City Life Starter

The Word

Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:10-11

The Lord says to my lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

Psalm 110:1

And that is how Theology started. People already knew about God in a vague way. Then came a man who claimed to be God; and yet He was not the sort of man you could dismiss as a lunatic. He made them believe Him. They met Him again after they had seen Him killed. And then, after they had been formed into a little society or community, they found God somehow inside them as well: directing them, making them able to do things they could not do before. And then they worked it all out they found they had arrived the Christian definition of the three-personal God.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity Book 4, Ch 1

Exegesis

Theology is very important for us as Christians. This is how we can understand what we believe and how scripture proves the reason behind what we believe. The main example of this, as C.S. Lewis points out, is the aspect of the Trinity. In my discussions with people from other cultures, I tend to speak to many who believe in Islam. One of the most common arguments that they have against Christianity is the fact that the Trinity was invented by the church in the 4th century. Without any understanding or knowledge of Theology, this becomes very hard to argue against.

We first have to acknowledge the fact that the Trinity was defined as a word to explain what we already know is in the Bible. Jesus did not come out and say the words verbatim that “I am God”, nor did the Trinity get defined in the Bible. Though, we know enough from scriptures to come to this conclusion. In regards to the Trinity, the exception would be from the KJV/NKJV versions of 1 John 5:7, which reads, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Though, as clear as this may be, other version do not include this because it is not found in the earliest manuscripts of the Bible, pre 1500s. Many non-Christians who know about this, would disregard this verse and use it to justify how the church manipulated scripture.

So how can you find the Trinity in the Bible outside of 1 John 5:7? Well, i would say that there are many such verses and no one needs the definition of the Trinity to find them. It is self-evident as you look and read the Scriptures. As quoted above, you see how Mark writes that when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus as a dove, and the Father speaks at this same time from Heaven.

David, in Psalm 110, speaks to how his Lord is talking to his Lord.” How can David have two Lords? Simply put, either there are multiple gods, or there is one God with multiple personhoods. And later Paul picks up on this verse in Psalm 110 in Philippians 2:10 to signify Jesus and the writer of Hebrews as well in chapter 1, verse 13. We also see how Jesus explains the personhood through the Holy Spirit in John 14-16.

There is much more on this topic that a devotional cannot cover. The point here is that, Theology tells us already what we can find in the Bible. If someone tells me that the Trinity was an invention in the 4th century, i can sit down with them and show how it can easily be found in the Bible. This is why we should not lack in understanding or wisdom in our faith.

Application

Where are you in your faith and Theology? Do you ignore the tough questions in life about your faith, or do you actively go out and seek the Truth? If God is Truth for you, then do not be scared to search for the answers. God will reveal to you His glory and the mysteries of the Bible as you seek them.

Prayer

Thank you Father for sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise on the third day. Thank you as well for sending us the Holy Spirit to lead us into Truth. You are amazing and beyond comprehension. Help us to know You more each and every day. To become passionate about You and to keep seeking and reading your Holy Scriptures. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.