THEOLOGY LESSON 10

The Character of God

Romans 11:33-36
Character of God
God Cares for you
Miracles of God

INTRODUCTION

People have slightly different approaches to this subject as this is one of the regions in Bible study where creatures with limited concepts are attempting to come to terms with the characteristics of God the creator of space and time and all that is within these categories. When you are teaching this vital doctrine, you will be alright as long as you keep remembering that you are a creature of space and time and you are talking about the one who created all things.

This is a very deep concept to which you will go back time and time again. This foundation doctrine combined with the confession of sins should be thoroughly taught to your congregation. Understanding the nature of God assists in all the testing situations of life, for we rest for our total security upon the perfection of the character and plan of God.

The various perfections of God, which some call them are not component parts of God. Even when we have a list it is not exhaustive. All of the qualities of God are absolute. He is the creator of everything. The definitions are therefore human attempts to speak of a unique subject. We however are limited, and theologians who forget this get into the most arrogance and trouble. In our introductory series of lectures we covered the concept of what in philosophy is called “category mistake”. This means to predicate of a being in one category the characteristics of a being in another and totally different category. We try to speak of God in terms he has used in his revelation of himself, but our words and thinking is limited and we must remain humble as we walk into this subject.

Romans 11:33‑36 ‑ this is Paul talking about the attributes of God. Paul ends his brief talk to the Romans about the character of God with a prayer. He ends with a poem of praise. You should ensure that when you are teaching this there is practical application to those you are teaching for every attribute. When you study this subject it should be with thanks and awe. If talk of the character of God does not end in worship, then I suspect you have got something wrong. This is not a theoretical subject, but one that will always lead to a response in the heart of the genuine believer. “Be very scared” if there is no response in the teacher of these things, for their lack of response indicates they are fakes.

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

[a] The attributes of God are not component parts like bricks in a wall.

[b] He is much more than the sum of the attributes that we see in Him.

[c] They are known through revelation. The sole source of knowledge about this is the Word of God.

[d] The character of God describes equally the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is one in essence and three in person.

WHAT DO THESE CHARACTERISTICS MEAN TO ME?

There are three categories given which is the classical theological approach:‑

[a] Moral and Non Moral - self existence and infinity are non moral, Justice and holiness have moral impact.

[b] Absolute and Relative - Absolute deal with the essence of God as considered in itself such as eternity and infinity whilst Relative deal with his relationship with his creation such as righteousness, justice and truth.

[c] Incommunicable and communicable ‑ some things you can talk about and some you cannot. You cannot talk much about the concepts of infinity and eternity as we cannot conceive of such items for we are controlled and constrained in our very thinking by the limits of time and space.

This type of approach to the subject, which is theological and philosophical, may not be helpful from a practical point of view. In order for all to understand in the church you must understand it and approach it humbly and with worship as your end goal. Some scholars list 14 attributes, however its not about how many we can list, but knowing that the Lord has every wonderful attribute that we could ever think of and more.

Other examples of the characteristics of God’s character are; Eternity [EL], Freedom, Holiness [R+J], Immutability [U], Infinity, Love [L] , Omnipotence [AP], Omnipresence [E] , Omniscience [AK] , Righteousness [R] , Simplicity, Sovereignty [S], Truth [T] , Unity, .Freedom – means God is independent of His creatures and His creation Isaiah 40:13-14, Infinity – means that God has no bounds or limits by time or space Acts 17:24-28, Simplicity – means God is not a composite as we are, He is Spirit – John 4:24, Unity – means that there is one God who is indivisible. Deuteronomy 6:4 Ephesians 4:6

God is independent of his Creation and is free to use His free will in whatever way He chooses. We cannot put God in our debt which is the answer to legalism. This is why this study is important; it solves many theological issues by simple reflection on God’s character.

God does not change. Application - we can depend totally on Him.

Holiness is the standard of God which we need to attain as a believer to attain. Application - When you have to decide what is all right to do and what is not, ask the question.

Is it holy? Is there no hint of sin in it? Is this in accordance with the character and plan of God? Do not be concerned about teaching your congregation an odd long word which they may learn as a category such as omniscience rather than simply saying “all knowing”. They may remember that characteristic when they are in trouble as one of the three O's and be able to use it in a practical way. You “count it all joy” when in difficulty as you can apply this characteristic of God’s character to your problem. God is a spirit and not three things.

Sovereignty of God ‑ he is in charge but this does not blot out the free will of man. The Calvinists magnify this attribute above the others whilst the liberals magnify the love of God almost to a point of heresy. It is keeping all the characteristics of God’s character together that protects from doubts in daily pressure and heresy in theological thought.

The names of God, the Tetragrammaton, JHWH, often translated Jehovah (Latinized), but as the letter J does not appear in the Hebrew or Greek alphabets, it is incorrect and Yahweh is a nearer translation. The Jews however treated the Divine name with fear and would not to speak it out directly; it would seem that they took the command ‘Not Taking the Lord Gods name in Vain’ literally as prohibition for using Gods name and used the word “Adonai” instead. These gave additional characteristics and by going through the names of God you can impress the importance of the perfection of the characteristics of the Almighty God. In the N.T we have Theos, Kurios (Lord) and others.

We have seen that God is omnipresent but this has to be balanced by God as a personality otherwise we fall into pantheism that God is in everything which is an eastern religious concept. The Almighty supreme God ‘Is Holiness’ and that is what he requires. The mercy of God is also so important and includes the Grace and faithfulness of God. Always remember God is always faithful.

When all else fails God does not. We should realise that we are in the hands of the mighty God. Our God is not small, but He is the almighty BIG God over every situation.

The understanding of the holiness of God has to come before the love of God. Do not teach the character of God simply alphabetically.

The following table has been found by many to be a good way of remembering the Character of God.

CHARACTER OF GOD [NAMES]
CHARACTER OF GOD [LETTERS]

SOVEREIGN
ALL KNOWING
S
AK
RIGHTEOUSNESS
ALL POWERFUL
R
AP
JUSTICE
EVERYWHERE
J
E
LOVE
UNCHAGEABLE
L
U
ETERNAL LIFE
TRUTH
EL
T

DOCTRINES

CHARACTER OF GOD

1. Whilst God is three persons all three persons have exactly the same essence or character:
a) SOVEREIGNTY
The Father (Ephesians 1:11, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 6:10, Hebrews 10:7, 9)
The Son (John 5:21, Revelation 19:16)
The Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:4)

b) RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Father (John 17:25)
The Son (Luke 1:35, Hebrews 7:26, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
The Holy Spirit

c) JUSTICE
The Father (Job 37:23, cf 8:3)
The Son (Acts 3:14, John 5:22, Revelation 19:11
The Holy Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20)

d) LOVE
The Father (John 3:16)
The Son (Ephesians 5:25, 1 John 3:16)
The Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:10)

e) ETERNAL LIFE
The Father (John 5:26)
The Son (Micah 5:2, cf John 1:1-2, 1 John 5:11
The Holy Spirit (Isaiah 48:16)

f) ALL-KNOWING
The Father (Hebrews 4:13, cf Matthew 11:27, 1 Peter 1:2)
The Son (John 18:4, cf Matthew 9:4, John 2:25, 1 Corinthians 4:5)
The Holy Holy Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, 1 Corinthians 2:11)

g) EVERYWHERE
The Father (2 Chronicles 2:6)
The Son (Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 1:23)
The Holy Spirit (Psalm 139:7)

h) ALL-POWERFUL
The Father (Mark 14:36, 1 Peter 1:5)
The Son (Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 24:30, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 3:21)
The Holy Spirit (Romans 15:19)

i) UNCHANGEABLE
The Father (Hebrews 6:17, Psalm 33:11)
The Son (Hebrews 13:8)
The Holy Spirit (John 14:16)

j) TRUTH
The Father (John 7:28, John 17:3)
The Son (1 John 5:20, John 1:14, 14:6, Revelation 19:11)
The Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6, cf John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13)

GOD CARES FOR YOU

1. God knows.
a) Our sorrows. (Exodus 3:7)
b) Our devotions. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
c) Our thoughts. (Psalm 44:21)
d) Our foolishness. (Psalm 69:5)
e) Our frailties. (Psalm 103:14)
f) Our deeds. (Psalm 139:2)

g) Our words. (Psalm 139:4)
h) The composition of the universe. (Psalm 147:4)
i) All things. (Proverbs 15:3)
j) Our needs. (Matthew 6:32)
k) About animal creation. (Matthew 10:29)
l) Mankind. (Matthew 10:30)
m) What might or could have been. (Matthew 11:23)
n) His own. (John 10:14)
o) Past, present and future. (Acts 15:18)

2. God is able to...
a) Save forever those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ - Hebrews 7:25
b) Supply every need - 2 Corinthians 9:8
c) Deliver all who are tempted - Hebrews 2:18
d) Sustain the weak believer and make him stand - Romans 14:4
e) Keep us from falling and make us blameless - Jude 24, 25
f) Surpass all that we could ask or think - Ephesians 3:20
g) Raise us up in resurrection in the likeness of His Son - Hebrews 11:19

3. With God, all things are possible - Matthew 19:26

4. God is in control. Nothing will ever happen to you that you are not able to deal with. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

5. God's character is stable.
a) If God is for you who can be against you. (Romans 8:31-34)
b) No matter what happens God's love is stable. (Romans 8:35-39)

6. God's promises are secure for he is always with us. (Matthew 28:19-20, Jeremiah 1:19)

7. God's power is always the same:
a) He will always keep us. (John 10:29, 2 Timothy 1:12,)
b) God does not forget us or lose His power to keep. (Jude 24)
c) Even if we fall away from fellowship we still are saved. (2 Timothy 2:13)

8. God knew before time what we would need in time and has provided for the supply of all our needs. (Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:12)

9. God has the power to bless us. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

10. God is able to make all grace abound towards us. (Ephesians 3:20)
MIRACLES AND GOD’S CHARACTER

Miracles demonstrate the attributes of God:

1 The Sovereignty of God was illustrated in:-
a) The Lord's creative work of turning water into wine at Cana. (John 2:1-11)
b) His power when stilling the storm on Galilee. (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:18)
c) The feeding of the 5000 and the 4000. (Mark 6:33-44; 8:1-9)
d) Walking on the water at Galilee. (Mark 6:47-52)
e) His arrest in Gethsemane. (John 18:6)

2. The Righteousness of God was illustrated in:
The Lord's transfiguration before the disciples on the mountain, when they saw the Holiness of God in the Lord displayed. (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36)

3. The Justice of God was illustrated in:
The cursing of the fig tree during the last week before the cross as a sign of His coming judgment upon unresponsive Israel (Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-26)

4. The Love of God was illustrated in:
All the healing ministries as the Lord's compassion flowed into action, even to the exhaustion of His humanity. While thirty-six specific miracles of the Lord are recorded, many thousands of healing miracles are passed over in a few isolated verses. (e.g. Matthew 9:35-36, 14:14, 15:30-31, 8:16-17 etc.)

5. The Eternal Life of God was illustrated in:
The great miracle of the resurrection of Christ.

6. The Omniscience of God was illustrated in:-
a his knowledge of where unseen shoals of fish were. (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 21:1-14)

b where the fish was with just enough money in its mouth to pay the required tax. (Matthew 17:24-27)
c the knowledge about Nathaniel and the woman at the well at Sychar also shows his omniscience. (John 1:45-51; 4:5-43)

7. The Omnipresence of God was illustrated in:
His ability to appear in various places many kilometres apart, demonstrating the truth of His promise to be with believers always. (Matthew 28:20)

8. The Omnipotence of God was illustrated in:
The raising of people such as Lazarus from the dead

9. The Immutability of God was illustrated in:
The repetition of the miracle of the draught of fishes both before and after the resurrection showing that His character and power were unchanged.

10. The Veracity of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of the Centurion's servant and also the Nobleman's son. The Lord said they were healed, and at that moment, many kilometres away, they were. (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10, John 4:46-54)

11. The Grace of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of Malchus' ear in the garden on the night of the Lord's arrest (Luke 22:50). It was a testimony to His Grace that as he faced the horror of the cross, our Lord could still stoop and heal one of His captors. It is significant that the last recorded miracle performed by the Lord before the cross benefited an enemy, one who had come to arrest him.

THEOLOGY LESSON 9

The Trinity

Matthew 28:19
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
Names and Titles of God
Angel of Yahweh
Tri-unity

INTRODUCTION

In Matthew 28:19-20 at the Great Commission it is quite clear that the people are sent out in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit indicating that there are three personalities in the Godhead. There is therefore tri-unity or oneness of nature and purpose.

In many other passages in the Scriptures two or more members of the Godhead are mentioned as equal. Every cult in some way abrogates the Trinity. These cultic belief systems have been around since the first century.

Comprehension of the Trinty

It is quite difficult to comprehend the concept of three personalities and yet unity in the Godhead as it is a violation of our own intellect. Cultists will say that the Trinity does not make sense but this problem for the unbeliever is covered in 1 Corinthians 2:14 where the unbeliever cannot understand spiritual matters as they are spiritually discerned. Our perception of the mechanics of this is limited but we should not expect human logic alone to cope with this concept. We are creatures speaking of the creator and must accept the revelation provided.

It is important to note however that God has decided to reveal Himself to man in this way and that this is therefore the way in which he ought to be understood.

Trinity and unity have their own characteristics.

Trinity and Tri-unity

Trinity and unity have their own relationships in the Character of God. There is unity in character but trinity in personalities. As you go through the Bible where you have the character of God being expressed you have unity, where you have personalities dealing with mankind you have trinity. We can see the unity of the character of God in the different ways in which God has revealed Himself to man. In the case of trinity however we have to be careful with illustrations and concept as it is easy to go into heresy by taking it one step too far.

There are obviously many important reasons behind this. In eternity we will understand this fully, but here and now, as it has been revealed this way to us, we have the obligation to try our best to understand it’s significance for us. Trinity and unity have their corresponding words in the essence of God.

Unity ‑ essence or character; Trinity ‑ personality.

God is one in essence but revealed as three in person. This is especially true of times when one person of the Godhead is dealing with man. This doctrine actually assists us in understanding God.

In this subject we are introduced to the importance of theology. It is very important that the examples you use accurately reflect this doctrine otherwise some may be led astray. Both the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses have a false view in this area and will confuse believers who are not well taught and have not thought this through thoroughly.

The word Trinity as such; is not found in the Bible, nor are other related doctrinal terms. Nevertheless the doctrine grows out of the Scriptures and therefore it is a Biblical teaching.

From the Scriptures we see that:‑[a] God is Spirit [b] God has manifested Himself to man at different times in different ways [c] The final manifestation through the Lord Jesus Christ is physical and visible [d] Man saw glimpses of God through all these manifestations.

There is a problem of comprehension as we are physical and God is spirit. We must worship God in spirit and in truth. We are to see this reality about our creator, Saviour, and lord through the means and terms in which it is revealed.

For example, the angel of the Lord is a clear manifestation of God and associated with God. There are many names of God, the two main ones being Elohim and Jehovah/Yahweh. Elohim is in the plural which shows unity and trinity. Often you will have singular and plural together in the same verse. The contribution of the New Testament is that whilst it does not contain specific reference to the tri-unity of God it does give a lot of evidence that points directly to the doctrine.

One Verse not to Use

It should be noted that it is clear from the evidence that we have that John did not write 1 John 5:7. This is important because if you want to talk about the trinity this is one verse you do not use. No Greek text has this verse in and it did not appear in versions prior to the fifteenth century. It has been inserted as a commentary. It entered the Vulgate, the Latin version of the Bible.

Erasmus in the fifteenth century left this verse out of the first edition of his Greek manuscript stating that it did not occur in any of the originals. He relented however and under pressure included it in the second and subsequent editions.

Verses in the New Testament

The prime passage for unity, trinity and tri-unity is Matthew 28:19, 20. Other key passages include Matthew 3:16‑17, John 10:30 and 2 Corinthians 13:14. In 1 Corinthians 8:4‑6 we have the unity of God maintained but the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned in the same language showing that they are equals.

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are growing do not tend to have general problems with the trinity. The people who have problems generally have problems with most doctrines, if they are saved at all.

Definitions:

"There is one only and true God but in the unity of the Godhead there are three co‑equal and co‑eternal persons, the same in substance but different in subsistence".

“There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but different in subsistence”

There is one only and true God but in the unity of the Godhead there are three co‑equal and co‑eternal persons, the same in character but different in the work they do".

False Concepts

The theological perspective from where the Jehovah's Witnesses, Moslems and the Mormons are coming from is that the Father is said to have created the son (Jesus is a servant, a creation, not the creator) and therefore they are not co‑equal and co‑eternal. This is false. The second concept is one of “procession” where one sent the other, the Father sent the Son and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. They therefore say we do not have equality we have a hierarchy. This is not true from a Biblical basis when all the texts of the New Testament are compared with one another.

The Early Church

There were a number of people in the early church who had a Unitarian outlook.

The church in those times did not formulate any clear statement concerning the Trinity until the fourth century.

Theodotus of Byzantium about 210 viewed Jesus as a man who was given special powers by the Holy Spirit at His baptism. Another group at about the same time concluded that the Father was incarnated in the Son and suffered in the Son.

Arius [250-336] from Alexandria distinguished between the One Eternal God from the Son who was generated by the Father and thus had a beginning.

He was opposed by Athanasius who held to three persons in the Trinity of one essence.

It was as a result of controversy in the church that the teaching had to be clarified resulting in the Nicene Creed. In 381 at the Council of Constantinople this concept was given in its final form.

Practical Application

The practical outworking of the Trinity is demonstrated in various areas of practical doctrine

All persons of the Godhead are involved in Redemption - John 3:616, Revelation 13:8

Both the Son and the Spirit are involved in Revelation - John 1:18, 16:13

Fellowship with God can only be on the basis of fellowship in the Godhead. John 14:17

Priority without inferiority is seen in the proper relationship between men and women - 1 Corinthians 11:3

Prayer is seen to involve the Trinity with petitions addressed to the Father, in the power of the Spirit and through the Son. John 14:14, Ephesians 1:6, 2:18, 6:18

Baptism is in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19,20

DOCTRINES

NAMES AND TITLES OF GOD

1. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28: 19, 20) These titles emphasise the function of each member of the Trinity.
a) Father - the sovereign authority, who decreed the plan of salvation
b) Son - the obedient Son, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin according to the Father's will
c) Holy Spirit - the one who reveals the Son to mankind, thereby bringing honour and glory to Him

2. At the Lord's Baptism ‑ Matthew 3 where the Spirit descends, the Father speaking from heaven and the Son being baptised.

3. We have the Father sending the Son in John 3:16, in John 14‑17 we have the Son sending the Spirit.

4. We have the three fold titles of God Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 1, Romans 15

5. The Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5, 1 Corinthians 3 and called the Lord in 2 Corinthians 3:17.

6. The works of the Lord are ascribed to the Father John 17, the Holy Spirit responsible for the procreation of the Son Luke 1:35, 2:11; the Son doing the will of the Father John 8, 10, the Holy Spirit sustaining the Son. Matthew 18:28, John 3:34

7. The Trinity are involved in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in the first advent. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is the co operative work of the Trinity, the Father gives the son Romans 8:32, the Lord lays down his life John 10:18, the Holy Spirit empowers Him to offer Himself on the Cross Hebrews 9. On the Cross He addresses the other two members of the Trinity when He cried out "My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?"

8. All three were involved in the resurrection

[a] the Father ‑ Colossians 2:12
[b] the Son as the person who was raised ‑ John 2:19, 10:18, 1 Peter 3:18
[c] The Holy Spirit was involved in His resurrection ‑ Romans 8:11 The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit will be involved in our resurrection.

9. The indwelling of the believer ‑ John 14:23, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit ‑ 1 Corinthians 6:19, we have the power in us ‑ Ephesians 4:6, the Lord in us ‑ Colossians 1:27

ANGEL OF YAHWEH

1. The Angel of Yahweh is identified as Yahweh (Genesis 16:7-13, 22:11-18, 31:11-13, Exodus 13:21 cf. 14:19, Judges 6:11-23).

2. The Angel of Yahweh is distinguished from Yahweh (Genesis 24:7, Exodus 23:20, 1 Chronicles 21:15-18, Zechariah 1:12-13).

3. The Angel of Yahweh is therefore a member of the Trinity - the same as Yahweh, but distinct from Yahweh.

4. God the Father and Holy Spirit cannot be seen by man face to face (Exodus 33:18-23; John 14:17).

5. Therefore, the Angel of Yahweh is the second Person of the Trinity: the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ the Word/Logos.
a) Jesus Christ identifies Himself as Yahweh (I AM) (John 8:58)
b) The Lord Jesus Christ is the visible/manifest member of the Trinity (John 1:18, 6:46, 1 Timothy 6:15-16).

c) The Angel of Yahweh never appears after the Incarnation (John 1:18, 6:46, 1 Timothy 6:15, 16, 1 John 4:12)
d) Both the Angel of Yahweh and Jesus Christ are sent by Yahweh (the Father).

6. The Angel of Yahweh appeared only in the Old Testament.
a) He wrestled with Jacob. (Genesis 32:24-30)
b) He redeemed Jacob from all evil. (Genesis 48:16)
c) He spoke to Moses from the burning bush. (Exodus 3:2)
d) He protected Israel at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19)
e) He prepared Israel for the Promised Land. (Exodus 23:20-23)
f) He reassured Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15)
g) He commissioned Gideon (Judges 6:11-23)
h) He ministered to Elijah. (1 Kings 19:5-7)
i) He saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib. (Isaiah 37:36)
j) He preserved Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego in the furnace. (Daniel 3:25)

TRINITY

1. There is one God. He has manifested Himself in three distinct personalities. (2 Samuel 23:1-3, Isaiah 48:16, Isaiah 63:7-10, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:33, 2 Corinthians 13:14)

2. The oneness of God refers to the unity or sameness of character. All three members of the Trinity are equal (Philippians 2:6, Deuteronomy 6:4, Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9), although they have different functions/purposes in relation to man.

3. The three members are distinguished according to their function in the plan of salvation (1 Peter 1:2-3)
a) The Father - the authority, who planned our salvation (Isaiah 14:27, John 4:34, 5:17, 12:44, 1 Corinthians 8:6a, Ephesians 3:11)
b) The Son - the obedient son, who was born as a man, died for our sins, and rose from the dead (John 4:34, 5:17, Hebrews 10:7)
c) The Holy Spirit - the ministering servant, who reveals the Son and sanctifies us (John 16:8-11).

4. The Word Logos also known as the Son was the only visible member of the Trinity. (John 1:18, 6:46, 1 Timothy 6:16, 1 John 4:12) He was revealed in the Old Testament in Christophonies (e.g. the Angel of Yahweh) and became flesh in the New Testament. (Exodus 3:14 cf. John 8:58; Psalm 10:16 cf. Revelation 11:15; Zechariah 14 cf. Revelation 19)

5. Evidences of the Trinity
a) Affirmed by the use of the title Elohim (plural, Gods) in the Old Testament and the plural pronoun "us" in (Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7).
b) The worship of God we have repeated three times "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4)

c) The name (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit indicates Trinity. (Matthew 28:19-20)
d) The Lord's Baptism - the Spirit descends, the Father speaks from heaven and the Son is baptised. (Matthew 3)

6. Light is a good illustration of the Trinity. (1 John 1:5) Light is one, but has three elements.
a) Father - actinic light - that part of light which is invisible, nor felt.
b) Son - luminiferous - that part of light which is both seen and felt.
c) Spirit - calorific - that part of light which is not seen but felt.

TRINITY IN THE TITLES OF GOD

1. The three in one Matthew 28:19, 20,

2. The Lord's Baptism - Matthew 3:16-17 where the Spirit descends, the Father speaking from heaven and the Son being baptized.

3. We have the Father sending the Son in John 3:16, in John 14-17 we have the Son sending the Spirit.

4. We have the three fold titles of God Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6, Ephesians 1, Romans 15

5. The Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5:1-5, 1 Corinthians 3 and called the Lord in 2 Corinthians 3:17.

6. The works of the Lord are ascribed to the Father John 17:1-5, the Holy Spirit responsible for the procreation of the Son Luke 1:35, 2:11; the Son doing the will of the Father John 8, 10, the Holy Spirit sustaining the Son. Matthew 18:28, John 3:34

7. The Trinity are involved in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in the first advent. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is the co operative work of the Trinity.
The Father gives the son Romans 8:32, the Lord lays down his life John 10:18, the Holy Spirit empowers Him to offer Himself on the Cross Hebrews 9:11-15.
On the Cross He addresses the other two members of the Trinity when He cried out "My God, My God why has thou forsaken me?"

8. All three were involved in the resurrection:
a) the Father - Colossians 2:12
b) the Son as the person who was raised - John 2:19, 10:18, 1 Peter 3:18
c) The Holy Spirit was involved in His resurrection - Romans 8:11. The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit will be involved in our resurrection.

9. The indwelling of the believer - John 14:23, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19, we have the power in us - Ephesians 4:6, the Lord in us - Colossians 1:27