TRINITY
departing
from
the
world
He
revealed
a
doctrine
which
clearly
associated
the
Holy
Spirit
with
Himself
and
the
Father
in
a
new
and
unique
way
(Jn
14'«-
"■
m
152«
16'-").
Arising
immediately
out
of
this,
and
consonant
with
it,
is
the
place
given
to
the
Holy
Spirit
in
the
Book
of
the
Acts.
From
ch.
5,
where
lying
against
the
Holy
Spirit
is
equivalent
to
lying
against
God
(S3-
*•
«),
we
see
throughout
the
book
the
essential
Deity
of
the
Holy
Spirit
in
the
work
attributed
to
Him
of
superintending
and
controlling
the
life
of
the
Apostolic
Church
(2*
8"
10"
132-
*
16«-
'
20").
Then,
as
we
pass
to
the
Epistles,
we
find
references
to
our
Lord
Jesus
and
to
the
Holy
Spirit
which
imply
unmistakably
the
functions
of
Godhead.
In
the
open-ing
salutations
our
Lord
is
associated
with
God
as
the
Source
of
grace
and
peace
(1
Th
1"-,
1
P
12),
and
in
the
closing
benedictions
as
the
Divine
Source
of
blessing
(Ro
1S»»,
2
Th
3i«-
IS).
In
the
doctrinal
statements
He
is
referred
to
in
practical
relation
to
us
and
to
our
spiritual
life
in
terms
that
can
be
predicated
of
God
only,
and
in
the
revelations
concerning
things
to
come
He
Is
stated
to
be
about
to
occupy
a
position
which
can
refer
to
God
only.
In
like
manner,
the
correlation
of
the
Holy
Spirit
with
the
Father
and
the
Son
in
matters
essentially
Divine
is
clear
(1
Co
2>-',
2
Co
13",
1
P
1').
In
all
these
assertions
and
implications
of
the
Godhead
of
Jesus
Christ,
it
is
to
be
noted
very
carefully
that
St.
Paul
has
not
the
faintest
idea
of
contradicting
his
Jewish
monotheism.
Though
he
and
otheis
thus
proclaimed
the
Godhead
of
Christ,
it
is
of
great
moment
to
remember
tliat
Christianity
was
never
accused
of
polytheism.
The
NT
doctrine
of
God
is
essentially
a
form
of
monotheism,
andstands
in
no
relation
to
polytheism.
There
can
be
no
doubt
that,
however
and
whenever
the
Trinitarian
idea
waa
formulated,
it
arose
in
immediateconnexion
with
the
monotheism
of
JudEea;
and
ttte
Apostles,
Jews
though
they
were,
in
statingso
unmistakably
the
Godhead
of
Jesus
Christ,
are
never
once
conscious
of
teaching
anything
inconsistent
with
their
most
cherished
ideas
about
the
unity
of
God.
3
.
The
doctrine
confirmed.
-When
we
haveapproached
the
doctrine
by
means
of
the
personal
experience
of
redemption,
we
are
prepared
to
give
full
consideration
to
the
two
lines
of
teaching
found
in
the
NT.
(o)
One
line
of
teaching
insists
on
the
unity
of
the
Godhead
(1
Co
8*,
Ja
2");
and
(5)
the
other
line
reveals
dis-lincliana
within
the
Godhead
(Mt
3"-
"
and
28",
2
Co
13").
We
see
clearly
that
(1)
the
Father
is
God
(Mt
11«,
Eo
15«,
Eph
4«);
(2)
the
Son
is
God
(Jn
l'-
"
20",
Ac
20",
Ro
95,
He
1«,
Col
2',
Ph
2«
2
P
1');
(3)
the
Holy
Spirit
is
God
(Ac
5»-
«,
1
Co
2'i'-
",
Eph
2^2);
(4)
the
Father,
Son,
and
Holy
Spirit
are
distinct
from
one
another,
sending
and
being
sent,
honouring
and
being
honoured.
The
Father
honours
the
Son,
the
Sou
honours
the
Father,
and
the
Holy
Spirit
honours
the
Son
(Jn
15«
16"-
»
17'-
«■
"■
«).
(s)
Nevertheless,
whatever
relations
of
subordination
there
may
be
be-tween
the
Persons
in
working
out
redemption,
the
three
are
alike
regarded
as
God.
The
doctrine
of
the
Trinity
is
the
correlation,
co-ordination,
and
synthesis
of
the
teaching
of
these
passages.
In
the
Unity
of
the
Godhead
there
is
a
Trinity
of
Persons
working
out
redemption.
God
the
Father
is
the
Creator
and
Ruler
of
man
and
the
Provider
of
redemption
through
His
love
(Jn
3").
God
the
Son
is
the
Redeemer,
who
became
man
for
the
purpose
of
our
redemption.
God
the
Holy
Spirit
is
the
'Ezecutive
of
the
Godhead,'
who
applies
to
each
be-lieving
soul
the
benefits
of
redemption.
The
elements
of
the
plan
of
redemption
thus
find
their
root,
founda-tion,
and
spring
in
the
nature
of
the
Godhead
;
and
the
obvious
reason
why
these
distinctions
which
we
express
by
the
terms
'Person'
and
'Trinity'
were
not
revealed
earlier
than
NT
times
is
that
not
until
then
was
re-demption
accomplished.
4.
The
doctrine
stated.
—
By
the
Trinity,
therefore,
we
mean
the
specific
and
unique
Christian
idea
of
the
Godhead.
"The
foundation
of
the
Christian
idea
of
the
Godhead
is
that
of
the
One
Supreme
Almighty
Spirit
TRINITY
whom
we
worship,
to
whom
we
pray,
from
whom
we
receive
grace,
and
whom
we
serve.
But
the
speciflc
Christian
thought
of
God
is
that
of
a
Spirit,
in
the
unity
of
whose
being
Is
revealed
a
distinction
of
Persons
whom
we
call
Father,
Son,
and
Holy
Spirit;
the
God
from
whom,
through
whom,
and
by
whom
all
things
come
—
the
Father
as
the
primal
Source,
the
Son
as
the
redemp-tive
Mediator,
and
the
Holy
Spirit
as
the
personal
Applier
of
life
and
grace.
The
Christian
idea
of
the
Trinity
may
be
summed
up
in
the
familiar
words:
'The
Father
is
God,
the
Son
is
God,
and
the
Holy
Ghost
is
God.
And
yet
they
are
not
three
Gods,
but
one
God.
The
Godhead
of
the
Father,
and
of
the
Son,
and
of
the
Holy
Ghost
is
all
one,
the
Glory
equal,
the
Majesty
co-eternal.
And
in
this
Trinity
none
is
afore
or
after
other:
none
is
greater
or
less
than
another,
but
the
whole
three
Persons
are
co-eternal
together
and
co-equal.'
The
term
'Trinity'
dates
from
the
second
century,
being
found
in
Greek
in
Theophilus
of
Antioch
(a.d.
181):
and
the
actual
Latin
word,
from
wliich
we
derive
our
English
term,
in
Tertullian
(a.d.
200).
Its
use
is
sometimes
criticised
because
it
is
not
found
in
the
Bible,
but
this
is
no
valid
objection
to
it.
Like
other
words,
e.g.
'Incarnation,'
it
expresses
in
technical
language
the
truth
about
the
Godhead
which
ia
found
implicitly
in
tlie
N'T.
The
real
question
is
whether
it
is
true,
and
whether
it
is
fairly
expressive
of
the
Bible
truth.
It
is
intended
to
express
and
safeguard
that
real
and
essential
unity
of
the
Godhead
which
is
at
the
root
of
the
distinctions
of
Father,
Son,
and
Holy
Spirit.
The
term
'Person*
is
also
sometimes
objected
to.
Like
all
human
language,
it
is
liable
to
be
accused
of
inadequacy
and
even
positive
error.
It
certainly
must
not
be
pressed
too
far,
oritwillleadtoTritheisin.
Whileweusethe
term
to
denote
distinctions
in
the
Godhead,
we
do
not
imply
Idistinctiona
which
amount
to
separateness,
but
distinctions
which
are
associated
with
essential
mutual
coinherence
or
inclusiveneas.
We
intend
by
the
term
'Person'
to
express
those
real
dis-tinctions
of
Father,
Son,
and
Holy
Spirit
which
are
found
amid
the
oneness
of
the
Godhead,
distinctions
which
are
no
mere
temporary
manifestations
of
Deity,
but
essential
and
permanent
elements
within
the
Divine
unity.
6.
The
doctrine
supported.—
When
all
this
is
granted
and
so
far
settled,
we
may
find
a
second
line
of
teaching
to
support
the
foregoing
in
the
revelation
of
God
as
Love.
Following
the
suggestion
of
St.
Augustine,
most
modern
theologians
have
rightly
seen
in
this
a
safe
ground
for
our
belief.
It
transcends,
and
perhaps
renders
unnecessary,
all
arguments
drawn
from
human
and
natural
analogies
of
the
doctrine.
'God
is
love'
means,
as
some
one
has
well
said,
'God
as
the
infinite
home
of
all
moral
emotions,
the
fullest
and
most
highly
differentiated
life.'
Love
must
imply
relationships,
and,
as
He
is
eternally
perfect
in
Himself,
He
can
realize
Himself
as
Love
only
through
relationships
within
His
own
Being.
We
may
go
so
far
as
to
say
that
this
is
the
only
way
of
obtaining
a
living
thought
about
God.
Belief
in
Theism
postulates
a
self-existent
God,
and
yet
it
is
impossible
to
think
of
a
God
without
relation-ships.
These
relationships
must
be
eternal
and
prior
to
His
temporal
relationships
to
the
universe
of
His
own
creation.
He
must
have
relationships
eternally
adequate,
and
worthy,
and
when
once
we
realize
that
love
must
have
an
object
in
God
as
well
as
in
ourselves,
we
have
the
germ
of
that
distinction
in
the
Godhead
which
is
theologically
known
as
the
Trinity.
6.
The
doctrine
anticipated.
—
At
thisstage,
and
only
here,
we
may
seek
another
support
for
the
doctrine.
In
the
light
of
the
facts
of
the
NT
we
cannot
refrain
from
asking
whether
there
may
not
have
been
some
adumbrations
of
it
in
the
OT.
As
the
doctrine
arises
directly
out
of
the
facts
of
the
NT,
we
do
not
for
an
instant
look
for
any
full
discovery
of
it
in
the
OT.
But
if
the
doctrine
be
true,
we
might
expect
that
Christian
Jews,
at
any
rate,
would
seek
for
some
anticipation
of
it
in
the
OT.
We
believe
we
find
it
there.
|(a)
The
references
to
the
'Angel
of
Jehovah'
prepare
the
way
for
the
Christian
doctrine
of
a
distinction
in
the
Godhead
(Gn
18"-
"
17«
with
19',
Jos
5""
with
6>,
Jg
13»-»,
