Isaiah 40:12-26, What do ya’ know: God is Triune (2)

Let us now search the Scriptures concerning “the Triune God.”

1)    There is one God (and God is One).  Deut. 6:4-7; 32:36-39; 2 Sam. 7:22; Isaiah 45:18; Matt. 19:17; Mark 12:32; 1 Cor. 8:4; James 2:19.

The most well-known statement of the “unity of God” is “the Shema” in Deut. 6:4-7.  “Shema” is the Hebrew word for “hear,” the first word in v4.  Israel needed to hear this clearly: “The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”  And because there is only one God, we must love Him with all our heart, soul and strength; none of that can be saved for another “god” and especially not for ourselves.  Read the other passages.  God Himself says, there is no God besides me.  Jesus said, There is no one good but One, God.  James says that even the demons understand there is only One God.  Because of this there are several implications: we do not believe …

a)    … that there are many Gods (polytheism) as the Greeks and Romans believed.

b)    … that there are two eternal Gods (dualism), one good and one bad, fighting for control of the universe.

c)    … that Jesus was “a” god but not “THE” God, as Jehovah’s Witnesses and others claim.

2)    The One God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  How do we know this?

a)    The Bible says each is God.  Read each of these passages; they are rich.

i)      The Father is God.

(1)                        Matt. 11:25: The Father is “Lord of heaven and earth.”

(2)                        Rom. 15:6: God is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(3)                        1 Cor. 8:6: There is One God, the Father from whom are all things.

(4)                        Eph. 4:6: There is One God and Father of all.

ii)   The Son is God.

(1)                        Matt. 1:23: Jesus’ name Immanuel means “God with us.”

(2)                        John 1:1: We discussed this earlier: the Word (Jesus) was God.

(3)                        John 20:28: Thomas called Jesus “my Lord and my God” and Jesus did not reprove him.

(4)                        Rom. 9:5: Christ is “the eternally blessed God.”

(5)                        Heb. 1:6,8: The angels worship Jesus; and the Son is called “God.”

(6)                        1 John 5:20: Jesus Christ is “the eternal God.”

iii)            The Holy Spirit is God.  Compare these passages where an act of God in one passage is done by the Spirit in another.

(1)                        Exodus 17:2-7/Heb. 3:7-9: God said it; yet the Spirit said it.

(2)                        Acts 5:3/Acts 5:4: To lie to the Spirit is to lie to God.

(3)                        Isa. 6:8-10/Acts 28:25-27: Again, God said it, yet the Spirit said it.

(4)                        John 3:6/1 John 5:4: Those born of the Spirit are born of God.