Prepared to Answer

Part 2 of our Trinity series ✨ Is the Trinity in the Bible?

Skeptics will say that the Trinity isn’t taught in the Bible — that it was made up by later church councils. However, that simply isn’t true.

Right from the start, Jesus commanded us to baptize disciples into the Trinity. He said: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

And this isn’t Jesus inventing something new. Starting in the Old Testament, God’s people are always identified as those who are called by God’s name. (Isaiah 43:1-7)

But the Bible is very clear: There is only ONE God who calls people by his name (Deuteronomy 6:4, Ezekiel 36:23). And this ONE God doesn’t share the glory of his name with anyone (Isaiah 48:11, Ezekiel 39:25).

So when Jesus instructs Christians to be called by God’s name and identifies that ONE God’s name with THREE names (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), he is affirming God’s trinitarian identity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

There is ONE God who eternally exists as THREE persons. That’s the Trinity!

Part 1 of our Trinity series ✨ What is the doctrine of the Trinity?

The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that there is ONE God who eternally exists as THREE persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Another way of putting it is that God is ONE in his essence or being, and THREE in his person or identity.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each co-equal in their divinity. They aren’t just a part of God, nor is one superior or inferior to the other. Each of them is equally God.

But also, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not identical. They aren’t just different roles that God plays. They are distinct persons who have each eternally existed together as God.

ONE God, not three Gods.

THREE persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are each fully God.

Our mission is to teach a new generation to think like Jesus — and part of how we accomplish that is by mobilizing like-minded ministries toward sustainable, full-time, vocational ministry that fulfills their sense of God’s call and furthers our mission. This is our PTA Go program, and God has faithfully led us to form fruitful partnerships through this initiative over the years. And, he hasn’t stopped!

In this podcast episode, Shawn and Scott are thrilled to introduce our new PTA Go team member, Dr. Dani Treweek, and her ministry, Cross Related.

We’re excited for you to hear about how God led Dani into ministry and learn about Cross Related’s unique mission to help churches recover biblical and pastoral clarity for how the gospel reshapes the relational life of the disciple. Check out the episode here: https://youtu.be/rC9gDV1YLZw

Keep an eye out on Tuesday for a super special, PTA Go podcast episode 👀

If God is all-powerful and do anything, can he make a square-circle? This question hits at what is called the “omnipotence paradox”.

But actually, the question itself relies on the logical fallacy of equivocation. In this case, the question confuses (equivocates) the meaning of the word “anything”. Normally “anything” refers to a thing that exists or could possibly exist. But a “square-circle” doesn’t refer to a thing that exists or could possibly exist. In other words, it isn’t anything. It’s nothing.

There is no amount of power, therefore, that could bring a square/circle into existence because the term itself is a non-sensical contradiction. And God is not a God of nonsense, but of wisdom and order. (Psalm 104:24)

Now that many churches stream their services online, some Christians have stopped attending church in person. But, while the Bible doesn’t specifically bar “online church”, the importance of physical presence with the church is inescapable when seen in the light of the Bible’s “Grand Story”.

By creating Adam and Eve as embodied beings, God showed his intention that mankind would relate to each other physically.

And through the incarnation of Jesus, God himself took on a physical body in order that we might become related to him through our physical nature. (see Hebrews 2:10-17)

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, he left the Church to do his will on earth. And, the Apostle Paul used physical metaphors to speak about the Church — namely, he compared the Church to a body with many parts. (Rom. 12:4-5) These parts belong to, serve, and help one another.

While looking through the Bible’s Grand Story, it’s evident that God placed value in what is physical and designed mankind to primarily relate to each other physically.

This means that Christians miss what God intends when they only “do church” online.

If you are in Christ, God wants you to belong to his body; his people; his family. If your only experience of church is online, we encourage you to connect in-person with a local church body and build relationships with other Christians — the way God designed you to!

Learn more about what the Bible says about online vs. in-person church by listening to our latest podcast episode: https://youtu.be/VCmBVrt-i4M

The pandemic caused many churches to pause in-person meetings and stream their services online. With the pandemic behind us, many churches continue hosting services in person and online.

With the option to either attend in-person or watch church online, it begs the question: is it okay for Christians to choose to only “go to church” online?

To answer this question, we welcome special guest Tim Hawman, the lead pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, onto today’s podcast episode. Tim lays out the biblical principles that will help answer the question of whether or not it is necessary to physically attend church.

Check it out here: https://youtu.be/VCmBVrt-i4M