Understanding the Trinity

[Benaiah468]

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the central elements of Christian faith, which has emerged explicitly or implicitly from a variety of biblical texts. Already hinted at in the OT, it comes to full fruition in the NT.

Christianity, with its understanding of G-d as Three in One, enables diversity and unity. If G-d exists in three distinct ‘persons’ who all share the same essence, then it is possible for G-d's creation to exhibit amazing diversity and individuality while still holding together in a true unity.

The Trinity is important for relationships. We worship a G-d who is in constant and eternal relationship with Himself as Father, Son and Spirit. Community is a buzzword in Western culture, but only in a Christian framework are community and interpersonal fellowship seen as an expression of the eternal nature of G-d. Likewise, love can only be a Trinitarian G-d, an eternal attribute of G-d.

Without a plurality of ‘persons’ in the G-dhead, we would be forced to think that G-d created humans so that He would show love and know love, making love a created thing (and G-d a needy G-dhead). But with a biblical understanding of the Trinity, we can say that G-d did not create to be loved, but created from the overflow of perfect love that has always existed under the Father, Son and Holy Spirit living in perfect and mutual relationship and joy.

There is no ‘person’, human or G-dly, that exists in an absolute vacuum outside of all relationship.

The Trinity must be divinely revealed, not humanly constructed. It is so absurd from a human point of view that no one would have invented it. We do not consider the doctrine of the Trinity to be logical or illogical. We hold it to be true because G-d has revealed that He is so.

Matthew 1:20-21 ‘the Lord (the Father) ... the Holy Spirit ... Jesus’
Matthew 3:16-17 ‘Jesus ... the Spirit of G-d ... a voice from heaven (the Father)’
Matthew 12:18 ‘I ... My spirit ... on Him’
Matthew 22:42-43 ‘Christ ... the Spirit ... Lord (the Father)’

Mark 1:9-11 ‘Jesus ... the Spirit ... a voice from heaven ... My beloved Son’
Mark 12:35-36 ‘Christ ... the Holy Spirit ... the Lord (the Father)’

Luke 1:35 ‘The Holy Spirit ... the Most High ... the Son of G-d’
Luke 2:26-27 ‘the Holy Spirit ... Christ ... Jesus’
Luke 3:21-22 ‘Jesus ... the Holy Spirit ... a voice from heaven ... My beloved Son’
Luke 10:21 ‘Jesus ... the Spirit ... Father’
Luke 12:9-10 ‘G-d ... the Son ... the Holy Spirit’

John 3:5 ‘Jesus ... the Spirit ... G-d’
John 3:34,35 ‘G-d ... the Spirit ... the Father ... the Son’
John 4:24-25 ‘G-d ... one Spirit ... Messiah ... Christ’
John 14:16 .17:26 "the Comforter ... the Father ... in my name’
John 15:26 "the Comforter ... the Father ... from me’
John 20:21-22 ‘Jesus ... Father ... the Holy Spirit’

Acts 2:32-33 ‘Jesus ... G-d ... the Father ... the Holy Spirit’
Acts 2:38-39 ‘Jesus Christ ... the Holy Spirit ... G-d’
Acts 4:30-31 ‘Jesus ... the Holy Spirit ... G-d’
Acts 5:31-32 ‘G-d ... a Prince and Saviour ... the Holy Spirit’
Acts 7:55 ‘The Holy Spirit ... Jesus ... G-d’
Acts 8:14-16 ‘G-d ... the Holy Spirit ... Jesus’
Acts 10:38 ‘G-d ... Jesus ... the Holy Spirit’
Acts 10:46-48 ‘G-d ... the Holy Spirit ... the Lord’
Acts 11:16-17 ‘the Lord ... the Holy Spirit ... G-d ... the Lord Jesus Christ’
Acts 20:21-23 ‘G-d ... Jesus ... the Holy Spirit’

Romans 1:1 .3:4 ‘G-d ... His Son, Jesus Christ ... the Spirit’
Romans 5:5-6 ‘G-d ... the Holy Spirit ... Christ’
Romans 8:2-3 ‘the Spirit ... Jesus ... G-d ... His own Son’
Romans 8:8-9 ‘G-d ... the Spirit ... the Spirit of Christ’
Romans 8:16-17 ‘the Spirit ... G-d ... Christ’
Romans 14:17-18 ‘the Holy Spirit ... Christ ... G-d’
Romans 15:12-13 ‘Root of Jesse (Jesus) ... G-d ... Holy Spirit’
Romans 15:16 ‘Jesus ... G-d ... the Holy Spirit’
Romans 15:30 ‘The Lord Jesus Christ ... the Spirit ... G-d’

1 Corinthians 6:10-11 ‘G-d ... the Lord Jesus ... the Spirit’
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 ‘Spirit ... Lord ... G-d’
1 Corinthians 7:39-40 ‘the Lord Jesus ... the Spirit ... G-d’
1 Corinthians 8:2 ‘the Lord Jesus ... the Spirit ... G-d’

2 Corinthians 3:3-4 ‘the Spirit ... Christ ... G-d’
2 Corinthians 13:14 ‘Jesus ... G-d ... the Holy Spirit’
2 Corinthians 5:5-6 ‘G-d ... the Spirit ... the Lord (Jesus)’

Galathians 4:6-7 ‘G-d ... the Spirit ... Son ... Father ... G-d ... Christ’

Eph 2:18 ‘through Him (Jesus) ... Spirit ... the Father’
Eph 2:21-22 ‘the Lord ... G-d ... the Spirit’
Eph 3:14, 16 ‘the Father ... Jesus Christ ... His Spirit’
Eph 4:4-6 ‘Spirit ... Lord (Jesus) ... G-d and Father’
Eph 5:18-20 ‘Spirit ... Lord (Jesus) ... G-d ... Father’

Colossians 1:6-8 ‘G-d ... Christ ... Spirit’

1 Thessalonians 4:6-8 ‘Lord (Jesus) ... G-d ... Holy Spirit’
1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 ‘G-d ... Father ... Christ ... Jesus ... Spirit’

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ‘G-d ... Lord ... G-d ... Spirit ... Lord Jesus Christ’

Titus 3:4-6 ‘G-d ... Holy Spirit ... Jesus Christ’

Hebrews 2:3-4 ‘Lord (Jesus) ... G-d ... Holy Spirit’
Hebrews 3:4, 6-7 ‘G-d ... Christ ... Holy Spirit’
Hebrews 6:4-6 ‘Holy Spirit ... G-d ... Son’
Hebrews 9:14 ‘Christ ... Spirit ... G-d’
Hebrews 10:29-31 ‘Son of G-d ... Spirit ... Lord ... G-d’

1 Peter 1:2 ‘G-d the Father ... Spirit ... Jesus Christ’
1 Peter 3:18 ‘Christ ... G-d ... Spirit’
1 Peter 4:14 ‘Christ ... Spirit ... G-d’

2 Peter 1:21 ‘G-d ... Holy Spirit ... Lord (Jesus)’
2 Peter 2:1 ‘G-d ... Holy Spirit ... Lord (Jesus)’

1 John 4:2 ‘Spirit ... Jesus ... G-d’
1 John 4:13-14 ‘Spirit ... Father ... Son ... Saviour’
1 John 5:7 ‘Father ... Word ... Holy Spirit’

Jude 20:21 ‘The Holy Spirit ... G-d ... Lord ... Jesus Christ’

Revelation 1:9-10 ‘Jesus Christ ... G-d ... Jesus Christ ... Spirit’
Revelation 3:5-7 ‘Father ... Spirit ... He has the key of David (Jesus)’
Revelation 14:12-13 ‘G-d ... Jesus ... Lord ... Spirit’
Revelation 21:9-10 ‘Lamb ... Spirit ... G-d’
Revelation 22:16-18 ‘the descendants of David (Jesus) ... Spirit ... G-d’

 

[Benaiah468]

The Bible states that created things provide a clearly visible representation of the power and divine nature of the Creator.

The universe is both ‘unity’ (one) and ‘verse’ (other). And while something can be understood of the three different manifestations of reality (space, matter, time), they cannot be separated from the unity.

The Trinity is seen not only in creation, but also in man

What is man... Ps 8:1-6

Man is triune; a being of spirit, soul and body.

The apostle Paul likened the believer to G-d's temple; cf. 1 Cor 3:16 .6:19, which was divided into three parts: the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place and the outer court, so that they again bear an astonishing resemblance to the spirit, soul and body of man.

The design and pattern of all creation, both physical and spiritual, reveal the nature of the Creator. Creation is so imbued with G-d's triune image that the spirit of G-d realises that

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and G-dhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20 KJV

All creation bears the design of its Creator.

 

[Benaiah468]

The doctrine of the Trinity states

A: There is one G-d.
B. The Father is G-d, the Son is G-d, the Holy Spirit is G-d.
C. The three are different.

The mystery of it is beyond our understanding, however, the eternal G-d has left some examples in creation that reflect His nature.

One of these is the human family.

If one replaces G-d, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with human, man, woman and child, it is evident that the family functions in the same way.

The following can be said about a family

1. there is only one species HOMO-SAPIENS (only one human nature - man); Gen 1:27 .2,8 .5,1 .6,7; Gen 4:32

2. man is human - HOMO SAPIENS (has human nature)
3. woman is human - HOMO SAPIENS (has human nature)
4. child is human - HOMO SAPIENS (has human nature)

5. man is not woman
6. woman is not child
7. child is not man

8. man is head of woman; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23
9. woman comes from man; 1 Corinthians 11:8
10. child comes from man and woman

11. man and woman are one (one body); Gen 2:24; Mt 19:5; Mk 10:8; 1 Cor 6:16; Eph 5:31
12. both ‘persons’ are to be honoured; Eph. 6:2

All sentences are true.

Conclusion:

Man is a ‘person’
Woman is a ‘person’
Child is a ‘person’

Man, woman and child(ren) form a family.

From this it follows:

Father is a ‘person’
Son is a ‘person’
Holy Spirit is a ‘person’

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and form a unity; Mt:28:19; 1 Cor:12:4-6; 2 Cor:13:13; Eph 4:4-6; Hbr 9:14; 1 Pe.1:2

13. father is head of the son; John 14:28; 1 Cor 11:3
14. son comes from father; John 6:57 .17:5
15. the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son; John 15:26 .16:13-15 .20:22; Acts 16:6-7; Ro 8:9; Phil 1:19; Mt 10:20; Gal 4:6; 1 Pe 1:10-11

16. Father and Son are one (one Spirit); John 10:30 .12:45 .14:7-10; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Ephesians 4:4
17. both ‘persons’ are to be honoured; John 5:23; Rev 5:13

 

[Benaiah468]

The apostle Thomas confessed:

My Lord and my G-d! John 20:28

He was thus the first of the disciples to recognize the divine nature of Christ.

It took centuries for Christianity to explicitly formulate its belief in the Lord Jesus as being of the same essence as G-d, the Father. But one thing was a pivotal point on the path to finding the truth from the beginning:

The resurrection of Jesus. Without it, our faith would be null and void. Thomas questioned it. It is worth taking a close look at it.

Belief in the triune G-d is a core part of the Christian faith. It does not abolish monotheism. A G-d in three "persons" who permeate each other and are one; cf. John 10:30, are one G-d, not three. At the same time, the doctrine of Christ, the Son of G-d and Son of Man, and the doctrine of salvation depend on belief in the Trinity.

Only because He was G-d's son could He redeem the world.

Christ is G-d from G-d, light from light, true G-d from true G-d

as the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople formulated after long discussions, and not with Hellenistic, that is, with terms of Greek philosophy, but with biblical terms.

 

[Benaiah468]

There is no other concept of G-d that is attacked more than the issue of the Trinity. One reason for this is that faith is replaced by the carnal mind that wants to understand something from a purely human perspective. Both Jews and Muslims emphatically deny that G-d has a Son, religious groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Philadelphians, Mormons, deny the full G-dhood of Christ.

Seen from this perspective, the Christian faith is unique and this is a divisive issue.

Anti-Trinitarians use statues with three heads and claim that this is our pagan G-d, if you want to devalue the Trinity because of some similarities in name only and not in substance. Then perhaps they should look at their own pagan parallels. One can still be in idolatry if one's only G-d is not the G-d of the Bible.

The church father Jerome is said to have remarked that all the nations of antiquity believed in the Trinity.

And indeed, it was the Sumerians (Anus Enlil Ea), the Babylonians (Sin, Shamash and Ishtar), the Indians (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva), the Chinese (Yuanshi Tianzun, Taishang Daojun, Laojun), the Egyptians (Isis, Horus and Sub), the Romans (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) and the Greeks (Zeus, Athena and Apollo) who can be mentioned in this context.

BeyondToday writes in its magazine Jul 2011 Trinitarian G-ds of Antiquity...

Many who believe in the Trinity are surprised, perhaps shocked, to learn that the idea of divine beings existing as trinities or triads long predated Christianity. Yet, as we will see, the evidence is abundantly documented.

Practically, one could say, all ancient pagan peoples believed in a kind of G-d world.

But is this really as surprising as the article would have us believe?

Where did the pagans get a concept of three?

Why not two or four?

Where did they even get the idea of a G-d in heaven?

What about their belief in one virgin and one son, where did that come from?

Paul tells us that man knew G-d from the beginning

Who changed the truth of G-d into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Rom 1:25

When mankind fell into the darkness of sin, they still retained some elements of truth, but distorted its meaning and it was lost.

 

[Benaiah468]

Alexander Hislop traces the history of the practices and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church in his book The two Babylons.

He writes

Though overshadowed by idolatry, the recognition of a Trinity was universal in all the ancient nations of the world, which proves how deeply rooted in the human race was the primal teaching on this subject so clearly revealed in Genesis.
The ancient Babylonians held, the modern Hindus hold, clear and definite traditions of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement. But who will dare to say that such a nominal recognition of the cardinal articles of G-d's revelation could free the character of either system from the brand of the most deadly and G-d-despising paganism?
Seen in this way, the triune emblem of the supreme Assyrian G-dhead now clearly shows what the original patriarchal belief had been. First there is the head of the old man, then the zero or circle for ‘the seed’ and finally the wings and tail of the bird or dove, showing, albeit in a blasphemous way, the unity of Father, Seed or Son and Holy Spirit. From the statement in Genesis 1:2 that ‘the Spirit of G-d fluttered on the face of the deep’ (for that is the expression in the original), it is clear that the dove was a G-dly emblem for the Holy Spirit very early on. Although this had been the original way in which pagan idolatry had represented the triune G-d, and although this mode of representation had survived until Sennacherib's time, there is evidence that at a very early stage an important change had taken place in Babylonian conceptions of the G-dhead; and that the three ‘persons’, the Eternal Father, the Spirit of G-d incarnate in a human mother, and a G-dly Son, had been the fruit of this incarnation.

Robert Watts in New Apologetic states:

The pagan triads are residual fragments of their lost knowledge of G-d, not different stages in an evolutionary process. But evidence of a moral and spiritual degeneracy.

If we are to reject the concept of the triune G-d because of pagan distortions, we must reject much more than this. For example, the pagan cultures also had a virgin birth and some even had a resurrection.

All of these are counterfeits and distortions of the truth, and because there is a deformed Trinity in them, we are told to reject the biblical Trinity for the same reasons.

If the critics want to do that, they must reject everything because it occurs in some form in ancient paganism. They then destroy the doctrine of Christ as the G-d-man, virgin birth, His sacrifice, etc.

All of this is proof of what Paul explained in the story in Romans, that mankind had a true knowledge of G-d but refused to worship Him and sank into idolatry.

Anti-Trinitarians sometimes quote from Hislop's book to make it appear that Hislop believed that the Trinity was of pagan origin and that Hislop rejected the Trinity.

While he rejected Christmas and Marian worship as untrue, he believed that the Trinity was a divine revelation. Hislop held that G-d revealed Himself from the beginning to the patriarchs as the Trinity, which included the Trinity as an original patriarchal belief. For Hislop, the people of G-d did not accept pagan doctrine, instead the pagan religions taught the G-dly revelation from the beginning, but distorted it in a shameful way.

 

[Benaiah468]

Jehovah's Witnesses claim that the Trinity is of pagan origin.

It is true that there are pagan triads of G-d dating back to Babylon, but rather than this fact supporting the Watchtower claim, it is in fact evidence for the biblical Trinitarian G-d.

According to Watts, the pagan triads are residual fragments of the lost knowledge of G-d, an ancient concept we now call the Trinity.

No secular encyclopaedia says that Trinity is of pagan origin. The fact that the church fathers never defended it against accusations of pagan influence is striking. If the source had been so obviously pagan, there would have been a huge outcry! But as it is, those who have spoken out against the Christian Trinity have never compared it to pagan G-d triads.

The doctrine of the Trinity was formulated by Christians on the basis of the teachings of Scripture.

Moses did not borrow his creation and flood story from the pagans any more than Christians borrowed the Trinity from the pagans.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the Trinity is a lie of Satan and go to great lengths to prove their views. If they take their translation seriously, they are polytheists (henotheists). Jews and Muslims would call Jehovah's Witnesses polytheists.

In Hinduism, there is Vishnuism and Shivaism. For their followers, Shiva and Vishnu each embody the One G-d. Both forms are best described as henotheism. Although there are many G-d's, only one of them is worshipped as the supreme G-d, with the others being subordinate to him. The Father and the Son, as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses, are exactly the kind of polytheistic G-d family that Hindus are familiar with!

Even Babylonians would see little difference between themselves and Jehovah's Witnesses. Anu was believed to be the supreme source of all authority for the other G-d's and for all mortal rulers. Anu is described in one text as the one who contains the entire universe. Incredibly, the Watchtower view of G-d is closer to Babylonian polytheism than the Trinitarians!

 

[concretecamper]

Understanding the Trinity

As an atheist one of the many things I find confusing about Christianity is the concept of the Trinity;

God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.​

Part of the problem is understanding the concept of having three ‘God’ entities while at the same time describing them as a single entity.

As an outsider it also seems to me that each of the components of the Trinity would have a specific function or purpose. Is this the case? If not, why have three components?

The most confusing component of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. Although it’s part of the Trinity it appears to be the least mentioned and the vaguest (to me) part of the Trinity. Although I can more or less understand the God-the-Father/God-the-Son concepts, I have trouble understanding the idea of the Holy Spirit, what it is and where it fits in.



A Request

After more than a decade on CF I’ve found that Christians have a habit of using impenetrable Christian jargon when trying to explain Christian concepts. As a non-Christian much of this jargon can be difficult to follow.

How you respond is up to you however sticking to plain English would help.



OB

According to this saint´s story, he was walking along the seaside meditating about the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he saw a boy filling a hole in the sand with seawater. Saint Augustine asked what he was doing and the boy answered that he was trying to empty the sea by pouring all its water into that hole. Upon hearing his answer, the saint said that that was impossible. The boy´s answer was that, if what he was doing was impossible, it was even less possible to try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

 

[Benaiah468]

The Trinity is a unique nature of G-d that can only be understood when G-d reveals His nature to man, otherwise man cannot understand the unique nature of G-d. Fortunately, Christians have made remarkable efforts to clarify this over two millennia.

The historian Hooke tells us in detail about the ancient Sumerian Trinity:

Anu was the chief G-d of heaven, the father and king of kings. Enlil, the ‘Wind-g-d’ was the G-d of the earth. He was also a creator G-d. Enki was the G-d of the waters and the lord of wisdom. This was the highest Sumerian trinity. A lower trinity ‘consisted of Sin, the Moon G-d, Shamash, the Sun G-d and ... Hadad, the Storm-t-t.’

The historian Saggs explains that the Babylonian triad consisted of three G-d's of roughly equal rank. Their

‘Interdependence is the essence of their nature.’

Is this proof positive that the Christian Trinity is descended from the ancient Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian triads?

No.

Amazingly, every society's belief in a triune G-dhead or G-d triad reflects something of the triune G-dhead as manifested in the creation story.

None of this weakens our conviction in the doctrine of the Trinity. It strengthens it.

To summarise, the search for the Trinity is a positive contribution to Trinitarian theology. It will lead more people to a deeper Christian understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity as a central truth of the faith.

 

[Benaiah468]

Why did the church fathers feel it necessary to formulate this doctrine?

Far from what the cults teach (and they often don't even know the facts of church history), the concept actually came from a very careful reading and inspired interpretation of the Bible that refers to three different ‘persons’ as G-d and insists that there is only one G-d. The Fathers were concerned that some early groups were coming to an understanding of G-d that did not do full justice to ALL the scriptures about G-d. Therefore, they felt it necessary to establish these things doctrinally to avoid error and heresy. Many of these things were laid out in a doctrinal way in the 4th century. Much (though not all) of it was to refute Arius, who was guilty of twisting the scriptures that refer to G-d. This man gave his name to the well known heresy of Arianism, very much alive and kicking in today's Jehovah's Witnesses.

So if we find pagan religious ideas that might bear some resemblance to biblical truth, they honestly wouldn't prove anything, and they certainly wouldn't prove that early Christians copied these concepts.

Why would the early Christians do such a thing when we have a record that shows how determined they were in the battle against paganism?

In fact, we have a very clear record from church history that explains to us why the Fathers were concerned about outlining the Trinity: it was a concern that the biblical truth about G-d be carefully preserved.

Biblical teaching affirms that G-d is certainly One, and yet relationally Three. G-d's Oneness is truly one substance. This unity of substance makes it impossible to conceive of a division or separation in G-d. But we must also affirm that there are three distinctions (not divisions or modes) in the G-dly Being, but they are not substantive distinctions, but relational. The G-dly ‘persons’ are then constituted by the relations in which they stand to one another, which is at least as much as Scripture reveals. Of course there must be a great deal more here, but undoubtedly these things are in the realm into which mortal beings cannot penetrate in the present age. Finally, we must believe that what G-d has accomplished in time and space must be the source of revealing something of what G-d is for eternity, rather than being misleading or deceptive.

 

[ldonjohn]

I do not understand the Trinity. I just accept it and I don't fret over it. The important thing about the Bible that I do understand is the message of the cross.
God sent his Son into the world to become a man, Jesus, so he could die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin; a penalty I could not pay. The Holy Spirit convinced me that the message of the cross is the truth and showed me that I could trust that message for my eternity.

 

[Benaiah468]

The First Council of Nicaea was convened by Constantine I in 325.

But what did Christians know and believe centuries before that?

Examine the historical evidence that Jesus is G-d from G-d, just as the NT claims that the Lord Jesus is G-d. The early church of the first three centuries knew the belief in a triune G-d. For according to the tradition of the Bible, it confessed the Trinity of G-d with the baptismal formula.

May the G-d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal High Priest Himself, the Son of G-d Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth... and us with you and all who are under heaven, but believe in our Lord and G-d, Jesus Christ, and in his Father who raised him from the dead.
Polycarb of Smyrna in his letter to the Philippians

Irenaeus says that Polycarp, the bishop of the church in Smyrna, was a disciple of the apostle John.

Ignatius (50-117) was bishop of the church in Antioch and also a disciple of the apostle John. He wrote

Ignatius, who is also (called) Theophorus, to him who was blessed in greatness by the fullness of G-d the Father; who was predestined before the ages to be for ever lasting and unchangeable glory, united and chosen in one true passion, by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ our G-d; even unto the Church in Ephesus, worthy of all congratulations: abundant salutation in Christ Jesus and in blameless joy.

There is but one physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and unborn, G-d in man, true life in death, both of Mary and of G-d, first to suffering and then beyond it, Jesus Christ our Lord.

For our G-d, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to G-d's plan, both of the seed of David and of the Holy Spirit.

the ignorance characteristic of wickedness disappeared, and the kingdom of antiquity was abolished when G-d appeared in human form to bring eternal life.

I glorify Jesus Christ, the G-d who made you so wise

Justin Martyr (100-165) was a Christian apologist of the second century who wrote

And that Christ, who is Lord and G-d, the Son of G-d, and formerly appeared in power as man and angel and in the glory of fire as in the bush, was also fully expressed in the judgement executed on Sodom from what was said.

Allow me first to relate the prophecies I wish to do to prove that Christ is called both G-d and Lord of Hosts.

The Father of the universe has a Son; who is also the firstborn Word of G-d, is even G-d. And from of old He appeared in the form of fire and in the form of an angel to Moses and the other prophets; But now, in the time of your reign, through a virgin become man, as we said before...

If you had understood what had been written by the prophets, you would not have denied that he was G-d, son of the only, unborn, ineffable G-d.

Melito of Sardis (died around 180) was bishop of the church in Sardis. He formulated

He who hung up the earth in space was himself hung up; he who fixed the heavens was fixed with nails... because they slew G-d who hung naked on the tree... This is he who made the earth and the heavens in the beginning together with the Father the formed man; who was announced by the law and the prophets; who put on a bodily form in the Virgin; who was hanged on the tree; who was buried on the earth; who rose from the dead and ascended to the heights of heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.

Irenaeus of Lyon (130-202) was bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, today's Lyon, France. Irenaeus was born in Smyrna in Asia Minor, where he studied under Bishop Polycarp, who in turn had been a disciple of John the Apostle. He declared

For I have shown from the scriptures that none of the sons of Adam is absolutely called G-d or called Lord. He is the Holy Lord, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Beautiful in Appearance and the Mighty G-d. coming on the clouds as Judge of all men; - all this the Scriptures prophesied of Him.

Christ Jesus is our Lord and G-d and Saviour and King according to the will of the invisible Father.

Christ himself is therefore, together with the Father, the G-d of the living, who spoke to Moses and was also revealed to the fathers.
Then the Holy Spirit, through what was said, carefully pointed out His birth from a virgin and His essence, that He is G-d (for the name Emmanuel points to this). And He shows that He is a man....

Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Was another early church father. He wrote around 200 CE

This Word, then, the Christ, the cause both of our being at first (for he was in G-d) and of our welfare, this Word has now appeared as man, and he alone is both G-d and man - the author of all blessings to us; by whom we are taught to live well, are sent on the way to eternal life ... The Word who first gave us life as Creator when He formed us, taught us to live well when He appeared as ours Teaches that later, as G-d, He could lead us to the life that never ends.

the G-dly Word The one who is truly most manifest G-d, who is equal to the Lord of the universe; because he was his Son and was the Word in G-d...

Tertullian (150-225) was an early Christian apologist. He said,

For only G-d is without sin; and the only man without sin is Christ, for Christ is also G-d.

That which came forth from G-d is both G-d and the Son of G-d, and the two are one. In this way, being Spirit of Spirit and G-d of G-d, he is made a second mode of existence - in position, not in nature ; and he did not withdraw from the original source, but went out. This ray of G-d, as it was always foretold in ancient times, to descend into a certain virgin and make flesh in her womb, is in its birth G-d and man united.

Always remember that this is the rule of faith which I signify; by which I testify that the Father and the Son and the Spirit are inseparable from each other , and so you will know in what sense this is said. Now, observe, my assertion is that the Father is one, and the Son one, and the Spirit one, and that they are distinct from each other. This statement is misunderstood by every uneducated person, as well as by every perversely disposed person, as if he supposes a diversity which implies a separation between the Father and the Son and the Spirit.

Hippolytus of Rome (170-235) was a theologian of the 3rd century. He was a disciple of Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John. He wrote

The Logos alone of this G-d comes from G-d Himself; therefore also the Logos is G-d, who is the substance of G-d.

For behold, the Only Begotten entered into a soul among souls, G-d the Word with a (human) soul. For his body was in the tomb, not freed from G-dliness; but while he was in Hades, he was essentially with His Father, both in the body and in Hades.

So we believe, dear brothers, according to the tradition of the apostles... He now comes into the world was manifested as G-d in a body, who also emerges as a perfect man. For not in mere appearance or through conversion, but in truth He became man. Thus He also, although shown as G-d

Origen (185-254) was another early Christian theologian. He professed

Jesus Christ... in the last times, divesting Himself (of His glory), became a man and became incarnate, though G-d, and while He made a man, He remained the G-d that He was.

Seeing G-d, the Father, is invisible and inseparable from the Son. The Son is not produced by Him through ‘procreation’ as some assume. There was once a time when he did not exist ... How then can one claim that there was once a time when he was not the Son? For this is no other than to say that there was once a time when He was neither Truth nor Wisdom nor Life, though in all these He is judged to be the perfect essence of G-d the Father; for these things cannot be separated from Him or divorced from His essence.

For we, who say that the visible world is under the government of him who created all things, thereby declare that the Son is not more powerful than the Father, but is inferior to him. And this belief is based on the saying of Jesus himself: ‘The Father who sent me is greater than I am.’ And none of us is crazy enough to claim that the Son of Man is Lord over G-d. However, when we regard the Saviour as G-d, the Word and Wisdom and Justice and Truth, we are certainly saying that he has dominion over all things that have been subjected to him in this capacity, but not that his dominion extends over G-d and Father, who is ruler over all.

Therefore, we have always maintained that G-d is the Father of His only begotten Son, who was indeed born of Him and derives from Him what He is, but without beginning

However, it is monstrous and unlawful to compare G-d, the Father, in the generation of His only begotten Son and in His substance with a human being or any other living object. Because His generation is as eternal as the radiance produced by the sun. For in receiving the breath of life, He is not made a son by external process, but by His own nature.

And so that you may understand that the omnipotence of Father and Son is one and the same, since G-d and the Lord are one and the same with the Father, listen to the way John speaks in the Apocalypse: ‘Thus says the LordG-d , what is and what was and what is to come, the Almighty. ’ For who else was “he who is to come” but Christ? And since no one should be offended, it is seen that G-d is the Father, and that the Saviour is also G-d. Since the Father is called omnipotent, no one should be offended that the Son of G-d is also called omnipotent.

 

[Benaiah468]

I do not understand the Trinity. I just accept it and I don't fret over it. The important thing about the Bible that I do understand is the message of the cross.
God sent his Son into the world to become a man, Jesus, so he could die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin; a penalty I could not pay. The Holy Spirit convinced me that the message of the cross is the truth and showed me that I could trust that message for my eternity.

No human being can fully explain the Trinity, as it goes beyond the limited mind of man. It lies outside the realm of natural reason or human logic. But this fact should not bother us.

Why?

Because G-d's Word tells us that we should expect His revelation, the revelation of an infinite, all-knowing, all-wise Creator, to contain an infinite depth that corresponds to His infinite mind. In Isaiah, G-d tells us about this

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa 55:8-9 KJV

It follows that we cannot expect to understand Scripture exhaustively. If we could, it would not be divine, but limited to human intelligence. This leads to a very important idea that many non-Christians and Christians stumble over:

Since Scripture is an infinite revelation, it often takes the reader beyond the limits of their intelligence.

As simple as it is in its message of sin and salvation in Christ, an incredible subtlety and profundity underlies all of its teachings. Even a child can accept Christ as his Saviour and thus be given the gift of eternal life. However, no philosopher has done more than scratch the surface of what took place at the stake. Scripture forces every reader to reach the limit of his own understanding, beyond which he cannot go until he sees G-d face to face.

Until a person realises that his own wisdom and intelligence are not enough, he is not ready to listen to G-d's greater wisdom

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. Lk.10:21

G-d has truly, if not exhaustively, communicated Himself to mankind

The secret things belong unto the Lord our G-d: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deu 29:29

Although the Trinity is a truth revealed in Scripture, like the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of G-d or the G-dly-human nature of Jesus Christ, it is a mystery because it goes beyond the limits of human understanding. G-d has not undoubtedly explained all the mysteries of His revelation to us because we simply cannot yet comprehend them

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor.13:12

Because of our limited capacity in this life, some of G-d's revelations given to us in Scripture defy explanation or illustration. Now, when we try to explain these truths that fall into this category, our explanations, and especially our attempts to illustrate them, must necessarily fall short of our expectations of being able to explain and understand them.

Does this mean that a doctrine such as the Trinity cannot be true simply because it contradicts our human imagination or our ability to comprehend it?

Of course not.

It would be nothing less than human arrogance to say that it is.

The truth is, we must recognise our need to simply trust in G-d's special revelation to us, the Scriptures, and submit our minds to the teaching as it is expressed from G-d's side. This does not mean that we do not examine the Scriptures to ensure that these things are truly taught. However, if we are convinced that this is what Scripture says, we must take it by faith and wait for the eternal future until it is fully understood.

It would be self-centred in the extreme for anyone to claim that just because an idea does not make sense in Scripture, it cannot therefore be true.

The doctrine of the Trinity is part of the revelation of G-d; Someone who is infinite to the finite.

Is it not logical, therefore, that in our study of G-d we will find things that are incomprehensible, mysterious and super-rational and that limit the rational thinking capacity of man?

Do we realise that G-d in His existence as Three-in-One is beyond the limits of human understanding?