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I. "In the beginning God" (Gen 1:1)
A. There are three great monotheistic ("mono" means "one", and "theism" is the study
of God) religions in the world today: Judaism, Mohammedanism, and Christianity.
B. This position is set over against at least three false doctrines:
1. POLYTHEISM, being the idea there are many gods, each of which may be as good as the
other. This is what Paul encountered at Athens, in Acts 17:15-34. In that place there
were many "altars" erected. In fact there was one for each supposed god, and lest they
should offend any god of whom there were ignorant, they built an altar "to the unknown
god." Paul said this was the "Lord of heaven and earth" (vs 23-24).
2. TRI-THEISM, which is the theory that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit are three distinct and different Gods.
3. DUALISM is the thought that there exists two independent but Divine "eternal
principles" - the one good and the other evil.
a. Again, the Greeks in Athens practiced, (as do several religions of our houses and
groves for the purpose of offering gifts and sacrifices. The old Babylonian Empire
practiced this more than any other. Among their "gods" were the sun, the stars, the
moon, statues, and even the god of fertility. This is where the rabbits and baby
chicks became associated with the heathen holiday called "EASTER" (that name comes
from "Eastre," the goddess of fertility. Needless to say, it is in no way connected
with our Lord's resurrection from the grave.
b. All Baptists likewise reject "tri-theism." We believe in one God as stated in
Deuteronomy 6:4.
c. Lastly, the third position is that taken by the "Grape-Nuts" religion, so called
Christian Science (that is, not Christian because it does not really believe in the
new birth by grace or the deity of Christ, etc. and not scientific thus like the
famous breakfast cereal which is neither grapes nor nuts.)
II. The divine name for "God" in Genesis 1:1 is a plural word; and hence also plural
pronouns are used to speak of our God.
A. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1 is "Elohim" - "The three strong Ones." Note:
1. Gen 1:26, "Let US make man in OUR image."
2. Gen 3:22, "Behold, man is become as ONE of US."
3. Isa. 6:8, " . . . . and who will go for US?"
B. It has been weakly argued the "US" in Genesis 1:26 is in regard to the angels. That
is, God took counsel with the angels. But that supposition is exploded when one reads
and understands Isaiah 40:14. He (God) never took counsel with anyone.
C. Certainly the Old Testament references to the plurality of persons in the One God
Head are not limited to the uses of the name "Elohim."
1. In Psalms 2, the Holy Spirit, as the Divine Author and Giver and Sustainer of the
Bible, makes a careful and concise distinction between "God the Father" and "His
Annointed" - His Messiah - "The Son." (Carefully read and note that Psalm)
2. In Psalms 22:1, 15) Christ cries out prophetically, "My God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" Did Christ forsake himself? How could he possibly have done such a thing?
D. In the Old Testament, the three great Hebrew names of Deity are directly ascribed
and applied to all three members of the one true God.
1. Note, for example, the Son is called "EL" (Elohim) (Isa 9:6), and "Jehovah" in
Psalms 68:18; Isaiah 6:1-3; Isaiah 45:21.
2. So also with the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 11:2 and Judges 15:14, He is "Jehovah" and
in Exodus 31:3, He is called "Elohim."
III. The Doctrine of the Trinity of God is found throughout the Word
A. In the Apostles pronounced blessing and benediction given the Corinthian Assembly
in II Corinthians 13:14, he states, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit"
B. Christ, more than anyone else, taught and preached the doctrine of the trinity:
example, in John 14:16, "I will pray the Father . . . . He will give you another
Comforter" (clearly presented as the Holy Spirit).
C. The Bible, "rightly divided" (II Tim 2:15) then sets forth clearly:
1. The Father is God (Rm 1:7) "grace to you and peace from God our Father"
2. The Son is God (Heb 1:8) "Unto the Son he (God the Father) saith, thy throne, O God"
3. The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4), "Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit . . . . thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
D. Stephen said, "I see Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). Now who
would dare affirm that Jesus was standing at his own right hand? The so-called
"oneness" or "Jesus only" holiness folks do!
E. Ephesians 2:18 reads, "Through him (Jesus), we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access
by one Spirit, unto the Father." Thus inspired apostles believed they were distinct in
their roles, but "one" in their absolute being.
F. John inquired, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that
Jesus is the Son of God" (I Jn 5:5-7). Again, who is so mentally impaired that he will
claim Jesus is His own Son, or His own Father? Or that He is His own "begetter" (Jn
3:16).
G. There is no need for more than three persons in the one Godhead; and there could
never be less! Three is the number of Divine Witness, Divine perfection and Divine
completeness.
IV. Let us distinguish between God - a Triune being, and man - a tri-partite being.
A. We have Scripturally established the reality of the Divine Trinity: that God is
three in one, and one in three.
B. Man, however, is "created (by God) in his own image" and "after his likeness" (Gen
1:26-27). Yet man is not a "tri-une" creature of being. Rather, man is a "tri-partite"
creature of being.
1. Like God, man is comprised of three portions of being: thus Paul, in speaking to
the church at Thessalonica, prays God "your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus" (I Thess 5:23). Now we say,
"like God," for I John 5:7, "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word (Son), and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one."
2. Nevertheless, unlike God, man is not a "tri-une" person.
a. Because his three parts are not absolutely equal, nor of the same substance.
1) His body was made of dust (Gen 1:7).
2) His soul was breathed into the body by the breath of God (Gen 1:7)
3) His spirit was created within him in order to reason and think and know (Zech 12:1;
Job 32:8; Ps 119:130)
b. Because he cannot separate his three parts and still retain his earthly life.
1) James 2:26, "The body without the spirit is dead." When the spirit departs the
body, you must bury the body.
2) Mark 8: 35-37, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul?"
3) In Genesis 35:18-19, "her soul was in departing, (for she died) . . . . and Rachel
died, and was buried." So when the "spirit," or the "soul" departs the body, the body
must then be buried.
c. God, being a "triune" being, rather than a "tri-partite" being can separate His
three parts and so be seen, or heard, in three different places, as three different
forms, all at the same time.
1) The classic example is the baptism administered by John the Baptist in the river
Jordan.
2) Matthew 3:13-17, note the following:
a) The Father speaking in heaven, saying, "this is my beloved Son" (vs 17)
b) The Son coming "up straitway out of the water," (vs 16)
c) The Spirit of God, between heaven and earth, "descending from heaven like a dove"
(vs 16).
d. The "oneness" or "Jesus only" crowd say this is not so. The cult religions such as
the so-called "Jehovah Witness", and all the rest deny it too. But a God, Who "cannot
lie" (Tit 1:2), says it is so! Since "it is impossible for God to lie" (Heb 6:18), we
must "let God be true and every man a liar" (Rm 3:4) who disagrees with Him!
V. In conclusion, consider illustrations of a tri-unity showing how one substance can
assume three different and distinct forms, all at the same time, and yet still be the
same in essence or being.
A. Let us first consider a common phenomenon of winter. Picture a lovely pond of
water. In the bitter cold, when the temperature falls well below 32-degrees
(freezing), ice forms over the top of the water in the pond. Now that ice is still
water, however. But the cold and the wind have caused the top of the pond's water to
assume a different form, character or shape from the water beneath the ice itself.
Again, the Sun having sucked up previously some of the water of that pond, so that it
has been held up by a cloud, now gives way to the cold air masses. Our cloud now moves
over the pond, and because of the cold air aloft begins to release that water formerly
sucked up by the heat and rays of the Sun. Now, our water becomes snow and sleet and
is once again deposited into our pond. All at once we have water in the pond, covered
by a layer of ice, which is in turn covered by a layer of beautiful, soft snow. But
the amazing thing is the water, the ice and the snow are all of one substance but have
become a tri-unity, having assumed three different and clearly distinct forms but all
having the same essence and substance.
B. Let us also remove some ice cubes from the refrigerator. Taking a sauce pan, put it
on the stove with the ice cubes in the pan. Soon there is melted ice, and water. If
left until it begins to boil, steam is produced. All are of the same substance but
this is a tri-unity.
C. God is "one Lord" - one substance. But being a triune God, He can be seen as a
Father, as a Son and as a Holy Spirit all at the same time, and even at different
parts of this Universe. What a wonderful God and Saviour we have!
A. There are three great monotheistic ("mono" means "one", and "theism" is the study
of God) religions in the world today: Judaism, Mohammedanism, and Christianity.
B. This position is set over against at least three false doctrines:
1. POLYTHEISM, being the idea there are many gods, each of which may be as good as the
other. This is what Paul encountered at Athens, in Acts 17:15-34. In that place there
were many "altars" erected. In fact there was one for each supposed god, and lest they
should offend any god of whom there were ignorant, they built an altar "to the unknown
god." Paul said this was the "Lord of heaven and earth" (vs 23-24).
2. TRI-THEISM, which is the theory that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit are three distinct and different Gods.
3. DUALISM is the thought that there exists two independent but Divine "eternal
principles" - the one good and the other evil.
a. Again, the Greeks in Athens practiced, (as do several religions of our houses and
groves for the purpose of offering gifts and sacrifices. The old Babylonian Empire
practiced this more than any other. Among their "gods" were the sun, the stars, the
moon, statues, and even the god of fertility. This is where the rabbits and baby
chicks became associated with the heathen holiday called "EASTER" (that name comes
from "Eastre," the goddess of fertility. Needless to say, it is in no way connected
with our Lord's resurrection from the grave.
b. All Baptists likewise reject "tri-theism." We believe in one God as stated in
Deuteronomy 6:4.
c. Lastly, the third position is that taken by the "Grape-Nuts" religion, so called
Christian Science (that is, not Christian because it does not really believe in the
new birth by grace or the deity of Christ, etc. and not scientific thus like the
famous breakfast cereal which is neither grapes nor nuts.)
II. The divine name for "God" in Genesis 1:1 is a plural word; and hence also plural
pronouns are used to speak of our God.
A. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1 is "Elohim" - "The three strong Ones." Note:
1. Gen 1:26, "Let US make man in OUR image."
2. Gen 3:22, "Behold, man is become as ONE of US."
3. Isa. 6:8, " . . . . and who will go for US?"
B. It has been weakly argued the "US" in Genesis 1:26 is in regard to the angels. That
is, God took counsel with the angels. But that supposition is exploded when one reads
and understands Isaiah 40:14. He (God) never took counsel with anyone.
C. Certainly the Old Testament references to the plurality of persons in the One God
Head are not limited to the uses of the name "Elohim."
1. In Psalms 2, the Holy Spirit, as the Divine Author and Giver and Sustainer of the
Bible, makes a careful and concise distinction between "God the Father" and "His
Annointed" - His Messiah - "The Son." (Carefully read and note that Psalm)
2. In Psalms 22:1, 15) Christ cries out prophetically, "My God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" Did Christ forsake himself? How could he possibly have done such a thing?
D. In the Old Testament, the three great Hebrew names of Deity are directly ascribed
and applied to all three members of the one true God.
1. Note, for example, the Son is called "EL" (Elohim) (Isa 9:6), and "Jehovah" in
Psalms 68:18; Isaiah 6:1-3; Isaiah 45:21.
2. So also with the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 11:2 and Judges 15:14, He is "Jehovah" and
in Exodus 31:3, He is called "Elohim."
III. The Doctrine of the Trinity of God is found throughout the Word
A. In the Apostles pronounced blessing and benediction given the Corinthian Assembly
in II Corinthians 13:14, he states, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit"
B. Christ, more than anyone else, taught and preached the doctrine of the trinity:
example, in John 14:16, "I will pray the Father . . . . He will give you another
Comforter" (clearly presented as the Holy Spirit).
C. The Bible, "rightly divided" (II Tim 2:15) then sets forth clearly:
1. The Father is God (Rm 1:7) "grace to you and peace from God our Father"
2. The Son is God (Heb 1:8) "Unto the Son he (God the Father) saith, thy throne, O God"
3. The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4), "Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit . . . . thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
D. Stephen said, "I see Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). Now who
would dare affirm that Jesus was standing at his own right hand? The so-called
"oneness" or "Jesus only" holiness folks do!
E. Ephesians 2:18 reads, "Through him (Jesus), we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access
by one Spirit, unto the Father." Thus inspired apostles believed they were distinct in
their roles, but "one" in their absolute being.
F. John inquired, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that
Jesus is the Son of God" (I Jn 5:5-7). Again, who is so mentally impaired that he will
claim Jesus is His own Son, or His own Father? Or that He is His own "begetter" (Jn
3:16).
G. There is no need for more than three persons in the one Godhead; and there could
never be less! Three is the number of Divine Witness, Divine perfection and Divine
completeness.
IV. Let us distinguish between God - a Triune being, and man - a tri-partite being.
A. We have Scripturally established the reality of the Divine Trinity: that God is
three in one, and one in three.
B. Man, however, is "created (by God) in his own image" and "after his likeness" (Gen
1:26-27). Yet man is not a "tri-une" creature of being. Rather, man is a "tri-partite"
creature of being.
1. Like God, man is comprised of three portions of being: thus Paul, in speaking to
the church at Thessalonica, prays God "your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus" (I Thess 5:23). Now we say,
"like God," for I John 5:7, "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word (Son), and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one."
2. Nevertheless, unlike God, man is not a "tri-une" person.
a. Because his three parts are not absolutely equal, nor of the same substance.
1) His body was made of dust (Gen 1:7).
2) His soul was breathed into the body by the breath of God (Gen 1:7)
3) His spirit was created within him in order to reason and think and know (Zech 12:1;
Job 32:8; Ps 119:130)
b. Because he cannot separate his three parts and still retain his earthly life.
1) James 2:26, "The body without the spirit is dead." When the spirit departs the
body, you must bury the body.
2) Mark 8: 35-37, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul?"
3) In Genesis 35:18-19, "her soul was in departing, (for she died) . . . . and Rachel
died, and was buried." So when the "spirit," or the "soul" departs the body, the body
must then be buried.
c. God, being a "triune" being, rather than a "tri-partite" being can separate His
three parts and so be seen, or heard, in three different places, as three different
forms, all at the same time.
1) The classic example is the baptism administered by John the Baptist in the river
Jordan.
2) Matthew 3:13-17, note the following:
a) The Father speaking in heaven, saying, "this is my beloved Son" (vs 17)
b) The Son coming "up straitway out of the water," (vs 16)
c) The Spirit of God, between heaven and earth, "descending from heaven like a dove"
(vs 16).
d. The "oneness" or "Jesus only" crowd say this is not so. The cult religions such as
the so-called "Jehovah Witness", and all the rest deny it too. But a God, Who "cannot
lie" (Tit 1:2), says it is so! Since "it is impossible for God to lie" (Heb 6:18), we
must "let God be true and every man a liar" (Rm 3:4) who disagrees with Him!
V. In conclusion, consider illustrations of a tri-unity showing how one substance can
assume three different and distinct forms, all at the same time, and yet still be the
same in essence or being.
A. Let us first consider a common phenomenon of winter. Picture a lovely pond of
water. In the bitter cold, when the temperature falls well below 32-degrees
(freezing), ice forms over the top of the water in the pond. Now that ice is still
water, however. But the cold and the wind have caused the top of the pond's water to
assume a different form, character or shape from the water beneath the ice itself.
Again, the Sun having sucked up previously some of the water of that pond, so that it
has been held up by a cloud, now gives way to the cold air masses. Our cloud now moves
over the pond, and because of the cold air aloft begins to release that water formerly
sucked up by the heat and rays of the Sun. Now, our water becomes snow and sleet and
is once again deposited into our pond. All at once we have water in the pond, covered
by a layer of ice, which is in turn covered by a layer of beautiful, soft snow. But
the amazing thing is the water, the ice and the snow are all of one substance but have
become a tri-unity, having assumed three different and clearly distinct forms but all
having the same essence and substance.
B. Let us also remove some ice cubes from the refrigerator. Taking a sauce pan, put it
on the stove with the ice cubes in the pan. Soon there is melted ice, and water. If
left until it begins to boil, steam is produced. All are of the same substance but
this is a tri-unity.
C. God is "one Lord" - one substance. But being a triune God, He can be seen as a
Father, as a Son and as a Holy Spirit all at the same time, and even at different
parts of this Universe. What a wonderful God and Saviour we have!
| The Starting Point - Our God CHAPTER 1 By John C. Morgan |