Questions about the Trinity

My previous questioner also had a raft of questions specifically about the Trinity. The trinity isn’t the easiest doctrine and understanding or explaining well can be tricky so have a think how you might answer these questions:

  • How is it possible for three separate living things to all be one?
  • Are God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit equal?
  • If so why didn’t God the father come down to earth as a baby?
  • Why is God’s name Jesus when that just refers to one-third of God?
  • Why did Jesus ask his Father to ‘forgive them for they know not what they do’, when he as won the cross? Surely if they were equal, Jesus wouldn’t need to ask God the father to forgive these people as he could do it himself?
  • If they are all equal why does God the father have a title that implies he is above the son and the spirit? (on the basis that a father is always greater than his son and the spirit hardly ever gets referred to as a God)
  • What is God the father’s name?
  • What is the God the Spirit’s name?
  • Why do we know so little about the Spirit? If they are equal why does the spirit seem ‘less’ than the others?
  • If God the father and God the Son are one, where was God the Father when Jesus was on earth? Why was He on earth with Jesus?
  • When Jesus was on earth why did he pray to His father, if they are both one why would Jesus to pray to himself?

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2 responses

  1. a) How is it possible for three separate living things to all be one?
    Suggested answer:- Jesus said I and my Father are one. If the HS was a God then might he not of included the HS as well? I believe that “one” in this context is the sense of a common goal, purpose or aspiration to the ultimate glorification of God. (“thy will be done”). See Jn17 and Lk 22;42

    b) Are God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit equal?
    Answer:- No, Jesus states that God alone is good. Lk 18;19 Jesus ultimately hands over the kingdom to his Father. 1Cor 15

    c) If so why didn’t God the father come down to earth as a baby?
    Answer:- He did not. He gave his only begotten son, Jesus, who learned obedience in the things that he suffered. God is obedient to no one except that he loves us.

    d) Why is God’s name Jesus when that just refers to one-third of God?
    Answer:- If God is one (Deut 6 vs 4). It is impossible He should be divided into three. Even those of Islamic faith decry the Trinity and question.. Why divide Allah into three?

    e) Why did Jesus ask his Father to ‘forgive them for they know not what they do’, when he as won the cross?
    Surely if they were equal, Jesus wouldn’t need to ask God the father to forgive these people as he could do it himself?
    Answer:- Yes Jesus stated he had authority (from God) to forgive sins. On the way to the cross and on the cross he prayed for his enemies, concerned about the terrible outworking of God’s wrath on those who crucified him and he sought God’s forgiveness upon those, his enemies.

    f) If they are all equal why does God the father have a title that implies he is above the son and the spirit? (on the basis that a father is always greater than his son and the spirit hardly ever gets referred to as a God).
    Answer:- The point is well made. The spirit is the outworking of the power of God. An understanding of this outworking is the essence of all who are born human or sons of God. That is why the first man is full of the (Neshama Heb), breath or spirit of God. It allows man freewill. And why we are called gods in Psalms?. Christ refers to this quality of man made in God’s image in his teaching. This freewill allows us to accept or reject God. Jesus always glorified God Jn17;4 but humbled himself to the will of his Father. Phil 2.

    g) What is God the father’s name?
    Answer:- God which simply means “good” in English is given many names which elicit many facets of His character..e.g. “I Am that I Am” (YHWH), Lord of Armies, Dear (abba) Father, Lord of hosts etc. ( he Message bible is good here in that God’s names are spelled out in plain English for the first time !)

    h) What is the God the Spirit’s name?
    Answer:- The use of the word spirit carries the pronoun is “it” or “he”. The spirit has no name as is not a person but a manifestation of God’s power.

    i) Why do we know so little about the Spirit? If they are equal why does the spirit seem ‘less’ than the others?
    Answer:- There is one God only. If this is the case when God’s spirit is mentioned its a way the bible explains in simple terms how God uses this power. For example in Creation (Gen 1). As such the question, is embarrassing because it cannot really be answered by those who hold to a triune God. It can be answered by those who do not see “the Holy Spirit” as a person and/or a God a person who holds to a simple mono-theistic faith.

    j) If God the father and God the Son are one, where was God the Father when Jesus was on earth? Why was He on earth with Jesus?
    Answer: See a) above. God is everywhere see Psalm 139. Jesus spoke of his Father as being in heaven ( Lord’s prayer,)

    k) When Jesus was on earth why did he pray to His father, if they are both one why would Jesus to pray to himself?
    Answer:- Jesus was a man tempted in all points as we are. Learning obedience and relying on his Father for strength and guidance. He ascribed goodness to his father only. He was given many of the names of God himself, described in in Isa 9, as is confirmed in Philippians 2;9 “he was given the name which is above every name”.

    Conclusion:- God is one. He begat Christ, the man who learned, suffered and as a sinless one died in obedience to his Father for our sins. He died on the cross as a suffering servant (Isa 53) and was raised by the power of God. Then given the names he now holds by God. The concept of a divided yet unified in the doctrine of Trinity only appears in the Fourth Century after Christ. As such my belief is that the doctrine of the Trinity as portrayed in the Nicene Creed needs reviewing by thoughtful Christians. Many who hold to this teaching aptly call it “a mystery”. The mono-thiestic God others worship, is that God also worshiped by the old Testament saints, the early Christians and by Christ himself.

    sincerely in love..

  2. Edmond Mbiydzenyuy Ndi avatar
    Edmond Mbiydzenyuy Ndi

    1. For the records and according to what the Bible says there are different. God is one
    2.but There are not equal, Jesus himself demonstrates his submissiveness and obedience to God when he said “I have made your name known” because he came to do God’s will.
    3. God the father didn’t come because Jesus was his son send to world by his father God the father.
    4. God the father’s name in some ancient manuscript is YHWH. People pronounce it as Yahweh or Jahovah. We should make out the difference between GOD THE SON and SON OF GOD. God said it himself that this is my son in whom I am well pleased” it means he is the Son of God and not God the son whose name is Jesus Christ. The holy spirit is not mentioned in the Bible as a God neither does it have any special name.
    5. Jesus prayed to God because he acknowledged his superiority. Take an example of our earthly father, if you love you father so much and he sends you to deliver a message in his name and you deliver that message in your own name and try to show that you can do everything that your father does without him questioning you or punishing you do you think your father will support that? Definitely not. Jesus never said he was equal with the Father.
    6. The superiority of the father over the son and holy spirit can’t be disputed.
    7. The name of God is YHWH
    8. It is not a person either is it a god so it has no other name than Holy spirit
    9. From the explanation above I hope it has already been understood that they are not equal. The holy spirit is like God’s work tool.
    10.

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