Saturday, July 9, 2011
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 KJV).
Is the Trinity exclusively a New Testament doctrine? Jews accuse us Christians of polytheism (worshiping three gods). Although the Jews avoid the New Testament, they cannot ignore the testimony of their Old Testament.
One of the verses used against the doctrine of the Trinity is Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” However, this does not contradict the doctrine of the Trinity. Paul confirms that we serve “one God” and “one Lord” (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:5,6), but we serve one God who exists in three Persons (2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18).
Did you know that the Trinity is found in the Old Testament? Today’s Scripture translates the Hebrew word “Elohiym” as “God.” Actually, “Elohiym” is a plural noun, also used to refer to pagan “gods/idols” (Genesis 31:30; Exodus 20:3; et al.). This term “Elohiym” does not indicate God is three Gods, but one God in three Persons.
In Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let us make man in our image….” The pronoun “us” indicates God is three Persons. While some attempt to make “us” a reference to God speaking to angels, verse 27 confirms “so God created man in his own image.” God did not make man in His image and the angels’ image. God made man is His image.
In Genesis 3:22, after Adam and Eve fall into sin, God says, “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:” God says in Genesis 11:7: “Go to, let us go down….” Again, “us” indicates there are three Persons of the Godhead. Psalm 2:2,3 also uses “their,” using a plural pronoun to refer to God the Father and God the Son.
The seraphim (spirit beings in the angelic world) cried, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). Each “holy” applies to one of the members of the Godhead: one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Ghost.
The Trinity is both an Old and New Testament doctrine.
333 Words of Grace 