"Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit." Isaiah 48:16
Background
for Parents:
The trinity is a
difficult concept for us as adults to comprehend. It is a doctrine clearly
evident from the Scriptures, yet one we must accept on faith. So how do we make
something we can’t explain to ourselves understandable to our children? The
short answer is we don’t. Yet this does not mean we simply ignore the doctrine.
We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our children growing them in their
faith and teaching them to believe this Scriptural doctrine of faith, just as
we have. What we can do is point to the Biblical fact that God does exist in
three persons and yet there is one God. This lesson will focus on the evidence
of the trinity and what we can learn about our Triune God from the Scriptures.
Memory
Verse:
Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19
This verse spoken by
Jesus to the disciples, just prior to the ascension, clearly identifies the
three persons of the trinity. We are instructed to make disciples and baptize
them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Look at this
verse carefully. We are not told to baptize in the names of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit but the name. This phrase is important since it
identifies the three persons of the trinity, but yet refers to them as having
one name. It describes the unique personhood of each member, but then shows
their unity in the Godhead as well.
Introduction:
Today we are going to
talk about the trinity. The word trinity does not appear in the Bible, but there
are many verses that point to God existing as three persons. So if it’s not in
the Bible where does this word come from? What does it mean? Trinity comes from
the root word triune. You can think of “Tri” like tricycle meaning three and
“une” comes from “unus” meaning one. Therefore, trinity means that God exists
in three persons in one. The Father is not the Son. The Father is not the Holy
Spirit. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are
all distinct persons yet they are also all God.
Yes, this can be
confusing since there is nothing in the world like it. People sometimes think of
a three leaf clover or the states of water, liquid, gas, and solid. However, none
of these truly describe the trinity. What can we know about the trinity? Let’s
see what we can discover from the Bible.
Lesson:
"Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was
there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit." Isaiah 48:16
As you read this
verse who do you think it is talking? Yes, Jesus is the one speaking. This
verse is Jesus speaking and He states that the Lord God sent Him and the
Spirit. This verse then is one of many different verses that point to what we
call the triune nature of God or trinity.
Today I have a total
truth to share with you. Then we are going to talk about each part of this
total truth. Today’s total truth is “God eternally exists as three persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God. There is one God.”
The first part of
this truth is that God eternally exists as three persons. This means that God
the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have always existed since before time
began and they will always exist. It is difficult for us to understand God as
eternal, but we must remember He exists outside of time.
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:1-2, 14
The earth was without form and void,
and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering
over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2
Then God said, "Let us make man in
our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26
How do these verses
point to the eternality of the Godhead? John 1 clearly points to Christ, the
Word, as being with God in the beginning before creation. Since it points to
Jesus as the member of the Godhead responsible for creation we know Jesus has
always existed with God. Genesis 1:2 describes the Spirit hovering over the
face of the waters showing the Spirits presence at creation. As a result of
these verses we can see all three members of the Godhead have eternally
existed.
We can know that the
Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all three fully God from several
Scriptures.
Do not work for the food that perishes,
but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give
to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:27
"...Anyone who has seen me (Jesus)
has seen the Father...Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me..."
John 14:9, 11
To them belong the patriarchs, and from
their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed
forever. Amen. Romans
9:5
Do you not know that you are God's
temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
Finally, we know that
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all persons of the Godhead, the one true
God.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is one. Deuteronomy 6:4
So we know there is
one God who exists in three persons, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Spirit.
During the next several
weeks Theology Thursday will focus on what the Bible teaches us about the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You will see as we study God and what He has
revealed about himself in the scriptures that today’s truth will always hold
true. “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and
each person is fully God. There is one God.”
Total
Truth:
I have a Total Truth
for you today. Are you ready for the truth? Remember the world is full of big
lies, but we can always learn the truth from the Bible! Today’s Total Truth is:
God eternally exists as three persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God. There is one God.
Recommended
Books:
Big
Thoughts for Little Thinkers - The Trinity by Joel Allen
Big
Truths for Little Kids by Susan & Richie Hunt
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry
of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
