A BIBLICAL DEFENSE OF THE TRINITY

Part 2 - One God, Three Persons

In no uncertain terms, all throughout the Scriptures it is made clear that there is only one true God, and that all others are false, lowercase gods. The very first of ten commandments given to the Israelites was “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Every time the Israelites went “a whoring” after other gods, pestilences and destruction followed. God is a jealous God, and will not tolerate His people chasing after other, false gods.

Exodus 34:14 - For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Isaiah 44:6,8 - Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God… Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Without proper Scriptural division and understanding, this may seem contradictory once the Lord Jesus appears on earth in the New Testament, (rightly) claiming to be God. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is God, according to the Bible. While on earth, He was equally God and man. The problem is, if the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father are separate Gods, then you have more than one God. Something forbidden by God Himself.

Having already established a Scriptural foundation for the Godhood of Christ in my previous post, this post will focus the evidence surrounding a single, Triune God, and what the individual roles are.

One Saviour

Just as there is only one God, the Scriptures declare that there is only one Saviour. But there are clear instances where both the Father and the Son are called the Saviour. As born-again believers, we recognize the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. God the Father is also the Saviour and Redeemer of Israel.

Hosea 13:4 -  Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

Isaiah 45:21 - …who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Titus 1:3-4 - …Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

1 John 4:14 – And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Here again, if taken at face value, it would seem there are multiple Saviours. This is why some people are led astray in confusion and think Christ was either a lesser “god”, or not God at all. But the Bible clearly shows that He IS God.

A Biblical Defense of the Trinity

Part 1 - The Deity of Christ

I

f you search for the word “trinity” in the Bible, you will not find it. However, throughout the Scriptures there is a multitude of evidence which plainly reveals a triune God. One God, in three persons. Namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each have a distinct role, but together they form a single unit, or Godhead. It is a mystery, but one which the Bible yields much light on. 

Essential to understanding the Trinity is recognizing the deity of Christ. Specifically, that during His time on earth, the Lord Jesus was equally God and man, having a dual nature. Likewise, that He was with the Father, as God, from before the foundations of the earth, and still is.  

In denying the Trinity, one must either deny the deity of Christ, or make Him a second “god”, subordinate to God the Father. To do either is heresy, and threatens not only the Trinity, but our very salvation. For, if the Lord Jesus walked on earth as merely a human being, His death on the cross would offer no more hope for sinners than my death, or yours. Why? Because the blood, human blood, is tainted, all the way from Adam (1 Cor. 15:22). 

Similarly, if Christ were only God, and not human, the sacrifice would be worthless, because He would not be like us, to offer Himself as our substitute. But since He was both God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ could and did fulfill both requirements. 

Considering how critical a doctrine it is, this post will focus primarily on the evidence surrounding the divine nature of Christ, and His relationship to the Father. The role of the Holy Spirit, and further evidence of the Trinity will be addressed in the next post. 

Why I Use the King James Bible

Part 3 

Having established some background as to how I got into the Bible version issue, and the importance of having a "Final Authority", in this final post I will explain why I believe the King James Bible alone meets this requirement. (If you missed the first two posts, you can see them here - Part 1 and here - Part 2). As this post could quickly get very long, I will only give an overview of the main points, rather than attempting to go into details over each one.

"Bible Mountain"
by Peter S. Ruckman 

If only one Bible, which?

This question can be answered by addressing another question - “Which Bible would/does the Lord God Himself endorse?” If God inspired the Book in the first place, and then preserved it throughout all history (HIS-story), then surely there must be some evidence of which version He has blessed. With this in mind, let us examine some of the clues given.

Authorization -
Ecclesiastes 8:4  states that “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”  The King James Bible is the only Bible today that was authorized by a king. Hence, it is commonly referred to as the AV 1611 (Authorized Version 1611). Personally, I view this as God's official stamp of approval.

Authorship - 
The KJV has never been copyrighted. All subsequent “Bible” versions have. Unlike the KJV, you have to pay or get permission to quote or copy more than a set amount from new versions. Much financial profit is being made of them because of this (1 Timothy 6:10). These copyrights also imply human, not Divine author/ownership. If God truly is the Author, is it not a slander and injustice against Him to claim authorship and then collect the profits?

Of Youth and Eternity

Do you ever wonder where infants or children go if they pass early from this life? Without assurance of the answer, it may be a painful question, especially to a parent who has suffered the loss of a child. Though knowing the answer may not quench the grief, being able to know with certainty that the child is safe in Heaven would surely be a great comfort.

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Beyond a source of consolation, the answer is critically important  to parent and non-parent alike because it reflects what kind of God we serve, and our perspective of Him. If the answer is that God would put babies in hell…could you really desire to serve a God like that? Could you reconcile it with the fact He is a loving Father to those who place their faith in Him?  But if the answer is that babies go to Heaven...how much differently we might think of Him! How much comfort and trust we might gain in knowing the mercy and goodness of God.

Babies….don’t go to heaven?? 

Some of the arguments I have heard which challenge the idea that all babies go to heaven use verses such as these to defend the unthinkable -

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. - Job 5:7

For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. - Job 11:12 

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psalm 51:5 

In other words, the argument is that since we were born in sin, like unto Adam, if we die at any age, even in the womb, the child/baby is inherently sinful and in just as much danger of hellfire until they come to salvation. For many, the solution to this horrible thought is the practice of infant baptism. Except there are two problems with this -

Why I Use the King James Bible

Part 2 

In my previous post, I shared some background as to how I became interested in the "which Bible?" debate, and the conclusion I ultimately reached. Namely, that the King James Bible is the pure, perfect, and preserved Word of God. In this post, I will examine one of the biggest questions I had when studying the issue, and the reasoning which led to my conclusion.

Does there really need to be only one true Bible? 

To answer this question, it is necessary to first consider the purpose of the Bible. As our Creator, God needed a way to communicate with man, and throughout the ages He has mainly done so through the written Word. In the Bible, God reveals to us who He is, what He loves and hates, what He is like. It reveals the history of mankind, what God has already done, and what He will do in the future. Furthermore, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows, the Bible is essential for salvation, sound doctrine, and instruction on how we are to live and believe as Christians.

The problem with having multiple Bible versions is that they can’t all say the same thing. They will inevitably contradict each other, as shown in my previous post. What do you do when this happens? If one version says God was the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and another implies that Joseph was his father, how can you know for sure? What do you do if one version teaches the Trinity of the Godhead, and another one doesn’t? Or if one version teaches that salvation is a process, and another says it is complete with belief in the Lord Jesus?

Why I Use the King James Bible

Part 1

As a child, I always preferred the King James Version, but was ignorant of the significance of it compared with other versions. My family mostly used the KJV, but we also had some NKJV’s, and Dad would occasionally pull out a different one such as the Amplified Version to use when preaching. Like many pastors, he also really liked his “Greek”, and would sometimes use it to correct the Bible.

During one period, I read through the entire New King James Version (NKJV). I learned some things from it, but it felt different- like something was missing. I wasn’t sure what it was, and attributed it more to the language difference. Because, for me, contrary to contemporary complaints of the KJV, it was actually the so-called “archaic language” that I loved about it. In my eyes, it gave the KJV an old-fashioned beauty, majesty, and superior feel to other versions.

A bit later on, shortly after leaving home, some friends introduced me to the idea that the KJV was God’s true Word, and that all other “new” versions were flawed. I was a little skeptical, but it sparked my curiosity on the matter, and I began to dig in to learn more. The first two books I read on the issue were “The Language of the King James Bible”, and “In Awe of Thy Word”, by Gail Riplinger.

The Friendship of Christ

The other day I was listening to a sermon on some of the attributes of God, specifically along the lines of the Lord being "A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). It got me to
thinking again on just how real the friendship of Christ is, or can be. How intimately He understands us. It's hard for me to remember sometimes, because when you're lonely, one of the things you crave most is the physical affection, and physical closeness, and sometimes that can cause discouragement at the "lack" of such in the spiritual walk. However, if you consider all of the other elements of a genuine friendship, the qualities that make for a strong and enduring friendship, the verse "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" becomes quite real.

Faithfulness and loyalty…so long as we are born again, no matter what we do, He abides by His promises to us.

Strength and confidence…in the Word, like a friend reminding us of the truth, strengthening and encouraging us when we're weak, afraid, or uncertain.

Advice in the Word…like when we seek answers from a friend for understanding or guidance.

Comfort and gentleness…all in the Word, the solid foundation which the Scriptures offer, the peace and assurance it gives, the reason to look for the future, that "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." Friends might not be able to prevent sorrow or calamity, but they can offer that comfort.