Understanding the Trinity, part Two, The One Substance of the Trinity,

Speaker A: 00:00:04

Understanding The Trinity Part 2, the one substance of the Trinity.

First, let's review.

This lesson is part of a series on the Trinity. The first part, Understanding the Trinity, Part 1, The three persons of the Trinity.

In that lesson we talked about how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are uncreated, coequal and eternal persons.

Now in this lesson, Understanding The Trinity Part 2, we're talking about the one substance of the Trinity where we're going to talk about the attributes shared by the members of the Trinity and what each one of them means to us. And then the next part and the last part of our three part series is Understanding the Trinity Part 3, the Trinity Throughout the Bible, descriptions of the Trinity and the roles of each member in the Old and New Testaments.

The notes, videos, podcasts, charts, all kinds of associated materials are all available on www.bible805.com, either right there on that website or there are links to them.

Now again, we're going to use Tertullian's explanation of the Trinity.

And in case you didn't listen to the first one or forgot who he is or who he was, to review, Tertullian was a Roman lawyer and in the early days of the Church, he's the person who came up with the word Trinity, which he defined as una substantia, tres personae. Now, what he means by that, that's a Latin for meaning God is one substance in three persons.

In the previous lesson we looked at the meaning of the personhood of the Trinity, the different persons of the Trinity being God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We looked at how each member of the Trinity is a person and how the three members of the Trinity relate to each other.

Now in this lesson we're going to look at the characteristics, the substance or attributes each one has in common with the other two.

The one substance that they share, that we're going to look at, we're going to look at how each one is holy, just, merciful, love, truth, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, immutable and eternal.

Now it's important to remember that they share these attributes equally and eternally, meaning one member of the Trinity doesn't love us more than the others. One member isn't more truthful. They all share the attributes equally and they always will.

We're going to look at verses that show how these attributes apply to the members of the Trinity, and then we'll discuss what this means to us.

And now, in addition to looking at just what the characteristics mean to us, I'm going to point out how we ought to live in response to the various characteristics. This means as much as is possible, we need to imitate them. We need to work to make these characteristics part of our lives.

Of course, some of them are only possible for God, such as his omnipotence, his all power. But many of them we can imitate. And as I go through them, don't stop at mentally just trying to understand them and how they apply to God.

Consider and be in prayer about how you can copy the characteristics of your God into your life as you strive to become more and more like Jesus. That's what a disciple does. We work hard to become like our master. And as you go through these different things, this is who our God is.

This is what he wants us to be. Again, of course, some of them only God can be, but many of them he wants us to imitate.

The first one is God is holy.

John MacArthur has these words to say, I think this is a good quote. He defines it this way. "The word holiness refers to his separateness, his otherness, the fact that he is unlike any other being. It indicates his complete and infinite perfection."

And then some of the verses that show us that God is holy include 1st Samuel 2:2 where it says, there is none holy like the Lord, there is none beside you. Revelation 4:8 says, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.

Isaiah 6:3 tells us, and one called to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.

Exodus: 15:11

Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome and glorious deeds, doing wonders?

A good summary of this comes from the Bible Hub where it says, "the holiness of God stands at the center of Christian thought and informs our understanding of the divine nature, redemption and moral living from the act of creation itself, which displays his glorious distinction to the calling of every believer to live a life reflecting God's pure character. Holiness remains a defining pillar of biblical theology."

The next characteristic is that God is just.

As God is set apart with his holiness, he is totally different than us in that he is just in a perfect degree. He defines what is just, and he never wavers from it. He always does what is truly fair, truly just, in line with his holiness.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, The rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is he.

Nehemiah 9:3 says, Thou art just in all that is brought upon us, for thou has done right, but we have done wickedly.

And Job: 34:12

When we put these two characteristics together, we see that they really form a foundation for much in our Christian life. And that's why I put them together. That's why I listed them first. They also help us understand who we are in our relationship to God.

He's our Creator. And humanity was created to walk with our God in His ways, which are holy ways.

But humanity decided soon after their creation, and we make the same decision. We affirm what Adam and Eve decided, to go our own way, and in so doing stray from the standard of God's holiness.

This is the basic definition of sin. Choosing to do what we want to do, not what God tells us is his way and best for us.

Not only is God holy and completely set apart from our sinful ways, but he is just and he cannot excuse our sins. As Romans 6:23 says, the wages the result of sin is death.

Now here's what this means to us.

As a holy and eternal God, God has the right and the power to set the rules that even God Himself is subject to in ways we do not understand. Our turning away from the holiness of God had consequences that the justice of God could not ignore.

It created a debt of death, and only the shedding of blood could cancel the consequences of our sin and make it possible for us to again walk with God, the source of eternal life. Not only was a death required, but it had to be the death of a sinless sacrifice. Now we have a problem.

Because in Adam and Eve and their descendants all the way down to us, we can't stop sinning. And because of that, none of us can pay that debt. We can never offer an adequate sacrifice.

But Jesus, the sinless second Person of the Trinity, came to earth both fully human and fully divine and lived the life we could not live and then died the death we could not die to cancel the debt of sin against us.

And when we accept him as Savior, he gives us God's very life in us, so that instead of his holiness being something that separates us from God, it can become a characteristic of our lives that reflects our relationship with God. God's holiness it now changes from the source of condemnation to a call for us to participate in it.

First Peter 1:15,16 says, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written you be holy, for I am holy.

First Thessalonians 4:7 says, For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

First Peter 2, 9 says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Since we have a hard time doing this, the next characteristic of God is so important, and that is that God is merciful to us.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve. It's often contrasted with grace, which is getting what we don't deserve such as in our salvation which is by faith alone, and grace alone.

We don't deserve that; we can't earn it. But after the grace of salvation, mercy is still needed because we continue to sin.

Psalm 145:8,9 says, Jehovah is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of love. He's good to everyone, and his compassion is intertwined with everything he does.

Romans 12:1 says, Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

This is your true Worship and Lamentations 3:19-22 says, oh, remember the bitterness and suffering you've dealt to me, for I can never forget these awful years. Always my soul will live in utter shame. Yet there's one ray of hope. His compassion never ends.

It is only the Lord's mercies that have kept us from from complete destruction, and we are to be like him in showing undeserved mercy to others.

Matthew 9:13 says, but go and learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice, for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

James 2:12,13 says, you will be judged on whether or not you're doing what Christ wants you to. So watch what you do and what you think, for there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy.But if you've been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.

And Micah 6:8 this very familiar verse, but so important, it says, he has shown you, O mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

Mercy is also often translated kindness

Application for us, always, always, always come down on the side of kindness and mercy.

It's so easy for us, for everybody today to take offense. But don't assume a negative thing about others immediately. Why is it we don't ever assume good things?

Here's some great advice by I don't know who said this, but I thought it was just a great quote. And I remember the quote where they said, I don't know why I do do so. How can I assume to judge why another person does what they do?

We don't know ourselves very well. We don't know. We don't understand their own motives. So why do we think we can totally figure out?

Well, you know, they did this because of this and they did that because of that. We don't know. Remember, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Don't do his job.

We can kindly critique or challenge actions, but we can never ascribe motives or label a person or judge them. Just as we expect mercy from God when we mess up, we need to grant that to other people. Finally, simply be kind.

Always in situations large and small, always be kind.

If we think others deserve it or not, be kind.

Moving along in God's Characteristics

God is Love Psalm 36:5-7 says, Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. How precious is your unfailing love, O God. All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

John 3:16 this very familiar verse, but hear it again as if you were hearing it for the first time. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1John 4:7,8 says, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

We've heard this many times, but we need to let it sink in what it means, what it means for us. This is one way that I hope will help you understand it. In First Corinthians 13, put in the word God for the word love.

Now, as a reminder what First Corinthians 13 tells us what love is

In First Corinthians 13:4-8 it says, love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Now again, put God in the word God for the word love, because all these characteristics describe what God is to us.

Listen carefully--God is patient. God is kind. God does not dishonor others. God is not easily angered. God keeps no record of wrongs.

God does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

This is how he acts toward you.

By his very definition, his very core characteristic is love, and this is how he acts towards you. Like many of God's attributes, it's difficult to truly understand God's love.

Paul in fact, prayed for his people that they might be able to understand it.

In Ephesians 3:17-18 he says, I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all God's holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We need to pray for that understanding also.

I think so many of our questions and fears would be resolved if we could truly understand and grasp to the core of our minds and hearts the depths of God's love to us. Many of the Whys would turn into thank-yous for all he protects us from, guides us into, redirects us toward.

Our next characteristic is that God is truth.

know him who is true. Numbers: 23:19

Or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it?

John 1:14 says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 14:6 Jesus said, I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In contrast, Satan is the Father of lies.

In John 8:44 it tells us, You belong to your Father, the devil, and you want to carry out your Father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

That is why untruth in any form is so horrible for a Christian. Whenever we are not honest, we reflect the enemy, not our Lord.

Little lies develop into a lifestyle of deceit. Simply never, ever deceive in any way.

Now here are a few quick notes on Satan.

As much confusion surrounds him with his power, whenever I bring him up. So I wanted to take a few minutes to clarify.

First of all, Satan does not share any any of the characteristics we are talking about with God in particular. He is a created being. He is not eternal. He is not equal in any way to God.

He is one being, he is not everywhere though he has an army of fallen angels who do his will and create destruction, illness, chaos. Most likely he doesn't care at all about you as an individual.

People say Satan made me do it, but again, he doesn't probably know even who you are, but he does have this army of fallen angels. You've probably got somebody assigned to you.

He is not all knowing. He cannot read your thoughts. He has no idea of your future.

He is not the cause of every trouble and misfortune in your life. Nor is God. As James 1:13- 14 reminds us, we need to take responsibility in many situations.

What this verse says when we're tempted--No one should say God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when they're dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

But of course we know that's not all there is to troubles and temptation and that sort of thing. So again, another little bunny trail.

Let's talk about it for a minute--how to discern the source of problems in your life.

The options for the source of problems are God, Satan, my own desires. Which one is it? First, you need to know the Bible and measure all that happens up against it.

You've got to know how God wants you to live, because God's standards are very different than the standards of our world today. And sadly, from much of what you hear, even from some Christian sources does not line up with what God wants, you've got to go directly back to the Bible.

You've got to have the correct standard to know if you deviate from it. One example, it's never, ever, ever okay to slander others, no matter what your political affiliation or position or whatever it is.

No matter how much social media encourages it it's never okay to slander. God cannot ignore vile behavior, no matter what how currently acceptable it is, and you will need to be disciplined for it.

But the more time you spend in God's word, the more you'll learn how he wants you to live. And you'll understand why you have problems when you deviate from his truly loving best for you.

After you look at God's Word, make a correct diagnosis based on that. Depending upon the area you've strayed in, God's Word may be quite clear on what you need to do next. If you've told a lie, you repent of it.

You make it right. I mean something that's it's really clear what you need to do. Be honest. Be truthful with God if you've sinned.

Remembering always as we are assured in First John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We've got to honestly name sin before we can get the bath of forgiveness.

Maybe I should have put shower in because I just always imagine God's grace and love just flowing down over me and just washing away the sins that I've confessed to Him. It's a wonderful feeling.

Ask then for strength and wisdom to help you do what you need to do. Talk to a wise person.

Ask others for prayers and help and one of my favorite verses in Joshua, it says, get up off your face.

Do what needs to be done.

The next characteristic is God is all knowing. He's omniscient.

Psalm 139:1-6 says, you've searched me, Lord, and you know me.You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out, my lying down. You're familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind, and before you lay your hand on me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty to attain.

Isaiah: 40:28

Now here's what this means to us. He knows all about us, and yet he understands and he still loves us. He doesn't get tired of us, of dealing with us.

His acceptance of us is a wonderful example for us to follow. So often we might think or say, oh, if you really knew that about that person.

Or we might turn it on ourselves and say, oh, if you really knew me, you wouldn't like me again, you know, if you really knew them, you wouldn't like them either. But God already does. He loves and accepts you. He loves and accepts them, knowing everything that he knows.

Also, we might get tired of someone we love or ourselves messing up in the same ways again and again and again, and we go to God for forgiveness, and then we mess up and we just repeat it. But the 70 times 7 that's commanded for forgiveness in the Bible isn't just what we're supposed to do for others. That's how God treats us.

We cannot do less, though, in our forgiveness of others.

The next characteristic, God is Everywhere omnipresent.

Jeremiah: 23:24

Declares the lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Declares the Lord.

Proverbs 15:3 the eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil, the good.

First Kings: 18:27

Acts: 17:24

Now combine his love and his omnipresence and remember this verse that it isn't remember these verses because it is just that he sees everything everywhere. But what's really neat is his love is filling it all, as this passage reminds us in Romans 8:38,He says, For I'm convinced that nothing can separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away.

Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.

This verse meant so much to me when I was traveling all over North America and teaching seminars because I was terrified of flying and I'd get violently airsick. And that never quit. For 20 years it never quit. But I would remember this verse.

I would look at little verse cards when I would get on the airplane, and I always looked at this one, you know that nothing can keep God's love away where it says where we are, high above the sky. And I would claim that, and I'd say, Lord, help me to remember that you're with me. He never had me get over my fears, but he did calm my heart.

We never need feel abandoned or afraid or alone, because we never will be. God's loving presence is everywhere with us forever.

Next, God is all powerful. He's omnipotent.

Jeremiah: 32:17

Hebrews 1:3 says, the sun radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.

And Matthew: 19:26

Here's what this means to us now. Just because God can do everything, because he is all powerful, it isn't a magic power that we can control.

Just because God can do all things doesn't mean he will do them or that he will do them in the ways we think are best or in the timing that we want. See, that's often the key issue. Remember, God sees the big picture of the timing of your life, past, present, future.

He sees his plans for us, and they really are the best. They're the most wonderful, they are the most perfect. We may not see that now, but they are.

He sees what he wants you to become, and in that what you need protection from, guidance in what testing you need to make you ready for something, for your joy and for all that he wants to give you. In his timing.

In that we need to remember, like the old hymn says, trust and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.

God is also immutable. That means he's unchangeable.

Malachi 36 says, I, the Lord, do not change, so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Psalm: 33:11

Psalm: 102:27

James 1:17 says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Now here's what that means to us.

Few things are worse in human relationships than being around someone who is always changing in their emotions or their actions. We don't know whether they're going to be happy. Are they going to be sad? Are they going to get mad?

Are they in a good mood or not? But that will never happen with our God. And what a relief that is. Nothing we do can change how he feels about us.

He will never not love us or stop being merciful to us. Nothing can change his promises to us, though again, timing and methods are under his discretion.

On the other side, his expectations, commands, rules, guidelines, his justice, they are timeless.

Also, at the same time, when we're looking at his commands and these different things, we must take into consideration cultural, historical and application context as we understand His Word and promises in it.

Now again, this is a little bunny trail that I'm not going to go down, but this involves what's called the study of hermeneutics on how to correctly interpret the Bible.

I'm not going to go into that now, but on Bible 805 I have a lessons on this and I'm going to be doing more because I find that today not only are people not reading their Bibles, but even when they dip into it, they don't always interpret it correctly or look at it in its historical or cultural context. And I've got some things that will help you out on that.

The last one, the last characteristic we're going to discuss, and there are others there, there are different lists there. You know this, this is just a little taste of the different things that make up our God.

But the last one that we're going to discuss is God is that God is Eternal

Isaiah: 57:15

First Timothy 1:17 says, to the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah: 40:28

In Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

What this means to us? Well, first of all, we can't truly comprehend or even conceive what this really means, what eternity is.

This characteristic is listed last on this chart though, to remind us that all the extraordinary, previously mentioned attributes of our God will never end. And our God wants to share his eternal this eternal relationship of love and all that he can give us with us.

As 1st John 5, 11 and 12 says, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Once you become a Christian, you don't get to experience God's love and forgiveness just temporarily, but forever.

Final application in all is that you can strive to be like your God.

We cannot imitate the Omni characteristics, but many of God's characteristics. We can and are commanded to imitate the others.

WWJD what Would Jesus Do?

Is not just a saying, but an excellent question to ask ourselves continuously as we think about the character of our God. Remember, the Number one goal of a disciple, by its very definition, is to become like the one we follow.

We should always and in every way strive to become like our God, like Jesus. It is an overwhelming goal, but let's try our best to do justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.

That's all for now.

Please check out the Show Notes, a complete downloadable transcript, graph expansion and related materials at www.bible805.com until next time,

I'm Yvon Prehn, your fellow pilgrim, writer and teacher for Jesus, and I'd like to close with this benediction.

May you know the invitation of God to move from confusion to clarity.

from wandering to rest,

from loneliness to knowing you are loved,

from turmoil to peace,

from wherever you are in your spiritual journey to a growing knowledge of God's Word and in your personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.