In case you haven't noticed lately, there is a major onslaught against truth and particularly Jesus Christ in our day. The Apostles all talked about this calling it the "spirit of antichrist;" it was at work in their day and is in ours as well. However, the Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3 verse 15 that, "...you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." There are many groups, such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, out there that are cunningly deceptive in that they claim to know "Jesus" and use much of the same terminology Bible believing Christians use, but are sadly deceived and in their efforts deceive many others. One thing must be established clearly in every Bible believing Christian's heart and mind when dealing with people of the Mormon and LDS faiths, THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN THE SAME JESUS YOU DO! After having several discussions with Mormon's and Jehovah's Witnesses the last several years, it has caused me to search the Scriptures and find out why I believe what I believe. As I told a couple of young Mormon's this week after establishing the fact that though they use the name Jesus, it's not the same Jesus I believe in:
"if you agree that our eternal salvation is completely dependant upon the atoning work of a Person and now having agreed that that person you teach is not the same one I teach, then one of us in major trouble!"
One of the major issues to be dealt with concerning the person of Christ is the doctrine of the Trinity. Is Christ really fully the Divine Son, One of the members of the Godhead made up of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Is there scriptural evidence for a God who is One, yet Three in One? I've always believed in the doctrine of the Trinity, but if you asked me to name a scripture that taught the Trinity, I would have looked at you like a calf looking at a new gate (as my dad used to say). I've compiled a few scriptures here to help encourage Christians to STUDY so that they can know Who and what they believe (all references are taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible as they do not translate the name of God, Jehovah, to LORD)...
- Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
In the above scripture, God (singular) said, "let us" and "our" (plural). Hmmm....
- Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden.
- Genesis 3: 22 And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever-
23 therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
In this group of scriptures, only Jehovah God is walking in the garden, alone. Why then does He say, "man is become as one of US..."?
- Genesis 11: 5 And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do.
7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city.
Again, Jehovah came down and Jehovah scattered them abroad, all singular. But, He says let us go down and confuse their language. It is a beautiful testimony to the Triune God. He says, "let us go" and in the next verse it simply says "Jehovah scattered them..." Not Jehovah and His angels or anyone else, just Him.
- Isaiah 6: 1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
2 Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.
In Isaiah's vision of the Almighty, the Lord says, "whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"
There is ample evidence in the Old Testament for the doctrine of the Trinity. God reveals Himself as Jehovah, the "I AM" and yet many times refers to Himself in the plural. What the O.T. hints at, the New Testament reveals in much greater fulness. Hopefully, these scriptures will begin to cement in your heart this all important doctrine. Up next, New Testament references revealing the Trinity...
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