had a human nature, we see in verse 6 Jesus also was in the form (morphe) of God.  What that means is he also had the nature of God.  Jesus was God taking on human flesh.  As a human he didn’t use all his divine abilities.   That’s what it means “…but emptied himself.” Jesus at times became tired, ate food, and died on a cross; all things only a human can do.  On the cross the human Jesus died but the 2^nd person of the Trinity, his divine nature, could never die.

They continued to challenge the equality issue by taking me to 1 Corinthians 11:2-3 “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. ³ But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” How can Jesus be equal if God the Father is the head over him?  I said similar to a husband and wife being equal in their human natures, the Bible says the husband is to be head over his wife.  The second person of the Trinity (Jesus) is equal in nature to the Father but takes a different role by taking on human flesh, and subjects himself to the headship of the Father.  The Father and the Son can be co-equal, while at the same time the Son submits to the headship of the Father; similar to the headship of the husband over the wife.

The issue of equality depends on our understanding of how one God can subsist in three persons.  I’ve had people ask, how can we say that God is one undivided being and yet in this one being there are three persons?  First, we must understand that each person is fully God; that is each person has the fullness of God’s being in himself.  The Son is not partly God or just one-third of God, but the Son is fully God.  The Father and the Holy Spirit are each fully God.  All three persons are co-equal.  To help you understand how this works I have provided different circles to show the correct and incorrect ways to view the being of God[1].

If the Bible teaches the equality within the Trinity we should expect to see all three persons given equal status in the scriptures.  This is clearly communicated by Matthew in his recording of what Jesus said as he commissioned his disciples.  Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, we notice Matthew says to baptize them in the name, singular.  The conclusion is these three persons are the one God, thus we see the singular for “name.”  In other places when listing multiple names, Matthew utilized “names” plural.  In Matthew 10:2 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.” Matthew chose the singular Greek word for “name” because he was communicating the oneness and equality of one God subsisting in three persons.  Even the Jehovah Witness Bible (NWT) uses name singular, while at the same time denying the Trinity.

The very names “Father” and “Son,” drawn as they are from the family, the most familiar of human institutions, indicate very strongly the distinct personhood of both the Father and the Son. When “the Holy Spirit” is put in the same expression and on the same level as the other two persons, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is also viewed as a person and of equal standing with the Father and the Son[2]. Matthew 28:19 provides strong support for the definition of the Trinity and the equality within the Godhead.

Go to part 12 here

[2] Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology, Zondervan Publ., 1994, p. 230

Incoming search terms for the article:

• steve bruecker mormon trinity (2)
• Trinity father son holy spirit (2)
• the trinity 1 is equal to 3 and 3 is equal to 1 (1)

I am continuing my discussion on how to answer the person who asks, “If the Trinity is such an important doctrine, why isn’t it taught in the Old Testament?”

Here is another passage where one person is called “God” and is distinguished from another person who is also called “God.”  We read Psalm 45:6-7 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” This king is called God and his throne will last “forever and ever.” Then the psalmist says to the king, “Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” Two separate and distinct persons are called God (Elohim); one in verse 6 and a second one in verse 7.  Previously, I presented multiple passages showing the Bible teaches there is only one God (minimum 28 verses).  Based on this fact we can conclude we are looking at two persons and not two gods.  In the New Testament, the author of Hebrews applies this passage to Jesus Christ:  Hebrews 1:8-9 “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’” In verse 8 Jesus is called God and in verse 9 we see where God (the Father) has set him above all.

I have given three examples (two in part 9) where the Old Testament indirectly points to the doctrine of the Trinity.  Remember one of the main reasons we don’t see a more developed presentation of the Triune God is the second person of the Trinity has not come to earth as Jesus.  Once we have the New Covenant, ushered in by Jesus and launched at Pentecost with the power of the Holy Spirit, we see the scriptures directly teaching all three foundational truths of the Trinity; 1) only one God, 2) subsisting in 3 persons, and 3) each person is God.

The Bible teaches progressive truth.  Over time we see certain key realities being more fully revealed.  The Trinity is one of those doctrines progressively revealed and only hinted at through the Old Testament.  The doctrine of salvation is another progressive truth.  The Apostle Paul writes, Romans 16:25-27 “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, ²⁶ but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.” Paul speaks of revealing a mystery that was kept secret long ago.  This mystery is Jesus came to earth to die on a cross and pay the penalty for sins for both Jews and gentiles.  When Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6) he became a follower of God, even though he didn’t know by who or how his sins would be paid. The full payment for the sins of the Old Testament saints wouldn’t be revealed until the time of Jesus.  It was a progressive revelation.  They were still saved by grace through faith but would never see the fulfillment of God’s promise of full forgiveness.  Yet, they experienced the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.  The New Testament reveals additional mysteries that were kept secret in the past.

Go to part 11 here