Category: Trinity / Godhead

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3 KJV).

In the context of today’s Scripture, the prophet Isaiah receives a vision from the LORD. Isaiah saw and heard seraphim (spirit beings in the angelic world) praising God, singing: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts.” Four beasts (cherubim, other spirit beings in the angelic world) are also singing to God in Revelation 4:8: “Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Why is “holy” thrice exclaimed to God on these two occasions?

One of the most difficult Bible doctrines to understand is the Trinity, that God exists in three coequal and coeternal Persons—Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. Although we cannot fully comprehend this doctrine, we believe it because the Bible gives ample proof that God is three Persons (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 11:7,8; Psalm 2:3; Isaiah 9:6; John 10:29,30; Acts 5:3,4; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 3:18; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3,8; 1 Peter 1:11; 1 John 5:7; et al.). Today’s Scripture is one such example: one “holy” applies to each Person of the Godhead. But, how can God be thrice holy? Because He is three Persons, and each of the three Persons of the Godhead is holy!

The word “holy” simply means “set apart.” For example, Jesus Christ is “holy… separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). In Psalm 22:3, the Messiah (Jesus Christ), from Calvary’s cross, says to God His Father: “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Finally, the Holy Ghost is “holy” (He is separate from all other spirits).

God the Father is holy, God the Son (Jesus Christ) is holy, and God the Holy Spirit is holy. They are unique when compared to creation: they were not created, they do not sin, and they exist independent of everything else. These three Persons of the Godhead live in harmony with each other in full fellowship with and love for one another. Amazingly, They want us to participate in that fellowship, and saints, through Christ’s finished crosswork, we will fellowship with all three for all eternity!

The Holy Spirit: Person or Force?

Monday, July 18, 2011

“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? … Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3,4 KJV).

Is the Holy Spirit a Person of the Godhead? According to the cults, the Holy Ghost is simply God’s “active force,” not God. Today’s Scripture says that the Holy Ghost is God. Will you believe God? (Will you believe the Holy Ghost?) Or will you believe the worthless, foolish tradition of men?

Furthermore, according to the Bible, the Holy Spirit exhibits the characteristics of a Person, not an inanimate force:

  • The Holy Ghost speaks, shows, and guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
  • The Holy Ghost can be blasphemed/spoken against (Matthew 12:31,32; Mark 3:29-31; Luke 12:10).
  • The Holy Ghost can be grieved/saddened (Ephesians 4:30).
  • The Holy Ghost teaches with words (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
  • The Holy Ghost speaks (2 Samuel 23:2; 1 Kings 22:24; 2 Chronicles 18:23; Ezekiel 11:5; Matthew 10:20; Mark 13:11; Acts 1:16; Acts 8:29; Acts 10:19; Acts 28:25; Galatians 4:6; 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:7; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; Revelation 3:6,13,22; Revelation 14:13; Revelation 22:17).
  • The Holy Ghost reveals (Luke 2:26; Ephesians 3:5).
  • The Holy Ghost lives/dwells (John 14:17; Romans 8:9,11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14).
  • The Holy Ghost appoints (Acts 20:28).
  • The Holy Ghost invites or requests (Acts 11:12).
  • The Holy Ghost bears witness (John 15:26; Acts 5:32; Acts 20:23; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 10:15; 1 John 5:6-8).
  • The Holy Ghost makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26,27).
  • The Holy Ghost reasons/thinks (Acts 15:28).
  • The Holy Ghost has knowledge (1 Corinthians 2:10,11).
  • The Holy Ghost can be tested (Acts 5:9).
  • The Holy Ghost can be vexed/troubled (Isaiah 63:10).

The above verses are just a few examples of the Holy Ghost exhibiting the attributes of a Person. He is not simply “God’s active force,” as the cults suggest. The Holy Spirit is a living Person, one of the three Persons of the Godhead.

Can the Trinity Be Found in the Old Testament?

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.