An outline of how the Trinity is derived from Scripture

Does Scripture teach the trinity? Yes, it is derived systematically and directly from Scripture. It is also written about in the works of Pre-Nicene Church Fathers, so it wasn't "invented" by the Council of Nicea (AD 325) or by Constantine, for that matter. Consider the following outline:

A. The oneness of God (Monotheism) - Only one God in all of existence
   1) Old Testament 
          a) Ex 20:2-3 - ‏עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ (trans., "before me"; lit., "in front me"; meaning "in my presence")
          b) Ex 3: 13-15 - "I AM" 
          c) Deut 6:4-5 - "The Shema" - God is one. 
          d) Ex 15:11; Lev 26:1; Deut 6:13-14; Deut 4:28; Zech 14:9; Isaiah 43:10-13; 44:6,8;
              Isaiah 45:5,14,18,21,22; 46:9; 47:8
   2) New Testament
          a) Jas 2:19; 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5-6; John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9;


B. The deity of the 3 persons declared
   1) The Father
          a) 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5 (above)
          b) Mt 6:26, 30-32 
          c) Mt 19:23-26; 27:46; Mk 12:17, 24-27 
   2) The Son (Jn 1:1, 14; Col 2:9-10; Jn 5:39
          a) Philippians 2:5-11 (The Carmen Christi)
               1. μορφή - nature, form, essence; not it's schema, a superficial appearance or shape
               2. ἴσα - "equality"
          b) Hebrews 1 - superior to angels, heir of all things, the radiance and exact image of God
               1. Hebrews 1:3 - ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ ‎- means:
                   He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
               2. Hebrews 1:8 from Ps 45:6 - attributed to the Son
               3. Hebrews 1:10 from Ps 102:25 - attributed to the Son
               4. Hebrews 1:13 from Ps 110:1 - "sit at my right hand," but the Hebrews were Monotheistic
          c) Jesus' own statements
               1. The angels of God (Lk 12:8-9; 15:10) were His angels (Mt 13:41) 
               2. Kingdom of God and the elect were His (Mt 12:28; 19:14, 24; 21:31, 43; Mk 13:20) 
               3. Jesus forgave sins (Mk 2:8-10) and accused of blasphemy
               4. Power to judge the world (Mt 25:31-46) and reigns over it (Mt 24:30; Mk 14:62) 
               5. Divine name from OT, He attributes to Himself: Jn 8:24 (cf. Isaiah 43:10 and
                   Deut. 32:39); Jn 8:58-59 (cf. Exodus 3:14)
          d) Jesus' responses to those accusing Him of claiming deity (of blasphemy: Jn 10:32-33)
              and to those who said He was God
               1. Accused of claiming to be the Son of God at trial (Jn 19:7 and Mt 26:63-65), responds
                  "You have said it yourself)
               2. Jesus' disciple calls Him "God" and worships Him (Jn 20:28) and Jesus affirms the
                   declaration in the very next verse: Jn 20:29 (had it not been true, why would Jesus
                   not correct doubting Thomas' blashemy?)
               3. Again, Jesus is worshiped, but doesn't rebuke it (Mt 28:9-10) 
   3) The Holy Spirit
          a) Holy Spirit used interchangeably with God (Acts 5:3-4) 
          b) Has the qualities and works of God
               1. Convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:8-13) 
               2. Regenerates and gives new life (Jn 3:8) 
               3. Gives gifts to the church and has authority over it (1 Co 12:4-11) 
               4. Recieves honor and glory reserved for God alone
          c) The body is God's temple, and the Holy Spirit's dwelling (1 Co 3:16-17), but also the
              temple of The Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19-20) 
          d) Holy Spirit put on equal footing with God (Mt 28:19; 2 Co 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)  


C. 3 in oneness
   1) 1 Jn 5:7 (but verse seems to be added later, not present in earlier mss.)
   2) Elohym - expresses majesty and intensity of quality, but also seems to suggest a diversity
       within the unity
          a) "Us" and "our" and plural verb forms (Gen 1:26-27; 11:7; Isa 6:8)
          b) Echad means "one," even with diversity (cf. Gen 2:24 and Deut 6:4) 
   3) Three persons in one 
          a) Mt 28:19-20 - One name shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
          b) Didache 7:1-3:
               1 But concerning baptism, thus baptize ye: having first recited all these precepts,
               baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running
               water; 2 but if thou hast not running water, baptize in some other water, and if thou
               canst not baptize in cold, in warm water; 3 but if thou hast neither, pour water three
               times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
          c) Justin's Apology (1.61.4):
               For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus
               Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.
          d) 2 Co 13:14 - Pauline benediction
          e) Other passages: Lk 1:35, 24:49; Mt 3:16-17, 12:28; Acts 2:33, 38; 1 Co 12:4-6;
              Gal 4:6; Ro 15:16 
          f) Trinity involved in salvation: 2 Co 1:21-22; 2 Thess 2: 13-14; Eph 3:14-19; 1 Pet 1:1-2;
             Jude 20-21 
          g) Paul arranges his epistles in trinitarian patterns
               1. Romans: God's judgment on all (Romans 1:18-3:20); Justification by faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-8:1);
                   Life in the Spirit (Romans 8:2- 30)
               2. Galatians: Justification by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:1-29); Adoption through Christ and sending
                   of Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:1-7); Bondage and freedom in Christ (Galatians 4:8-5:15); Life in The Spirit 
                   (Galatians 5:16-6:10)
               3. Occurs in 1 Corinthinas too
          h) The Gospel of John
               1. 3-fold formula: Jn 1:33-34; 14:16, 26; 16:13-15; 20:21-22 (cf., 1 Jn 4:2, 13-14) 
                    a. Son sent by Father (Jn 14:24) and proceeds from Him (Jn 16:28) 
                    b. Holy Spirit given by the Father (Jn 14:16), sent by Him (Jn 14:26), and proceed
                        from Him (Jn 15:26) 
                    c. Son is involved in the Spirit's coming and prays for Him to come (Jn 14:16) 
                    d. The Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son (Jn 14:26) 
                    e. The Son sends the Holy Spirit from the Father (Jn 15:26) 
                    f. The Son must go away to send the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7) 
                    g. The Holy Spirit is a continuation and an elaboration of the Son's ministry (Jn 14:26;
                        Jn 15:26; 16:13-14) 
               2. Prologue (Jn 1:1, 14)
               3. Oneness (Jn 10:30; 14:9; 17:21) 
          i) Polycarp (c. AD 70-160) was the bishop of Smyrna and, as tradition has it, a disciple of the
             Apostle John. He writes about the trinity:
               O Lord God almighty...I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high
               priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the
               Holy Spirit, both now and forever.
          j) Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria (d. AD  107):
               We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son
               and Word, before time began,  but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin.
               For “the Word was made flesh.”Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible,
               He was in a passible body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He
               became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption,
               and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with
               ungodliness and wicked lusts.
          k) Alexandrian theologian, Origen (c. AD. 185-254) was already using the word “Trinity” well
              before the Council of Nicea:
               Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity
               alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all
               things which are worthy of sanctification, as it is written in the Psalm: “By the word of the
               Lord were the heavens strengthened, and all their power by the Spirit of His mouth.

On faith and the modern, Western church

Personally, I don't define faith as a "leap into the dark" or "a jump into the unknown." Faith is trusting what we think to be true. Even though we cannot foresee the outcome, we trust in the object of our faith. Faith is not irrational or unreasonable. And faith is not credulity or gullibility.

The object of our faith should be trustworthy. Therefore, our faith should be rational and reasonable. If we were scaling the walls of Mt. Everest, and I gave you the choice between old, worn-out bed sheets to tie together versus new, professional-grade climbing ropes, which of these would you choose? Those who are unreasonable, gullible, or irrational cannot tell the difference between the two. The faith itself is only as good as the thing we are trusting. Taking blind "leaps of faith" and hoping something will catch you is, quite frankly, dumb.

When the church, especially in the late 19th century, opted out of intellectual engagements with unbelievers, not only were they disobeying God (take every thought captive...baptize all nations...), but they abdicated the realm of ideas to pagan philosophers and scientists. They surrendered their intellectual property to the fickle winds of change, saying, "You just gotta have faith, man. Jesus loves you."

Unfortunately, our disengagement from the world of ideas is, in my opinion, a big reason why the Western world is in the moral crisis it is now. You cannot just say, "Take a leap of faith." This is unreasonable. Rather, you have to demonstrate why the climbing ropes are better suited to the task than old bed sheets. Otherwise, people may start asserting ridiculous notions like, "One's just as good as any other. It is the faith that counts. It is the faith which produces the meaning of our existence." Sound familiar? In a nutshell, isn't this what we are doing now? Yes! it is! It's called Postmodernism.

Nowadays, the church largely tries to cater to this very poisonous idea. They argue, "We have to make the word of God more relevant." So they water down the message to cater to the misguided whims of their congregations, accompanying their milquetoast theologies with flashing, pretty lights and digital media. They don't appeal to people's minds--those have been lost to the devil and his lies about Postmodernism--but to their emotions and sense-perceptions. That's why you can walk into so many churches today and see messages that suggest "Jesus is your buddy," or "God wants you to believe in yourself," or "God just wants you to be happy." They dim the lights, creating an atmosphere that almost resembles a disco, and call it "praise and worship." It all feels so grand and spiritual.

But they have no more discernment than they had when they entered!

How can a church be "relevant" when it fails to tell the truth? How can they say "we need to be more relevant?" Is the truth, holiness or the wrath of God not relevant to us? Of course it is! If a church really wants to be "relevant" today, then it needs to rescue the minds of its people. We need an Exodus from the current secular state. This means that we must faithfully engage in the important questions of our own day in a rational fashion. It is prime time to rescue our minds from the dark influences of these times. We need to stop acting like whiny consumers and start acting like bold Christians.

Does Matthew 7:1 teach that we should never judge others?

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ” (Matthew 7:1, NASB)  


Matthew 7:1 has been one of those verses used to reinforce the very unbiblical notion that Christians are wrong to pass judgments concerning the moral character of others.  However, this a most unfortunate misinterpretation of the verse. 


Scripture interprets Scripture. When drawing conclusions about the teachings of the Bible, the whole counsel of Scripture should be taken into consideration. Otherwise, one might be completely baffled when they read verses such as this:


“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15–20)  


If one comes to this passage with the presupposition that judgment is categorically wrong, then how are they to heed Jesus' exhortation to beware of false prophets? Obeying such an imperative requires that I pass judgment about a person on the basis of what he or she says and does. According to this text, Jesus requires of those who follow Him to pass judgments concerning the morality of one's actions whenever that person claims to speak for God. 


It gets even worse. Not only does the Bible tell us to pass judgments, but also to expose those we judge to be fraudulent. Consider what John writes in his epistle to the church:


I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. (3 John 9–11)  


Not only has John judged Diotrephes to be an evil man, who unjustly accuses others, but he names him specifically and pronounces his judgments about Diotrephes to the church--Diotrephes is evil, wicked, unjust, divisive, counterfeit, and fraudulent. We may also derive from the text that he lacks humility, is arrogant, self-serving, refuses to be accountable to others, and refuses correction from others. After all, the text says that he likes to be first and does not accept what John and others have said in a previous correspondence. Clearly, this is not a man who bears good fruit. 

Unfortunately, Diotrephes also appears to hold some manner of authority within the church, presumably an elder, since he is even able to be first amongst them, capable of forbidding other Christians to receive their brethren  and has the power to put them out of the church. What would likely happen to this church if John did not pass judgment on Diotrephes? Obviously, Diotrephes would remain in power, teaching false doctrines, perhaps? or continue to persecute the men and women of God? 


It would have been unjust for John not to judge Diotrephes. 


To not pass judgments and expose falsehood is in itself unjust. To do so is to give evil men permission to do unjust and evil things without hindrance or exposure. We act in concert with our nature. Evil men do evil things; good men do good things. We judge them by their fruit. Christians should get very angry and upset when they see injustices and wickedness in their midst. It is a righteous anger to posses. Likewise, it is a sign of inner death, decay, and corruption when we can look upon such things flippantly or apathetically. 


You see, as followers of an eternally righteous and holy God, we have a measuring stick; a straight edge, with which to judge. I cannot know what is crooked if I do not have something straight with which to compare it; and I cannot tell if something is short if I do not know how tall it ought to be. However, Jesus Christ is our standard and our example. We should compare ourselves to Him. Our moral judgments derive from his thoughts, words, and deeds as revealed to us in Scripture. Jesus saw falsehoods, wickedness, and evil in His midst and attacked these injustices vigorously because they were in violation against the holiness and righteousness of the Father. We should do the same.


As I mentioned above, Scripture interprets Scripture. Therefore, we should take into consideration the whole counsel of God's word. However, one could object that it was Jesus who said "Judge not lest ye be judged," and if Jesus said it, then it should be obeyed. One could make the argument that I was merely turning Scripture against itself--and argue rightly so. It is one thing to seek the whole counsel of the Bible on a given issue, but another thing entirely to use one portion of God's word as means of ignoring or dismissing the clear instruction of another. In other words, if what one reads in 3 John contradicts what one reads in Matthew 7, then it casts a hefty shadow on the ability of the Christian to judge, since his "measuring stick" is broken and cannot be reconciled. However, the immediate context of the verse within Scripture interprets the meaning of the verse.


Matthew 7:1 does not merely stand alone and should not be interpreted outside of its immediate context. Both Hebrew and Greek, which are the two main languages of the original writings, are extremely context-oriented. In addition to this, they also use different literary devices than modern, American English. The Jewish mindset during the time of Christ, for example, was very "black and white" in its thinking. It was not at all uncommon to compact an otherwise complex teaching into black and white statements. This can be confusing to many of us modern Westerners, whose languages tend to rely less on context and more on precision. Indeed, sometimes the Jews would make use of hyperbole to emphasize the importance of a statement or to draw attention to something being contrasted:


“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."  (Luke 14:26)  


While some more literal-minded people have raised issues against this verse in Luke, it is not to be taken literally. It is a hyperbolic expression, meant to strongly emphasize and sharply contrast the loyalty of the disciple to Christ versus his loyalty to his own life and family. Family was perhaps the Jew's greatest joy; and they certainly would have taken seriously the commandment to honor one's father and mother. To not obey the commandment was punishable by death. Jesus knew the commandment clearly as shown in Matthew, when He says, “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death’" (15:4). Since Jesus always instructed others to obey God's law, it is evident that He is commanding from His disciples a loyalty well beyond that of their own lives and their own families (cf., Mt 10:37), particularly since the rest of the context uses similar, non-literal speach to address the price of discipleship.


So the context of Matthew 7:1 is likewise important for discovering its meaning. Let's have a look at it:


“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."  (Matthew 7:1–6)  


The section opens with our verse, "Do not judge so that you might not be judged." Then, Jesus explains His reason for saying it. The word "For" is the English translation of the Greek word "gar." This word serves as a marker to indicate that an explanation is forthcoming. It can also be translated, "because." In other words, Jesus is about to explain what He means by what He said. 


The way in which you judge others will be judged by God; and the standard in which you use can either be punishable or rewarding, depending upon the way in which you judge. Consider how Luke treats the same saying: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38). 


The next verse identifies the actual problem when it says, "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" Jesus is talking about people who do not seem to notice even the rather prominent sins they have, but are willing to point out the minutia of others. Of course, He is speaking hyperbolic language here--the point is about hypocrisy. 


It is most unfortunate that this word has nearly lost its meaning in our times. For example, it is occasionally applied to people who may have repented for a sin and have made a sincere attempt to reconcile with whomever they offended. Sort of like when a teenager says to their parents, "Hypocrite, you used to do it!" However, this is NOT what the term means. Indeed, the passage we are examining makes it clear that once the sin has been dealt with, the person may then turn to deal with the sin of another. Actually, the hypocrite would be the teenager, who seeks to excuse his or her sinful actions on the basis that the parent once committed the act. 


The Greek word for "hypocrite" comes from the Greek theater. The word is "hupokrites" and literally referred to an actor. Now, in these Greek theatres, actors wore these often large masks to cover up their own identities, pretending to be someone else, while interpreting a story or play for their audiences. Obviously, the better and the more convincing the actor was at playing his part on the theater, the better his performance, and the better his reward. Jesus used the term to refer to morally duplicitous, self-righteous people. They put on great act to fool others, but God sees behind the mask:


“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full."  (Matthew 6:1–5)


A hypocrite does things for show, like an actor who wears a mask on a stage. But his righteousness is only a mask--it does not emanate from a heart of sincerity  love, truth, or compassion. His duplicity will not be rewarded, but his unrighteous judgments of others will be punished. He is blind to his own sins because he is self-righteous and self-exonerating. Think of how God considers his prayers:


And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14)


I have always found it strange that Jesus should point out that the Pharisee was merely praying to himself. Evidently, he was soothed by the sound of his own self-righteous words. He spoke of no sins which he had committed, but thanked God for making him better than all those sinners and tax-collectors out there. Yet the other man, the publicly despised tax collector, felt the gravity of his sins before the most Holy God; and the weight of it must have sunk him into such shame and dishonor that he most desperately wailed, "God! Be merciful to me! the sinner!"


This is what judgment is all about.


The tax collector is free to judge, but the Pharisee remains in darkness. God is the standard of righteousness and the tax collector knows that he is not worthy and is not righteous compared to the holiness of God. However, hypocrites such as this Pharisee, judge as though they have no sin. They will remain as they are, condemned by the sins which they deny. But to those who confess their sins to God, are justified before God. He will exalt them.