Today we continue our series Sure Foundations. In this series, we are discussing what we believe and why we believe it. Today, we will discuss the idea of there being One True God who reveals himself in three parts (Father, Son, And Holy Spirit) and the Deity, or divine nature, of Jesus. Basically proving that Jesus is God the Son.
FOUNDATION 2 | There is only one true God–revealed in three persons... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity)
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This idea is where we get the word Trinity from.
But the word Trinity isn’t found in the Bible, so does it really exist? The doctrine of the Trinity is not found in any explicit statement in Scripture. There are no formal doctrinal statements that define or teach the Trinity. Terms such as "Trinity," "three Persons," and "one substance" are not found in the New Testament.
However, since there is no developed teaching concerning the Trinity, it is argued that the New Testament does not teach this doctrine. But that’s silly. Want me to prove it with examples from today?
The parent company, Google, rebranded itself in 2015 as Alphabet, which was meant to be a holding company for its various other businesses. So Google Search, Gmail, and Google Suites are a part of Alphabet. The term alphabet may not have existed when it began, but it now represents one company that has many parts.
When Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak in 1976, it was known as Apple Computers. But in 2007, Jobs announced the company was changing its name to Apple to focus more on consumer electronics.
Pepsi-Cola was founded in 1893 by a pharmacist named Caleb Bradham. He named the company after himself, calling it Brad’s Drink. In 1898, the company was renamed Pepsi-Cola, which became one of the best-known brands in the world.
Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, initially launched the site under the name AuctionWeb. The site was "dedicated to bringing together buyers and sellers in an honest and open marketplace." The company continued to grow steadily and gain media coverage. The media often referred to the company as eBay, prompting it to change its name.
As you just read, companies have changed their names to be found easier and to be better understood. But that doesn’t mean the product changed at all.
Likewise, while the exact terms that Christians today use to describe the Trinity are not found in the New Testament, the ideas these terms express are clearly there. For example…
Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
John 14:16-17 (ESV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God the Father uses the words “Our Image.” Who is the Our? Well… In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. So Jesus is present here, and if you remember, the spirit was hovering and putting the word into action.
FOUNDATION 3 | The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. As God’s son, Jesus was both human and divine
When we read John 1:14 (ESV) we see the two natures: the Word (his Deity) and flesh (humanity). Yet we also see that there is one Person, for we read that the Word became flesh. “Became” requires that we acknowledge a unity of the two natures such that they are one thing — that is, one Person: Jesus Christ
The Scriptures Declare…
Now, if we believe the scriptures to be inspired, we need to take seriously what they say of Jesus…
The Scriptures declare: His virgin birth: (Matthew 1:23 and Luke 1:31 )
The Scriptures declare: His sinless life: (Hebrews 7:22-26 )
The Scriptures declare: His miracles: (Acts 2:22 )
The Scriptures declare: His substitutionary work on the cross: (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)
The Scriptures declare: His bodily resurrection from the dead: (Luke 24:39 )
The Scriptures declare: His exaltation to the right hand of God: (Acts 1:9-11 )
Prophecy Fulfilled By Jesus
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb.
Given: Exodus 12:1-11
Fulfilled: John 1:29-36
The rock that produced water for Israel points toward Jesus and the living water.
Given: Exodus 17:6
Fulfilled: John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 10:3-4
The serpent and the "seed" of Eve will have a conflict; the woman's offspring will crush the serpent. Jesus is this seed, and He crushed Satan at the cross.
Given: Genesis 3:14-15
Fulfilled: Galatians 4:4;
God promised Abraham the whole world would be blessed through him. Jesus descended from Abraham as that blessing.
Given: Genesis 12:3
Fulfilled: Acts 3:25-26; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16
Jacob prophesied Judah would rule over his brothers; Jesus, the king, is from the tribe of Judah.
Given: Genesis 49:10
Fulfilled: Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:32-33
The Jews were not to keep the Passover lamb overnight, Jesus was buried the day He died.
Given: Exodus 12:10; Numbers 9:12
Fulfilled: John 19:38-42
The Jews were not to break the bones of the Passover lamb. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross.
Given: Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12
Fulfilled: John 19:31-36
God told the Jews never to leave the body of someone who had been hanged overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died.
Given: Deuteronomy 21:23
Fulfilled: John 19:31-36; Galatians 3:13
God will tell someone He is their Father. God told the crowd at Jesus’ baptism that He was Jesus’ Father.
Given: Psalm 2:7
Fulfilled: Matthew 3:17; 17:5;
The psalmist says his friends will abandon him, and the disciples abandoned Jesus.
Given: Psalm 38:11; 88:18
Fulfilled: Matthew 26:56-58;
The psalmist says he will speak in parables. Jesus spoke in parables.
Given: Psalm 78:2
Fulfilled: Matthew 13:3
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