24-0512a Transcript

Preacher: Jim Lokenbauer

(1:49) Well, good morning, everybody. (1:52) Well, as we have our notation of a handful of men sharing the load of presenting sermons every Sunday, (2:02) this is my Sunday. (2:05) And I’ve been presenting to you really one of the elementary teachings about faith in God.

(2:15) And this particular elementary teaching I’ve been spending a lot of time on. (2:26) It’s important to know our God. (2:30) And this morning I’m doing something different I haven’t done, (2:34) and I found it harder to do than what my normal study routine is for giving a sermon.

(2:44) I came across an article in the Apologetics Press, if you’re familiar with that publication, (2:53) and they have a subdivision of that called Reason and Revelation. (2:58) And they have a staff, and the staff writers have all kinds of doctorate degrees (3:06) or MBAs after their name, and they present articles. (3:14) And they’re quite interesting, and not too long ago they had an article on the Trinity, (3:20) and that’s been a subject that I’ve touched on in the past (3:25) and wanted to present to you a little deeper.

(3:29) So in a few moments I will be using their material. (3:37) And I found it harder garnering through their material and actually coming up with my own original material, (3:49) because even though I don’t have all kinds of degrees, (3:53) I think I do know how to present material in a way that can be understood by all. (4:01) Whereas these guys with lots of letters after their name, they speak way up here, (4:08) and they use lots of language where you’ve got to consult the dictionary.

(4:13) Well, what’s this word mean? Oh, hey, I learned something. (4:16) Anyhow, even though part of the prerequisite to use their material is to present it as is, (4:28) I will present their material as is, as I see fit, so that you understand it. (4:35) So I will give them the acknowledgment, yes, this is from the Apologetics Press.

(4:40) They have a website. It’s wonderful. You can go through there and find all kinds of wonderful articles.

(4:47) And their big thing is the defense of the Gospel. (4:52) And one of the things that I really like about them is their defense of creation. (4:59) And, you know, evolution doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

(5:04) These guys just parrot the pieces and show just what a stupid theory evolution is. (5:10) So you’ve got to check them out. It’s apologeticspress.org. (5:18) So I’m going to present a little bit about the Trinity myself at the beginning, (5:23) and then I’ll acknowledge when I’m switching gears.

(5:29) So it’s nice to see so many here today that I haven’t seen in a while. (5:36) So welcome to the Schubert’s. Welcome to our visitors.

God bless you. (5:42) I hope today will be rewarding as far as understanding who our God is a little bit more. (5:50) And I thank the gentlemen for reading the scriptures that they did, (5:55) and the particular scripture that Mike read this morning, Deuteronomy 6-4, (6:00) Israel, our Lord, our God is one.

(6:07) And I want you to remember from past lessons, (6:10) when you see the word Lord in the Old Testament, all capitals, (6:16) that’s actually the name Yahweh. (6:19) And shame on the translators for thinking we can’t understand what the name of the most holy God is, Yahweh. (6:28) But every time you see Lord, it’s actually His name, Yahweh, the most holy name.

(6:34) And every time you see the word God, it’s not God in the original Hebrew. (6:40) It’s His other name He’s known by, Elohim. (6:45) And El meaning God, and the Him meaning plural masculine.

(6:51) It means the Trinity. (6:53) So when you see God, the Trinity is being represented in that little free letter word. (7:00) So when Moses says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord God, that means Yahweh, Elohim, is one.

(7:16) What is he saying? (7:18) He is saying that Yahweh is God the Father, Yahweh is God the Son, and Yahweh is God Holy Spirit. (7:35) And they are one. (7:40) And that’s a little heavy to wrap your head around, the idea of the Trinity.

(7:45) It’s not really taught very much, because it is somewhat of a mystery. (7:55) But we’re going to try here, and we’re going to go through a lot of scripture. (8:01) So get your Bibles open, flip around, or if you don’t think you can catch up or keep up, just sit back and listen to what I say.

(8:09) I took the time to put what those scriptures they just cite in the text. (8:17) That’s one of the things I took license to do, where he just might mention a scripture, I put it in there so that you hear what it says. (8:29) Now, they do it so that it makes the person reading it have to open their own Bible and study it.

(8:35) But since I’m not expecting you to go home and remember all those scriptures I’ll mention, I’ll just say them so you don’t have to do that. (8:47) Okay. (8:49) So this morning we’re going to begin a two-part lesson on the Holy Trinity.

(8:55) And as I mentioned, I’ve been presenting a series of lessons of our God in the Bible, (9:00) and the main focus of my lessons have been on the second figure of the Godhead, the Son of God. (9:07) I’ve shown his role in both the Old and the New Testament, and how he presented himself to his people with his many faces, as scripture called it, (9:20) the way he presented himself, such as the angel of the Lord, or the captain of the host of God’s army. (9:30) So he’s presented himself, same figure, second figure of the Godhead, but in different faces, it’s called.

(9:40) And so today we’re going to see how those all relate to one another, the three being one. (9:48) So their oneness is one in power, one in purpose, one in love, one in intellect, one in unity, one in creativity, and one in being. (10:05) And that one in being some people call one in substance.

(10:11) Substance will be a word that this particular author likes to use. (10:16) And we can only know about our God and what he has chosen to reveal about himself to us through Holy Scripture, the Bible. (10:26) Scriptures themselves are a product of the amazing work of the Holy Trinity.

(10:34) So listen, Paul explains in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 10 through 16, (10:42) this is me, this isn’t the author yet speaking. (10:47) Paul says, but God has revealed it to us, his word, by his Spirit. (10:53) The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

(10:58) For who among men knows the thoughts of a man, except the man’s spirit within him? (11:04) In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God. (11:11) We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, (11:17) that we may understand what God has freely given us. (11:22) This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, (11:31) expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

(11:36) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, (11:44) for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (11:53) A spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment. (12:00) For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct them? (12:07) But we have the mind of Christ.

(12:12) So we, the obedient believers of God’s word, who followed Jesus' command to be baptized (12:20) for the forgiveness of sins, receive Holy Spirit as a gift by doing so. (12:27) So we have Holy Spirit indwelling in us, residing in us, living in us. (12:34) It’s no special feeling you get when He enters you, but He’s there.

(12:41) Having Holy Spirit dwell in us helps us to understand God’s holy scriptures. (12:47) Holy Spirit, being one with the Father and the Son, is able to know their thoughts, being one, (12:55) and He moves holy men to write the scriptures. (13:02) And the Holy Spirit helps us to understand the mind of God through what’s in the scriptures.

(13:10) Remember, you can be a college professor teaching theology, but if you don’t believe, (13:18) if you’ve never obeyed the gospel call to be baptized, you don’t have Holy Spirit in you. (13:26) And so you may think scripture is foolish. (13:29) What is this? (13:32) Fairytale, they might call it.

(13:34) Those of us who have a true faith, who believe, who obey, have Holy Spirit in us. (13:43) When you start studying the scripture, it all starts making sense. (13:48) And the more you read, the more you study, the more you’re amazed at just what exactly God reveals to us and about Himself.

(14:03) When we study God’s Word, believe and live by those words, putting them into practice and bear fruit to God, (14:11) we transform into the image of His Son, as we’re told in Romans. (14:18) That’s how we have the mind of Christ. (14:23) In 2 Timothy 3.16, Paul said, (14:28) All scripture is God-breathed.

(14:31) That’s plenary. That means all. (14:34) Every last bit of it is inspired of God.

(14:38) It’s His thoughts. It’s not man’s thoughts. (14:43) And in 1 Corinthians 14.37, Paul says to his contemporaries of that time, (14:54) He challenged spiritual people to acknowledge that what he wrote in all his letters were the commands of Jesus Christ.

(15:08) Likewise, Peter confirms for us that scripture is divine, meaning it is from God. (15:19) 2 Peter 1.20-21 says, (15:22) Above all, you must understand, no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. (15:35) Ha! Lost my place.

(15:41) For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (15:50) So the men who prophesied and the men who received instructions from Holy Spirit what to write in the Bible, (16:02) that’s the mind of God being revealed to us. (16:05) It’s not whoever was the vehicle with the pen in his hand.

(16:14) You can see some of their personality in the writing, (16:17) but Holy Spirit used them to convey just what God wanted to be known. (16:26) That’s the only way we can know. (16:29) Well, what does God say about something? (16:32) Or what does God feel about something? (16:34) The only way you can know is through scripture.

(16:40) So you can see here beings of the Holy Trinity giving us scripture. (16:52) The mind of God, the Word of Christ. (16:57) He was called Logos, the Word.

(17:00) He’s the giver of the law. (17:03) And Holy Spirit moving men to convey those thoughts. (17:09) The Trinity involved in giving us scripture.

(17:14) And didn’t we see all three in the creation process in the beginning? (17:20) When God, and remember, Elohim, that’s the three of them, created man, created everything. (17:29) We’re told in the Gospel of John, first chapter, first three verses, (17:35) that it was Jesus, the Word, who was with God in the beginning, (17:41) who was God himself, brought everything into being. (17:47) And as he made man, didn’t they say, let us make man in our image? (17:57) So faith in God is one of the elementary teachings of Christ.

(18:03) So knowing as much as you can about God will give you a deeper faith in God. (18:08) Like any subject in the Bible, whatever it is you’re trying to study, (18:13) you can do a beginner style study and get a general sense of that subject and be satisfied. (18:21) That is like consuming milk.

(18:24) And that’s what you do when you’re a young Christian. (18:28) You can’t go deep. (18:30) So you understand only so much of scripture.

(18:36) But it’s a growth process. (18:39) Just like a child being raised on milk first. (18:43) Little steps.

(18:45) You start going deeper and deeper and deeper. (18:50) And pretty soon you’re able to eat meat. (18:53) Like any subject in the Bible, you want to study at your faith level, so to speak.

(19:05) So the oneness of God, everybody can understand God in a general sense. (19:12) You kind of know that it’s Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who make up the Trinity. (19:18) But sometimes that’s all the further we go.

(19:21) Okay, there’s three, there’s one. (19:22) And so that’s like a beginning understanding of the Trinity. (19:28) And a lot of times people don’t go farther.

(19:32) But when you do a deeper study and find out as much as you can on the subject, (19:37) you will grow and mature and your knowledge will grow (19:43) and you will start to really understand the threeness, if there is such a word, of God, the Trinity. (19:53) That’s the meat. (19:55) When you get to know what it is they each do for us.

(20:00) But it will always be a mystery because the relationship in the Trinity is supernatural. (20:08) It’s beyond us, beyond our understanding. (20:14) So we should never become dogmatic and put our hands on our hip and, (20:18) Oh, this is how the Trinity is.

(20:23) Just be sure in what you’re studying. (20:26) Study it through and trust in God that he’ll reveal himself to you. (20:32) But keep an open mind.

(20:36) I came across a useful article on this subject from the Apologetics Press. (20:41) And it’s written by a man named Donnie DeBoard. (20:46) He’s got a PhD.

(20:48) And he happens to be a PhD in theology and systematic theology. (20:57) And he’s the assistant professor of systematic theology at the Freed-Hardeman University down south. (21:07) And that’s a college that the Lord’s Church supports.

(21:15) So he teaches undergrads and grads courses on the Trinity. (21:24) So he’s a guy who’s probably got a pretty good handle on it. (21:31) And we’re going to go through his stuff.

(21:33) And he uses, for all of his Bible references, the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted. (21:43) I have to say that. (21:45) Part of the agreement of using somebody else’s material.

(21:49) So, the doctrine, this is he now speaking, not me. (21:54) The doctrine of the Trinity remains misunderstood and neglected. (21:58) Perhaps Christians see the Trinitarian theology impractical, too academic, or perhaps even unnecessary.

(22:09) Author Fred Sanders, writer of The Deep Things of God and How the Trinity Changes Everything, (22:17) described the situation this way. (22:19) We tend to acknowledge the doctrine with a polite hospitality, but not welcome it with any special warmth. (22:28) And sadly, some consider the concept self-contradictory, (22:33) rejecting altogether the reality of the Triune God.

(22:39) How can we believe or preach God’s good news unless we know a bit about who God is? (22:47) In contrast with our contemporary neglect of the Triune God, Paul could not help but to praise God (22:54) as he reflected on how the Father has blessed us through Christ and sealed us with the Spirit. (23:01) All of which is for the ultimate glory of God, Ephesians 1, 3-14, (23:10) which speaks of the workings of the Triune God in the life of the believer. (23:18) Similarly, Peter said of the Christian’s life that it’s bound up in the foreknowledge of the Father, (23:25) sanctified by the Spirit, and obedience to Christ, all due to Christ’s sprinkling of His blood on us.

(23:34) And John read that for us. (23:37) I’m sorry, Roger did, earlier. (23:41) What some may see as dull or peculiar irrelevance, (23:47) turns out to be the source of all that is good in Christianity.

(23:51) Neither a problem nor a technicality, the Triune Being of God is the vital oxygen of Christian life and joy. (24:02) Just as the cherubim praise the thrice-holy God in John’s Revelation, (24:09) where the cherubim said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, (24:14) who was and who is and who is to come. (24:18) We too can become better worshippers as we look closer into the Triune nature of God.

(24:25) Doxologies in Christian worship are a hymn of praise to God, or a particular form of giving glory to God. (24:34) And Giles Emery, whoever he is, said they do not regard an action of God, (24:41) but rather they are focused directly on the glory of God and His sanctity. (24:50) They do not express a wish, but rather they declare the reality of God.

(24:56) He says, I think Augustine was right when he said, (25:01) This is the fullness of our joy to enjoy God, the Trinity, in whose image we have been made. (25:10) When working on my dissertation, he says, I was advised to write an elevator speech, (25:18) and that’s an explanation of what he was working on. (25:22) An elevator speech is a brief explanation of what it is they’re studying to get their degree on.

(25:29) So how would we do this with the Trinity? (25:32) It’s hard, but here is how I try to do it. (25:36) Our God exists as three persons who share the same substance. (25:43) John Frame, the author of Salvation Belongs to the Lord, (25:47) an introduction to systematic theology, explains substance this way.

(25:53) Substance means something like what He really is. (25:58) So, the Father really is God, the Son really is God, and the Spirit really is God. (26:05) Or, can you think of the one substance as the Godness of God? (26:12) All three persons in the Trinity have that Godness.

(26:17) What an explanation. I think I’d take my degree and try to get a refund with that explanation. (26:26) Godness of God.

(26:27) Anyhow, God is one. That’s the idea here. (26:30) The three are one, and they share of the same substance.

(26:35) They are of the same being. (26:40) Hard to understand. It’s a mystery.

(26:43) But we’ll push through with this. (26:46) God is one before we can appreciate the threeness of God. (26:51) We must articulate the oneness of God first.

(26:55) There is one God. (26:57) Moses said, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God. (27:00) The Lord is one.

(27:03) God alone is God, the psalmist says. (27:06) Beside Him there is no God, Isaiah says. (27:11) Zechariah confirms, and the Lord will be king over all the earth.

(27:16) On that day the Lord will be the only one. (27:21) In His name, the only one. (27:26) Paul said, There is no God but one, in 1 Corinthians 8. (27:31) God is one, and we are to be singularly devoted to Him.

(27:37) God said, You shall have no other gods before me, Exodus 23. (27:42) The New Testament, even while affirming the deity of Christ and the Spirit, (27:48) commands Christians to believe in one God. (27:53) Remember James' words in James 2.19 where he says, (27:58) God is one and you believe that, good, for even the demons believe that and shudder.

(28:06) So what is substance? (28:08) In a general sense, being something existing by itself, (28:14) that which really is or exists equally applicable to matter or spirit. (28:22) Thus the soul of man is called an immaterial substance, (28:26) a cognitive substance, a substance endued with thought. (28:33) While there are three divine persons, each shares in the singular divine substance, (28:39) they do not each have their own divine substance apart from the other two.

(28:47) That would result in three divine beings, three gods. (28:54) That would make them, in odds, polytheistic. (28:59) It is best to see that the Son and Spirit eternally share in the Father’s divine nature.

(29:06) This sharing is without beginning and without any diminishment. (29:12) John 1.1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, (29:16) and the Word was God, he was with God in the beginning. (29:20) John 5.26, for as the Father has life in himself, (29:25) even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.

(29:31) John 10.38, but if I do them, though you don’t believe me, (29:36) he’s talking about miracles, (29:38) believe the works that you may know, and believe that the Father is in me, (29:45) and I in the Father. (29:49) John 15.26, when the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, (29:55) the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. (30:04) This precision helps us honor the oneness of God while also maintaining the threeness of God.

(30:12) Matthew Barrett summarizes this truth this way, (30:17) There is in him no composition, nor can he be compounded by parts. (30:24) If he could, then he would be a divided being. (30:28) Parts are divisible by definition.

(30:31) A mutable being, parts are prone to change. (30:35) A temporal being, parts require a composer to be replaced. (30:40) And a dependent being, depending on these parts as if they precede him.

(30:47) But God’s not that. (30:49) God’s nature is one in every way. (30:53) God’s oneness is the most extreme unity.

(30:59) Each divine person is the Lord, is Yahweh. (31:04) The Lord has been used in scripture to translate that divine name, (31:10) which God revealed himself to Moses when he said, (31:14) I am that I am. (31:17) That’s Yahweh.

(31:19) That’s what that means. (31:21) And that’s in Exodus 3.14. (31:23) God subsequently revealed his glory to Moses by passing in front of him, (31:29) proclaiming his name, I am, or the Lord, (31:35) and has been understood to communicate God’s aseity, (31:39) that God exists independent of any cause. (31:44) Uniqueness, holiness, transcendence, and faithfulness.

(31:48) The Bible helps us see that the Father, Son, and Spirit share the same essence (31:54) by describing each of them as Yahweh, or the Lord. (31:59) The New Testament uses the word Lord to refer to the Father. (32:05) Luke 1.32. (32:07) This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, (32:11) and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (32:17) and of the Son.

(32:18) Luke 2.11. (32:20) For there is born to you today in David’s city a Savior, (32:24) who is Christ the Lord, (32:27) and the Spirit. (32:29) In 2 Corinthians 3.17-18 Paul says, (32:34) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (32:40) But we all, with unveiled face, seeing the glory of the Lord, (32:44) as in a mirror, are translated into the same image, (32:48) from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.

(32:54) This is appropriate because the three share that same divine nature. (33:01) In the ancient world, to name something was to describe its substance. (33:11) The Father, Son, and Spirit share in one name.

(33:16) Matthew 28.19 says, (33:19) Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name, singular, (33:24) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (33:30) It would not be appropriate to describe the Father, Son, and Spirit as the great we are. (33:37) They are the I Am, because the three share in the same substance.

(33:43) There is only one substance and one divine consciousness shared by three persons. (33:49) It would be difficult to avoid the charge of polytheism (33:54) if we believe there were three divine beings with their own divine substances, (34:00) or three centers of consciousness, or a society of beings. (34:05) Instead, God has revealed his nature in the name, I Am.

(34:12) There is a novel Trinitarian theology, actually a false teaching, (34:17) labeled Social Trinitarianism, (34:21) which teaches that God is three distinct individuals, three beings, (34:27) rather than the historic position of God as one being, one substance, (34:33) shared by three persons. (34:35) Briefly, Social Trinitarianism is the idea that each member of the Trinity is fully divine, (34:42) and that the divine persons enjoy a loving relationship with one another as distinct beings. (34:49) Social Trinitarianism is defined this way.

(34:53) Each of the divine persons must have something, (34:57) be it his own distinct substance, his own distinct intellect, (35:02) his own distinct act and faculty of will, or so on, (35:06) which is his alone and which the others do not have in the same way. (35:14) So instead of one substance shared by three persons, (35:18) Social Trinitarians believe there are three beings who share a set of attributes (35:24) that make them regarded as gods. (35:28) There are, it seems, three divine substances in their theology.

(35:33) This model sees the Trinity as a family, a society, or team. (35:39) This position is put forward in contrast to the historic model of the Trinity (35:44) that begins with the oneness of God (35:47) and proceeds to investigate how the three divine persons share a singular divine substance. (35:55) In this Social Trinitarian model, the divine persons do not share a singular substance.

(36:02) They each have their own divine substance. (36:06) This may seem like a small differentiation, but the implications are quite troubling. (36:13) In this paradigm, which means model, (36:18) it is difficult to explain how there are not three gods.

(36:22) Similarly, in this view, the divine persons are closer to three humans (36:28) who share in the same human nature, (36:31) but interact and may have different and or submissive wills to one another (36:36) of the members of the divine family. (36:39) So Social Trinitarianism, I believe, should be rejected (36:43) because the Bible repeatedly affirms the oneness of God (36:48) rather than the three beings who happen to share common attributes (36:53) belonging to a genus we call God. (36:56) Therefore, or furthermore, it seems dangerous to affirm a distinct will (37:03) and being to each of the divine persons.

(37:07) This would appear to encroach upon the oneness of God. (37:12) In essence, it’s polytheistic. (37:15) Furthermore, the Social Trinitarian model (37:17) is a conspicuously from the historic Trinitarian theology.

(37:22) So the Father, Son, and Spirit exist (37:26) and act with one undivided and inseparable substance. (37:31) Since the entire Trinity shares the same substance, (37:34) we know that honor, authority, power, eternity, and mind (37:39) is shared by each of the three persons. (37:42) The Father, Son, and Spirit have no distinction in nature, attitude, or will.

(37:47) John 1-1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (37:55) God is free. (37:57) Why isn’t there just one divine person, he asks.

(38:01) Why is there a Trinity? (38:04) The oneness of God is taught clearly in Scripture (38:07) and is, perhaps, easier to understand than the threeness of God. (38:13) But the threeness of God is revealed as well. (38:15) These are difficult concepts to reconcile.

(38:20) Apart from Scripture, we would have little reason to believe in the threeness or triunity of God. (38:28) But as author Fred Sanders said, (38:31) God made it known that His unity was a triunity precisely (38:36) when the Father sent the Son and Holy Spirit (38:39) in the fulfillment of the promise of redemption. (38:43) We will conclude this lesson tonight at 6 o’clock service.

(38:48) Right now, we want to offer the invitation to you (38:52) if you are feeling that the Holy Trinity is moving you and working in your life. (38:59) God’s Son, Jesus Christ, He died on the cross to take our sins away. (39:06) And God the Father draws you to Him through His Word.

(39:14) And the Holy Spirit, working with the Word, convicts the sinner’s heart of their sin. (39:22) So there, in the redemption process, we see the work of the Trinity. (39:30) So be baptized and wash your sins away.

(39:33) And we’ll be able to assist you in that if that’s what you would like to do. (39:37) Whatever your need, come and we will attend you.