Don Stewart :: Are Divine Works Attributed to Each Member of the Trinity?

Are Divine Works Attributed to Each Member of the Trinity?

The Trinity: One God in Three Persons – Question 13

Each of the three members of the Holy Trinity is each called God. Furthermore, attributes or characteristics are attributed to each of them which God alone possesses. This is additional evidence that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are indeed God.

However, there is still more evidence. When we further examine what the Scripture has to say about the different members of the Holy Trinity, we can see that each of them performs divine works.

The Scriptures list the following works where each member of the Trinity is singled out as doing:

1. Each Member of the Trinity Was Involved in Creating the Universe

The Bible says that each member of the Trinity was involved in the creation process.

God the Father Was the Creator

Paul said God the Father was the Creator. He wrote the following to the Corinthians:

But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. (1 Corinthians 8:6 NLT)

Paul says that God the Father created everything.

The Son Was the Creator

John wrote that about God the Son is the Creator:

All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. (John 1:3 HCSB)

Jesus made all things. In fact, we find that apart from Jesus Christ there was nothing which was created. He made everything!

The Apostle Paul also wrote about the involvement of Jesus in creation. He said,

...for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NRSV)

Jesus made all things “in heaven and on earth.” This is the way the biblical writers describe the entire universe. In other words, Jesus created the universe.

The Holy Spirit Was Involved in Creation

The Holy Spirit was also involved in the creative process. In the Book of Job we are told that He is the one who gives life. Job stated it this way:

“The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NRSV)

The Spirit is the one who gives life. Yet, in the Book of Genesis we are told that God is the One who gave life to the first man, Adam:

Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 HCSB)

The conclusion is that the Spirit must also be the Creator God.

Although each is the Creator, there is only one Creator. The psalmist testified that the Lord has made us:

Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are His—His people, the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3 HCSB)

The Lord is the One who has made us. He is the Creator. This is another indication that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the one God. They are the Lord.

2. Each Member of the Trinity Is a Lawgiver

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all Lawgivers.

The Father Gave the Law

Paul speaks of the law of God in the following manner:

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:25 NRSV)

In this case, God would be referring to God the Father.

There Is a Law Given by Christ

Scripture also speaks of the “Law of Christ.” Paul wrote about this to the Galatians:

Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 NLT)

This is a law which originates with Jesus Christ. This is different from the Law of Moses. Moses was given the law by God to give to the people. He did not originate it. However, the law of Christ is a law which originates with Him. Only God can originate the law.

The Spirit Is Also a Lawgiver

There is also the law of the Spirit. To the church at Rome, Paul wrote,

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2 NASB)

The Spirit is a lawgiver. Again, the ability to provide an absolute standard of law, of right and wrong, is something which belongs to God alone. Nobody else, human or angel, can present an unchanging standard of right and wrong.

3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Each Raise the Dead

Only God can raise the dead back to life. However, we find that each of the members of the Trinity is involved in resurrection of the dead.

The Father and Son Raise the Dead

Jesus said that both He and God the Father will raise the dead. In the Gospel of John we read His words:

“He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, just as the Father does.” (John 5:21 NLT)

Notice Jesus places Himself in the same category as God the Father; One who is able to raise the dead.

In the same passage, Jesus emphasized again that He will someday raise the dead. He put it this way:

“Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:28-30 NRSV)

This is an astounding claim! The Son, as well as the Father, will raise the dead.

The Holy Spirit Will Raise the Dead

Not only do God the Father and God the Son raise the dead, God the Holy Spirit also raises the dead. Paul wrote about this to the Romans. He said,

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. (Romans 8:11 NLT)

The Spirit is involved in resurrection of the dead.

Thus, the resurrection of the dead is something that each member of the Holy Trinity participates.

4. Each Member of the Trinity Raised Jesus Christ from the Dead

The Trinity was involved in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Father Raised Jesus

Paul wrote about how God raised Jesus:

And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. (1 Corinthians 6:14 NRSV)

In this instance, God would be a reference to the Father.

Jesus Raised Himself

The Bible also teaches that Jesus raised Himself from the dead. He told the religious leaders the following:

Jesus answered, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days.” Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body. (John 2:19-21 HCSB)

Jesus has the authority to bring Himself back to life.

The Holy Spirit Raised Jesus

Not only did God the Father and Jesus Himself participate in the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit also raised Christ from the dead. Peter wrote,

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit... (1 Peter 3:18 NRSV)

The Spirit of God was also intimately involved the resurrection of Christ.

Therefore, each of the members of the Trinity was involved in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

5. Each Member of the Trinity Commissions the Christian Ministry

The Bible says that each member of the Holy Trinity commissions the Christian ministry.

God the Father Commissions the Ministry

Paul wrote the following to the church at Corinth about the commissioning of the ministry:

It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God. He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:5, 6 NLT)

In this instance, God probably refers to the Father.

Jesus Commissions the Ministry

When Paul wrote to Timothy he stated that Jesus Christ commissioned him to the ministry. He put it this way:

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service... (1 Timothy 1:12 NRSV)

Christ was the commissioner of Paul.

The Spirit of God Commissions the Ministry

The Book of Acts says that the Holy Spirit also commissions the ministry. Paul said the following to the Ephesian elders:

“And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his blood—over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.” (Acts 20:28 NLT)

This is an indication that the three members of the Trinity work together in the commissioning of the ministry.

6. Each Member of the Trinity Sets Apart, or Sanctifies, God’s People

Scripture says that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, sets apart God’s people.

God the Father Sets Apart His People

The writer to the Hebrews said that God the Father sets apart people:

For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters... (Hebrews 2:11 NRSV)

The Son and the Holy Spirit Set Apart People for Ministry

Paul wrote about Jesus Christ as well as the Holy Spirit setting apart those who are involved in Christian service:

Nevertheless on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:15, 16 NRSV)

Here, both the Holy Spirit and Jesus are involved in the work of the Christian ministry. Again, each member of the Trinity is involved in this ministry.

7. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Were Involved in the Composition of Scripture

All three members of the Godhead were actively involved in the composition of Scripture, the Word of God.

The Father and Son Reveal Truth to Humanity

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of both God, meaning the Father, as well as His Son, as revealing divine truth to humanity:

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. (Hebrews 1:1, 2 NLT)

The Holy Spirit Guides Believers into All Truth

Jesus said the Holy Spirit, who represents Him, would guide the disciples into “all truth.” On the night of His betrayal, as He was about to leave this world, He told them the following:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13, 14 NRSV)

Guiding the disciples into “all truth” would include the composition of Scripture. Thus, Jesus is referring to the future work of the Holy Spirit since the Spirit did not perform this ministry until after Jesus ascended into heaven.

Peter wrote of the work of the Holy Spirit in the past through the prophets. The Spirit of Christ was within them. He wrote,

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. (1 Peter 1:10, 11 NRSV)

Peter also said it was the Holy Spirit who supernaturally guided the prophets to speak for God. He wrote,

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT)

The composition of Scripture was a work of the three members of the Trinity.

8. Each Member of the Trinity Indwells Those Who Believe in Jesus

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all said to indwell believers. The evidence is as follows:

God the Father Indwells Those Who Believe in Jesus

Paul wrote about how the Father indwells believers:

[There is] one God and Father of all, who is over everything, through everything, and in everything. (Ephesians 4:6 God’s Word)

He is “in all.” This certainly includes the life of the believer.

Jesus Dwells in Believers

Paul also said that Jesus Christ also dwells “in” the believer. He wrote the following to the Colossians:

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 RSV)

The Spirit of God Lives in Believers

Paul said that the bodies of believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When writing to the Corinthians, he put it this way:

Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves. (1 Corinthians 6:19 God’s Word)

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit indwell believers. Thus, believers are indwelt by the Holy Trinity.

9. Each Member of the Holy Trinity Keeps Believers Secure

All three members of the Trinity are involved in keeping the believer secure.

God the Father Saves and Keeps Believers

Jesus spoke of the work of God the Father in saving and keeping the believer:

“What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29 NRSV)

Paul wrote of God keeping the believer secure. He wrote,

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6 CEV)

God will complete each and every work which He started. This is certainly a comforting thought!

Jesus Keeps Believers Secure

Jesus Himself kept His disciples secure. He prayed the following to God the Father on the night of His betrayal:

“While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.” (John 17:12 CEV)

While He was here upon the earth, the Lord Jesus kept His own disciples safe and secure. There is certainly no reason to believe that He would stop doing this once He ascended into heaven.

The Holy Spirit Keeps Christians Secure

The security of the believer is also the work of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote the following to the believers in Ephesus:

And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. (Ephesians 1:13, 14 NLT)

The Holy Spirit also keeps believers secure.

Therefore, the Scriptures testify that divine works should be attributed to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This being the case, the conclusion that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God. However, since there is only one God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit must be the one God; this is the doctrine of the Trinity.

Summary – Question 13
Are Divine Works Attributed to Each Member of the Trinity?

Each member of the Trinity is specifically called God. In addition, each has characteristics or attributes which only God can possess. It is thus clear that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one God.

However, the Scripture has even more to say. Indeed, the Bible says that divine works are attributed to each of the three members of the Trinity.

The Bible says that the creation of the universe was accomplished by the work of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father created, the Son created and the Spirit created. Since each is the Creator then each member must be God Himself.

Scripture says that each member of the Trinity is a Lawgiver. God the Father gave the laws in Scripture. Yet the Bible says there is also a Law of Christ. In addition, the Holy Spirit is a Lawgiver. Since only God can provide a divine standard, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit must be God.

The Bible says that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit raise the dead. The Father will cause the dead to rise. Jesus said the dead will hear His voice and come out of the graves. We are also told that the Spirit raises the dead. Again, only God can raise the dead so each of the Trinity members must be God.

We also find that each Person of the Trinity brought Jesus Christ back from the dead. The Father raised Jesus, Jesus raised Himself and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus. Thus, we have the Trinity involved in the resurrection.

Each member of the Trinity specifically commissions the Christian ministry as well as setting believers apart for God’s service. This is further evidence that each member is God Himself.

The writing of Scripture involved the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all said to be engaged in the process of the composition of the Bible. Since the Bible is God’s Word to the human race, it follows that each of them has to be God.

Each member of the Trinity indwells believers when they believe in Christ. This adds to the evidence that each member is indeed the one God.

Finally, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all contribute to the security of the believer. The Father keeps anyone from snatching believers from Jesus. Jesus Himself keeps believers secure as does the Holy Spirit.

These divine works attributed to each member of the Trinity is another line of evidence that these personages, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are the one God.