God is not like an egg?

One of my first posts was titled "Defining Beliefs" and the topic I mentioned was the Trinity.  So maybe it is about time that I closed that loop?

One of the most perplexing things to me is that Christians would agree that the doctrine of the Trinity is a foundational doctrine of the true church, but at the same time will argue that there is no clear statement in the Bible that claims that God is triune in nature.  I agree that the word Trinity is not used in the Bible, but it simply means three-in-one.  Without a clear definition most scholars will point to the evidence as presented in the Bible and come to a conclusion.  But since there is no clear Biblical statement, they are assuming what they are attempting to prove, which is also known as a circular argument.  One can certainly say there is more evidence for one belief about the Trinity than another; however, which is right?  And when does a teaching become a "tradition of men" rather than sound Biblical teaching.

As a side note, look at the young earth vs old earth argument.  If one were just to rely on the secular "scientific" interpretation of the evidence, he may be compelled to believe in an old earth.  Then scripture would have to be interpreted to fit the evidence.  This results in theories like the Gap theory, Progressive theory, Day-Age theory, Framework theory, etc...  But some held fast to a literal reading of the Bible and, after close review of the evidence, found that there were incorrect assumptions and errors in the "scientific" interpretation and that the evidence actually does point to a young earth.  For further information see www.icr.org or www.answersingenesis.org.  Without a clear Biblical statement the "evidence" can be misleading.

So is the Trinity defined in the Bible?  I think so, but again, many "scholars" will disagree.  Why?  Because of "manuscript evidence." I am not a scholar and the only information that I can get on any manuscripts is online.  Even if I could see the manuscripts it wouldn't help since I do not read Greek or Hebrew or Latin, and okay, I probably struggle with English also.  So does that qualify me as a plow boy?  From what I can tell the manuscript evidence is controversial.  There are probably as many different manuscript versions as there are English versions of the Bible and scholars argue back and forth which are valid and which are not.  So I am just going to stick with the English.

Let's say the Trinity is defined by 1 John 5:7 which reads:

"There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one"

Now ask yourself, why would anyone want to remove this verse from the Bible or from an early manuscript?  Is it because it is all too clear?  And if not this verse to make the claim, then what other verse.  And if there are no other verses, then what makes this such an important foundational doctrine?  And how would you deal with other verses like Rev 4:5 and Rev 5:6 which mention "the seven Spirits of God?"  Does that mean that God is really eight in one.  An eight is like a three with a mirror image....

There are two English versions of the Bible, currently in print, that have the above verse as stated above. They are the KJV and the NKJV.  Of these, only the KJV is consistent in how it addresses God.  What does that mean?  Both the KJV and NKJV and some other versions use Thee's and Thou's and you's and ye's.  There is a difference between the two, it is not just to give a reading a more "majestic" or "old english" feel.  In simple terms, the difference is that the "Thee" and its derivatives are singular, and "you" and its derivatives are plural.  Texans would say, "it is the difference between you and y'all."  But I haven't seen any versions with y'alls in it.  In the KJV, God is always referred to as Thee, Thou, Thy...  One God.

With 1 John 5:7 in hand, the claim,  one can look at all the evidence in the Bible and conclude that the Bible clearly supports that there is one God that exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

But is God like an egg, or water, or a three leaf clover.  Maybe, after all Romans 1:20 reads:

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

Of course the Bible never says that God is an egg, or water, or a three leaf clover.  Is there any other created thing that you can think of that God might be like?  How about light?  God created light on day 1 and 1 John 1:5 says...

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all"

Time to get a little technical.  Ever hear the term RGB?  That would be Red, Green, and Blue.  Monitors have red pixels, green pixels, and blue pixels.  From these three colors of light all the different colors can be made.  In fact, to get white, "no darkness at all," all three are set to their maximum intensity.  So when you see white, you are actually seeing red, green, and blue light combined.  Don't believe me (that is a statement not a question) prove it to yourself.  Get a magnifying glass and look at a monitor that is showing white.  Or find a paint program and go to where you can select or make colors.

Light does seem to clearly demonstrate the triune nature of God.

What is also interesting are the colors of the rainbow.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.  How many? Seven.  Like the seven Spirits of God?

The Bible defines the triune nature of God.  The Bible provides lots of evidence for the triune nature of God.  And light, a thing that was made, helps us to see and understand the triune nature of God.

You can decide which color belongs to which part of the Godhead.  But I like blue for the Father, green for the Holy Ghost, and red for the Son.  The Father is in heaven above (blue sky above), the Holy Ghost enables us to grow (green), and the Son shed his blood (red) for us.  Also, don't red things cause us to stop and think...  Red lights (well most of us), brilliant red sunsets, etc....

Be a Berean...

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11

Hidden Messages and Secret Codes

Someone asked me recently what Isaiah 40:12 meant. Also implied was that there was a hidden message in the text since the question also included the statement that most pastors don't know. I did not give an answer right away. Instead, I stalled and said that I would like to read the passage in context. I'm glad I did, because that gave me time to do some searching.  So where to start?
Almighty Google?
A commentary or many different commetaries?
A study Bible or mmay different study Bibles?
Google?
How about putting the letters into a computer program and performing a word seacrch or converting the letters to numbers and looking for special patterns.

How about this... Read it in context. Study, meditate on it, and pray over it?
Like the Bereans in Acts who, according to Acts 17:11, “ ... were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so...”
How would I answer the question regarding Isaiah 40:12 now?

"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"

"God IS bigger than the boogie man...." Thanks to Veggie tales for that one.
Here are other verses in this same chapter of Isaiah that seemingly ask the same question as above, but rhetorically:

vs18 “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” vs21-22a “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,...”
v25 “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
vs28-31 “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding...".   

Kind of sounds like Job38-41. And then comes the grace of God:

vs 29-31    "...He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

I've always liked that verse, but so much more now in context.

Do we get so enamored with finding hidden meanings and secret codes in the bible that we miss the bigger picture of who God is and what he requires from us or miss out on God's word altogether?
Who is God? Creator and Judge.
What does He require from us? Fear Him and give glory to Him and worship Him.
Is that a hidden message? If it helps it could be.  Here is the code to find it. "Revelation 14:7" It can also be found in previous blogs.

I like the following quote from William Tyndale...
'If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause that a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost.'  Yes, the plough boy did receive the Word.

People will find hidden messages and secret codes, but it also seems that most are retrospective and based on tragedy. If they result in fearing, glorifying, and worshipping our Creator and Judge, great!  But even without secret messages and hidden codes God still speaks to us through His word in the present using past examples to build our hope for the future. 

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1