Knowledge of the

Holy

Knowledge of the

HolyGod’s Simplicity, Unity, and Trinity

“To mediate on the three Persons of the

Godhead is to walk in thought through

the garden eastward in Eden and to

tread on holy ground. Our sincerest

effort to grasp the incomprehensible

mystery of the Trinity must remain

forever futile, and only by deepest

reverence can it be saved from actual

presumption. . . .We cover our deep

ignorance with words, but we are

ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to

whisper „mystery‟.”

- A. W. Tozer

God’s Simplicity

• To be simple is to be “without parts”

• It also means to be indivisible; God cannot be divided

• To be simple also means to be one; God is unity

• Even though there is a plurality of Persons (the Trinity), God is one

Being in His essence

What is God‟s Simplicity?

Biblical Support for God‟s Simplicity

• “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4)

• “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us”

(Malachi 2:10)

• “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also

believe, and shudder.” (James 2:19)

Church Fathers on God‟s Simplicity

• “He is the simple, unchangeable, co-eternal God. This Trinity is one

God. And, although it is a Trinity, it is nonetheless simple” – Augustine

• “[His] supreme Nature is in no wise composite, but is supremely simple”

– Anselm

• “When we profess to believe in one God, under the name of God is

understood a single, simple essence, in which we comprehend three

persons or hypostases” – Calvin

“I answer that the absolute simplicity of

God may be shown in many ways. First .

. . [since there are no ways God could

differ] it is clear that God is in no way

composite, but is altogether simple.

Second . . . every composite is posterior

to its component parts, and is dependent

on them; but God is the first being, as

has been shown above. Third . . . every

composite has a cause, for things in

themselves diverse cannot unite unless

something causes them to unite. But

God is uncaused.”

- Thomas Aquinas

“It follows also that God is a simple Being,

not only as not composed of different

elements, but also as not admitting of the

distinction between substance and

accidents. Nothing can either be added to,

or taken from God. In this view the

simplicity, as well as the other attributes of

God, are of a higher order than the

corresponding attributes of our spiritual

nature. The soul of man is a simple

substance; but it is subject to change. It can

gain and lose knowledge, holiness, and

power. These are in this view accidents in

our substance. But in God they are

attributes, essential and immutable.”

- Charles Hodge

God’s Unity

• Unity literally means “oneness”

• There is only one God, which is monotheism

• There are not many gods, which is polytheism

• There are not two or more gods, not two or more parts in God

• But there are three persons in the one God

What is God‟s Unity?

Plotinus and The Unity of “The One”

The Greek philosopher Plotinus

believed in “The One” from which

everything else came. He attempted

to explain “The One” and its

unity/diversity in this way:

• Many beings exist

• All multiplicity is based on prior unity

• There must be an absolute unity that is the

basis of all multiplicity

• This absolute unity cannot be a being as it

is the source of all being and being

involves multiplicity

• This One absolute unity must necessarily

unfold itself to produce self-consciousness,

called Intellect

• As the One unfolds itself outwardly, it

produces the World Soul, or the “many”

Biblical Support for God‟s Unity

• “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4)

• “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of

hosts: „I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.”

(Isaiah 44:6)

• “Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know

that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no

God but one.” (1 Corinthians 8:4)

God’s Trinity

• God is not just a unity, but a triunity

• There is only one God, but three persons in the one God

• Not three gods (which is tritheism)

• Not three modes of one and the same person (which is modalism)

• God has a plurality of persons and a unity of essence

• One “what” but three “who‟s”

What is God‟s Trinity?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

God=“Elohiym” = Plural intensive, but singular meaning

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let

them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle

and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male

and female He created them.”

(Genesis 1:26–27)

“The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language.

And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will

be impossible for them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language,

so that they will not understand one another‟s speech.”

(Genesis 11:6–7)

The Trinity in the Old Testament

And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole

earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, According

to all that the Lord has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the

abundance of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who

will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And

the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,

And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His

Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.

(Isaiah 63:7–10)

The Trinity in the Old Testament

“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?

The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel

together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear

their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us . . . . Do homage to

the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His

wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

(Psalm 2:1-3, 12)

The Father and Son in the Old Testament

"After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and

behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God

descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the

heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.””

- Matthew 3:16-17

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

- Matthew 28:19

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship

of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

- 2 Corinthians 13:14

The Trinity in the New Testament

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens,

scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and

Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of

God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey

Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and

peace be yours in the fullest measure.”

- 1 Peter 1:1-2

The Trinity in the New Testament

“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)

“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it

up.” (John 2:19)

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I

may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on

My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to

take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

(John 10:17–18)

“who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the

dead, according to [literally „by‟] the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our

Lord”

(Romans 1:4)

Who Raised Jesus from the Dead? God did.

“And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity

in Unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the

Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The

Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The

Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit

incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they

are not three eternals, but one Eternal.”

- Excerpt from Athanasian Creed

God‟s Trinity

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you

One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the

days of eternity [olam].” - Micah 5:2, 700 B.C.

“Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from

everlasting [olam] to everlasting [olam], You are God.” - Psalm 90:2

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a

son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14, 600-700 B.C.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His

shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father,

Prince of Peace. ” - Isaiah 9:6, 600-700 B.C.

God the Son in the Old Testament

Jesus Compares Himself to God

God in the Old Testament Jesus Comparison to Himself

I AM (Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 48:12) I AM (John 8:58; John 8:18, 24)

The Shepherd (Psalm 23:1) The Shepherd (John 10:11)

The Light (Psalm 27:1) The Light (John 8:12)

Ruler of all (Isaiah 9:6) Ruler of all (Matthew 28:18)

Judge of all nations (Joel 3:12) Judge of all (John 5:12)

The Bridegroom (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea

2:16)

The Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1)

God‟s Word never pass away (Isaiah

40:8)

Jesus‟ words never pass away (Mk.

13:31)

First and the Last (Isaiah 48:12) First and the Last (Revelation 1:17-18)

“It is also clear that since in every nature

that which issues forth and has a

likeness to the nature from which it

issues is called a son, and since this

Word issues forth in a likeness and

identity to the nature from which it

issues, it is suitable and appropriately

called a “Son . . . We call him “Son” to

show that He is of the same nature as

the Father”

-Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on John

Aquinas on Christ‟s Sonship

"But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to

keep back some of the price of the land? “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your

own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived

this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”"(Acts 5:3-4)

"And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken

one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your

fathers,"(Acts 28:25)

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries,

and the same Lord."(1 Corinthians 12:4-5)

God the Holy Spirit

• His omniscience: "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit

searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the

thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the

thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God."(1 Corinthians 2:10-11)

• His omnipresence: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from

Your presence?"(Psalm 139:7)

• His omnipotence: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in

believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy

Spirit."(Romans 15:13)

• His eternality: "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal

Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead

works to serve the living God?"(Hebrews 9:14)

God the Holy Spirit

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws

him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

(John 6:44)

“For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself

who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say

and what to speak.”

(John 12:49)

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the

Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,

He will testify about Me”

(John 15:26)

Hierarchy in the Trinity

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is,

seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the

Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one

Being with the Father; through him all things were made.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and

the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken

through the prophets.”

The Nicene Creed

Applications for Us

“University” – finding unity in diversity

Humanity, Unity, and Diversity

“E Pluribus Unum” – out of many, one

Unity and diversity in effect must

presuppose unity in diversity in the First

Cause

Materialism, as a worldview, cannot account

for unity because everything is completely

random in the universe. any unity at all is

purely accidental and should be short lived.

Where is the Answer to Unity and Diversity?

Pantheism, cannot explain diversity

because all is one, so diversity is just an

illusion.

An Islamic-style monotheism fails. If one

were to look unto the natural order to find

an example of undifferentiated unity, nothing

would be discovered. In fact, rather than

undifferentiated unity, nature reveals a

multitude of examples for plural unity.

“How can God be one and three at the same time? It is

absurd, rationally impossible, and mathematically wrong.

Unity and Diversity cannot gather together.”

-Shabir Ahmad Usmani,

The Noble Qur‟an: Tafseer-e-Usmani

What would a grocery list be without the

diverse line items?

Could the diverse line items be called a

grocery list without the unifying paper?

Unity and Diversity Gather Everywhere

“A stone has little internal differentiation. If you split a stone in to two pieces, you have

not destroyed the essence of the stone; you have created two smaller stones.

However…If you cut a tiger into two pieces, you do not get two smaller tigers. In the act

of dividing the tiger you destroy the very essence of the tiger. A tiger, although a complex

and internally differentiated creature, has an indivisible essence because it cannot be

separated without destroying that essence.”

- Timothy Tennent

Father

SonSpiritIs not

God

“Every once in a while in my discussions someone asks how I can

believe in the Trinity. My answer is always the same. I would still be an

agnostic if there was no Trinity, because there would be no answers.

Without the high order of personal unity and diversity as given in the

Trinity, there are no answers.”

- Francis Schaeffer, He is There and He is Not Silent

God‟s Trinity – The Answer to Unity/Diversity

“There are two problems which always exist –

the need for unity and the need for diversity. . . .

But with the doctrine of the Trinity, the unity and

diversity is God Himself – three Persons, yet

one God. . . . Let us notice again that this is not

the best answer; it is the only answer. Nobody

else, no philosophy, has ever given us an

answer for unity and diversity. So when people

ask whether we are embarrassed intellectually

by the Trinity, I always switch it over into their

own terminology – unity and diversity. Every

philosophy has this problem, and no philosophy

has an answer. Christianity does have an

answer in the existence of the Trinity. The only

answer to what exists is that He, the starting-

place, is there.”

- Francis Schaeffer

“The human body is an instance of unity possessing

complexity. The essence of a human being is unified,

yet there is plurality in its parts. For instance, the

ears and eyes are fully parts of the body yet each is

unique from one another in structure and function.

Despite sharing in the same essence, the ears hear

and the eyes do not; likewise, the eyes see and the

ears do not. At any given moment one could say that

they see and yet they do not see; that they hear and

yet they do not hear. This does not represent a

contradiction because the distinct portions of the

body share in a unified essence. While different from

one another, the parts of the body would cease to

function if they were to be separated from the

essence of the body. Thus, plurality and unity are

entirely compatible.”

- K. Dayton Hartman II

Unity and Diversity in Us

• The Father: The Source, Sender, and Planner of salvation: “Blessed be the God and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless

before Him.” (Ephesians 1:3–4)

• The Son: the Means, Sent One, and Achiever of salvation: Grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from

this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (Galatians 1:3–4). Without the

God-Man, there could have been no atonement.

• The Holy Spirit: the Applier of salvation: "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have

done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by

the Holy Spirit,"(Titus 3:5)

“I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.” (Isaiah 43:11)

No Trinity, No Gospel, No Salvation

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment

to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the

Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who

sent Him. (John 5:22–23)

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the

Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:14)

Worship God as He is

“We have to have knowledge of

our God to worship Him

correctly. If we have defective

knowledge, or worse, if we have

wrong information…our worship

is either lessened, or it is

completely invalid, as the

worship of idols and false gods.”

- James White

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty,

who was and who is and who is to come.”

(Revelation 4:8)

Worship God as He is

Knowledge of the

HolyGod’s Simplicity, Unity, and Trinity