THREES
That Bear
Witness
The
Triune
God
Christians take it by faith that the same God who authored the Bible also created the heavens and the earth.
But outside of faith, could one find, through simple observation, some underlying thread acting as "God's trademark," tying the Bible and nature to the Creator Himself?The answer is yes . . . THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE opens by simply stating that, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). In the Gospel of John we learn that God, the Creator, is Jesus Christ: "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ]...and the Word was God...All things were made by him" (John 1:1-3,14). Our three dimensional, triune universe consisting of time, matter, and space was designed by Jesus Christ, Himself a triune God (1 John 5:17). Perhaps this is why when you study Christ's earthly life, His creation, and His Word, the Bible, you quickly notice something curiously tying all three together: the "THREES" that bear witness . . . (This is part of an ongoing series. If you would like some of the other tracts in this series write to Send the Light, P.O. Box 815, Fargo, ND.)
ONE OF THE GREATEST TEACHINGS of the Bible is that God is a trinity: one God manifested in three persons--He is a triune Deity. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: 'For there are THREE that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD [Jesus Christ], and the HOLY GHOST: and these THREE ARE ONE' (1 John 5:7). (See also Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; Galatians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 15:26; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 3:22)
The fact that God is triune is not necessarily the only reason why He would 'stamp' the number three on His creation. 'THREES' also begin to show up when you study His attributes. Let's begin with the three "OMNI'S": [1] God is OMNIPRESENT (all-present):
'Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or WHITHER SHALL I FLEE FROM THY PRESENCE? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there' (Psalm 139:7-8). 'Neither is there any creature that is not MANIFEST IN HIS SIGHT: but ALL THINGS are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.' Heb. 4:13
The universe can be subdivided into: Time, matter, and space. (Matter/energy are interchangeable). Thus, the universe is triune just as the Bible says God created it: In the beginning (time) God created the heaven (space) and the earth (matter). Gen. 1:1
[2] God is OMNIPOTENT (all-powerful): 'And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT reigneth' Revelation 19:6. 'When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.' Mat. 19:25-26
[3] God is OMNISCIENT (all-knowing): 'For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and KNOWETH ALL THINGS' (1 John 3:20). (See also Job 37:16)
TO THE JEWS, God played the following THREE roles in governing their lives: 'For the LORD is our [1] JUDGE, the LORD is our [2] LAWGIVER, the LORD is our [3] KING; he will save us.' Isaiah 33:22
* Interestingly, the same THREE roles are exercised in the United States government:
[1] the JUDICIAL branch (For the LORD is our judge), [2] the LEGISLATIVE branch
(the LORD is our lawgiver), and [3] the EXECUTIVE branch (the LORD is our king).
To the Christian, God is the very THREE things they are commanded to WALK in:
[1] 'He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE' (1 John 4:8). 'And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour' (Ephesians 5:2). [2] 'GOD IS A SPIRIT: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth' (John 4:24).
'This I say then, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh' (Gal. 5:16). [3] 'This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that GOD IS LIGHT, and in him is no darkness at all' (1 John 1:5). 'For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT.' Eph. 5:8
. . . Time, matter and space are
each triune in themselves:Time has THREE divisions:
past, present and future.
Matter can exist in THREE states:
liquid, solid, or gaseous.
Space consists of
THREE dimensions.Concerning God's primary attribute, holiness, the Bible describes a scene in heaven where the word holy is repeated THREE times: 'And one cried unto another, and said, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory' (Isa. 6:3).
Apparently each "Holy" corresponds to one member of the trinity, as the next THREE verses bear out:[1] 'And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. HOLY FATHER, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are' (John 17:11). [2] 'But ye denied the HOLY ONE [Jesus Christ, the Son] and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you' (Acts 3:14). [3] 'And grieve not the HOLY SPIRIT of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.' Eph. 4:30
To be holy means to be sanctified; separated from sin and unrighteousness. And exactly THREE times in the entire Bible God commands the Christian "Be ye holy": [1] 'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.' (Leviticus 20:7) [2] 'But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;' (1 Pet. 1:15). [3] "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Pet. 1:16
The only other verse where we find the words "Holy, holy, holy" God is identified by a THREE word phrase that has some interesting connotations: 'And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.' Revelation 4:8
The term "Lord God Almighty" appears in the Bible five times (not three or any multiples of three). Yet the occurrence of each of the three words by themselves or in some combination reveals His trademark. Here is the list:
"Lord" appears in the Bible 7836 times, which factors out to (3 x 2612). NOTE: in the Bible the word "lord" is sometimes used to identify a person in authority such as a king and does not always refer to God. However, if we use the term "the Lord" and thus zero in on those occurrences that refer exclusively to God, we still find that "The Lord" appears in the Bible 6918 times, which factors out to (3 x 2306).
"Lord God" appears in the Bible 546 times, which factors out to (3 x 182).
"God" appears in the Bible 3594 times, which factors out to (3 x 1,198)
"Almighty" appears in the Bible 57 times, which factors out to (3 x 19)
"Almighty God" appears in the Bible only THREE times.One reason that God is almighty is the fact that He has always existed. Therefore, we find that: "everlasting God" appears in the Bible only THREE times: (Gen. 21:33; Isa. 40:28; Romans 16:26). And to make sure that everyone understands that there is only one almighty and everlasting God. We find the exact words "there is none beside me." only THREE times in the entire Bible: (Isa. 45:6; 45:21; Zephaniah 2:15).
Interestingly enough, as if to confirm His approval of the King James Version of the Bible, each member of the trinity has God's trademark stamped on the number of verses in which their name occur: "heavenly Father" appears in 6 verses, which factors out to (3 x 2). "Jesus" appears in 942 verses, which factors out to (3 x 314).
"Holy Ghost" appears in 89 verses, which is not a multiple of 3. However, "Holy Spirit" appears in 7 verses, so the total number comes to 96 (89 + 7), which factors out to (3 x 32).
Some closing thoughts . . .
In Rev. 13:17, the Bible uses the term, "the number of his name" when referring to the Antichrist and his number 666. This number has also been called "the mark of the beast[.]" Christians regard the devil as a copycat, often taking his ideas from God.
So, is it too farfetched to believe that God has marked His creation and His Word with the number of His name? We know from the Bible that God is a trinity, so using the number three as His 'trademark' would not be unusual at all. If this is the case, then the following verse warns us where we all stand when it comes to believing there is a God: 'For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made [US], even his eternal power and Godhead; so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.' Rom. 1:20
THE SAME GOD that created you and
me and gave us the Bible, has provided
us with a sure way to Heaven . . .BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you from going to Heaven are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God," Isaiah 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23.SECONDLY, you must realize that there is NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Baptism, good deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are all examples of good works that cannot save you, because: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he [Christ] saved us," Titus 3:5.
THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) THAT'S WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8-9)
THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner and can't save yourself. And call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you. "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9
SEND THE LIGHT
P.O. Box 815 Fargo, ND 58107
[Christian Helps Ministry (Valley City, ND)] [Christian Home Bible Course]