illustration because the Three Persons o f the Godhead are equal and eternal. We have no object or e x p e r i en c e o r knowledge whereby to understand how God can be three and yet only one. We face the same problem of “how?” in everyday life, and are content to say, “ I don’t know, but it works.” We do not know how water can be a liquid when it is composed of two gases, yet we drink it. We do not know “how” electricity really works, yet we flip switches. We honestly have very little knowledge o f the way our bodies function with all the organs, tendons, nerves, chemical and bacterial reactions, yet we live in them. There’s a sort of faith we exercise in all these areas. The same is true o f God. We pray to God saying, “Our Fa ther;” we conclude our prayer by saying, “ For Jesus’ sake;” and we present our bodies for the Holy Spirit to control. In more ways than one, we live by faith and not by sight (understanding). Even theologians say the doc trine of the Trinity is “ inscrut able,” meaning “ that which can not be learned or understood.” W. M. Whitwell is pastor of First Baptist Church, Salem, Ore gon, since 1965. He holds degrees from Oregon State University and Northern Baptist Semina/ry. HOW CAN GOD BETHREE AND YET ONLY ONE? by Ben Owen U SE a n overhead projector or blackboard to illustrate how things can be three and yet only one. Do not attempt to illus trate God, just the idea of tri union. Ask the question: How can anything be three and yet only one? Then proceed to illustrate.
Son has provided, “ redemption through his blood, the forgiveness o f sins” (Eph. 1 : 7 ) ; God the Holy Spirit is involved in our salvation for, “ ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). Thus the Father 'predes tined, the Son purchased, the Holy Spirit protects each believer. William Pettingill tells of a boy who explained the Trinity in these words: “ Three in one and one in three, and the one in the middle, He died for me.” That may be as profound a s ta tement as any touching the mystery of the Trin ity, and is probably as far as any theologian may go in defining the inscrutable mystery of the unity o f God. Rev. NormanR. Linhart, Th.M., is pastor of Trinity Bible Church, South Gate, Calif. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Mr. Linhart ministered as pastor to churches in Kansas and Missouri before coming to South Gate in 1968. “THE TRINITY... HOWCAN GOD BETHREE AND YET ONLY ONE?” by W . M . Whitwell T h a t ’ s a good question . There are Three Persons, so we im ply there must be three Gods, but the Bible says “ The Lord our God is one Lord” (Dent. 6:4). People try to illustrate the Trinity by comparing it with wa ter which may be ice, steam or liquid; or with an egg, which con sists o f shell, white and yolk; or a family, which consists o f father, mother and child. The Trinity simply cannot be illustrated. The same mass o f water cannot be in all three forms at the same time. The parts of an egg do not illus trate the Trinity because God has no pieces or parts. Members of a family do not furnish an adequate
Familiar objects or things are best suited. 1. A family is made up of three: father, mother and child. Father and mother without child are not a family. It takes all three to make one family. The oneness is in the family. 2. Time is made up of three parts: the past, the present and the future. Past and present with out future do not make up time. Future and present without past do not make up time. It takes yes terday, today and tomorrow to make up time. 3. A woman can be wife, daugh ter and mother, yet she is but one person. She is wife to her hus band, daughter to her father, and mother to her child. Thus she is three in one. 4. A triangle has three sides, each equal, but separate, yet joined at the points to form one triangle. Though each side is equal and separate, it is not the other side. So with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — one God. Each person of the Trin ity is equal to the others, and though separate the union o f the three persons is one God. The Rev. Ben Owen has served as a missionary in Ethiopia and pas- tored the First Baptist Church, Redmond, Oregon. Presently he is serving as Assistant to General Director, C on s e r va t i v e Baptist Association of Oregon.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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