In Defense of the Trinity
MARIO DERKSEN
Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) deny the doctrine of the Trinity, that is, that there is one God in three persons. They say the Bible does not teach it, and therefore it is not biblical. Now, as Catholics, we do not believe it MUST be in the Bible. As long as the Bible does not contradict the Trinity, it is a truth that must be held fast to, for the Church teaches it with the authority of Christ. Since JWs do not believe in the authority of the Church, though, I will attempt to justify the concept of the Trinity from the Bible alone:
We do believe that there is only one God, that God is only one. We do not believe there are three gods. Therefore, all Bible passages that say God is one are irrelevant--we agree. I will now proceed to list and defend certain Bible passages that teach that God is more than one person (namely, three).
To make it short, the Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. It also teaches that there is only one God. Ergo, we have three persons in one God.
Jesus is God
Luke 1:47: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior...."
Who is the Savior? JWs and Catholics and other non-Catholic Christians agree: it's Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 13:23)! And here we read that this Jesus Christ is God. Mary had it totally right--Jesus, God, is her Savior. Instead of "Savior," we can put "Jesus," and the sentence makes perfect sense: "My spirit rejoices in God my Jesus."
John 20:28: "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas cries out for joy as he beholds the Lord Jesus...and correctly addresses him as GOD. The original Greek word is theos, which means just that--God. That is, by the way, where we derive the word theology from. The exact same word, theos, is also used in the Greek translation of the Scriptures, in Genesis 1:1, for example.
Philippians 2:6: "[Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped...."
We read that Jesus is equal to God. Does this necessarily mean he IS God? No. Yet, this is a very important statement we need to keep in mind while we analyze more passages....
John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."
Gee, what a statement. JWs interpret it to mean that Father and Son are one in the sense that they are very close, and they refer us to John 17:22, which allegedly shows that. Now, the mistake they make is the context. John 10 and John 17 is seven chapters apart. Furthermore, what is the situation going on in John 10? Let's see... The immediate context is Jesus saying to the Jews that he is coming to save the world. He is the shepherd, and his believers are his flock. Then the Jews challenge him to tell them whether he is the Christ or not. Jesus says that his works testify to that, and he calls God his Father. He then goes on to say that he is one with the Father (10:30). Now, how do the Jews understand this? Do they think that he is just telling them that he is close to the Almighty Lord? Nope. They start stoning him, saying, âIt is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself Godâ (Jn 10:33). --WOW! The Jews realize that Jesus is saying that he is God!! And does Jesus correct them? Does he say, "Hey, guys, don't misunderstand; heck, I am not claiming to be God, I am just saying that I am closely related to Yahweh" ????????? NO! He doesn't correct them. Why not? Because they understood him correctly: he is God. That, in the end, is what Jesus is crucified for: for claiming to be God and thus "blaspheming" the Father, allegedly. So it is plainly clear that Jesus was saying he is God.
John 12:41: "Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him."
We are told that Isaiah had seen Jesus. When? Where? We can only come up with Isaiah 6:1: "...I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple." Ergo, Jesus is God.
John 8:58: "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.'"
In Exodus 3:14, we read: "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel, >I AM has sent me to you.<'"
Here in Jn 8:58, Jesus uses this very same title, I AM, for himself. He dos NOT say, "Before Abraham was, I have been." No, he says, "Before Abraham was, I AM." The exact same Greek word is used in both Exodus 3:15 and Jn 8:58: eimi. In the original Hebrew, the word for "AM" in Exodus 3:14 is hayah, which denotes just the same: to be.
Revelation 17:14: "They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and king of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful."
The Lamb, acc. to this passage, is the "Lord of lords"--a name which is given to the Father, God Almighty, in Deuteronomy 10:17. No other being besides God the Father (and Jesus Christ) has this name--in the entire Scriptures. Jesus Christ is identified with the same title the Father is. Hence, Jesus is God!
Hebrews 1:8: "But of the Son [the Father says]: 'Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom."
Folks, how much clearer could it get? Jesus Christ is addressed as God. There we have it. Flat out.
Colossians 2:9: "For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily...."
Again, we are told Jesus is God, for "in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity." The Scriptures teach, as the Church does, that Christ is divine. There are more passages in favor of Jesus' divinity, but this should suffice.
Now, of course, there are passages that seem to diminish Jesus' deity, such as John 14:28 ("the Father is greater than I"). We know that the Scriptures cannot contradict, so there is a solution. And it is easy: Jesus, in the form of a human being, was made lowly (indeed, as Hebrews 2:9 says); so, while on earth, he was less than the Father in that sense; he had stripped himself of all divinity to be born in a lowly manger--in that sense, the Father was greater than him for that time on earth. But Jesus is and was always fully divine--he only humbled himself to become one of us.
Then there is Matthew 10:17-18, where Jesus seems to deny his divinity: "As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus answered him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.'" Is Jesus saying he's not God? No, he's saying, "Either I am not good (for only God is good), or I am, and therefore I am God."
The Holy Spirit is God
Hebrews 3:7: "Therefore, as the holy Spirit says: 'Oh, that today you would hear his voice, >Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert....<'"
We are told that the Holy Spirit said this. Did he? Sure. It is found in Psalm 95:8. We know that Scripture comes from God. God, the Father, is the ultimate author. Now, in Heb 3:7, then, we are told that the Holy Spirit is the author of--at least that little passage of--Scripture. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is God.
Acts 5:3-4: "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.'"
Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God. Ergo, the Holy Spirit is God. There is no mistaking it. The Trinity is clearly taught in the Scriptures.
What powerful statements from the Bible, the book that JWs and Mormons and other non-Trinitarians use. The Scriptures are clear, and so is the Church: the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God! Glory be to the one God for ever and ever. Amen.
MARIO DERKSEN
Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) deny the doctrine of the Trinity, that is, that there is one God in three persons. They say the Bible does not teach it, and therefore it is not biblical. Now, as Catholics, we do not believe it MUST be in the Bible. As long as the Bible does not contradict the Trinity, it is a truth that must be held fast to, for the Church teaches it with the authority of Christ. Since JWs do not believe in the authority of the Church, though, I will attempt to justify the concept of the Trinity from the Bible alone:
We do believe that there is only one God, that God is only one. We do not believe there are three gods. Therefore, all Bible passages that say God is one are irrelevant--we agree. I will now proceed to list and defend certain Bible passages that teach that God is more than one person (namely, three).
To make it short, the Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. It also teaches that there is only one God. Ergo, we have three persons in one God.
Jesus is God
Luke 1:47: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior...."
Who is the Savior? JWs and Catholics and other non-Catholic Christians agree: it's Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 13:23)! And here we read that this Jesus Christ is God. Mary had it totally right--Jesus, God, is her Savior. Instead of "Savior," we can put "Jesus," and the sentence makes perfect sense: "My spirit rejoices in God my Jesus."
John 20:28: "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas cries out for joy as he beholds the Lord Jesus...and correctly addresses him as GOD. The original Greek word is theos, which means just that--God. That is, by the way, where we derive the word theology from. The exact same word, theos, is also used in the Greek translation of the Scriptures, in Genesis 1:1, for example.
Philippians 2:6: "[Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped...."
We read that Jesus is equal to God. Does this necessarily mean he IS God? No. Yet, this is a very important statement we need to keep in mind while we analyze more passages....
John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."
Gee, what a statement. JWs interpret it to mean that Father and Son are one in the sense that they are very close, and they refer us to John 17:22, which allegedly shows that. Now, the mistake they make is the context. John 10 and John 17 is seven chapters apart. Furthermore, what is the situation going on in John 10? Let's see... The immediate context is Jesus saying to the Jews that he is coming to save the world. He is the shepherd, and his believers are his flock. Then the Jews challenge him to tell them whether he is the Christ or not. Jesus says that his works testify to that, and he calls God his Father. He then goes on to say that he is one with the Father (10:30). Now, how do the Jews understand this? Do they think that he is just telling them that he is close to the Almighty Lord? Nope. They start stoning him, saying, âIt is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself Godâ (Jn 10:33). --WOW! The Jews realize that Jesus is saying that he is God!! And does Jesus correct them? Does he say, "Hey, guys, don't misunderstand; heck, I am not claiming to be God, I am just saying that I am closely related to Yahweh" ????????? NO! He doesn't correct them. Why not? Because they understood him correctly: he is God. That, in the end, is what Jesus is crucified for: for claiming to be God and thus "blaspheming" the Father, allegedly. So it is plainly clear that Jesus was saying he is God.
John 12:41: "Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him."
We are told that Isaiah had seen Jesus. When? Where? We can only come up with Isaiah 6:1: "...I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple." Ergo, Jesus is God.
John 8:58: "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.'"
In Exodus 3:14, we read: "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel, >I AM has sent me to you.<'"
Here in Jn 8:58, Jesus uses this very same title, I AM, for himself. He dos NOT say, "Before Abraham was, I have been." No, he says, "Before Abraham was, I AM." The exact same Greek word is used in both Exodus 3:15 and Jn 8:58: eimi. In the original Hebrew, the word for "AM" in Exodus 3:14 is hayah, which denotes just the same: to be.
Revelation 17:14: "They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and king of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful."
The Lamb, acc. to this passage, is the "Lord of lords"--a name which is given to the Father, God Almighty, in Deuteronomy 10:17. No other being besides God the Father (and Jesus Christ) has this name--in the entire Scriptures. Jesus Christ is identified with the same title the Father is. Hence, Jesus is God!
Hebrews 1:8: "But of the Son [the Father says]: 'Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom."
Folks, how much clearer could it get? Jesus Christ is addressed as God. There we have it. Flat out.
Colossians 2:9: "For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily...."
Again, we are told Jesus is God, for "in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity." The Scriptures teach, as the Church does, that Christ is divine. There are more passages in favor of Jesus' divinity, but this should suffice.
Now, of course, there are passages that seem to diminish Jesus' deity, such as John 14:28 ("the Father is greater than I"). We know that the Scriptures cannot contradict, so there is a solution. And it is easy: Jesus, in the form of a human being, was made lowly (indeed, as Hebrews 2:9 says); so, while on earth, he was less than the Father in that sense; he had stripped himself of all divinity to be born in a lowly manger--in that sense, the Father was greater than him for that time on earth. But Jesus is and was always fully divine--he only humbled himself to become one of us.
Then there is Matthew 10:17-18, where Jesus seems to deny his divinity: "As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus answered him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.'" Is Jesus saying he's not God? No, he's saying, "Either I am not good (for only God is good), or I am, and therefore I am God."
The Holy Spirit is God
Hebrews 3:7: "Therefore, as the holy Spirit says: 'Oh, that today you would hear his voice, >Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert....<'"
We are told that the Holy Spirit said this. Did he? Sure. It is found in Psalm 95:8. We know that Scripture comes from God. God, the Father, is the ultimate author. Now, in Heb 3:7, then, we are told that the Holy Spirit is the author of--at least that little passage of--Scripture. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is God.
Acts 5:3-4: "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.'"
Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God. Ergo, the Holy Spirit is God. There is no mistaking it. The Trinity is clearly taught in the Scriptures.
What powerful statements from the Bible, the book that JWs and Mormons and other non-Trinitarians use. The Scriptures are clear, and so is the Church: the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God! Glory be to the one God for ever and ever. Amen.