The Trinity
The Threeness of God Revealed
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore
the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
NKJV
Just as there are a range of biblical verses on the Oneness of God, so, too, are there a parade of verses on His Threeness. One of the main verses supporting God&s Threeness is also a key verse on His Oneness.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. NCV
At first glance, the Trinity
is no where to be found in this verse. And, in English, such is the case.
But a different story is found in the Hebrew. First, the word translated
"one" in most translations, and "only Lord" in the
New Century Version, is a echad, a word that refers to one in the
collective sense. It is used of Adam and Eve becoming one flesh or body.
Genesis 2:24 So a man will leave his father and
mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.
NCV
But, the word for God, Elohim, found multiple places in the Old Testament, starting with Genesis 1:1, is plural. Old Testament scholars refer to this as the plural of plenitude, pointing to the power and majesty of God. But, as a plural form, it helps to set the stage for a fuller revelation of the Trinity. To further support this, you might refer to Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, and Isaiah 6:8, where plural personal pronouns are used by God to refer to Himself.
Other Old Testament verses that reveal parts of God as more than one Person include:
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. NASB
Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." NASB
Isaiah 59:20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the Lord. NKJV
Isaiah 48:16 "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me." NKJV
Isaiah 59:21 "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring&s offspring," says the Lord, "from now and forever." NASB
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; NASB
The main point of these passages is that God either speaks to Himself or is portrayed as being more than one Person. The New Testament has many verses referring to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Two of these are forthright and open in their presentation of the Trinity.
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. NASB
A third verse is equally straight forward. Some of the newer translations, however, exclude this verse, as being a gloss on the original text, so it should not be used as the sole foundational verse for the Trinity.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. KJV
