# THE TRINITY The word TRINITY is not found in the BIBLE. There is no religious significance or value in the word, alone. What is special is the understanding of the TRIUNE nature of the ONE GOD. We can best explain this by stating that we, ourselves, exist as a triune entity. We have a BODY (flesh) that we walk and talk and touch with. We have a MIND (soul) that is our will and our intellect. We have a SPIRIT that controls our very nature - this can be the old or "worldly" spirit or the NEW spirit received by being "born again". If you could take away your mind, you no longer are you. If you take away your spirit, you cease to behave like yourself. If you take away your body - well, that doesn't need to be expressed, does it? Only when all THREE of you are "together" are you really the ONE person that we all know and love (?). Within the NATURE of ONE GOD, there are THREE eternal MINISTERS or persons: God the FATHER, God the SON and GOD the HOLY SPIRIT. One GOD by essence, eternally complete and immutable (meaning without possibility of change - or unchanging). Many "cults" today attempt to deal with these MINISTERS as separate GODS; However, the BIBLE clearly states that there is but ONE GOD. Deuteronomy 6:4 and 32:39 - Isaiah 43:10 to 11 and 44:6 to 8 Psalm 86:10 - Mark 12:29 - Galatians 3:20 - I Corinthians 8:4,6 While ONE GOD is expressed, THREE MINISTERING ENTITIES are shown throughout the Bible. EACH entity is shown to have the same attributes and authority that is given to the other entity. At no time is one entity shown to be greater or lesser than the other. It may be best to express this by stating that each ENTITY ministers to us in a SPECIFIC and clearly designed manner as needed by each of us. These attributes are: CREATOR FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ Isaiah 64:8 & 44:24 John 1:3 Job 26:13 & 33:4 Genesis 1:1 Hebrews 1:2 Revelation 4:8,11 Colossians 1:15-17 INDWELL US FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ 2 Corinthians 6:16 Colossians 1:27 John 14:17 Romans 8:10 Romans 8:9 Galatians 2:20 I Cor 3:16 FIRST AND LAST FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Isaiah 43:10 Revelation 1:17 Revelation 21:6 Revelation 2:8 and 22:13 ALPHA AND OMEGA FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Revelation 1:8 Revelation 22:13,16 Revelation 21:6 I AM FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Exodus 3:14,15 John 8:58 IMMANUEL FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Isaiah 8:8 Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23 RESURRECTION FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ I Thessalonians 1:10 John 2:19 Romans 8:11 Acts 2:32 17:30,31 DRAWS AND CONVICTS FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ John 6:44 John 12:32 I Cor 12:3 John 12:32 John 16:13-15 LIFE GIVER FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ Genesis 2:7 John 1:3,4 17:2 2 Cor 3:6,17 SAVIOR FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Isaiah 43:3 John 4:42 Psalm 106:21 1 John 4:14 Isaiah 45:21-23 Acts 4:12 20:28 TO BE WORSHIPPED: "EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE CONFESS.." FATHER JESUS ____________________________________________________ Isaiah 45:22,23 Philippians 2:10 Romans 14:10,11 Matthew 28:18 JUDGE FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ Joel 3:12 2 Cor 5:10 John 16:8 Genesis 18:25 2 Timothy 4:1 IS GOD FATHER JESUS HOLY SPIRIT ____________________________________________________ John 5:18 John 1:1,14 Acts 5:3,4 I Cor 1:3 John 20:28 THREE PERSONS I John 5:7 | Matthew 28:19 | Romans 8:9 | Titus 3:4-6 Jude 20,21 | Matthew 3:16,17 THE REAL HOLY SPIRIT In Mormonism the "Holy Ghost" is a personage, or a god, but the "Holy Spirit" is an impersonal force. The Mormons refer to verses that the Holy Spirit is symbolized by oil, fire and water and show that these are "impersonal". The Bible referes to the Father and the Son as "bread of life", "living water" and other "impersonal" terms. Again, we must look at the context. In John 16:7, our Lord is placing His emphasis on His going away and the Holy Spirit's being sent by the Father to replace our Lord himself. This change (or replacement), Jesus says, would be beneficial for His disciples. AN IMPERSONAL FORCE COULD HARDLY IMPROVE ON THE PERSONAL PRESENCE OF OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST! The word in Hebrew and the word in Greek for SPIRIT and GHOST both mean the same, "breath or wind" and the "translators" of the King James Bible noted that the Greek word denoted a neuter gender and mistranslated to be an "IT", but they did utilize the word Ghost and Spirit and interchanged them on many occassions. The words as translated are from only ONE word in Hebrew and ONE word in Greek - therefore there is NOT two words for SPIRIT and GHOST - only ONE. Now, let's look at this ONE entity called the HOLY SPIRIT. In John 16:13 and 14 we see our Lord, Jesus telling us this about the Holy Spirit, "HE shall not speak of HIMSELF ... HE shall glorify me ... HE shall receive of mine ....". NOTE that our LORD gives PERSONALITY to the Spirit. Otherwise our Lord would have used the term that Mormons use "IT". Jesus repeatedly (John 16:7-15) uses the MASCULINE PERSONAL pronoun "He" when referring to the Spirit. Jesus used the term clearly to tell us that the Spirit had personality and intimacy. Ananias was struck dead for lying to the HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 5:3). You cannot lie to an impersonal force! It would be like walking up to a window box fan, turning it on and facing its "force" and then telling lie after lie to it - IT WOULD NOT CARE THE SLIGHEST, WOULD IT? Now, you look at Ananias and, if you are not a complete idiot, you would not repeat his behavior, now would you? The Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost are not two different items mentioned in the Bible. There is only one entity referred to as both HOLY GHOST and HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is a person. The Spirit may be "grieved" (Ephesians 4:30) and "sinned against" by UNFORGIVABLE blasphemy (Mark 3:29). None of these things are possible for an "impersonal force". The Holy Ghost does things which only a person COULD do. He SPEAKS: "The Spirit said unto Philip, 'Go near'" (Acts 8:29) He STRIVES: "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever" (Genesis 6:3) - "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmity ... [and] MAKETH INTERCESSION for us." (Romans 8:26) He REVEALS, SEARCHES, and KNOWS: "But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things ... the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 2:10,11). Other verses can be shown that the Spirit IDENTIFIES with believers (Acts 15:28), The Spirit is ETERNAL (Hebrews 9:14), OMNIPRESENT (Psalm 139:7-10), DOES GOD'S WORK (Genesis 1:2), INVOLVED IN REGENERATION (John 3:8), participates in the RESURRECTION (Romans 8:11). Paul identifies the Spirit as the speaker to Isaiah. Acts 28:25-26 and Isaiah 6:8,9. An impersonal force does not counsel, speak, feel, or anything resembling personality. The HOLY SPIRIT is a person - one of the THREE ENTITIES of the ONE TRUE GOD. There is but ONE GOD. Yet the THREE PERSONS or MINISTERS - the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT (GHOST) - are eternally linked and spoken of as ONE in their existance, authority and power. You cannot separate them into three separate gods. If A=D and B=D and C=D, then A=B=C=D! If the Father if God and If the Son is God and If the Holy Sprit is God then The Father equals the Son equals the Spirit equals TRUE GOD Computers For Christ - San Jose, CA