The Trinity Part II: Evidence of the Triune God in the Gospel of John Chapter One and 1 John 1

                                                                 

                                                                      I. Introduction

In the last post, I set out to prove that the Trinity was taught in the Old Testament. In this post, I wish to demonstrate the doctrines of the Trinity in the Gospel of John and some other New Testament writings. In general, the purpose of this post is to demonstrate that John saw Christ as a distinct, separate Person from the Father, but also one who was both truly God and truly man. 

                                     II. The Incarnation in John 1 Proven from Scripture

The incarnation was God the Son becoming God in the flesh. At the beginning of the Gospel of John, the author writes, ''In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1: 1, ESV).''

In verse 4, the Word of God is contrasted with other men in that the former is the one of light among darkness. Likewise, in verse 10, John affirms that the Word created the world, demonstrating that the Word is God since only God created the heavens and earth, which I previously exclaimed. In verses 14-18, John explains that the Word of God is Jesus Christ. Additionally, the author also explains that whereas Moses taught the law, it is through Jesus that grace is given to humanity. 

Lest some say that God the Son was solely divine, verse 14 clarifies that He became man. And while Scripture does not use the phrase, ''God the Son,'' this phrase toward Jesus is implied by all the Biblical portrayals of Christ mentioned thus far. 

But could John just have meant that names like the ''Father'' and the ''Son'' are just different expressions of the same Person? No, not at all. Only the Word of God became incarnate (verse 14). Referring to Jesus as God's Son demonstrates that the two Persons are not one Person. Yet by affirming Jesus as God in verses 1-2, he proves that the Son is God, without reference to the Father. How can this be? How can Christ and the Father both be God, yet neither the same Person, and yet both are still Persons of one God only (Deuteronomy 6: 4, 1 Timothy 2: 5). This mystery of God's distinct Persons does not represent different personalities, but genuinely different Persons of one God. Truly, it is among the greatest of heresies to deny the divinity of Christ and the unity of the Trinity in general. 

What does all of this prove? It proves that John understood Jesus Christ as both God and man. It also proves that those who deny Christ's position as the Second Person of the Trinity plainly deny the teachings of Scripture. 

Indeed, Scripture doesn't have to use a specific word or phrase such as the ''Trinity'' or ''God the Son'' in order for the concept to be Biblically, philosophically, and theologically true. Certainly, everyone uses some sort of logic in their interpretation of the Scripture, and this is true for orthodox Christians but also for Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Oneness Pentecostals. A careful logical examination of John 1 demonstrates that Jesus was more than a prophet or king, though He was also these. For these reasons, many liberal theologians dislike the Gospel of John and put it against the Synoptic Gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In general, the liberals often claim that the earlier Gospels did not portray Christ as God and that this concept was heightened by John's writing. In a future post, I will attempt to refute their belief that the earlier gospels did not view Christ as truly God. For now, I wish to turn to 1 John as we learn the importance of the incarnation of the one that Jesus loved (John 11: 3-5).

                                                      III. The Incarnation in 1 John

In 1 John 1: 1-14, the author briefly describes the incarnation again. He also refers to Christ as the Father's Son (1 John 1: 1-4). The author doesn't add much more to the Trinitarian discussion in this chapter than he already expressed in John 1. However, by emphasizing the concept again, it informs us how important the doctrine of the Trinity was to the first-century church. They did not see this as a non-essential issue. Likewise, modern theologians are also aware that historically, many sects, such as the gnostics, denied the Trinitarian doctrines, including the divinity of Christ, which has been the primary focus of this post. 

                                                     IV. Conclusion

In conclusion, let the reader understand that the incarnation is firmly rooted in the Gospel of John and 1 the first epistle of John. Thus, the concept of Jesus as being a person of the divine Trinity was not suddenly invented by Emperor Constantine or the Catholic Church in the fourth century. While an appeal could be made to church fathers who believed in the divinity of Christ long before the fourth century, the purpose of this post was simply to demonstrate from Scripture that belief in Christ's divinity and humanity is, without doubt, taught by Scripture. 

                                                                 Works Cited:

Holy Bible English Standard Version. 2001. Crossway.