Essential Trinity: Identity of God
Part 1 of Series
Introduction
In his book, The Forgotten Trinity, theologian and apologist Dr. James White highlights a troubling trend: many well-meaning Christians, including pastors, cannot soundly articulate the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity without veering into heresy. While the Trinity is a complex spiritual mystery, even children can understand and articulate its essence when properly taught. Why, then, is there such widespread confusion?
I submit, it is, in no small part to, the church’s idolization of the comfort “unity” brings — at the expense of truth. Standing for the truth inevitably brings conflict, and conflict leads to discomfort and persecution. They fear being judged by friends and family, and not by God as apostates — Certainly, not I, Lord?
We are commanded to: “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3 LSB). Fundamentalism often errs in making every doctrinal hill one worth dying on — to the point they fight their own forces to take their own hills. Liberalism, on the other hand, tries to flatten all hills into fields, believing no hill is worth dying on — not even Calvary’s. If the identity of God cannot be known, then how can we choose for ourselves, this day, whom we might serve?
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Trinity Essential to Christian Belief
This is the first installment in a series defending the argument:
The Doctrine of the Trinity is a foundational Christian doctrine,
God’s Triune nature is essential to understanding God as He has revealed Himself,
The Trinity is not a disputable matter to be relegated to amicable disagreement, but a hill which the people of God must draw their theological swords and defend every inch.
To deny the Trinity is to deny who God has revealed Himself to be, substituting the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:25).
The Identity of the One True God
The Importance of the Trinity
The capacity to discern the God of the Bible from false gods of other religions is a first priority issue. Many cults and false religions claim to be the “true” revelation of God, or that their god is actually our God but more accurately worshipped. Some errors express themselves as denominations or sects of Christianity, from the nearness of Oneness Pentecostalism to the different and bizarre polytheism of Mormonism.
The Nature of the Trinity
In Scripture, God has revealed Himself as Triune in nature. To be clear, there is one being of God (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 1 Corinthians 8:6), indivisible, consisting of three distinct and unique Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)—co-equal and co-eternal, each having their own role and relationship to one another.
In the world we know, each being is also a single person. God, however, is unique: one divine Being who lives as three distinct Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Unlike humans, where one person equals one being, God is three Persons in one Being. Each Person of the Trinity is fully God, sharing one divine essence, not merely a part of God.
The word “Trinity” or “Triune” does not appear in the Bible. Neither does the word “Bible”. Both are words created by theologians to simplify more complex subjects clearly derived from Scripture. For example, “the sixty-six books and letters which compose the inspired Holy Scripture of the Christian Church” is a mouthful, so “Bible.” Likewise, simply stating “Trinity” saves a lot of paper.
I AM WHO I AM
God has given us a proper name for Him to be identified by. Yahweh, “The Name,” or the Tetragrammaton (meaning four letters — YHWH) is the name God gave to Moses at the burning bush to identify Himself in Exodus 3,
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am about to come to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ And they will say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
In this profound exchange, God introduces Himself as YHWH, or Yahweh, meaning “I AM”, or more literally, “I EXIST.” This declaration transcends mere labeling; it's an assertion of eternal existence. Unlike humans, whose understanding of being is tied to the temporal world, God exists in a perpetual state of 'is.' He is the eternal one, independent of time, and His infinite knowledge is intrinsic to His nature. "I AM" is not defined by the created order but by His timeless essence. God is. I AM. YAHWEH.
Identifying the True God
We identify an individual by their unique character. As Christians, we should not so easily give way to claims by non-Christians they too worship the same God. The God of the Bible is clearly discernable from false gods — especially by His people — “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 LSB).
It is true, the Bible gives many names for God, but these names provide insight into different qualities and characteristics of God’s identity and are consistent with God’s revelation of Himself. Jehovah Jireh and El Shaddai are not other Gods, with other revelations, with other paths to some obscure end goal. They are different names to give insight (revelation) to mortal men of the unfathomable glory of Yahweh. He does not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8).
As discussed in Flee From Egypt: Do Jews Worship Yahweh?, God must be worshipped in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24). God has determined how He will reveal Himself and He’s given all of mankind the capacity to know Him — and indeed they do. Paul cites this revelation as sufficient for God to justly kindle His wrath against all of mankind for their rebellion (Romans 1:18-21). How much more for those who have access to the revealed word of God? (Hebrews 6:4-6)
Not The Trinity: Common Heresies
Tritheism: Three Separate Gods
Tritheism is the belief in three distinct gods, an error dividing the indivisible nature of God's essence (being). It is a direct contradiction to the scriptural affirmation of one God in three Persons, such as stated in Deuteronomy 6:4 and refuted in the unified worship of the Godhead seen throughout Scripture.
Tritheism is among the most common misrepresentation of Trinitarianism — especially among Muslims. The Quran incorrectly teaches that Christians believe in three different Gods. Additionally, while Mormonism is ultimately polytheistic with infinite regression, they teach a form of Tritheism, with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost being three distinct beings (among other errors.)
Modalism: One God, Three Modes
Modalism, also known as Sabellianism, denies the three unique Persons of the Trinity, instead teaching one Divine Person existing in three different modes. This view denies the constant and simultaneous existence of the three Persons of the Trinity and is contradicted by instances in Scripture where the Persons of the Trinity interact with each other, such as at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17).
The early church dealt with this heresy repeatedly, and second and third-century church leaders like Tertullian, Origen, Dionysius, and others clearly denounced it before it was denounced at the Council of Nicea (AD 325) and then the Council of Constantinople (AD 381). The Athanasian Creed condemns Modalism as a damnable heresy.
Today, this view is most common among Oneness Pentecostals. This article by Nathan Busenitz was very informative, providing a detailed history of Modalism and offering additional examples.
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Partialism: Dividing God's Essence
Partialism suggests that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct Persons but rather parts that come together to form God. This concept fails to recognize that each Person of the Trinity fully embodies God's essence and that God's being is not divided into parts. The biblical revelation presents each Person of the Trinity as fully God, not a fractional part of God.
And there are more…
There are many more variations of Trinitarian heresies. Got Questions, CARM, and Theopedia are great resources for more information. Also, one cannot discuss Trinitarian heresies without referencing “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies” by LutheranSatire on YouTube.
In future installments to this series, we’ll address some other heresies which may focus on specific Persons of the Trinity, for example, in our next installment, Arianism, as the focus will be the Son of God.
Conclusion: The Eternal Logos and the Christian Faith
Yahweh has made Himself known and knowable. He is not many, but one God, existing as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is a profound mystery which is revealed to us in Scripture in terms which are, while not relatable, capable of being understood by sound teaching and the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2).
The identity of God is not a gray area to be left up for debate, one which we can dispute and remain in Christian fellowship, but one which must be clarified. If God is to call Himself “THE GREAT I AM,” if God’s identity is “GOD IS,” then certainly knowing who GOD IS is a matter foundational to faithful worship.