While it is certainly true that the expression of the Trinity reaches its climax in the New Testament, few Christians are aware that one can find evidence of divine plurality – and even of there being three divine persons – throughout the Old Testament as well. The purpose of this article series is to highlight the continuity of the Old and New Testaments with respect to the nature of God.
The New Testament is rich with allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures. Regrettably, in modern Christendom, we are largely ignorant of much of the Old Testament, and so these allusions are lost on us. When they are discovered, however, they help to illuminate the Bible’s teachings on the nature of Jesus Christ.
Tuggy’s rebuttal was high on rhetoric but lacking in substance. He, moreover, thoroughly misrepresents the position of Trinitarians such as myself. Tuggy’s assertions notwithstanding, the book of Acts — and in particular Peter’s sermon here in Acts 2 — is thoroughly Trinitarian.
Biblical Unitarian Dale Tuggy published an article at his blog in which he argues that belief in the doctrine of the Trinity and deity of Christ are not definitional to the gospel, and are not essential for salvation. After all, Tuggy, points out, Peter in his proclamation to the Jews in Acts 2 makes no mention of those doctrines.
One favorite proof-text among Muslims and Unitarians who deny the deity of Jesus is John 14:28, in which Jesus declares that “The Father is greater than I.” Is this a denial on the part of Jesus to be God?
The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:24, identifies Christ as “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Is Paul here identifying Christ with the personification of wisdom that we find in Proverbs 8? If he is, does this entail that, in Paul’s theology, Christ is a created being?
In discussions of the Trinity and identity of Jesus, a frequent argument made by our Muslim friends is that Jesus was a unitarian because he quotes from the Jewish Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 when asked about the greatest commandment.
In discussions on the deity of Christ, it is not at all uncommon for Muslim polemicists to bring up texts such as John 20:17 which speak of Jesus having a God.
Can God enter into creation? This is a major point of contention between the Christian and the Muslim, and often sadly a stumbling block for the Muslim in terms of accepting that the creator of the Universe, in the person of Jesus Christ, actually assumed a human nature and entered into creation itself. Is there reason to think that God can do this?
In this article, I want to provide a definition of this important doctrine, explaining what exactly the Trinity is, as well as what is isn’t. I shall then examine the Scriptures to see whether they provide adequate substantiation of this concept.