How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?
The scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto them such names, attributes, works, and worship, as are proper to God only.
God’s Unity should not swallow up God’s diversity. This eleventh question has this purpose and intent. How ought we to understand the distinctions between the persons of the Godhead? It is more than curiosity for which this question is raised? Indeed, far more than mere curiosity, the proper understanding of the persons of the One “I AM” God is necessary for a proper understanding of the role of each in the redemption which each person of the Godhead has in accomplishing it in full.
How it is that God planned for us to be redeemed from our sin?
To neglect a full appreciation of the Tri-unity of God is to set course for confusion about redemption. This is no small reason why Jews who deny the diversity of God find themselves in abject confusion, having rejected their Messiah because He did not conform to their expectations. There is more to that story but this is not the time to be sidetracked.
Calvin recalls a quote from Gregory Nanzianzen which appropriate conveys this interplay of unity and diversity in the Godhead:
“I cannot think of the unity without being irradiated by the Trinity: I cannot distinguish between the Trinity without being carried up to the unity.” Therefore, let us beware of imagining such a Trinity of persons as will distract our thoughts, instead of bringing them instantly back to the unity. The words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, certainly indicate a real distinction, not allowing us to suppose that they are merely epithets by which God is variously designated from his works. Still they indicate distinction only, not division.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion chapter 13
The Jews should have been prepared for the Triune God since it is in their scriptures we see indications of diversity and plurality of persons.
In the heavenly throne room scene in Isaiah 6 we see the “I AM” God is visioned “And one {seraphim/angels} called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.’ Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’” Is 6:3, 5, 8.
There are at least two indications of God being diverse. The first is the Holy, Holy, Holy ascription. Not (1 or 2) Holy’s and not (4) Holy’s, no, (3) Holy’s. Thrice Holy God. This can certainly be an indicate that God is extremely and incomparably Holy but in light of what other scripture have revealed, it is at least not coincidental that 3 persons are paired with 3 Holy declarations.
The second indication is in the last verse which says Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord which refers to “Us”.
This “Us” is a remembrance of an even much earlier “Us” statement which brings us back as far as we can know anything… the creation event on day six. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” Turns out there is no excuse to reject the Trinity as a Christian distortion or invention. Israel should have expected a Triune God all along. He has always, eternally, been Triune.
It is always best to let God define Himself and this is in accord with
“… the words of Hilary (De Trinit. lib. 1), “He alone is a fit witness to himself who is known only by himself.” This knowledge, then, if we would leave to God, we must conceive of him as he has made himself known, and in our inquiries make application to no other quarter than his word.”
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, chapter 13
It wasn’t until Jesus appears in history that we begin to see more clearly this “I AM” God in three persons. John the beloved apostle says, 1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
It also becomes clear from some other instances that lying to God can often involve lying to one of the persons of the Godhead. Luke recounts this sad situation in Acts 5:3–4, “3 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? 4 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 people but to God.’” Here we have both affirmations, lying to the person of the Holy Spirit is to lie to God.
The list of passages that delineate distinctions between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are manifold and Christians must boldly affirm and assert that God, the only God, is indeed Triune.
Jews have it wrong. Islam has it wrong. Jehovah’s witnesses and Mormon’s have it wrong. Indeed every other world religion has it wrong. They reject the triunity of God and bow before idols. All of these can’t get this right unless they recognize and submit to the truth that the same God speaking in creation is the same God present in incarnation. That person is Jesus the Christ, the 2nd person of the Triune God, who is witnessed to in these ways…
Genesis 1:2 “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
Colossians 1:16 “For by Him {Jesus} all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Isaiah 9:6“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.”
The problem, denial, rejection or confusion about God, is far more than skin deep (knowledge deep). In fact, the knowledge problem is impossible to solve apart from God’s condescension to reveal Himself to man. The deeper (than knowledge) problem is God must be who he says He is in order that He can act on behalf of man and in his place.
The knowledge problem is resolved by the Spirit’s work as we see Paul highlights in 1 Corinthians 2:10–11, “10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”
In light of this I am right to consider my decision to follow God as an important evidence of life but not the cause of life. Our dubious condition is alluded to by John when he says about Jesus, John 2:24–25: “24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all people, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind.” Jesus and the Spirit know better than we do, who we are.
Regeneration is Holy Spirit work, it is not, man deciding to cooperate work. There is much more to be said on this topic and will be a discussion for another day. For now we rest in the fact that God is, has always been and will ever be the “I AM” God in three persons.
PS – Calvin’s summary of the person of the One God
“This distinction is, that to the Father is attributed the beginning of action, the fountain and source of all things; to the Son, wisdom, counsel, and arrangement in action, while the energy and efficacy of action is assigned to the Spirit. Moreover, though the eternity of the Father is also the eternity of the Son and Spirit, since God never could be without his own wisdom and energy; and though in eternity there can be no room for first or last, still the distinction of order is not unmeaning or superfluous, the Father being considered first, next the Son from him, and then the Spirit from both.”
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christina Religion, chapter 13
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