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-36-
The God Who Is
Chapter 8
THE TRINITY, and THE DEITY OF CHRIST
"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God is the creator. In Colossians chapter 1, beginning with verse 12, we read, "...Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom (i.e. in the Son) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who (the Son) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him (the Son) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him (the Son) and for him: And he (the Son) is before all things, and by him all things consist," i.e. "hold together" (Colossians 1:12-17).
The apostle Paul again wrote, "To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" (I Corinthians 8:6).
God Is The Creator
In Job chapter 33, note verse 4. "The spirit of God hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." And consider this: "And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).
Although both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit were active in the work of creation, yet the Bible teaches us that the Son of God was the principal agent in the work. "God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:1,2).
There Is Only One God
"Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; `I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God'" (Isaiah 44:6). "Thus saith the LORD, that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: `I am the LORD; and there is none else'" (Isaiah 45:18). "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22; see: 46:9).
God Is Triune
The Bible teaches that God is "triune," or "three-in-one." God is a trinity. The beloved disciple wrote, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (or Son), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (I John 5:7). How could the Lord make it any clearer? As Samuel Stennett wrote,
What more can He say Than to you He hath said?
The doctrine of the Trinity is a test of orthodoxy. Bible believers maintain the doctrine of the Trinity, but they have often been maligned and often deliberately misrepresented and charged with believing in three gods. The Bible teaches that God is triune. By this we mean that He is one God in three persons.