On the Trinity

New Article from Pulpit Magazine
The Trinity

Posted: (By John MacArthur)

The Trinity is an unfathomable, and yet unmistakable doctrine in Scripture. As Jonathan Edwards noted, after studying the topic extensively, “I think [the doctrine of the Trinity] to be the highest and deepest of all Divine mysteries” (An Unpublished Treatise on the Trinity). Yet, though the fullness of the Trinity is far beyond human comprehension, it is unquestionably how God has revealed Himself in Scripture—as one God eternally existing in three Persons.

This is not to suggest, of course, that the Bible presents three different gods (cf. Deut. 6:4). Rather, God is three Persons in one essence; the Divine essence subsists wholly and indivisibly, simultaneously and eternally, in the three members of the one Godhead—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures are clear that these three Persons together are one and only one God (Deut. 6:4). John 10:30 and 33 explain that the Father and the Son are one. First Corinthians 3:16 shows that the Father and the Spirit are one. Romans 8:9 makes clear that the Son and the Spirit are one. And John 14:16, 18, and 23 demonstrate that the Father, Son, and Spirit are one.

Yet, in exhibiting the unity between the members of the Trinity, the Word of God in no way denies the simultaneous existence and distinctiveness of each of the three Persons of the Godhead. In other words, the Bible makes it clear that God is one God (not three), but that the one God is a Trinity of Persons.

In the Old Testament, the Bible implies the idea of the Trinity in several ways. The title Elohim (”God”), for instance, is a plural noun which can suggest multiplicity (cf. Gen. 1:26). This corresponds to the fact that the plural pronoun (”us”) is sometimes used of God (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 6:8). More directly, there are places in which God’s name is applied to more than one Person in the same text (Ps. 110:1; cf. Gen. 19:24). And there are also passages where all three divine Persons are seen at work (Is. 48:16; 61:1).

The New Testament builds significantly on these truths, revealing them more explicitly. The baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 designates all three Persons of the Trinity: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” In his apostolic benediction to the Corinthians, Paul underscored this same reality. He wrote, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [the Father], and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). Other New Testament passages also spell out the glorious truth of the Triune God (Romans 15:16, 30; 2 Cor. 1:21–22; Eph. 2:18).

In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. They are not merely modes or manifestations of the same person (as Oneness theology incorrectly asserts) who sometimes acts as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. At Christ’s baptism, all three Persons were simultaneously active (Matt. 3:16–17), with the Son being baptized, the Spirit descending, and the Father speaking from Heaven. Jesus Himself prayed to the Father (cf. Matt. 6:9), taught that His will was distinct from His Father’s (Matt. 26:39), promised that He would ask the Father to send the Spirit (John 14:6), and asked the Father to glorify Him (John 17:5). These actions would not make sense unless the Father and the Son were two distinct Persons. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit intercedes before the Father on behalf of believers (Rom. 8:26), as does the Son, who is our Advocate (1 John 2:1). Again, the distinctness of each Person is in view.

The Bible is clear. There is only one God, yet He exists, and always has existed, as a Trinity of Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (cf. John 1:1, 2). To deny or misunderstand the Trinity is to deny or misunderstand the very nature of God Himself.

* Today’s article was adapted from John’s commentary on 1-3 John.

The People of the Local Church

Believers are to:
_ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, Rom. 12:10.
_ Give preference in honor to one another, Rom. 12:10
_ Be of the same mind one toward another, Rom. 12:16; 15:5; 1 Peter 3:8
_ To love one another, Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Jn. 3:23; 2Jn 5; John 13:34; 15:12,17
_ Not judge one another, Rom. 14:13 - Yet to judge false doctrine.
_ Edify one another, Rom. 14:19; 1 Thess. 5:11
_ Receive one another, Rom. 15:7
_ Admonish one another, Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16
_ Salute one another with a holy kiss, Rom. 16:16. This is a "handshake" in America.
_ Not be puffed up on behalf of one against the other, 1 Cor. 4:6
_ Not go to law one with another, 1 Cor. 6:7. This includes divorce between believers.
_ Tarry one for another, 1 Cor. 11:33
_ Have the same care one for another, 1 Cor. 12:25.
_ By love serve one another, Gal. 5:13
_ Not consume one another, Gal. 5:15
_ Not provoke one another, Gal. 5:26
_ Not to envy one another, Gal. 5:26
_ Bear one another's burdens, Gal. 6:2
_ Bear with all lowliness and meekness, w/longsuffering, forbear with one another in love, Eph. 4:2
_ Not lie to one another, Col. 3:9; Eph. 4:25
_ Be kind one to another, Eph. 4:32
_ Forgive one another, Eph.. 4:32; Col. 3:13
_ Submit themselves to one another in the fear of God, Eph. 5:21; 1 Pet 5:5.
_ Teach one another, Col.3:16
_ Comfort one another, 1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11
_ Not show partiality to one another, 1 Tim. 5:21
_ Consider one another, Heb. 10:24
_ Exhort one another, Heb. 10:25; 3:13
_ Not speak evil of one another, James 4:11.
_ Not grumble, grudge not against one another, James 5:9
_ Confess faults one to another, James 5:16
_ Pray for one another, James 5:16
_ Be hospitable to one another, 1 Peter 4:9.
_ Use their gifts to minister to one another,1 Peter 4:10

The Use of Reason in Our Faith

FAITH AND REASON: THE USE OF REASON IN OUR FAITH
FALL/WINTER 2008/2009
MARCH 11, 2009
I. REASON IS A WONDERFUL GIFT FROM GOD
   A. In the image of God, our reasonable, omniscient Creator-see Gen. 1:26,27
   B. Our mental or intellectual capacity employing rational thought and communication
   C. Like every other gift from God it is to be used to serve and glorify God…1 Cor 10:31
   D. God loves our use of reason
      1. We are to love the Lord our God with our mind…Mt 22:37
       2. He delights in our discovery of the things which He has made…Prov. 25:2
       3. The man is blessed who uses his faculty of reason to meditate on the Word of God …Psa 1:1-3
       4. God calls us to reason with Him indicating that He has given us the gift of rationality that is able to grasp what He is saying when we sit down with Him and listen. He is not unreasonable or unable to be understood
… Isa 1:18
       5. Paul used reason with revelation to persuade men of the truth of the gospel… Acts 17:2; 18:4; 18:19; 24:25

II. SINCE REASON WAS GIVEN THAT WE MIGHT GLORIFY GOD, AND SINCE THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY, REASON IS TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REVELATION OF GOD
   A. To use reason independent of God and His Word invites destruction… Gen 6:5; 8:21; Deu 29:14-20: Psa 2:lff
   B. To use reason independent of God and His Word leads to idolatry, futility, loss of life direction and ultimately to gross sin without a conscience to prevent it…Rom 1:21-32
   C. To use reason independent of God and His word causes one not to recognize the obvious gifts of God… Mt. 21:23-27
   D. The use of reason independent of God and His word cheats humans of their reward, of true life and of sound truth being founded on philosophies that are based on the traditions of men and the basic principles of the world. Col 2:8, 18-23
   E. The use of reason independent of God and His word leads to faithless wickedness…2 Thess 3:2
   F. The use of reason with the revelation of God gives one direction, meaning, and purpose in life…Prov 3:5-8
   G. The use of reason with His revelation is the proper means to give a reasonable answer to any man who asks for the reason of our hope… l Pet3:15
   H. The use of reason together with the revelation of God tears down strongholds of bondage and tyranny and things which exalt themselves against the knowledge of …2 Cor 10:3-5
…Reason and Revelation are both gifts of God!

III. GOD INTENDS US TO BE REASONABLE MEN WHO COUNT ON THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVINCE MEN OF THE TRUTH B UT WHO ALSO USE THE REASONABLE WORD OF GOD AS OUR SOURCE.
   A. Our lives must start with the knowledge that the new man is created by God and that God's revelation is total, absolute Truth
   B. Our presentations of the truth whether verbal or life lived should be thought out and rational
   C. Our presentations of the truth whether verbal or by life lived should be based on reasonable study of the Word of God
   D. Our presentations of the truth whether verbal or life lived must be done under the power of the Holy Spirit of God…2 Cor 2:
   E. Our presentations of the truth whether verbal or life lived must hold to the sovereignty of God, the sufficiency of Scripture and the autonomy of God's Word not the autonomy of reason.
   F. Some presuppositions that we must have in order to make a truthful presentation (one in which God, not reason, is autonomous) *
       1. God must sovereignly grant understanding
       2. One must believe in order to understand
      3. Total reliance upon God's word to create faith and not our own clever arguments; God's word is self-attesting
       4. There is no neutrality; neutrality equals unbelief
       5. Unbelief rests in intellectual foolishness
   G. Conditions necessary for the believer
       1. All knowledge is in Christ; we must trust Him as Lord
       2. Total faith in the sufficiency of Scripture
       3. Humble boldness, not arrogant confidence

*These have been garnered from Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready, edited by Robert R. Booth, Covenant Media Foundation, Nacogdoches, TX., 2000, pp 81-106

The Christian Responsibility to Government

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERNMENT
FALL/WINTER 2008/2009
MARCH 04, 2009
ROMANS 13:1-7

I. EXEGETING THE TEXT
    A. "Let every soul..." Is Paul laying down a universal principal for all men everywhere, saved and unsaved? Why would the unsaved be reading this 'Christian literature' addressed to those in church? Why would it have any importance to an unbeliever? But are the unsaved exempt from its principal? Is Paul's counsel valid for all men? It certainly must be for believers in the church as it is addressed to them in particular.
   B. "...be subject..." The word for "submission means to get in an orderly alignment under the responsible party.
   1. It is functional and practical and is about smooth operating teamwork.
      a. Each one on the team has a function that must be performed;
      b. Any team member seeking to take the responsibility from another OR dropping his duty OR choosing to do his own thing instead of the team's, OR stopping to criticize another team member OR simply losing focus of the team goal is only going to create conflision, loss or even death..
   2. Consequently, the idea behind submission is voluntarily setting aside of one's personal rights or preferences to a
fellow team member to complete his duty in order that the goal of the team might be reached and accomplished.
   C. "...to the governing authorities." Literally, the ones who are superior, held over you, more excellent or higher than you are and who also are in an executive position of authority, or right over you. 'Ecousia' are those who can exercise their rights without restraint from others; they exercise unrestricted possibility or freedom of action
   D. "For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." God as sovereign has delegated authority or freedom to act over others to human beings. This is not a declaration of their moral superiority but of His authority to use human authority to carry out His will.
He has set them in order, arranged them, designed them for a particular time for His own often unstated purpose. It was done from long before they actually appeared as an authority. This means God appoints the authority not his actions. The authority is free to act but accountable to God for his actions. "Therefore whoever resists..." Sets up a new order or design in opposition to the one God has established. This word, to resist, is the word used to describe God's action against the proud.
   E. "...resists the ordinance of God,..." the resister sets himself in a battle array against God's commanded order creating chaos and confusion
   F. "...will bring judgment on themselves." It looks from this verse that God does not have to intervene because their judgment they bring upon themselves - their actions themselves bring judgment
   G. "For rulers are not...but to..." Contrast describing why God has put authorities here - to be a deterrent (1iterally a "terror") to evil not to good works. God wants good works performed as He ordained them beforehand (Eph 2:10) and intended them to be done by all people everywhere. When this is not done His goodness is resisted. "Terror" is the word from which we get phobia, fear. If we do not want this fear operating in our lives then we have to
   H. "Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same." This shows that those who do not resist authority but instead seek to serve them through good works our Lord has already taught us (1ove one another, love our neighbor's as ourselves, doing unto others as we would have them do to us, serving others while loving God) we would have the praise of those in authority.
   I. "For he is God's minister..." Literally he is God's deacon to do good. The only time we need to be afraid is when we are doing evil.
   J. "...does not bear the sword in vain..." He has been given the "sword", a weapon with which to kill and conquer enemies. It is God who has given it to him along with the authority/power to use it; it was given to avenge by executing wrath on the ones practicing evil.
   K. "Therefore you must be subject,... wrath...conscience sake." Two good reasons are given to motivate us to submission:
   1. To avoid the wrath of the king and therefore the wrath of God
   2. To keep a clear conscience with God - it is His ordinance and you must keep a clear conscience with the One who redeemed you.
   L. "For because of this you...taxes...God's ministers..." We show our submission by willingly paying the taxes necessary to give him his living wage for his continual ministry (liturgy) to us on behalf of God.
   M. "Render therefore to all their due:..." literally, a debt or what is owed.
      Taxes or tribute to whom they are owed
      Customs to whom customs - completing the service you promised or were obligated to complete
      Fear to whom fear - both respect and an honest analysis of their power to destroy you
      Honor to whom honor - respect of position or worth

II. APPLYING THE TEXT
   A. The believer must always have at the forefront of his thinking, pleasing God, God's sovereignty over all and His will at work in accomplishing his pre-announced plan for the ages
   B. He must meet this with humility and faith (trust in God's wisdom and goodness)
   C. He then must be grateful that God is His infinite wisdom does not want the earth in chaos and confusion so He has delegated or appointed authority by men, over men
   D. As a result of his careful consideration of the working of God he puts himself in submission to the authorities over him in order to accomplish the work of the "team" God has ordained. God is always advancing the kingdom and the believer must look for the way in which God is advancing it each time and work with it.
   E. He must carefully consider that both the freedom to act unrestrained and the power to do his plan are given to the
authority by God. Because of God's arrangement, both the subject and the ruler are accountable to God for their actions individually.
      F. Since it is God that has given it, resistance to the authority must be carefully considered by the believer as resistance to God.
G. If the authority does that which the believer simply cannot do because it violates the law of God he must determine if he is to obey God or man. If he concludes he must obey God and there is a conflict with the authority he must willingly accept his judgment and face the authority. He may make appeal but the authority will decide whether to listen to the appeal or to carry out his judgment against the ruler. Think of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as well as our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul.
   H. In the context of our representative republic, the United States of America, the authority established is found in law. That law is the U.S. Constitution; all American citizens regardless of position are subject to that law. Powers of the authorities are laid out in that document; believers as well as unbelievers are under its protection. We must all become familiar with it to the point that we know what resistance is.
   I. We are not resisting when
   1. We seek to change laws through the legislative process laid
out for us.
   2. When we vote against or for a candidate
   3. When we criticize a policy, law or even legislator, executive
or judge for not living up to the constitution or the Holy
Scriptures
   4. When we peacefully assemble to let our disagreement be known; consider Mordecai, Ezra or Ezekiel
   5. When we petition our government with our grievances
   6. When we seek to help those who have been oppressed by unjust laws

When are we resisting? When would resistance or civil disobedience be right or would it ever? Does it resist the ordinance of God when we refuse to obey an unjust law (consider Corrie ten Boom or those who resisted Hitler; while you are at it consider Rahab the harlot, Daniel and praying, the three friends of Daniel and bowing before the golden image)? What about refusing to performing an abortion, or refusing to stop preaching about the sin of homosexuality (and the 10 commandments)from the pulpit?