WE will now turn to the mystery of all mysteries, the Holy Trinity.
Throughout history all parties opposed to the truth have vehemently
assaulted this article of faith. The ancient Church has always confessed
this article and defended it as a steadfast pillar of the truth against Sabellians, Arians,
and Valentians.
1 However much they may disagree with one another concerning
other points of doctrine, they are united in their attack upon the Holy Trinity.
Today we must defend this article against Socinians, Anabaptists,2 Socinian Arminians,3
and other proponents of error. Thanks be unto God Who has always
caused the Church to be faithful to this truth. The Church stands firm in this
truth until this very day, and God will enable her to stand firm in it until the day
of Christ, in spite of all who regret this.
Before we proceed with our consideration of this doctrine and before you meditate
upon it, the following must be clearly perceived:
First, it must be understood that God is incomprehensible 4
in His essence and
existence.
5 It should further be understood that we human beings, to whom God
has been pleased to reveal Himself in a manner sufficient to lead us unto salvation,
only know in part and are but able to grasp a fragment or the external fringes of the doctrine at hand. Believers must not, nor do they desire to, proceed with
their minds beyond its defined limitations, that is, beyond that which the Lord
has been pleased to shed light upon. Whatever cannot be fully understood and
perceived, they believe. They worship the Invisible One Who dwells in the light
that no man can approach unto (1Ti 6:16).
Secondly, the entire written Word of God, having been given to man, uses human
language and words that relate to tangible 6 objects. Such is the wondrous
wisdom, goodness, and omnipotence 7 of God that man by means of earthly expressions
understands spiritual matters. Thus, that which is stated anthropropathos
[“after the manner of men”], that is, in a human manner, can be understood theoprepos
[“after the manner of God”], that is, in its divine dimension. Such is the case
with the language and vocabulary that are used to reveal the mystery of the Holy
Trinity. Therefore, one must be cautious not to cleave to the tangible matters
from which the words have been derived nor to bring divine matters down to the
human level. Rather, we must ascend above tangible matters and expressions in
order that, in a spiritual manner pleasing to God, we may understand what God
states concerning Himself...
Thirdly, it should be understood that the Holy Trinity cannot be known from
nature, but has only been revealed in Scripture. Therefore, one should refer only
to Scripture and in all simplicity believe its testimony. One must not exalt his
wisdom above that which has been written: he must set all human reasoning aside
and avoid all imaginary comparisons to tangible objects. Such comparisons, rather
than shedding light upon the issue, result in more obscurity and tend to divert
from, rather than promote, a proper understanding of this mystery. May the
Lord sanctify and guide me in writing, and you in reading or hearing.
THE SINGULAR ESSENCE OF GOD’S BEING: We maintain and state emphatically
that there is only one God. “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD”
(Deu 6:4); “For though there be that are called gods…to us there is but one God”
(1Co 8:5–6); “But God is one” (Gal 3:20); “For there is one God” (1Ti 2:5). There
can of necessity only be one eternal, omnipotent, and all-sufficient Being. Even
the most intelligent among the heathen have acknowledged this. The most barbaric
heathen of our time, showing no external evidence of any religion, acknowledge
but one God. The perception among the heathen that there are many gods seems
to originate from the knowledge of the existence of angels, and perhaps also from
an erroneous understanding concerning the Holy Trinity and the plural name of
God, Elohim.
Divine personality defined: This one and only God is Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The divine Being has a threefold manner of existence, which expressed in
intelligible language—lest heretics 8 find here a pretext 9
—is denominated in
Scripture by the use of the word person. In Hebrews 1:3, reference is made to tēs
hypostaseōs autou, “the express image of His person.” Since the word hypostasis refers
to “an intelligent, independent being,” the reference is consequently to a person.
We understand this to refer to a living, intelligent, incommunicable 10 being
who is fully independent, sharing no part with any other being. Such is true of
angels and men who consequently are referred to as persons. By application of this
concept, the divine entities are called persons, so that, in perceiving the divine
dimension of the anthropomorphism,11 we should be able to comprehend something
about that which is incomprehensible. We can consider one of the divine
persons in an abstract sense, that is, outside of the context of the divine Being, as
is expressed for instance in Hebrews 1:3, where it is stated that Christ is the express
image of His Father’s person. We can also consider the person in a concrete
sense, that is, as viewed in union with the divine Being, such as is expressed in
Philippians 2:6, where it is said, “Who, being in the form of God.” According to
His divine nature Christ is said to be en morphē Theou, “in the form,” that is, having
the being and nature of God so that He is equal to God. As the form of a servant
includes personhood, essential being, and characteristics, the Word of God similarly
includes personhood, essential being, and attributes as constituting the form
of God...
THE DIVINE ESSENCE CONSISTS OF THREE PERSONS: This one divine Being subsists 12
in three persons, not collaterally (or side-by-side), but rather the one person
exists by virtue of the other person either by way of generation or procession. The
fact that there are three persons in the one divine Being is so clearly revealed in
the Word of God that it cannot be contradicted. It is evident in both the Old and
New Testaments.
First, it is revealed in the name Elohim: (1) Elohim is a plural form that does not
refer to one or two persons, but always expresses a plurality that exceeds two.
Since Scripture expressly refers to three, we ought to be convinced of its teaching
that the one God subsists in three persons. Elohim is rarely used in the singular,
never in a dual sense, but generally in the plural. Since we know that there is but
one God, Who in reference to His Being cannot be given a name with a plural dimension,
the name Elohim clearly indicates that there is a trinity of persons.
(2) It should additionally be noted that the plural form of Elohim is also used in
conjunction with a plural verb, adjective, or pronoun, and that a plural number is
always affixed to it. Such is true in the following texts: “And God (Elohim) said,
Let us make man” (Gen 1:26); “when God (Elohim) caused me to wander” (Gen
20:13). “He is an holy God (Elohim)” (Jos 24:19); “Remember now thy Creator
(Creators)” (Ecc 12:1); “Thy Makers are Thy husbands” (Isa 54:5); “I am the
LORD thy God (Eloheka)” (Exo 20:2).13
It should be noted that the names Jehovah 14 and Elohim often coalesce 15 into the
one name Jehovah, and that quite frequently these two names are used in conjunction
with each other, indicating the unity of Being as well as the subsistence in
three persons. Whenever the plural name of God, Elohim, is used in a singular
sense, the persons are considered as one Being…This indicates periemchoresin,
16
that is, the internal coexistence, and that the divine persons are inseparable from
the divine Being and from each other.17
Secondly, the Trinity of persons is also evident in texts (1) in which the Lord refers
to Himself as being more than one or two. “Let us make man” (Gen 1:26);18 “the man is become as one of us” (Gen 3:22); “let us go down, and there confound
their language” (Gen 11:7). [God’s] use of the plural relative to Himself reveals
the Trinity of persons, for which reason He is referred to in the original Hebrew
as Creators in Ecclesiastes 12:1.
(2) It is also evident in texts wherein the Lord speaks about Himself as if He
were referring to another person. “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon
Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven” (Gen 19:24). One of
the three angels that spoke with Abraham was Jehovah, the Son of God. He Who
appeared on earth caused this rain to come down from the Lord in heaven. Both
He Who summoned this rain, as well as the One Who caused it to rain, are referred
to as Jehovah. As God is one in essence, the reference here cannot be to two
different Beings, but rather to the Son and the Father, being the Second and the
First Persons of the Godhead. For it is the Father Who works through the Son,
and the Son works on behalf of His Father (Joh 5:19).
Thirdly, to further facilitate your inner conviction, consider with a believing
heart those texts that expressly state that God is trinitarian, not in His essence (ousia)
but in persons (hypostases). In the blessing that the Lord enjoins to be pronounced
upon His people, the name Jehovah is repeated three times. “The LORD
bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious
unto thee: the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee
peace” (Num 6:24-26). In each repetition, the name Jehovah is conjoined to an activity
that in the administration of the covenant of grace is specifically ascribed to
either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost. Safekeeping is ascribed to the Father,
the manifestation of grace to the Son, and the bestowal of peace to the Holy
Spirit. The apostle Paul expressing this in his benediction mentions the three persons
in 2 Corinthians 13:14, clearly proving that the repetition of the name Jehovah
must be viewed as being indicative of the three persons. This threefold repetition
is also found in Isaiah 6:3, where it is stated, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD.”
In the New Testament, this text is used to refer to the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost (cf. Joh 12:41; Act 28:25). Furthermore, consider the following texts: “The
Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me” (Isa 61:1); “I will mention the lovingkindnesses
of the LORD…the angel of His presence (from Mal 3:1 we know that this
refers to the Son) saved them” (Isa 63:7, 9); “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy
Spirit” (Isa 63:10); “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the
host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psa 33:6).
There is also clear evidence in the New Testament. “And, lo, the heavens were
opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased” (Mat 3:16-17). “Baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mat 28:19); “The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with
you all” (2Co 13:14); “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1Jo 5:7).
We have thus observed that there are three persons in the divine Being.
1 Valentians or Valentinians – followers of the heretical Egyptian theologian Valentinus (ca. 136-165), founder of a Gnostic sect. Gnosticism (from Greek gnosis, meaning “knowledge”) was a group of 2nd and 3rd century heresies that taught escape from the material world through gaining secret knowledge. Valentianism was a major movement.
2 Anabaptists – the Greek preposition ana—meaning “re”—was joined with “baptist” to become Anabaptist, or “re-baptizer.” This was originally a term of contempt applied to Christians in the time of the Reformation, who rejected infant baptism and established churches based on believers’ baptism. German, Swiss, Polish, Dutch, and numerous other groups emerged, often with widely different, and sometimes heretical, theologies. Some, but not all, were antitrinitarian, which is why the author mentions them here.
3 Socinian Arminians – followers of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), born in Oudewater, the Netherlands. He rejected the Reformers’ understanding of predestination, teaching instead that God’s predestination of individuals was based on His foreknowledge of their accepting or rejecting Christ by their own free will. Socinian Arminians were antitrinitarian, though Arminius and many of his followers were not.
4 incomprehensible – unable to be contained within limits.
5 essence and existence – when considering the biblical revelation of the Trinity, one must understand the distinction between God’s essence (Greek = ousia) and His existence. Essence refers to what God is in His nature; existence speaks of the mode in which God’s nature expresses itself: His essence is Spirit and His existence is in three persons. From this arises the following definition: Within the nature of the one God (essence), there exist three coequal and coeternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (existence).
6 tangible – what can be grasped by the mind or dealt with as a fact.
7 omnipotence – unlimited power; “The all-powerfulness of God, His unlimited ability to act according to His own perfect will.” (Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, 313)
8 heretics – those who hold self-willed opinion(s) or doctrine(s) in opposition to biblical truth.
9 pretext – false reason for doing something usually in order to hide the real reason.
10 incommunicable – incapable of being imparted or shared.
11 anthropomorphism – attributing a human form, human characteristics, or human behavior to nonhuman things; in this case, the eternal God.
12 subsists – exists as a personal mode of existence in the divine nature.
13 These quotations deviate somewhat from the KJV as á Brakel here gives a literal rendering of the original Hebrew.
14 Jehovah – The English name Jehovah appears four times in the Old Testament of the KJV (Exo 6:3; Psa 83:18; Isa 12:2; 26:4) and three other times as a compound: Jehovahjireh (Gen 22:14); Jehovahnissi (Exo 17:15); and Jehovahshalom (Jdg 6:24). God’s name in the Hebrew Scriptures consists of four consonants, YHWH or JHVH (Hebrew = יהוה ,(commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton (“four letters”). The KJV translates it LORD, which informs the reader that God’s name is being used in the Hebrew. Modern scholars prefer to use Yahweh instead of Jehovah, although the Anchor Bible Dictionary says, “The pronunciation of yhwh as Yahweh is a scholarly guess.”
15 coalesce – unite.
16 periemchoresin/perichoresis – Greek term used to describe the triune relationship between each person of the Godhead, defined as co-indwelling, co-inhering [permanent existing in one another], and mutual interpenetration. Alister McGrath says this “allows the individuality of the persons to be maintained, while insisting that each person shares in the life of the other two. An image often used to express this idea is that of a ‘community of being,’ in which each person, while maintaining its distinctive identity, penetrates the others and is penetrated by them.” (McGrath, Christian Theology, 325)
17 Richard Muller quotes the Decree for the Jacobites (Syrian Church), which says that “the unity of the Godhead is such that the persons are ‘wholly in’ one another—a perfect and complete co-inherence or perichoresis—and that, therefore, ‘none precedes the other in eternity, none exceeds the other in greatness, or excels the other in power.’ ” (Richard A. Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: The Triunity of God, 57)
18 According to Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” What do the plural verb (“let us”) and the plural pronoun (“our”) mean? Some have suggested they are plurals of majesty, a form of speech a king would use in saying, for example, “We are pleased to grant your request.” However, in Old Testament Hebrew, there are no other examples of a monarch using plural verbs or plural pronouns of himself in such a “plural of majesty,” so this suggestion has no evidence to support it. Another suggestion is that God is here speaking to angels. But angels did not participate in the creation of man, nor was man created in the image and likeness of angels; so this suggestion is not convincing. The best explanation is that already in the first chapter of Genesis, we have an indication of a plurality of persons in God Himself. We are not told how many persons, and we have nothing approaching a complete doctrine of the Trinity, but it is implied that more than one person is involved. (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 227)
From The Christian’s Reasonable Service, Vol. 1, Reformation Heritage Books,
used by permission, www.heritagebooks.org.
_______________________
Wilhelmus á Brakel (1635-1711): Dutch theologian and major representative of the Dutch
Second Reformation; born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
Free Grace Broadcaster, "The Triune God"
https://www.chapellibrary.org/
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