
Notes on the Trinity
by Helen Fryman Setterfield (bhs4light@sbcglobal.net)
The concept of the Trinity is present from the opening verse of the Bible, actually. The word "God" in Genesis 1:1 is "elohim." This is not a simple plural of the word 'god.' The plural of that word, which means 'two,' is "eloh." "Elohim" means "three or more."
In Deuteronomy 6:4, we have the resounding,
"Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one!"
"God" is, there again, "Elohim." What is also interesting is that the last word of that, the word "one" is the word "echad." "Echad" means unity in plurality. It is the same word used regarding marriage in Genesis. 2:24, when a man is to leave his mother and father and become one with his wife. The word which is NOT used there to mean "one" is "yachid." "Yachid" means a unique singularity.
Now go to Isaiah 9 -- the famous Christmas verse:
"For unto us a child is bornto us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be calledWonderful Counselor,Mighty God,Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace."
Now go to Isaiah 44:6 --
"This is what the LORD says -- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:I am the first and I am the last;Apart from me there is no God."
Please cross reference this with Jesus' words to John in Revelation 1:17-18 --
"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever."
Check the Gospel of John, opening sentences, opening chapter:
"In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [Remember Genesis 1:1 -- "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.:] .... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Please note also that the absolutely correct translation of the Greek is "...and God was the Word," - I urge you to look it up.
And remember Jesus words' at the end of Matthew: "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...." and, again, Jesus' words defining eternal life in John 17:3 clearly equate Him with the Father.
And so, although we may not understand the Trinity with our human minds very well, the doctrine of the Trinity is present in the Bible from the first. Jesus is God Himself in the flesh, and it was because this was His very claim that the Pharisees were so outraged and attempted several times to stone Him.
THE TRINITY (GENERAL)
God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as Father. They are separate persons; yet, they are all the one God. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God. A further point of clarification is that God is not one person, the Father, with Jesus as a creation and the Holy Spirit as a force (Jehovah's Witnesses). Neither is He one person who took three consecutive forms, i.e., the Father who became the Son who then became the Holy Spirit (United Pentecostal). Nor is the Trinity an office held by three separate Gods (Mormonism). The chart below should help you to see how the doctrine of the Trinity is derived from Scripture. The list is not exhaustive, only illustrative. "I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5).
T H E T R I N I T Y (ATTRIBUTES)
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Called God
Philippians 1:2
John 1:1,14
Acts 5:3-4
Creator
Isaiah 64:8; 44:24
Colossians 1:15-17
Job 33:4,26:13
Resurrects
1 Thessalonians 1:10
John 2:19, 10:17
Romans 8:11
Indwells
2 Corinthians 6:16
Colossians 1:27
John 14:17
Everywhere
1 Kings 8:27
Matthew 28:20
Psalms 139:7-10
All knowing
1 John 3:20
John 16:30
1 Corinthians 2:10-11
Sanctifies
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Hebrews 2:11
1 Peter 1:2
Life giver
Genesis. 2:7
John 1:3; 5:21
2 Corinthians 3:6,8
Fellowship
1 John 1:3
1 Corinthians 1:9
2 Corinthians 13:14
Eternal
Psalms 90:2
Micah 5:1-2
Romans 8:11
A Will
Luke 22:42
Luke 22:42
1 Corinthians 12:11
Speaks
Matthew 3:17
Luke 5:20; 7:48
Acts 8:29
Love
John 3:16
Ephesians 5: 25
Romans 15:30
Searches the heart
Jeremiah 17:10
Revelation. 2:23
1 Corinthians 2:10
We belong to
John 17:9
John 17:6
Savior
1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3
2 Timothy 1:10
We serve
Matthew 4:10
Colossians 3:24
Believe in
John 14:1
John 14:1
Gives joy
John 15:11
Romans 14:17
Judges
John 8:50
John 5:21,30
Some Unique Scriptures
Revelation 1:7-8 Jesus was the Almighty.Genesis 17:1 And the Almighty was God.
John 8:58 Jesus was the "I Am"Exodus 3:14 and the "I Am" was God
Acts 3:14 Jesus was the "HOLY ONE"Isaiah 43:15 and the "HOLY ONE" was God
John 8:24 Jesus is the "I Am He"Isaiah 43:10 and the "I Am He" was God
Revelation 22:13 Jesus is the "First and the Last"Isaiah 44:6 and the "First and the Last" was God
I Corinthians 10:4 Jesus was "The Rock"Psalm 18:31 and "The Rock" was God
II Corinthians 11:2 Jesus was the "One HUSBAND"Jeremiah 31:32 and the "One HUSBAND" was God
Matthew 23:8 Jesus was the "ONE MASTER"Malachi 1:6 and the "ONE MASTER" was God
John 10:16 Jesus was the "One SHEPHERD"Isaiah 40:11 and the "ONE SHEPHERD" was God
Acts 4:12 Jesus was the "ONE SAVIOR"Isaiah 45:21 and the "ONE SAVIOR" was God
Luke 1:68 Jesus was the "ONE REDEEMER"Isaiah 41:14 and the "ONE REDEEMER" was God
Revelation 19:16 Jesus was "LORD OF LORDS1 Timothy 6:14 Jesus was "LORD OF LORDSDeuteronomy 10:17 and the "LORD OF LORDS" was God
Philippians 2:10 Every knee must bow to JesusIsaiah 45:23 Every knee must bow to God
John 1: 3-10 Jesus was the "ONE CREATOR"Isaiah 44:24 Jesus was the "ONE CREATOR"Genesis 1:1 and the "ONE CREATOR" was God
John 1:49 Jesus was "KING OF ISRAEL"Isaiah 44:6 and the "KING OF ISRAEL" was God
Deuteronomy 4:35 The Lord He is God, there is NONE else beside him
Deuteronomy 4:39 there is None Else
Deuteronomy 6:4 the Lord our God is ONE Lord
Deuteronomy 32:39 I even I, am He and THERE IS NO GOD WITH ME
1 Kings 8:60 The LORD is God - There is None Else
2 Kings 19:15 You ALONE are the only true God
Psalm 86:10 You are God, YOU ALONE
Isaiah 42:8 I am Jehovah, and to no one else shall I give my own glory
Isaiah 43:10,11 Before me there was no God formed NEITHER SHALL THERE BE AFTER ME. I, EVEN I AM THE LORD: AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO SAVIOR.
Isaiah 44:6 I AM THE FIRST, AND THE LAST: AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO GOD
Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord, and there is NONE ELSE, THERE IS NO GOD BESIDE ME
Isaiah 45:6 There is NONE beside Me. I am the Lord and there is NONE else.
Isaiah 45:15 you are a God, the /god of Israel, a Savior.
Isaiah 45:22 turn to me and be saved. For I am God, and there is no one else
Isaiah 48:11 I will not give my glory unto another.Isaiah 45:5
Isaiah 48:12 I am he, I am the first, I also am the Last. Revelation 1:8
Hosea 13:4 I am Jehovah your God, there was no God except me, and there was no savior but I.
Joel 2:27 I am your God, and None Else
Zechariah 14:9 In that day shall there be ONE LORD AND HIS NAME ONE
Philippians 2:11 that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father
Matthew 23:9 For one is your Father, the heavenly one
Mark 12:29 Jehovah our god is one Jehovah
by Helen Fryman Setterfield (bhs4light@sbcglobal.net)
The concept of the Trinity is present from the opening verse of the Bible, actually. The word "God" in Genesis 1:1 is "elohim." This is not a simple plural of the word 'god.' The plural of that word, which means 'two,' is "eloh." "Elohim" means "three or more."
In Deuteronomy 6:4, we have the resounding,
"Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one!"
"God" is, there again, "Elohim." What is also interesting is that the last word of that, the word "one" is the word "echad." "Echad" means unity in plurality. It is the same word used regarding marriage in Genesis. 2:24, when a man is to leave his mother and father and become one with his wife. The word which is NOT used there to mean "one" is "yachid." "Yachid" means a unique singularity.
Now go to Isaiah 9 -- the famous Christmas verse:
"For unto us a child is bornto us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be calledWonderful Counselor,Mighty God,Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace."
Now go to Isaiah 44:6 --
"This is what the LORD says -- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:I am the first and I am the last;Apart from me there is no God."
Please cross reference this with Jesus' words to John in Revelation 1:17-18 --
"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever."
Check the Gospel of John, opening sentences, opening chapter:
"In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [Remember Genesis 1:1 -- "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.:] .... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Please note also that the absolutely correct translation of the Greek is "...and God was the Word," - I urge you to look it up.
And remember Jesus words' at the end of Matthew: "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...." and, again, Jesus' words defining eternal life in John 17:3 clearly equate Him with the Father.
And so, although we may not understand the Trinity with our human minds very well, the doctrine of the Trinity is present in the Bible from the first. Jesus is God Himself in the flesh, and it was because this was His very claim that the Pharisees were so outraged and attempted several times to stone Him.
THE TRINITY (GENERAL)
God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as Father. They are separate persons; yet, they are all the one God. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God. A further point of clarification is that God is not one person, the Father, with Jesus as a creation and the Holy Spirit as a force (Jehovah's Witnesses). Neither is He one person who took three consecutive forms, i.e., the Father who became the Son who then became the Holy Spirit (United Pentecostal). Nor is the Trinity an office held by three separate Gods (Mormonism). The chart below should help you to see how the doctrine of the Trinity is derived from Scripture. The list is not exhaustive, only illustrative. "I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5).
T H E T R I N I T Y (ATTRIBUTES)
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Called God
Philippians 1:2
John 1:1,14
Acts 5:3-4
Creator
Isaiah 64:8; 44:24
Colossians 1:15-17
Job 33:4,26:13
Resurrects
1 Thessalonians 1:10
John 2:19, 10:17
Romans 8:11
Indwells
2 Corinthians 6:16
Colossians 1:27
John 14:17
Everywhere
1 Kings 8:27
Matthew 28:20
Psalms 139:7-10
All knowing
1 John 3:20
John 16:30
1 Corinthians 2:10-11
Sanctifies
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Hebrews 2:11
1 Peter 1:2
Life giver
Genesis. 2:7
John 1:3; 5:21
2 Corinthians 3:6,8
Fellowship
1 John 1:3
1 Corinthians 1:9
2 Corinthians 13:14
Eternal
Psalms 90:2
Micah 5:1-2
Romans 8:11
A Will
Luke 22:42
Luke 22:42
1 Corinthians 12:11
Speaks
Matthew 3:17
Luke 5:20; 7:48
Acts 8:29
Love
John 3:16
Ephesians 5: 25
Romans 15:30
Searches the heart
Jeremiah 17:10
Revelation. 2:23
1 Corinthians 2:10
We belong to
John 17:9
John 17:6
Savior
1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3
2 Timothy 1:10
We serve
Matthew 4:10
Colossians 3:24
Believe in
John 14:1
John 14:1
Gives joy
John 15:11
Romans 14:17
Judges
John 8:50
John 5:21,30
Some Unique Scriptures
Revelation 1:7-8 Jesus was the Almighty.Genesis 17:1 And the Almighty was God.
John 8:58 Jesus was the "I Am"Exodus 3:14 and the "I Am" was God
Acts 3:14 Jesus was the "HOLY ONE"Isaiah 43:15 and the "HOLY ONE" was God
John 8:24 Jesus is the "I Am He"Isaiah 43:10 and the "I Am He" was God
Revelation 22:13 Jesus is the "First and the Last"Isaiah 44:6 and the "First and the Last" was God
I Corinthians 10:4 Jesus was "The Rock"Psalm 18:31 and "The Rock" was God
II Corinthians 11:2 Jesus was the "One HUSBAND"Jeremiah 31:32 and the "One HUSBAND" was God
Matthew 23:8 Jesus was the "ONE MASTER"Malachi 1:6 and the "ONE MASTER" was God
John 10:16 Jesus was the "One SHEPHERD"Isaiah 40:11 and the "ONE SHEPHERD" was God
Acts 4:12 Jesus was the "ONE SAVIOR"Isaiah 45:21 and the "ONE SAVIOR" was God
Luke 1:68 Jesus was the "ONE REDEEMER"Isaiah 41:14 and the "ONE REDEEMER" was God
Revelation 19:16 Jesus was "LORD OF LORDS1 Timothy 6:14 Jesus was "LORD OF LORDSDeuteronomy 10:17 and the "LORD OF LORDS" was God
Philippians 2:10 Every knee must bow to JesusIsaiah 45:23 Every knee must bow to God
John 1: 3-10 Jesus was the "ONE CREATOR"Isaiah 44:24 Jesus was the "ONE CREATOR"Genesis 1:1 and the "ONE CREATOR" was God
John 1:49 Jesus was "KING OF ISRAEL"Isaiah 44:6 and the "KING OF ISRAEL" was God
Deuteronomy 4:35 The Lord He is God, there is NONE else beside him
Deuteronomy 4:39 there is None Else
Deuteronomy 6:4 the Lord our God is ONE Lord
Deuteronomy 32:39 I even I, am He and THERE IS NO GOD WITH ME
1 Kings 8:60 The LORD is God - There is None Else
2 Kings 19:15 You ALONE are the only true God
Psalm 86:10 You are God, YOU ALONE
Isaiah 42:8 I am Jehovah, and to no one else shall I give my own glory
Isaiah 43:10,11 Before me there was no God formed NEITHER SHALL THERE BE AFTER ME. I, EVEN I AM THE LORD: AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO SAVIOR.
Isaiah 44:6 I AM THE FIRST, AND THE LAST: AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO GOD
Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord, and there is NONE ELSE, THERE IS NO GOD BESIDE ME
Isaiah 45:6 There is NONE beside Me. I am the Lord and there is NONE else.
Isaiah 45:15 you are a God, the /god of Israel, a Savior.
Isaiah 45:22 turn to me and be saved. For I am God, and there is no one else
Isaiah 48:11 I will not give my glory unto another.Isaiah 45:5
Isaiah 48:12 I am he, I am the first, I also am the Last. Revelation 1:8
Hosea 13:4 I am Jehovah your God, there was no God except me, and there was no savior but I.
Joel 2:27 I am your God, and None Else
Zechariah 14:9 In that day shall there be ONE LORD AND HIS NAME ONE
Philippians 2:11 that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father
Matthew 23:9 For one is your Father, the heavenly one
Mark 12:29 Jehovah our god is one Jehovah


