Our Triune God
2/3 Reading Portions: Genesis 35-36; Mark 6; Job 2; Romans 6
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2/3 Reading Portions: Genesis 35-36; Mark 6; Job 2; Romans 6
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
TRINITY
The third word in my Hebrew Bible is אֱלֹהִים (el-ō-HEEYM), which is the plural form of the word אֵל (el), the Hebrew word for “God.” This is significant because the Hebrew language is like the English language in that if the subject is singular, then so is the verb; and if the subject is plural, then so is the verb. For example, in English we might say, “He is going to the store,” not “He are going to the store.” We might also correctly say, “They are playing a game,” not “They is playing a game.” Yesterday, we briefly encountered the verb בָּרָא (ba-RA), which means “created.” In the first sentence of the Bible, this verb is singular, not plural; but it is connected to a plural subject, “God” in the plural form, אֱלֹהִים. Moses didn’t make a mistake when he wrote it down. He was carried along by the Holy Spirit to reveal our triune God to us.
Our God is one God, the true and living God; yet He exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And these three persons are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory. Elsewhere we read:
“It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead - Father, Son, and Spirit, who were engaged in the creative work.” Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, 1871; emphasis in original
And again:
“The plurality of persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This plural name of God, in Hebrew, which speaks of him as many though he is one, was to the Gentiles perhaps a savour of death unto death, hardening them in their idolatry; but it is to us a savour of life unto life, confirming our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, which, though but darkly intimated in the Old Testament, is clearly revealed in the New.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1714
While the words “Trinity” and “Triune” are not specifically written in Scripture, the doctrine these words represent is most assuredly drawn from a several scriptural proofs. Hallelujah! What an amazing, thrice-holy God!