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The person of God is a mystery. It is far beyond our limited, human understanding. Thus, whenever we touch this matter, we need to be very careful and must avoid going into too much detail. In the second century the church fathers argued a great deal concerning this matter, and the things they argued about remain unresolved to this day. This is because the person of God is a mystery that is beyond the limits of our understanding. Whatever we say concerning this mysterious topic must be based upon two things — the revelation in the Scriptures and our experience. In addition to the Scriptures, we must consider our experience, but our experience must always be based upon the Scriptures and must never contradict the Scriptures.
The first sentence of the Scriptures reveals that God is triune. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In the original Hebrew text of this verse the word God is not singular but plural. In the Newberry Reference Bible Mr. Newberry put symbols next to certain words in the text of the King James Version to indicate the number, tense, or time of the corresponding words used in the original Hebrew text. Next to the word God in Genesis 1:1 he put three horizontal lines, indicating that the number of the Hebrew word for God is plural. This reveals that God has the aspect of three. This does not mean, however, that there are three Gods. This can be seen from the verb used in this verse. Although in this verse the subject God is plural in number, the verb created is not plural but singular. This is quite peculiar. Anyone who knows grammar knows that the subject and the verb of a sentence should match in number. If the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural. The fact that the subject God is plural and the verb created is singular reveals that God is triune, or three-one.
In several other verses in Genesis God refers to Himself in the plural. Genesis 1:26 begins, “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” In 3:22 God says, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us,” and in 11:7 He says, “Come, let Us go down and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” In Isaiah 6:8 the Lord also refers to Himself in the plural when He asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” Do these verses mean that there is more than one God? Surely they do not, for other verses in the Bible clearly state that there is only one God. Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am Jehovah and there is no one else; / Besides Me there is no God.” First Corinthians 8:4b states, “There is no God but one,” and 1 Timothy 2:5a declares, “For there is one God.” Although the Bible clearly reveals that there is one God, God Himself repeatedly refers to Himself in the plural number. This is a mystery that we cannot understand.
Isaiah 6:3 records the way in which the seraphim praised God in the Old Testament. They declared, “Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts.” Revelation 4:8 describes the way in which the living creatures praise God in the New Testament. They proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God the Almighty.” Why is it that in both the Old Testament and the New Testament God is praised in the same way, and why is it that both the seraphim and the living creatures repeat the word holy three times? Would it not have been enough for them to say “holy” one time? Surely this is an indication of God’s triune being.
In Numbers 6 the Lord spoke to Moses regarding the way in which Aaron and his sons were to bless the children of Israel. Verses 22 through 26 say, “Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the children of Israel; you shall say to them, Jehovah bless you and keep you; Jehovah make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; Jehovah lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” Here again we have something that is done three times. This is a threefold blessing. The first part of this blessing is that Jehovah would bless the children of Israel and keep them. This refers to God the Father (Eph. 1:3; John 17:11, 15; 1 Pet. 1:5). The second part of this blessing is that Jehovah would make His face shine upon them and be gracious to them. This blessing speaks of light and grace, which are related to God the Son (Luke 1:78; Matt. 4:16; John 9:5; 1:14, 16-17). The third part of this blessing is that Jehovah would lift up His countenance upon them and give them peace. This refers to the Holy Spirit, who brings us the Lord’s presence and gives us the peace of God (14:16-18; Phil. 4:7). Thus, the threefold blessing in this verse points to the Triune God.
The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6 also alludes to the Divine Trinity. At the opening of this prayer the Lord prays, “Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth” (vv. 9-10). Here the Lord says the word Your three times. The first time — “Your name be sanctified” — refers to the Father. The second time — “Your kingdom come” — refers to the Son, for the Son is the King of the kingdom (Col. 1:13; Rev. 11:15; 19:16). The third time — “Your will be done” — refers to the Holy Spirit. Both the blessing in the Old Testament and the Lord’s prayer in the New Testament are threefold.
The New Testament is filled with verses that highlight three aspects of the Triune God. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Matthew 28:19 reads, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In this verse the Greek word for name is singular, but the one name is shared by three. This is a mystery, revealing to us that God is triune.
Ephesians 1:3 also speaks of the Triune God, saying. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.” In the phrase God and Father we see God the Father; in the phrase our Lord Jesus Christ we see God the Son; and in the phrase every spiritual blessing we see God the Spirit. Here the three of the Trinity are clearly seen. Ephesians 3:14-17 further reveals the three of the Triune God. Verse 14 says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father.” This speaks of God the Father. Verse 16 continues, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man.” This verse speaks of God the Spirit. Then verse 17 says, “That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith.” Here we have God the Son. These three verses show the three of the Godhead working together.
The Bible reveals that God is three — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — but this does not mean that there are three Gods. The Bible clearly states that God is one, and there are several verses that join the three of the Godhead together. For example, Isaiah 9:6 reveals that the Son is the Father. This verse says, “For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; /And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.” The child who is born is the Mighty God, and the Son who is given is the Eternal Father. The fact that the child is God and the Son is the Father is beyond our understanding. Some theologians attempt to explain this verse by saying that the Son is not the Father but is simply called the Father. The reason they put forth this explanation is that they believe that the Son and the Father are separate. This explanation, however, is not according to the Scriptures and is not reasonable. It would be unreasonable for people to call you Mr. Smith if you were not Mr. Smith. If people call you Mr. Smith, then you must be Mr. Smith. The Son is called the Father because the Son is the Father. John 14 also reveals that the Father and the Son are one. In verse 8 Philip asked the Lord to show them the Father. In verse 9 the Lord responded to Philip, “Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The Lord’s answer shows that He and the Father are one (10:30). While Isaiah 9:6 and John 14:8-9 reveal that the Son is the Father, 2 Corinthians 3:17 unveils that the Son is the Spirit. This verse begins, “And the Lord is the Spirit.” The Son is the Father, and the Lord, who is the Son (4:5), is the Spirit. We may not be able to understand this, but we must accept it, for this is the revelation of the Scriptures.
Zechariah 2:10-11 is another mysterious passage. These verses say, “Give a ringing shout and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for now I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst, declares Jehovah. And many nations will join themselves to Jehovah in that day and will become My people; and I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that Jehovah of hosts has sent Me to you.” In these verses the One who will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel is Jehovah, but this One is also sent by Jehovah. He is sent by Jehovah, and He is Jehovah. How can this be? This matches the revelation of the rest of the Scriptures. In John 5 the Lord repeatedly declared that He had been sent by the Father (vv. 23, 30, 36-38), and in Isaiah 9:6 we see that the Son is the Father. The Son is sent by the Father, and the Son is the Father.
Romans 8:9-10 also shows us that we cannot divide the three of the Trinity. Verse 9 says, “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” The Spirit of God dwelling in us equals our having the Spirit of Christ. This shows that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ. Then verse 10 continues, “But if Christ is in you...” This proves that the Spirit of Christ is Christ Himself. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ is Christ Himself. This is the teaching of the Scriptures. No one can deny that God is three-one. Based upon this revelation, students of the Bible use the word trinity. Some would argue that the word trinity is not in the Scriptures. It is true that we cannot find such a word in the Bible, but we cannot deny the fact that such a thing exists.
Our experience also shows us that it is impossible to separate the Father from the Son or the Lord from the Spirit. According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, we may contact the Spirit by saying, “Jesus is Lord!” and according to Galatians 3:14 we may receive the Spirit by believing in Jesus. The One who comes into us is the Spirit, yet the One whom we believe in and call upon is the Lord Jesus. Calling “O Lord Jesus” also leads us to the Father. After praying to the Lord for a certain amount of time, we may find ourselves saying, “O Father in heaven.” The more we say “Lord Jesus” and “O Father in heaven,” the more we have peace and joy within. In our experience it is impossible to separate the Father from the Son or to separate the Son from the Spirit. This is because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are truly one.
We can illustrate the triune nature of God with the three forms of water. If you leave a block of ice in the sun for an hour, it will become water. Then if you leave the water in the sun for half a day, the water will become vapor. Are the ice, water, and vapor three things or one thing? They are one thing in three stages, appearances, and forms. Ice is ice, water is water, and vapor is vapor, but in substance these three items are one. In appearance they are three, but in substance they are one. In a limited way, this is an illustration of the Triune God. In the Scriptures the Father is the source; He is like the block of ice. The Son, who is the expression of the Father, can be likened to the water. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” The Father is the source, and the Son is His declaration, manifestation, and expression. The Spirit, who is the communion and fellowship of God to us, can be likened to the vapor (2 Cor. 13:14; John 20:22). Vapor is very easy for us to take in; all we need to do is breathe. Sometimes when the air in a room is too dry, we put a vaporizer in the room to moisturize the air so that as long as we are breathing, we are receiving the water into us. Through the Spirit, who is the communion and fellowship of God to us, we can receive God Himself into us.
Another mystery in the Scriptures is the relationship between eternal salvation and God’s judgment of His children. The salvation of God is absolutely a matter of grace and has nothing to do with works. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works that no one should boast.” Some have the concept that if we commit a sin after we have been saved, we will lose our salvation. This is not logical. If salvation is absolutely a matter of grace and has nothing to do with works, it is not logical to think that we can lose our salvation by doing something wrong. If it were possible for us to lose our salvation through wrongdoing, salvation would have something to do with works. Once we receive salvation, we can never lose it. In John 10:28 the Lord makes this matter very clear, saying, “And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.” The life that we have received is eternal, and we can never perish (3:16).
First Corinthians 5:5 gives us an example of a brother who committed a terrible sin yet did not lose his salvation. Speaking of this brother, Paul says, “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Although this brother had committed a serious sin, Paul says that he would still be saved in the day of the Lord. Once we are saved, we can never lose our salvation.
The Scriptures are clear that we can never lose our salvation, but how does God deal with believers who commit sins and refuse to repent even after they have been saved? The answer to this question is rather complicated. Our God is wise, and He has many ways to deal with His people. First Corinthians 3:13-15 shows us one of the ways that God deals with His people after they have been saved. Verse 13 says, “The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is.” This verse tells us that when the Lord comes back, there will be a test to determine what sort of work we did after we were saved. Then verse 14 continues, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward.” This verse speaks of a reward, not of salvation. Receiving a reward is different from receiving salvation. Verse 15 follows, “If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” This verse says that if our work is consumed, we will suffer loss. It does not say that we will perish. Suffering loss is different from perishing. This is proved by the phrase but he himself will be saved. We will suffer loss if our work is consumed, but we will still be saved. However, we should not say that all will be well, because although the verse says that we will be saved, it concludes with the phrase yet so as through fire.
We will never lose our salvation. Salvation is eternal, and the work of Christ on the cross, upon which our salvation is based, is eternal (Heb. 9:12). This matter is clear. However, after we are saved, we need to live according to the will of God and according to Christ. If we do this, we will receive a reward when the Lord returns. This reward is something in addition to salvation. However, if we do not live according to the will of God and according to Christ, the Lord will cause us to suffer loss when He returns. This suffering will be a form of punishment to us. Once we are saved, we are saved eternally. This matter is settled once and for all. However, in addition to the question of salvation, there is the question of reward or loss. This is the clear teaching of the Scriptures.
The Bible reveals that there are several different kinds of judgments of God. Revelation 20:11-15 says that there will be a final judgment at the great white throne. This judgment has nothing to do with Christians. There is, however, another judgment spoken of in the Bible that does pertain to believers — the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10). When Christ returns, He will set up His judgment seat, and all His disciples will be brought there to be judged. At this judgment seat only the saved ones will be judged. This judgment is not for eternal salvation or eternal destruction; rather, it is to determine who will receive a reward and who will suffer loss. If we have lived and worked according to the will of God, we will receive a reward. If we have not, we will suffer loss (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:1-30). This shows us the importance of how we live and work after we receive the Lord. We must be careful; otherwise, we will suffer loss.
The apostle Paul was one who lived with a view to the judgment seat of Christ and who endeavored to obtain the reward. In 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 he writes, “Everyone who contends exercises self-control in all things; they then, that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible. I therefore run in this way, not as though without a clear aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved.” Clearly Paul had been saved, but in these verses he tells us that he was still running. Why was he running? He was running to obtain a prize, a reward. Paul even said that he was afraid that he might become disapproved. Does this mean that there was a possibility that Paul could lose his salvation? Surely it does not. Some versions of the Bible translate the phrase become disapproved as “be cast away.” To be cast away does not mean to lose one’s salvation; it means to be cast away from the prize.
Paul continues his thought in 10:1-5, saying, “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for they were strewn along in the wilderness.” All the children of Israel were saved by the passover and crossed through the Red Sea, but not all of them entered into Canaan. On the one hand, they all were saved, but on the other hand, not all of them received the prize, the reward. In light of this warning, the apostle Paul tells us that he was running the race and striving to obtain the prize.
At the time Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was still pressing on. In Philippians 3:13-14 he declares, “Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.” Even at this juncture he did not consider himself to have already attained. Thus, he continued to pursue, to run the race, and to press on. Not until the end of his life did Paul have the confidence to say that he had obtained the prize. Knowing that he would soon be martyred for the Lord’s sake, Paul told Timothy, “I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Paul had been saved, but throughout the course of his Christian life he ran to obtain the prize, the crown. This crown is a reward and is something in addition to salvation. At the end of his life Paul knew that he had obtained the reward. Paul also told Timothy that this reward was not for himself alone but for all those who love the Lord’s appearing and coming.
At the moment we believe in the Lord, we receive salvation, and once we are saved, we can never lose our salvation. However, after we are saved, we must ask ourselves how we will run the race of the Christian life. The way we run this race will determine whether or not we will receive the crown as a prize. As we have seen, our running the race of the Christian life also includes the way we work. If we do not work properly, we will suffer loss when the Lord returns. We will be saved, yet so as through fire.
This understanding of the Scriptures solves the problem between the Calvinists and the Arminians. On the one hand, there is eternal security; on the other hand, there is the settlement of the Lord’s righteousness. The Calvinists and the Arminians have been fighting for generations regarding this matter. The Calvinists insist that salvation is eternal and is based upon predestination. They are correct, but they neglect the other side — the side of responsibility. The Arminians emphasize the side of responsibility, but they neglect the side of eternal security. The Scriptures, however, are balanced. Salvation is eternal; hence, we are eternally secure. However, after we are saved, we must be responsible to the Lord concerning how we run the race of the Christian life. Those who run successfully will receive a reward, a prize; those who do not will suffer loss and will be punished. This balanced view of the Scriptures reconciles the two sides.
We can illustrate the relationship between salvation and reward with the experience of a father and his children. It is not uncommon for a father to tell his children that if they do well in school, they will receive a reward, but if they do not do well in school, they will be punished. If one of his children works hard and does well, the father may reward this child, but if one of the children does not do well, the father may punish this child. Although the father may punish the child who does not do well, this does not mean that this child is no longer one of the father’s children. A son can never lose his sonship, but he can be punished. This punishment is a loss to him. We can apply this illustration to our status as children of God. All those who have believed in Christ are children of God (John 1:12-13), but there are regulations in God’s family. If we go along with these regulations, when Christ returns, He will reward us, saying, “Well done. Come and rejoice with Me” (cf. Matt. 25:23). If we do not go along with these regulations, when He returns, He will punish us (v. 30). He would never reject us and say to us, “From now on I will no longer take you as My child.” He loves us and has saved us, so He would never do this. He will, however, measure out some kind of punishment and cause us to suffer loss if we do not live according to His regulations. We must be clear that we have been saved eternally. However, we should not be altogether at peace, because we have some responsibility before our Father. This is the balanced revelation of the Bible concerning eternal salvation and God’s judgment of His children.
