Tag: Trinity

Meaning of “Son of God”

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There are a number of terms that are used throughout the gospels, which can be a bit confusing if we are unfamiliar with them. The most basic question is, “Who is Jesus?” Well, Jesus is the Savior, Lord, Messiah, Christ, Deliverer, Son of David, God, Son of God, Son of Man. Did Jesus claim to be God? Is the divinity of Jesus biblical?

Significance of the term, “Son of God”

  • The Son is separate from the Father.
  • The Son is the heir and not the servant of the Father.
  • The Son has the same nature as the Father.

In Regard to Deity

  1. The Jews recognized absolute deity in the phrase, John 5:17-18, 10:33 (Matthew 26:63-66, Luke 22:66-71).
  2. The Son is ascribed deity in Hebrews 1:8-9.
  3. Son of God vs. Son of Man: two designations in the NT, but emphasized his two natures, human and divine.
  4. Jesus claims unity with the Father, John 10:30.
  5. The Son claims equal authority with the Father, John 5:19-21, 25-26, doing the same things (raising the dead, life in themselves).
  6. The Son claims equal honor with the Father, John 5:23.
  7. The Son is also the Creator, Hebrews 1:2.
  8. The Son is the exact representation and image of the Father, his likeness, Hebrews 1:3.
  9. The “only begotten” Son indicates his unique divine nature, John 3:16, 18, 1 John 4:9.
  10. In contrast, believers are begotten of God (John 1:13, 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 4, 18) and sons of God (Romans 8:14, Galatians 3:26).
  11. Doubting Thomas saw undeniable evidence of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:24-29) and declared “My Lord and my God.”

SUMMARY on the two top titles for Jesus:

The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself (Daniel 7:13-14). The Jews of that era would have been familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah.

Concerning the use of “Son of God,” Jewish leaders clearly understood what Jesus meant by using the phrase “Son of God.” To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is “of God” and declares himself to be equal with God.

[Based on my classes with Richard D. Leineweber, Jr. c. 2000]

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The Forgotten God

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I am a fan of Francis Chan, the author of Crazy Love and The Forgotten God. He’s a great speaker and is tremendously challenging. I will one day share information from his books, but that will be another day. Today I will share just a glimpse of the Forgotten God.

The Forgotten God is actually the Holy Spirit. Some faith traditions quote The Apostles’ Creed, which says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Author J. B. Phillips once said, “Every time we say [this] we mean that we believe that [the Holy Spirit] is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”

With the introduction of the Star Wars movies, sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. The Bible describes The Holy Spirit as God. He possesses the attributes of God:

  1. He is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7-8)
  2. He knows all things (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
  3. He has infinite power (Luke 1:35)
  4. He does things that only God can do:
    1. Create (Genesis 1:2)
    2. Give life (Romans 8:2).

The Holy Spirit is equal in every way with the other Persons of the Trinity—the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is a Person who engages in personal ways with us:

  1. He grieves when we sin (Ephesians 4:30)
  2. He teaches us (1 Corinthians 2:13)
  3. He prays for us (Romans 8:26)
  4. He guides us (John 16:13)
  5. He gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11)
  6. He assures us of salvation (Romans 8:16)

The Holy Spirit indwells us if we have received forgiveness of sin through Jesus. He desires to transform us so that we become more and more like Jesus. Let’s cooperate with the Spirit by reading God’s Word and relying on His power to obey what we learn.

I’ve heard it said and believe this to be true: the Christian who neglects the Holy Spirit is like a lamp that’s not plugged in. He is the power of God working through us.

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Ready for Some Theology?

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The other day I stood on my front porch with two Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many people turn out the lights, draw the curtains and ignore the knock on the door, but I like to engage them in conversation. It is only after these types of conversations that I can gain insight into their thoughts on biblical teaching. And besides, if they are on my porch, they are not down the street confusing my neighbors.

I countered with a declaration that I was a Jesus’ Witness, based on Acts 1:8 (Jesus speaking, not Jehovah). Any conversation with must get back to who Jesus is, because if we can’t agree on who Jesus is, it is a moot point on where the kingdom is going to be.

The main debate with the guys on my porch is that they believe the Trinity is a man-made doctrine. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that Jesus is a god (their translation of John 1:1), that he is a created being. So, for them, Jesus is not the everlasting and eternal God. It is true that the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, but evidence for the reality of the Trinity is compelling.

Teaching on the Trinity:

The Trinity means the unity of three persons in one Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Shema states that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the Bible ascribes divinity to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My JW friends on the porch appear to be OK with polytheism (that Jesus was A god, but not THE God).

Outline of the Trinitarian Argument:

  1. God is one. Unity is ascribed to him.
  2. The Father is divine: a distinct person.
  3. The Son is divine: a distinct person.
  4. The Holy Spirit is divine: a distinct person.
  5. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are classed together, separately from all other beings.

Details of the Trinitarian Argument:

  1. God is one: Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, 6:4 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:60, 2 Kings 19:15, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 86:10, Isaiah 44:6-8, 45:22, Jeremiah 10:10, Joel 2:27, Zechariah 14:9, Mark 12:29, John 17:3, Romans 1:21-23, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Galatians 3:20, Ephesians 4:6, 1 Timothy 2:5.
  2. The Father is divine and a distinct person: The word “Father” is used in the Scriptures in a two-fold sense in relation to the Godhead: sometimes as equivalent to God, sometimes to the first person of the Trinity.
    1. Passages where “Father” is used as equivalent to God, not implying personal distinctions: Deuteronomy 32:6, 2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 29:10, Psalm 89:26, Isaiah 63:16, Jeremiah 3:19, Malachi 2:10, Matthew 6:9, Mark 11:25, Luke 12:30, John 4:21, 23, 24, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Philippians 4:20, James 1:17, 1 John 2:15, 16.
    2. Passages applied to God in contrast with Christ, denoting a special relation to Christ as Son, in his office of Redeemer: Psalm 2:1-11, Matthew 11:27, 25:34, Mark 8:38, 14:36, John 5:18-23, 26, 27, 10:15, 30, 17:1, Acts 2:33, Romans 15:6, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 15:24, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Galatians 1:1-4, Ephesians 1:2, 3, 4:5, 6, Philippians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 13, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3, 1 Peter 1:2, 3, 2 Peter 1:17, 1 John 1:3, 4:14, Jude 1:1, Revelation 3:21.
  3. The Son is divine and a distinct person apart from the Father.
    1. Christ is pre-existent, the Son existed as a distinct person before he came into the world: Micah 5:2, John 8:56-58, 17:5, 1 Corinthians 15:47, Philippians 2:6, 7, Colossians 1:17, 1 John 1:1, Revelation 22:13, 16 (read these two together).
    2. Christ is not merely pre-existent, but the Son is pre-eminent, above all things except the Father, co-eternal with the Father: Matthew 11:27, 28:18, Luke 20:41-44, John 3:13, 31, Acts 10:36, Romans 14:9, Ephesians 1:20-22, Philippians 2:9, 10, Colossians 1:15, 17, 18, Hebrews 1:4-6, 1 Peter 3:22, Revelation 1:5 3:14.
    3. Christ is creator of the universe: John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2, 10.
    4. Christ has divine attributes ascribed to him:
      1. Omnipotence: Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 28:18, John 10:17, 18, 11:25, 1 Corinthians 1:24, Philippians 3:21, Colossians 2:10, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 1:8.
      2. Omnipresence (albeit suspended during the incarnation): Matthew 18:20, 28:20, Ephesians 1:23
      3. Eternity: Micah 5:2, John 1:1, Revelation 1:8.
      4. Omniscience: Matthew 11:27, Luke 10:22, John 2:24, 25, 21:17, Acts 1:24, Colossians 2:3, Revelation 2:23.
      5. The divine name is applied to him as to no other being except the Father, implying supreme divinity: Psalm 102:24, 25, Hebrews 1:8-10, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Malachi 3:1, Matthew 1:23, John 1:1, 20:28, Acts 20:28, Romans 9:5, Ephesians 5:5, Philippians 2:6, Colossians 2:9, Titus 1:3, 2:13, Hebrews 1:8-10, Psalm 102:24, 25, 2 Peter 1:1, 1 John 5:20, Revelation 17:14, 19:16.
      6. He is shown in the Scriptures as the object of religious worship: Matthew 2:11, 14:33, 15:25, 28:16, Luke 24:52, John 5:23, Acts 7:59, 60, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 2,Corinthians 12:8, 9, Galatians 1:5, Philippians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 12, 2 Timothy 4:18, Hebrews 1:6, Psalm 97:7, 2 Peter 3:18, Revelation 5:13.
  4. The Holy Spirit is divine and a distinct person from the Father and the Son.
    1. The Holy Spirit is divine, called the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Son, the Holy Spirit, the
      Spirit of truth, the Spirit of life: Genesis 1:2, 6:3, Nehemiah 9:30, Isaiah 63:10, Ezekiel 36:27, 28, Acts 2:16, 17, Joel 2:28, Matthew 10:20, Luke 12:12, John 14:16, 17, 15:26, Acts 5:3, 4 28:25, Romans 8:14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:8, Hebrews 2:4, 1 Peter 1:2,
    2. The Holy Spirit is distinct from Father and Son, and is personal, (the personal pronoun HE applied to him with personal acts ascribed to him): Matthew 3:16, 17, 28:19, Mark 1:10, 11, Luke 3:21, 22, John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13, Acts 13:2, 4, 15:28, Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 12:11.
    3. The Holy Spirit has converting and regenerating power ascribed to him: Nehemiah 9:20, Isaiah 44:3, Ezekiel 36:26, 27, 37:14, Joel 2:28, Matthew 3:11, John 3:5, 6, 14:26, Acts 9:31, Romans 8:9, 11, 14, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 1:22 5:5, Galatians 4:6, 5:22, Ephesians 1:13, 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 John 3:24, Revelation 22:17.
  5. The Father, Son, and Spirit are classed together, separately from all other beings, as divine: Matthew 28:19, Romans 8:9, 14-17, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, Jude 1:20, 21.
  6. Result of the biblical evidence in respect to the divinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
    1. That the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are personally distinguished from each other, yet there is recognized
      throughout the Bible a personal relationship of the Father and Son to each other, and with the Holy Spirit to both.
    2. They each have divine names and attributes.
    3. Yet there is only one God. Polytheism is rejected.

Devotion on the Trinity: A friend of mine wrote this (Joel Sutton)

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:16-17

The baptism of Jesus is a well-choreographed portrayal of how the Trinity interacts with each other. The Almighty speaks from above, the Source of ultimate authority in the spiritual world. He speaks as the Father, showing He’s the one in charge. The Spirit then wings from the heavens down toward the earth. He symbolizes the transfer of power and authority to Jesus. The Spirit shows that he’s the means of empowerment. Then you have Jesus, dripping wet. He demonstrates beautifully the submissiveness of his role as Son.

This is how things always function with the three members of the Trinity. The Father wasn’t down on the earth. The Spirit didn’t send the Father. Jesus wasn’t speaking from heaven. The Father didn’t die on the cross; the Son did. The Spirit brings glory to the Son and not vice versa.

What does this set-up have to do with you? It’s how you experience the marvels of salvation. Jesus paid the price for your sins by submitting himself to a horrendous death by crucifixion. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you have opened up yourself to the Spirit. He is the means by which you receive everything you need for the Christian life. The Father is ready to supply all the resources necessary for experiencing a victorious life.

The Father has His role, the Spirit knows what he’s to do, and Jesus is the one and only Savior. Each member of the Trinity is doing everything possible to rescue you from sin. Are you cooperating?

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