The Trinity and Creation

THE TRINITY AND CREATION¹

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2006

The standard trinitarian formulation describes God as three persons in one essence, co-equal and co-eternal.² When the Bible mentions them together, they are distinct individuals yet having the same status (i.e., deity).

Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

2 Cor 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

This is most clearly stated with the person of Jesus, who identifies himself with the Father.

John 10:30 I and the Father are one.

The predicate nominative is literally “one thing,” not the same person—they are distinct personalities—but the same substance (“god stuff”). As John writes,

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Father and the Son are separate individuals, but they consist of the same material, they possess the same qualities, and they pursue the same agenda.³ Despite their similar make-up, Father and Son do not have the same role. Jesus became subject to the Father in order to fulfill his redemptive mission.⁴

Phil 2:6 [Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Likewise, the Holy Spirit’s activity is also subject to the Father’s direction.⁵

2 Cor 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Dreams and Visions

OTHER MEANS OF REVELATION¹

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

When God wants to communicate with man, He uses a variety of ways.² The most common method is verbal, as when He speaks to His people through an angel or a prophet.³ In addition to what is then recorded in scripture, God employs other means of revelation,⁴ both natural and supernatural.

I. Natural means of revelation

 A. Stellar creation⁵

Rom 1:20 …since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

B. Human conscience

Rom 2:15 …they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

II. Supernatural means of revelation

A. Angelic visitation⁶

Gen 19:15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.”

B. Prophetic inspiration

Isa 7:7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘It will not take place, it will not happen,’”

Mic 4:4 Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.

Contents and Links for "A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology"

The final chapter of the series has been posted — Paul Manuel calls it "A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology." The chapter titles and links are below.

A User-Friendly Guide to Basic Christian Doctrine
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Table of Contents

• Prologue

I. Bibliology

A. The inspiration of scripture
B. The canonicity of scripture

II. Theology

A. The nature of God
B. The work of God

III. Christology

A. The nature of Christ
B. The work of Christ

IV. Pneumatology

A. The nature of the Holy Spirit
B. The work of the Holy Spirit

V. Angelology

A. The nature of angels
B. The work of angels

VI. Anthropology

A. The nature of man
B. The destiny of man

VII. Soteriology

A. The purpose of salvation
B. The procedure of salvation

VIII. Ecclesiology

A. The design of the church
B. The leaders of the church

IX. Eschatology

A. The reign of Christ
B. The re-creation by God

• Epilogue

• Bibliography

Theology Series: Bibliography

Theology Series: Bibliography
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

This is the Bibliography for the theology series Dr. Manuel titled "A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology." The Table of Contents for the series can be found here.

Bibliography

Abbreviation Key:

AB	Anchor Bible.
ABD	Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols.
BDT	Baker Dictionary of Theology.
CT	Christianity Today.
EBC	The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols.
EGT	The Expositor's Greek Testament. 5 vols.
EJ	Encyclopedia Judaica. 16 vols.
ICC	International Critical Commentary.
IDCC	The International Dictionary of the Christian Church.
ISBE	The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 5 vols.
JBL	Journal of Biblical Literature.
JETS	Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
JQR	Jewish Quarterly Review.
NCBC	The New Century Bible Commentary Series.
NICNT	New International Commentary on the New Testament. 18 vols.
NICOT	New International Commentary on the Old Testament. 24 vols.
NIDCC	The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church.
NIGTC	The New International Greek Testament Commentary.
TDNT	Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 vols.
TDOT	Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. 15 vols.
TJ	Trinity Journal.
WBC	Word Biblical Commentary.
ZPEB	Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. 5 vols.

Aland, Kurt and Barbara

1987, The Text of the New Testament. Translated by Erroll F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Albi, Martin C.

2002, "Are Any among You Sick?' The Health Care System in the Letter of James." JBL 121/1:123-143.

Allen, Leslie C.

1976, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Theology Series: Epilogue

Epilogue:
Does what we believe actually match our statement(s) of faith?
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Having covered the essentials of what the Bible says about basic dogma, we come to the final assignment in A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology,¹ to evaluate what we profess (in our statements of belief) by what we have learned. Using what we have studied, we will assess our church's doctrinal statement in four areas.

• Exegetical: How accurate is the church's statement?

• Examine each of the stated beliefs, determining which ones have the support of scripture—that is, do the biblical passages listed actually teach the doctrine in question? If not, are the verses wrong for that particular point—in which case, can you suggest better ones—or is the point itself deficient in some way—perhaps more specific than the biblical evidence will allow?

• Theological: What are the doctrines essential to true evangelical Christianity? (You do not have to limit your answer to items in the doctrinal statement.)

• Be prepared to justify your response, to give the reason you consider one point of belief more important than another. Consider, for example, to what extent it is necessary to hold these doctrines in order to be saved and, if they are not necessary for salvation, what makes them in some way essential.

Theology Series Chapter 9: Eschatology

Chapter IX: Eschatology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

IX. Eschatology

It is appropriate that, in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology, the last unit should be eschatology, the study of last things. Some religions hold a cyclical view of history in which events simply repeat themselves, perhaps with some variation but with no discernible progress. Orthodox Judaism and Christianity, as well as Islam,¹ hold a linear view of history in which God is at work moving events toward a glorious finale for His people, although the identity of those people is different for Muslims and Christians.

No other topic has so stirred the imagination and speculation of people as the prospect of what the future holds, and no other topic has generated as many different opinions and raised as many questions. Will a messianic figure appear to bring peace? Will some cataclysmic event precipitate the end? How and when will it all happen?

Theology Series Chapter 8: Ecclesiology

Chapter VIII: Ecclesiology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

In the previous unit, we covered why and how God saves us. As we noted, salvation entails a number of steps that culminate with our glorification. As we await that final step, we must continue to live in obedience to God. We are not on our own, however, but have contact with others of like faith in a community known as the church,¹ the study of which is called ecciesiology. We will consider the design (nature and purpose) and leaders (offices and ministries) of this institution. Because this is a survey, we will only touch lightly on some subjects (e.g., church government).

Theology Series Chapter 7: Salvation

Chapter VII: Soteriology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Our last unit established, among other things, that man has 'fallen and he can't get up,' at least, not without God's help. This next unit deals with divine aid, what theologians call soteriology or salvation. Because this is just a survey, we will confine our study to answering two questions:

• First, why does God save us? What is His purpose, His motivation and intention in acting on our behalf?

• Second, how does God save us? What does the procedure involve, and what is our part, if any, in it?

Most of the information about this topic comes from the New Testament, an interesting distinction that we will examine later.
[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 6: Anthropology

Chapter VI: Anthropology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

In A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology, we looked first at what the Bible says about itself, because that is the chief source of information on spiritual issues. Then we examined what the Bible says about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and angels. Today, we begin to see what scripture says about us, in particular, about our nature. Much of it will probably be familiar to you, but the purpose of a study like this is to provide a summary of doctrine as well as a frame on which you can hang more specific information.

Weekly World News: "How to Tell If You Are Double-Souled" (Floori 2010)

What happens when two souls are reincarnated in a single body? That is the provocative question Dr. Sankar Khan, who has been conducting reincarnation studies in Mumbai, India, for the past 26 years, is attempting to answer. He says, "Some individuals are not truly one person, but two." According to Dr. Khan, a reincarnated soul enters its new body when the fetus is at an early stage of development.

Usually a single soul enters the embryo — but sometimes two spirits, eager to be reborn, both elbow their way into the child. When this occurs, the body responds by splitting the embryo, leading to the birth of twins.

This explains why many identical twins, though raised in the same environment, are polar opposites in personality.

When the spirits are very different in nature this can lead to the tragic condition known as 'multiple personality disorder.' In these cases, there are two radically different persons trapped in one body, taking turns controlling it.... A telltale sign of such individuals is their tendency to talk to themselves, as they consult their inner companion.... Typically, double-souled individuals tend to be full of inner conflict. They find themselves torn between two lovers, two career goals, two dreams of the future. Each of their souls pulls them in an opposite direction.

According to Dr. Khan, you are likely to be double-souled if...

• You have difficulty making important decisions.
• You talk to yourself often throughout the day.
• You are ambidextrous.
• You often "can't believe" what you did the night before.
• You alternate between using your real name and a special nickname.
• You sometimes sign your name so differently, it is almost unrecognizable.
• You love a song one day and can't stand it the next day.

What is the main problem with this hypothesis? ... Scripture dismisses the idea of reincarnation.

• Death only goes in one direction.¹

Heb 9:27 ... man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

• God alone can reverse that direction.²

Rom 7:24b Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25a Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

A. The nature of man

1. Man is a created being.

 [The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 5: Angels

Chapter V: Angelology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Having considered the three persons of the godhead in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology, we proceed down the cosmic hierarchy to study angels.

Quiz: What Do You Know About Angels?

1. What is the theological term for the study of angels? Angelology.
2. What does the word "angel" mean? Both Hebrew (mal'ak) and Greek (anggelos) terms mean "messenger."
3. T/F: Angels have wings. False (in the narrow sense of the term): Seraphs and cherubs have wings; angels, proper, do not, although they do fly.¹
4. T/F: When people die, they become angels. False: They become "like the angels" (Matt 22:30) but do not become angels.²
5. T/F: Israel was the only Ancient Near East (ANE) people with a belief in angels. False: A stele depicts angels flying over the Sumerian king Ur-Nammus while he prays (c. 2250).
6. T/F: Angels always appear in the Bible as adult males, never as females or children. True.³
7. T/F: Daniel is the only Old Testament (OT) book that names angels. True (See answer to the next question).
8. Who are the angels Protestant scriptures name? Gabriel and Michael.⁴
9. T/F: "The angel of the LORD" is Christ. False (See Excursus 1: The Angel of the LORD).
10. What is the main goal of evil angels? To thwart God's purpose by opposing God's people.⁵
11. Who controls the activities of evil angels? Satan partially (immediately) but God ultimately (mediately).⁶
12. T/F: Angels play harps. False: This notion seems to have arisen from a misunderstanding of passages in Revelation where elders have harps and where some believers have harps (Mounce 1977:146).⁷
13. T/F: Angels are musical. True: They sing and play instruments.⁸
14. What extra-biblical book has the most information about angels? 1 Enoch, where the author attributes sin to angelic intercourse with human women and identifies six good angels by name.⁹

[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 4: The Holy Spirit

Chapter IV: Pneumatology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

In A "Reader's Digest" Approach to Theology, we come to pneumatology, a study of the Holy Spirit. We will approach this topic as we have the previous two, surveying the nature and work of the Spirit. After that, we will examine in more detail a particular aspect of his work that theologians often neglect. We will begin by considering three common opinions.
[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 3: Who was Jesus?

Chapter III: Christology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

After theology proper, the next section in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology is Christology. More than any other area of doctrine, this one has generated the most diverse interpretations, and a religious group's stance on this subject is often the main determinant to its orthodoxy. The more a group deviates from what the Bible says about Jesus, the less likely it is to be Christian.

As in theology, we will divide the material into who Jesus is and what he does, comparing what others say with what the scriptures say. Again, we begin with at least one presupposition, an assumption that might not be appropriate in a non-church or in an apologetic setting: the historicity of Jesus. Because we agree on the reliability of the text, we will not spend time establishing whether or not he was a real person.
[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 2: God

Chapter II: Theology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

We established the basis for our study of theology by examining the Bible, how we got it and what the Bible says about itself. Because we believe the Bible is inspired and records reliable information about God and His activity, we now consider what the it says on that topic.

As I said in the Prologue, we use the term "theology" in two ways. In the broad sense, it means the study of religion, as in the title of our series, A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology. In the narrow sense, it means the study of God specifically, and that is how we are using it in this section. Today, we will consider who God is, His nature. Next, we will look at what God does, His work.

The Bible does not set out to prove God's existence; it assumes that He is: "In the beginning, God..." Since we accept the authority of scripture, we too start with that premise and can proceed directly to the next level of inquiry: Who is God?¹  [The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series Chapter 1: The Bible

Chapter I: Bibliology
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

The first aspect of theology to consider is the Bible. Why start there rather than with God? ...Our entire system of theology comes from information in the Bible. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the reliability of that source before we can proceed confidently that information we gather about other topics is trustworthy.

The whole process of validating a belief system is actually more complicated than this. If we were being thoroughly rigorous, we would have to begin with certain philosophical questions, such as "Does God exist?" We can skip those preliminary issues in this group; all of us agree on that point. If you were talking to someone who did not believe in the existence of God, however, you would not be able to jump straight to what the Bible says. Instead, you would have to start by explaining why you believe there is a God and convince your listener to admit the possibility of God's existence at least. Only then could you consider what that God might have communicated about Himself in the Bible.
[The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]

Theology Series: Prologue

Today we begin posting a series Paul calls "A 'Reader's Digest' Approach to Theology" [obviously not related to the magazine]. I will progressively link each successive chapter to this page as it is posted on this site.

A User-Friendly Guide to Basic Christian Doctrine
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Table of Contents

• Prologue

I. Bibliology

A. The inspiration of scripture
B. The canonicity of scripture

II. Theology

A. The nature of God
B. The work of God

III. Christology

A. The nature of Christ
B. The work of Christ

IV. Pneumatology

A. The nature of the Holy Spirit
B. The work of the Holy Spirit

V. Angelology

A. The nature of angels
B. The work of angels

VI. Anthropology

A. The nature of man
B. The destiny of man

VII. Soteriology

A. The purpose of salvation
B. The procedure of salvation

VIII. Ecclesiology

A. The design of the church
B. The leaders of the church

IX. Eschatology

A. The reign of Christ
B. The re-creation by God

• Epilogue

• Bibliography

Prologue

During the next few months, we will examine the basis for what we believe. As I thought of possible titles for this study, the first and most obvious was the standard seminary one, Systematic Theology, but that sounded a little too technical. Then I considered one more "user friendly," similar to recent computer guides, like DOS for Dummies, this could be Doctrine for Dummies; but that was too condescending. There was also the Ridiculously Simple series for medical students that uses a comic book format to teach complex medical procedures; so instead of Gall Bladder Surgery Made Ridiculously Simple, we could study Religious Dogma Made Ridiculously Simple; but I do not have the artistic skills to illustrate such a text. I needed something between the intellectual and the infantile, so I settled for A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology.

You may have covered some of this material before, but I want to fill in gaps and pull together various elements in a single course that helps us see the "big picture." Our belief system is not some shapeless mass of random notions about God; it has a structure and coherence that allows us to think and speak about the One we worship and serve. God reveals Himself in two primary ways:

• He makes general (or natural) revelation available to all people.¹

• Through the creative work

Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

 [The end notes can be found in the linked pdf]