“The Trinity of God”

The Trinity of God is one of the most profound doctrinal things to understand, because it involves one God with three distinctions. In other words God is one single inseparable being but He has three separate persons figuratively. While we attempt often to separate The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit we simply cannot because when we speak of God they are one of the same. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary set forth the doctrine of the Trinity as follows: "God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being." Now let us look at our Saviour Jesus Christ; He was the Son of God but He was also the Son of man, one single man with two distinct natures. Most people will disagree that in the last hour of the crucifixion that there was a temporal separation of the two natures because there must have been because deity cannot die and the Son of man did. There is no difference between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit so if one were to die then all three would have died because God is one single being. Revelation 4:9 "And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever," Jesus Christ the Son of man sits on the right hand of God. (We will cover the issue with the Son of man and the Son of God later but soon.) John 1:1 - 2 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2.) The same was in the beginning with God." And we learn in verse 14 of John 1 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” that is the Son of God because the Son of man had a beginning. The Son of God is God period, not a part of God but God. Jesus Christ was not incarnate with the entire Son of God because the Son is God and cannot be contained in one single body. One author put it this way; “When we speak of the distinctions of the Godhead as persons, we must understand that we use the term figuratively. There are not three persons in the Godhead in the same sense that three human beings or persons. In the case of three human beings there is division of nature, essence, and being; but it is not so with God. Such a conception of God is forbidden by the teaching of the Scripture as to the unity of God.” Peter concluded this point also in 1 Peter 1:2 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." The scriptures concludes many times over that God is our Saviour "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;" 1 Timothy 2:3 because God is our Saviour that is the entire Godhead. It is true that the man Christ Jesus died on the cross and it is true that He sits at the right hand of God in heaven but salvation must have included - el-o-heem – which is Hebrew for the Trinity of God. Salvation was planned and elected by God the Father and accepted as a “just redemption or a just payment” The Son was incarnate in the Son of man and was with Him until just before death where he paid the price for our sins, and the Holy Spirit pricks or convicts our hearts that salvation is needed and brings us to acceptance of Jesus Christ. With this all being said it equals God is our Saviour. Now with this being said none of this is to lessen the being of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and sits on Gods right hand. As I said before all of this will be explained in deeper details in weeks to come.

Matthew concluded in the Great Commission "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Matthew 28:19 because there is no separation and there are not three separate beings but one Being and one single God. Now if confusion has set in your not alone because it is a subject of confusion.

The Will Of God.

Ephesians 1:11 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"

We now come in our studies to “The Will Of God” and here one must be most cautious in attempting in explaining it. As with all other biblical studies there are agreements and disagreements and even among those in the Sovereign Grace Baptist Churches. Therefore what I write is as I see Gods infallible scriptures. The Prophet Isaiah wrote “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10.) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" Isaiah 46:9 - 11 According to these two passages of scriptures Ephesians 1:11 and Isaiah 46:9 - 11 we defiantly learn one simple fact “My counsel shall stand” and nothing or anything can change it nor detour it. In order to understand Gods will we must look at it in three simply facts (1.) God is free to do as He chooses and no one has any right or the ability to change it. It is clearly seen in the scriptures that God elected what He wanted to happen before the foundation of the world and neither time nor the events of time will change His determinant counsel. (2.) God has the power to do as He pleases. God has power over all creation and therefore there is no reason for Him to change or anyone that can change Gods will. (3.) and finally Gods will is immutable or unchangeable. God cannot change and therefore He cannot change in any area of His being. Change admits imperfection or weakness and if God is “Omni” in everything then change, in even the slightest area shows imperfection in all areas.

Now we come to what I believe are the two phases of Gods will which are (1.) God’s will of purpose or his determined will and (2.) His permissive will. Now this is an area where some will disagree with me as I have come to learn over the last several years. Some hold the view that Gods will is one fold and that is His will of purpose or ordained will and that he has no permissive will at all. I must disagree with this theory because God is not accountable for sin. Christ Jesus died for sin but for our sin and not for sins He was accountable for, God cannot sin nor does God cause man to sin. It is an absolute fact that God determined the fall of Adam but it was Satan that brought about that fall and not God. Even though God had ordained Adams fall He did not have to see to it that Adam would fall because God knows everything and Him knowing what Adam would do when Satan came calling allowed Him to make it His determined will. Could God have elected not to allow Adam to fall; yes but God received much glory from Adams fall. Secondly, is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ or the Son of man. This is another event that God ordained. Acts 2:22 - 23 "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: (23.) Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:” Here is another glorious example of Gods two wills; His determined will is “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” and His permissive will is “ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:” now who is responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Everyone except God. We are because sin crucified Jesus Christ; God simply ordained it. Therefore both the fall of Adam and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ contained both the ordained and permissive will of God, proving that God has a permissive will.

Is The Bible A Revelation From God” Part 2

As we reach the conclusion that the Bible is absolutely the word of God, we must understand that unless it is; it is worthless and all of it should be rejected as everything described in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" I do not study and follow “the bible according to man” and never will. However with that being said I believe there is more than sufficient evidence in the bible to prove that it is Gods Holy Word. As we understand God or as we continue to understand God we will understand that He moves man as He pleases and can make of man as He chooses. With this being said we know that God moved mans heart to write as He chose and exactly as He chose; therefore the conclusion is while some 40 writers may have penned the bible God was its author, men simply writing as the Holy Spirit moved their hearts.

Now we want to give some unchallengeable evidences that the bible could never be anything less than Gods infallible word. As we look at the bible as a total unit and not as sixty-six separate books then we find that it is without error and is in no part contradictive even though it was penned in a time span of some 1500 years by some 40 writers. The bible is a unit in “its Design” – which means it condemns mankind by showing how man is estranged from God but also shows how God graciously redeems a remnant of mankind. It is a Unit in its “Teaching Concerning God” – which means its theme from cover to cover, is of the ineffable, infinite God. It is a Unit in its “Teaching Concerning Salvation” – salvation is plain and clear in the bible in both the Old and New Testaments. Abraham was saved by his faith in God that He was going to send a Redeemer and we believe that Redeemer came, died, and spilt His glorious blood for our sins. Mans confusion about salvation should not be blamed on the scriptures because it is clear on the subject. Acts 15:10 - 11 "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (11.) But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."

While the bible is not a science book; as far as scientific matters in the bible are "most accurate". Let’s look first at the roundness of the earth. Centuries before men knew that the earth is round the Bible spoke of "the circle of the earth" Isaiah 40:22. Another discussion of man and discovered not to long ago was the gravitational support of the earth. Our brilliant scientists finally discovered that the earth is held in place by the gravitation of the sun; but if they had simply read the bible they would have learned “He...hangeth the earth upon nothing.” Job 26: 7. Then there’s “the northern empty expanse” It has been only within the last century that the Washington Observatory discovered that within the northern heavens there is a great empty expanse in which there is not a single visible star. But more than three thousand years ago the Bible informed men that God "stretcheth out the north over the empty place" Job 26:7.

In conclusion we want to look at the fulfilled prophecy which witnesses to the fact that the bible came from God. There are countless prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ and those that crucified Him in the New Testament. Folks, these two sections of the bible were hundreds and even thousands of years apart, however they say and conclude exactly the same things. There is not another document on earth that can make this claim and for one to conclude that the bible is not Gods word but simply mans, shows them to ignore the simply facts of proof. There is no other conclusion; the bible is Gods blessed word and not mans.

Is The Bible A Revelation From God” Part 1

This week we are going to look at part 1 of a two part series. The question is “is the bible Gods word or not”. We want to look at this because there are so many people in this world that deny the bible is Gods infallible word. As we look at this subject there are so many way’s we can go on this topic, with that being said the evidences that I share with you will be the most logical areas to visit, but my bottom line point is to prove that the bible is without a doubt Gods Holy and infallible word. First let me make this small point; just because men penned the different books of the bible does not mean that it is not Gods word. If God can use a burning bush to speak to man then He can most certainly use the tongues and pens of man to speak to us. For one to deny that the Holy Scriptures is a Deity made document is to make it untrustworthy, full of error, and totally useless to us, as mankind. Paul in his second letter to Timothy said this; “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17.) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 Now please understand the words inspiration of God means - divinely breathed - and that is what makes it “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” because if it is mans doctrine than it is no more valuable to us than a book about Mickey Mouse because without God then who is man to give us direction on how to be godly, isn’t that like the blind leading the blind? King David said “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2 this means that God actually used David’s tongue to speak just as He used the pens of man to speak to us. Peter promised us “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:19 that is whether by tongue or pen all of these men were moved by the Holy Spirit as He chose. If one denies that the bible is absolutely Gods Holy script than that makes it worthless to us and condemns us to eternal damnation because we simply will never know how to be saved or even if there is really a God. We have no true direction in life because I have no desire to follow Paul, or Peter, or John, or etc. because I will not follow John Gill, or Charles Spergeon, or any other great biblical commentary because who is right and who is wrong.

Please let us look at some proofs that the Bible is God’s Revelation. (1.) The Great Differences between the Bible and the Writings of Men Evidence that it is not a mere Human Production. As we look to its depth and reaches of meaning we find a book that is way too deep to have been authored simply by mans mind. I will certainly agree that man is intelligent but not enough to have penned the scriptures on their own. A. H. Strong said: “There are infinite depths and inexhaustible reaches of meaning in the Scripture, which difference it from all other books, and which compel us to believe that its author must be divine" this is simply proven by how many people on earth have the scriptures, also by the amount of differences mankind has about the scriptures; and I must ask how many other books on earth has innumerable denominations differing on what the scriptures conclude, how many man written documents on earth has great power; the writer to the Hebrews said "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 The scriptures are the only book on earth with the ability to bring a grown man to his knees begging for mercy. And then there’s the context; 66 books that has some 40 writers; over 1500 years and there is not one single contradiction or mistake. Folks the scriptures are absolutely Gods Holy script and proving that is so simply to understand that even a lost man can believe it. More next week