This article considers three foundational Christian Doctrines that hinge on Special Revelation. It approaches its subject with both humility and ambition.

It’s essential to recognize that Jesus is described as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), fully embodying both divine and human natures. Similarly, Christians regard the Bible as the written Word of God, containing truths revealed through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Trinity

The God who exists has revealed Himself to us, and His nature is different from our human expectations. Indeed, without His disclosure, it would be impossible for humanity to grasp the reality of God’s nature. The Doctrine of the Trinity cannot be deduced through logical deduction alone; though many notable attempts have been made, it requires the explicit teaching of Scripture to be understood.

The Doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Understanding how one God can exist in three distinct persons without being three separate gods is a profound mystery and a significant challenge for many.

No analogy can fully encapsulate the profound mystery of the Trinity, and many analogies, such as likening it to water existing as ice, liquid, and steam, tend to oversimplify and can even lead towards heretical misunderstandings. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid relying on such analogies, recognizing their tendency to distort or trivialize the theological depth and uniqueness of the Trinity.

What is crucial to note is that the Trinity is assumed as the default reality in the New Testament. The Apostles were experiential Trinitarians—they heard the voice of the Father from heaven, walked with the Son, and witnessed the Spirit descending from heaven (Matthew 3:13-17). As the New Testament authors wrote, they weren’t attempting to explain the Trinity systematically; rather, it formed the warp and woof of their theological framework.

In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, for instance, as Paul concludes the epistle, he greets the church using a trinitarian formula: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Christ instructs us to baptize new believers “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). These passages, among others, vividly portray the unity of God and the distinct personhood and deity of the Father, Son, and Spirit (John 1:1-3, 14; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Ephesians 4:4-6).

The Incarnation

Taking it one step further, the Bible not only asserts the Triune nature of God; before the dust settles, one is immediately confronted with the claim that one of the persons of the Godhead, namely the Son, took on flesh.

This claim is historically significant; if you had lived in the Middle East approximately 2000 years ago, there would have been a genuine possibility that you could have personally encountered God. It’s a startling assertion, yet the biblical authors boldly proclaim it, many of whom later died as martyrs for their faith in this truth.

The Apostle John, in his First Epistle, emphatically states,

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist…”

This is not merely an optional belief in Christianity; it carries profound significance. To deny that God took on flesh is to oppose God Himself. It is a dividing line.

The second Person of the Trinity, who was with the Father from all eternity, entered into His own creation. He was sent according to the eternal will of the Father to unite all things in Him, both in heaven and things on earth, and His name is Jesus (Ephesians 1:7-10). It was uniquely the Son, not the Father or the Holy Spirit, who took on flesh in the Incarnation.

The Incarnation did not diminish His deity in any way; rather, humanity was added to His divine nature (Philippians 2:7). These two natures are not blended or confused, yet both are always fully present within the one person of Jesus without exception. There is no division or separation between them. The complexity of this doctrine should not be taken lightly, nor does its complexity discredit its reliability. We must embrace all that the Bible teaches, holding onto its truths while also resting in the mysteries it presents (John 1:14, Galatians 4:4-5, Hebrews 2:14-18, 1 Timothy 3:16).

The Resurrection

Considering these doctrines as foundational blocks, the Resurrection stands atop the Incarnation, which itself rests upon the doctrine of the Trinity. These truths are interconnected: God the Son, Jesus Christ, who took on flesh, died on a Roman cross—a substitutionary death prophesied in Isaiah 53:5. Then, something extraordinary occurred—something that angels long to look into: three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. This act stands as the pinnacle of the Christian faith.

This historic event was not merely symbolic; it embodies all the hope Christians share. The Apostle Paul emphasized its critical importance, stating,

“…if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). He goes on to add, “…If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Jesus’ resurrection forms the basis of our future hope: He is the firstfruit, and at His coming, those who belong to Him will also be raised (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Following Jesus’ resurrection and preceding His ascension, numerous eyewitness accounts are documented. Matthew describes the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and their encounter with the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10). Mark recounts similar events, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome finding the empty tomb and encountering an angel proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:1-8). Luke provides a detailed account of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and later appearing to the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, demonstrating His resurrected body and eating with them (Luke 24:13-49). John records Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb and encountering Jesus, followed by His appearances to the disciples, including Thomas (John 20-21). Additionally, Luke writes in Acts about Jesus’ appearances over forty days, teaching about the kingdom of God and instructing His disciples before ascending into heaven (Acts 1:1-11).

Jesus, in one of His “I AM” statements in John 11:25, declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Here, Jesus asserts Himself as the very source of resurrection life—not merely someone who performs resurrections, but the essence of resurrection itself. His statement underscores that He is the ultimate source of life and hope beyond death, exemplified powerfully in His raising of Lazarus (John 11:25-26). This hope is uniquely held by Christians: Jesus’ resurrection anticipates the future resurrection of all believers, who, through Him, will experience eternal life and rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Jesus’ declaration is exclusive: He affirms that salvation and eternal life are found solely in Him, as He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Do you believe this?

Conclusion

In closing, these three doctrines are foundational to every other Christian doctrine, like threads intricately woven into a tapestry. They not only touch upon but also uphold the integrity of the entire fabric of Christian theology.

There are other doctrines that are equally significant or closely related to those mentioned above. For instance, the Doctrine of the Atonement, Predestination and Free Will, the Problem of Evil, the Sacraments, and Eschatology, to name a few, each vary in prominence but deserve individual attention and study.

The fact that God has spoken in His Word should spur us on to desire to know more. This foray is merely to whet your appetite. Understanding these doctrines ensures adherence to orthodox Christian teaching, safeguarding against heresy and doctrinal error.

I pray that you deepen your worship of our Triune God, hold firmly to orthodox beliefs, and exhibit spiritual maturity. May you grow in personal evangelism, confidently sharing the gift of salvation and adeptly defending it against objections and misunderstandings. May you also find personal assurance and comfort in knowing the hope of the Resurrection, which brings true peace. Finally, may you diligently study your Bible, becoming deeply rooted in its text and committed to biblical fidelity.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Romans 16:25-27

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“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Given the opportunity, where would you begin bolstering the faith of a recent convert to Christ? I hope you have given this some thought. Within the context of disciple-making, Jesus inserts the Doctrine of the Trinity. Evidently, the entire Christian walk is rooted in the ‘one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.’

As disciple-makers, we are to i) teach in order to construct (Ephesians 4:12); and, ii) equip in order to dismantle. (2 Corinthians 10:5) In this article, we will focus on the latter, i.e., equipping the saints in defence of the Trinity.

The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

Desiring to fortify his young friend, Marcianus, in his new life in Christ, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (130-202) an early Church Father, wrote a summary of the Christian Faith, titled, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching.

As a boy, Irenaeus listened to the great Polycarp; Justin Martyr deeply influenced him; and he spent most of his fruitful years refuting various forms of Gnosticism. This elevated vantage point prepared him to set forth, what he referred to as, ‘a manual of essentials’ on the Christian Faith.

So, where does the veteran disciple-maker begin his instruction? Naturally with God. And, not just some abstract idea of God, but the Triune God. He starts with the “One God, …[Who] over all is the Father; and through all is the Son, for through Him all things were made by the Father; and in us all is the Spirit, who cries Abba Father, and fashions man into the likeness of God.”

Note, for Irenaeus, God is not like some divine exterior-, upon looking inside of which you discover the three Persons. No, there is no god apart from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all the way through. Irenaeus then summarises, “God the Father bestowing on us regeneration through His Son by the Holy Spirit.”

This magisterial work is punctuated with a truly profound observation. He urges his protégé to avoid all types of heresy. He says that there are only three basic types of heresies: One that despises the Father and imagines another which  does not exist; the other rejects the Son and His incarnation in any way; and finally, those who receive not the Holy Spirit and His prophetic Word.

Damnable Error

How do we define ‘heresy’? Here is a word that is both overused and underused at the same time. David Kaywood defines heresy as “Damnable Error.” Damnable: A teaching so erroneous that it could send you to hell upon death. Error: It is not just a disagreement or something that is off-putting to you. But a biblical or theological error that is so serious it affects where you go after you die. One who unrepentantly holds to these errors, Paul says, “have nothing more to do with him.” (Titus 3:10)

The Lord Jesus reveals to us that eternal life is this, to know the Father, the only true God, and the Son whom He has sent. (John 17:3) ‘The God who is There’ is Triune, and every error can only be defined based on this objective truth.

Let us explore Irenaeus’ three types of heresies briefly.

“Despises the Father”

The rejection of the Father is displayed in multiple ways and ultimately espouses a god or gods that do not exist. The Mormons, for instance, are guilty of teaching ‘a plurality of gods’, with Brigham Young concluding, “How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were no Gods and worlds.” L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, recognised the existence of a Supreme Being, but each member is left to “work out His own idea.” Zen Buddhists do not believe in the existence of a personal God. Their God is impersonal – the “ultimate reality.” Like other Eastern religions, Zen Buddhism is pantheistic. According to Islam, God cannot be considered a “father”, and He has no son: “do not say, “Trinity.” Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him! He is far above having a son!” Open Theism affirms that since man has a libertarian free will, God cannot know the future. Therefore, God makes highly educated guesses as events transpire. In the end, God is controlled by His creation, i.e., time.

“Rejects the Son”

The Doctrine of the Son is the most contested by far. This should come as no surprise, as Jesus told us this would happen, in John 15:18-16:4. He is the living stone rejected by men. (1 Peter 2:4) From denying His deity (as did the Arians) to denying his humanity (as the Gnostics do), a defective view of Christ always has and will always lead to apostasy and heresy. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are simply a modern iteration of the Arian cult in denying the deity of Jesus. Baha’ism teaches that Jesus was a messenger of God along with others, stating, “He [the worshipper] reverences Christ and Mohammed and all of God’s former Messengers to mankind, but he recognises Baha’u’llah as the bearer of God’s message for the new age…” Christian Science makes a distinction between Jesus and Christ. Mary Baker Eddy, the acclaimed founder of Christian Science, said, “Jesus is the name of the man who, more than all other men, has presented Christ, the true idea of God, healing the sick and the sinning and destroying the power of death. Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea; hence the duality of Jesus the Christ.” Oneness Pentecostalism does not recognize the distinct persons of the Godhead. It has various forms / modes / manifestations—some see Jesus Christ as the one God, who sometimes manifests Himself as the Father and at other times as the Holy Spirit. This is the ancient heresy called Modalism.

“Receive not the Holy Spirit”

The Person of the Holy Spirit is relentlessly blasphemed. The Lord Jesus said, “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:29). The Apostle Peter, referring to Scripture, writes, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) Macedonianism was a fourth-century heresy that denied the full divinity or personality of the Holy Spirit. The Montanists added new prophetic revelation. Of their leader Eusebius, the early church historian, said, “he [Montanus] became beside himself, and being suddenly in a sort of frenzy and ecstasy, he raved, and began to babble and utter strange things, prophesying in a manner contrary to the constant custom of the Church handed down by tradition from the beginning.” Progressive Christianity denies the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture and adopts a revisionist view, with a strong focus on Critical theory. Rooted in Marxism, critical theory functions as a worldview, dividing society into oppressor and oppressed categories. Consequently, the oppressed group procure access to ‘special’ or ‘hidden’ knowledge through their ‘lived experience.’ This is simply repackaged Gnosticism. Gay Theology, denies the sufficiency of Scripture and redefines sin to exclude homosexuality. The Prosperity Gospel twists Scripture, promising “Your Best Life Now,” in terms of earthly health and wealth. The ‘Iglesia Ni Cristo’ movement, denies the deity of the Holy Spirit, describing Him as, “the power … not God but one of the spirits being sent by God.”

By contrast, the Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonians to stand firm and to hold to the apostolic teaching as this will produce sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15)

Closing Thoughts

None of these damnable errors should catch us off-guard, beloved. The devil has been a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44) Just as we see these movements deceive innumerable souls, the Scripture told us there would be counterfeits:

“And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” – Revelation 16:13-14

May we learn from Irenaeus what it looks like to put our arms around a young disciple and ground their faith in this glorious Triune God, expounding upon the excellencies and warning about the fallacies. “While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13). 2

3. Francis A. Schaeffer, The God Who Is There, 1998
4. Joseph Smith preached on June 16th, 1844, and quoted in the Mormon publication, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
5. BrighamYoung,PublishedbyDeseretBookCo,SaltLakeCity,1954
6. William Petersen Those Curious New Cults Keats Publishing Co’, New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, p.95
7. https://www.patheos.com/library/zen/beliefs/ultimate-reality-and-divine-beings
8. Qu ‘ran, excerpt from translation of An-Nisa 171 (Translation by Dr. Mustafa Khattab)
9. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/is-jesus-almighty/
10. Edmund Gruss Cults and The Occult in the Age of Aquarius,pg.87
11. Mary Baker Eddy Science and Health, pg.473

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