Beth-El Baptist Church
5/15/05
Is the Trinity Important?
Most, if not all religious organizations that are often identified as being a “cult” will attack what we call “Christianity” by trying to cast doubt on the doctrine of the Trinity. In the past we had looked at the doctrine of the Trinity by evaluating God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Today we will begin a series of investigations of the doctrine of the Trinity by looking at the questions that one of the organizations that denies the Trinity raises. This is an analysis of “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” which was developed by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The questions raised here are rewordings of their original questions to try to get to the heart of what they are asking or presenting.
1. What is the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity?
1 Corinthians 3:11
Eternal life itself hinges on knowing the only true God and knowing the proper Jesus Christ. If you rely on Jesus for your salvation, but it is not the true Jesus of the Bible they you are relying on the wrong person and path for eternal life. Thus it is critical to know that you are following the proper Jesus.
The publication being investigated makes the following quote:
If the Trinity is true, it is degrading to Jesus to say that he was never equal to God as part of a Godhead. But if the Trinity is false, it is degrading to Almighty God to call anyone his equal, and even worse to call Mary the “Mother of God”
This raises some important questions that will be addressed now, and I am sure we will look at them again later as their document lays out their arguments.
Is Jesus equal to God?
Is Mary the “Mother of God”?
2. Is Jesus ever identified as being associated as being equal with God?
John 5:18; 8:54; 10:30-38
Philippians 2:5-11
The Pharisees clearly believed that Jesus was teaching that he was equal with God. Yet notice that Jesus’ answer to them was not a rebuke but an endorsement. Essentially Jesus was saying that if he claimed to be God, but God did not approve of his claim to being divine as is God, then why is he doing the works that God would do? He does not rebuke them, but reemphasizes his claim at being equal to God.
Paul is far more explicit in that he states that Jesus was “in the form of God” and did not reduce nor steal anything from God in being his equal. Paul states clearly that Jesus is equal to God.
3. Is Mary the “mother of God”?
John 2:1-5
Acts 1:14
Romans 1:3-4
Colossians 2:9
Mary is never identified in scripture as being the
“mother of God”. That doctrine is not supportable by scripture. She is however
identified as being the “mother of Jesus” and Jesus is “God”, but she is not
the mother of God. She is, however, the mother of “God in flesh”. Mother of the
bodily form of God. There is a distinction between being the mother of God who
has always been in existence and will always be in existence (Psalm 90:2). The
“manifestation” of God in flesh did not happen until the birth of Jesus. Mary
is simply the mother of Jesus, God in flesh. She provided the flesh he needed
and the early human care he needed but God provided his nature and his
character.
4. Is our reason and intellect sufficient enough to develop the Trinity?
Is such reasoning hard to follow? Many sincere believers have found it to be confusing, contrary to normal reason, unlike anything in their experience.
Let us look at what the scriptures have to say about OUR reasoning and OUR experience.
Isaiah 55:8-9
You see our reasoning and experience is tainted by what we see, hear, and hold in our hands. Jesus clearly identified that the kingdom of God is not physical but is spiritual. Our reasoning and experience has been tainted by sin. We no longer see and understand the things of God as perfectly and clearly as we will when we are with Jesus in heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12), or when salvation has transformed our lives by Jesus (Ephesians 1:18). We will return to this question over time.
5. Is the doctrine of the Trinity beyond “human reason”?
Despite what our publication says that the doctrine of the Trinity cannot be understood and that it has “little or no [effect] in day-to-day Christian life and worship” as well as being the central doctrine of the church, the doctrine of the Trinity can be understood and it has enormous impact on the daily Christian life of the believer. The doctrine is understood as being what the Bible teaches (which we will get to later) and it impacts the daily Christian life because of the value of the death of Jesus and his position as intercessor (which we will get to later).
6. Since there is confusion over the Trinity and “God is not a God of confusion” then it doesn’t it logically follow that the Trinity is false?
The scripture reference about God not being a God of confusion is from 1 Corinthians 14. The use of that verse with respect to the question of the Trinity is clearly taken out of context. That passage is not talking about theology and doctrine in general or about our understanding of God’s nature and character. It is talking about a worship service.
Our understanding of the nature and character of God cannot be nor will it ever be complete and perfect until we are with him, and even then we will still be imperfect for only God is perfect (More on this later). You see it is not God who is confused but imperfect and sinful human being keep wanting to place God in a “box” so they can observe him and completely understand him. As we already saw, God is beyond our complete understanding but he has given us his word, the Bible, so that we can grow in understanding and look to him for salvation through Jesus Christ, the real Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of the Trinity is confusing because we try to place God inside a box so we can understand every part of him, but God cannot be contained yet with respect to the doctrine of the Trinity, He has expressed himself as we hope to develop more fully over time.