TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 6:4

This is the fourth message in the series, Tough Questions Concerning The Christian Faith.

A Jewish friend recently said to me, "I don’t understand how you Christians can believe in three gods?" After we chatted about it for a while I think I was able to explain that Christians are monotheistic, i.e. we believe in one God. But we also believe that one can be more than one. We believe in one God who has revealed Himself in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three persons are the one God. We call this the doctrine of the Trinity. My Jewish friend isn’t the only one who thinks that Christians believe in three gods. Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons also accuse Christians of polytheism (worshipping at least three gods). Is it possible that they’re right? Is the doctrine of a three in one God biblical? And do Christians, through their belief in one God in three persons, violate the first commandment in which God says, "Do not worship any other gods besides me" Exodus 20:3 (NLT)?

Do Christians believe in three gods? This is a tough question to answer. The doctrine of the Trinity is difficult to comprehend. Our finite minds struggle to explain the infinite mysteries of the infinite God. But just because we don’t fully understand God being one in three and three in one that isn’t reason enough to reject it. We should try to understand as much as we can of what God has revealed. So let’s consider the biblical teaching on the Trinity:

The sacred Hebrew Shema which is recited twice daily by devout Jews clearly states that God is one. The Shema is actually Deuteronomy 6:4 which says, "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (NASB). In common with the Jews, Christians categorically affirm that God is one. There is one God and only one God. This is both an Old and New Testament truth. In Isaiah 44:6 the Lord says, "I am the First and the Last; there is no other God" (NLT). In 1 Corinthians 8:6 Paul says, "But we know that there is only one God . . ." (NLT). In 1 Timothy 2:5 Paul says, "For there is only one God . . ." (NLT). And in James 2:19 James says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." (NIV).

Even though God is one in His essential being, He is also three in one. He is three persons who are one God. In other words, God is a plurality. He is not a solitary being. One can be more than one.

There are four reasons why this is true:

1. Plural pronouns. The Old Testament uses plural pronouns to suggest that God is three in one. For example, in Genesis 1:26 God says, "Let us make people in our image . . ." (NLT). And in Genesis 3:22 God says, "The people have become as we are . . ." (NLT).

2. Elohim is a plural term. The word translated "God" some 2 570 times in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is a plural term. While this doesn’t directly indicate that God is three persons in one, it does indicate that God has a plurality of functions.

3. Ehad is not a numerical term. When Moses declared that "the Lord is one" in Deuteronomy 6:4, he didn’t use ehad in a numerical sense. There is no numerical oneness intended. The word ehad refers to a unity of parts. It is the same word that describes the "one flesh" relationship of a man and his wife in Genesis 2:24. It is also the same word that Ezekiel used when he joined two sticks to represent the two kingdoms of Judah and Ephraim being a single nation made of two parts (cf. Ezekiel 37:17-22). Thus, the word "one" in Deuteronomy 6:4 means a unity of parts. So the Shema is actually saying, "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God. The Lord is ‘a unity’!" This definitely allows for the idea of a plurality of persons in the Godhead.

4. The three persons are named. In addition to the plural pronouns, Elohim as a plural term, and ehad meaning "a unity," both the Old and New Testaments specifically name God in terms of three persons:

The Father is God - The Father is God and God is Father. Here are three Old Testament texts that name God as Father: Deuteronomy 32:6 asks, ". . . Isn't he your Father who created you?" ((NLT). Psalm 2:7 says, "You are my son. Today I have become your Father" (NLT). And Malachi 2:10 asks, "Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God?" (NLT). Here are three New Testament texts that name God as Father: 1 Peter 1:2 says, "God the Father chose you long ago . . ." (NLT). John 1:18 says, "No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him" (NLT). And Philippians 2:11 says, ". . . to the glory of God the Father" (NLT).

The Son is God -  The Son is God and God is the Son. Here is an Old Testament text that names God as the Son: Isaiah 9:6 says, ". . . a Son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God . . ." (NLT). Here are some New Testament texts that name God as the Son: Hebrews 1:5, quoting Psalm 2:7, says, "For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father’" (NLT). Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalm 45:6, says, "But to his Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever . . .’" (NLT). And Philippians 2:5-6 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God . . ." (NIV).

The Holy Spirit is God - The Holy Spirit is God and God is the Holy Spirit. Here are three Old Testament texts that name God as the Holy Spirit: Genesis 1:2 says, "The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface" (NLT). Exodus 31:3 in reference to Bezalel says, "I have filled him with the Spirit of God . . ." (NLT). Judges 15:14 in reference to Samson says, ". . . But the Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of Samson . . ." (NLT). Here are three New Testament texts that name God as the Holy Spirit: 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now, the Lord is the Spirit . . ." (NLT). Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live" (NLT). And in John 14:26 Jesus says, "But when the Father sends the Counsellor as my representative - and by the Counsellor I mean the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything . . ." (NLT).

There are also some New Testament verses that name the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit together. For example, in Matthew 28:19 Jesus says, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (NLT). And in 1 Peter 1:2 the apostle says, "God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood" (NLT).

If you’re a visual learner here’s a diagram of the Trinity that may be helpful [cf. Power Point slide]. While you’re looking at the diagram here are a few more comments concerning the Trinity:

* Each Person is God and God is each Person.

* Each Person can be distinguished.

* Each Person is interdependent with the other two.

* Each Person is self-conscious and self-directing.

* Each Person functions uniquely.

* Each Person is in perfect unity with the other two.

Wrapping up . . . The word "Trinity" is never used in the Scriptures. Nor is Trinitarianism explicitly taught in the Scriptures. But when you put together the biblical themes and data in a systematic way, the evidence clearly indicates that God is a Trinity. God is three in one and one in three. The oneness of God and the threeness of God are not contradictory. Nor is the doctrine irrational. One can be more than one. This is evidence that demands a verdict. If you’re a Jew, a Muslim, a Mormon, or a Jehovah’s Witness this is the biblical truth:

* There is only one eternally living God.

* The one eternally living God is not a solitary being.

* The one eternally living God exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

* The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons with the same attributes and essence.

* And the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have equality with different roles.

Listen. If you don’t believe these facts, you will never know God. There’s only one way to know forgiveness of sin. There’s only one way to be saved. There’s only one way to know fullness of life. And there’s only one way you’ll go to heaven when you die. You’ve got to embrace the Trinity. You’ve got to learn to live with a God you cannot fully understand. You’ve got to fall in love with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. You see, the Father is the originator of love, the Son is the agent of love, and the Holy Spirit is the applicator of love. Salvation originates in the Father’s love, is provided through the Son’s death and resurrection, and is made real in our lives by the Holy Spirit. That’s what you’ve got to grasp.

C. S. Lewis said, "If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. But it isn’t. We can’t compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions . . ." So here’s the bottom line: We have a triune God who created humanity and chose to give us freedom to sin.

The first man and woman sinned (cf. Genesis 3). Sin leads to spiritual death (cf. Romans 5:12). We have all inherited sin (cf. Romans 3:23). But, as it says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (NLT). God provided a way for us to be saved from spiritual death. The Son died on the cross, the once for all sacrifice for sin. "This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" 1 John 4:10 (NLT).

Bring the religions of the world to the foot of the cross. There is no comparison. We have a heavenly Father who loves us and, at great cost, sent His Son to die on the cross for our salvation. Our relationship to God the Father is dependent on our relationship to God the Son. ". . . if we confess our sins to him (the Son), he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong" 1 John 1:9 (NLT). This is the love of God. ". . . God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" Romans 5:8 (NLT).

The Allah of the Muslim isn’t this kind of God. The Jehovah of the Jehovah’s Witnesses isn’t this kind of God. And the convoluted belief system of Mormonism doesn’t know this kind of God.

So what’s your verdict? Will you embrace the Trinity? One can be more than one. Will you ask forgiveness for your sin and by faith accept the Father’s love, provided through the Son’s death and resurrection, and made real in our lives by the Holy Spirit? Will you? Why don’t you do it now? "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God (the Father), and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT). Amen.

(L. Murray 2006)