改革宗信仰基础04：圣三位一体Basics of the Reformed Faith:The Holy Trinity

作者: Kim Riddlebarger   译者/校对者: 蔡璐/王一

https://www.wscal.edu/blog/basics-of-the-reformed-faith-the-holy-trinity

http://www.reformedbeginner.net/basics-04-trinity/

经常听到人们说，基督徒、犹太人和穆斯林敬拜的是同一位上帝。其实不然。与敬拜安拉的人，或者声称敬拜亚伯拉罕的上帝的犹太人所不同的是，基督徒敬拜的是一位又真又活的上帝。他启示自己有三个位格(person)，圣父、圣子、圣灵。三位一体是基督教最与众不同的教义。虽然在很多方面上三位一体的教义超过我们的理解力，但是我们仍然相信这个教义，因为这是上帝亲自在他的话语中所启示的：圣父、圣子、圣灵，乃是一位真实的上帝。

三位一体的教义不是个容易的话题，因为这超过了人类的语言和逻辑的范围。不过，尽管这个教义对我们来说很难理解，但我们仍必须相信并承认上帝是三位一体，因为这就是神在他的话语中向我们启示的。三个位格同神性、同荣耀、同威严。在新约圣经中，每一个位格都被清楚明确地称为“上帝”。并且每一个位格都拥有其他两位相同的上帝属性(divine attributes)，相同的荣耀与威严。

圣经非常清楚地指出，上帝只有一位。在《申命记》6:4，摩西宣告：“以色列啊，你要听！耶和华我们上帝是独一的主。” 在《以赛亚书》44:6，我们读到：“我是首先的，我是末后的，除我以外再没有真神。” 整本新约圣经也宣告上帝只有一位，虽然我们认识到上帝有三个彼此不同的位格——圣父、圣子和圣灵。保罗在《哥林多前书》8:4-6写到：“上帝只有一位，再没有别的上帝。虽有称为神的，或在天，或在地，就如那许多的神，许多的主；然而我们只有一位上帝，就是父，万物都本于他，我们也归于他；并有一位主，就是耶稣基督—万物都是藉着他有的，我们也是藉着他有的。”再如《雅各书》2:19写到：“你信上帝只有一位，你信的不错；鬼魔也信，却是战惊。”圣经明明白白地写到，上帝只有一位。

但是圣经也很清楚地教导我们，即使只有一位上帝，他仍然启示自己是三个位格：圣父、圣子、圣灵。这三个位格在新约中到处都被提及。当耶稣被施洗约翰施洗的时候，圣父宣告说：“这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的”，甚至上帝的灵像鸽子一样降在耶稣身上（太3:16-17）。在《马太福音》28:19，耶稣吩咐祂的门徒“（你们要）去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父、子、圣灵的名，给他们施洗。”这项教会的使命是到世界当中去，建立门徒，并为他们施洗，这是奉三个位格（复数，即圣父、圣子和圣灵）的独一上帝的名（单数）。

在第二封写给哥林多教会的信中，保罗是奉三位一体上帝的名向他的读者祝福（林后13:14）。“愿主耶稣基督的恩惠，上帝的慈爱，圣灵的感动，常与你们众人同在。”在《约翰福音》14:26节中，耶稣嘱咐他的门徒说“保惠师，就是父因我的名所要差来的圣灵，他要将一切的事指教你们。”正如上帝道成肉身成为人（参照约1:14），耶稣提到圣灵和圣父是地位相等的。

在圣经中有关三位一体的另一条线索是，相同的上帝属性、荣耀和威严同样被归给每一个位格。圣经教导的是，圣父、圣子、圣灵同是永恒的。正如《以赛亚书》中上帝宣告说，“我是首先的，我是末后的”（赛44:6）；保罗补充说上帝是“永恒的”（罗16:26），即上帝是无始无终。而约翰记录了圣子所说的话，“我是首先的，我是末后的”（启22:13），而且弥迦先知也指出“他的根源从亘古，从太初就有”（弥5:2）。我们从希伯来书中读到，圣灵是“永远的灵”（来9:14）。圣父、圣子和圣灵都是永恒的，没有开始也没有终结。

圣经也同样论述圣父、圣子和圣灵创造万有。保罗讲到，“创造万物之上帝”（弗3:9），诗篇的作者也宣告“你们当晓得耶和华是上帝；我们是他造的，也是属他的；我们是他的民，也是他草场的羊”（诗100:3）。在约翰所写的福音书中我们读到圣子，“万物是藉着他造的；凡被造的，没有一样不是藉着他造的”（约1:3）。 在《歌罗西书》1:15-17，保罗讲论基督“是那不能看见之上帝的像，是首生的，在一切被造的以先。因为万有都是靠他造的，无论是天上的，地上的；能看见的，不能看见的；或是有位的，主治的，执政的，掌权的，一概都是藉着他造的，又是为他造的。他在万有之先；万有也靠他而立。”在《约伯记》33:4中，我们读到圣灵，“上帝的灵造我”。在《创世纪》1:1中，我们读到创造，“上帝的灵运行在水面上。”正如圣经所讲，圣父、圣子、圣灵共同创造了世间万有。我们讲论圣父的，同样可以讲论圣子，也同样可以讲论圣灵。

从这篇简短的总结中可以看到，我们必须承认只有一位上帝，并且他同时存在三个彼此不同的位格——圣父、圣子、圣灵，同荣耀、威严、权能。因为上帝在他的话语中如此启示他自己。

Basics of the Reformed Faith: The Holy Trinity

By Kim Riddlebarger

It is common to hear people claim that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God. Not true. Unlike those who worship Allah, or those Jews who claim to worship the God of Abraham, Christians worship the true and living God, who reveals himself in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It has been said that the Holy Trinity is Christianity’s most distinctive doctrine. Although in many ways the doctrine of the Trinity is beyond our comprehension, we believe this doctrine because this is how God reveals himself to us in his word, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are the one true God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is a difficult topic to discuss, because it stretches the limits of human language and logic. Despite the difficulties this doctrine presents to us, we must believe and confess that God is triune, because this is how God reveals himself to us in his word. The three persons of the Godhead are revealed as equal in divinity, glory, and majesty. Each of the three persons are expressly called “God” in the New Testament. And to each of them is assigned the same divine attributes, as well as the same glory and majesty which are ascribed to the other persons of the Trinity.

The Scriptures are absolutely clear that there is only one God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses declares “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” In Isaiah 44:6, we read “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” This same assertion is found throughout the New Testament, even though we learn of three distinct persons in the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Paul writes, “there is no God but one. For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many `gods’ and many `lords’—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” Elsewhere James writes, “you believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). The Scriptures are crystal clear, there is but one God.

Yet the Bible plainly teaches that although there is one God, he is revealed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Godhead are mentioned together throughout the New Testament. When Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, the Father declares, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” even as the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus as a dove (Matthew 3:16-17). In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands his disciples to “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.” The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by baptizing them in the name (singular) of three persons of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

In his benediction in his second Corinthian letter, Paul blesses his readers in the names of the Triune God (2 Corinthians 13:14). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” In John 14:26, Jesus informs the disciples that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things.” As God in human flesh (cf. John 1:14), Jesus mentions both the Holy Spirit and the Father as equals.

Another line of evidence for the Trinity in the Bible is that the same divine attributes, glory, and majesty are assigned to each of the three persons of the Godhead. The Scriptures teach that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are eternal. According to Isaiah, God says, “I am the first and the last,” (Isaiah 44:6) and Paul adds that God is “eternal,” (Romans 16:26) that is, without beginning or end. John records the Son saying, “I am the first and the last,” (Revelation 22:13) and Micah notes that his “coming and going are from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). In Hebrews we read of the Holy Spirit as “the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14). Father, Son and Holy are eternal, without beginning or end.

The Scriptures also speak of the fact that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, created all things. Paul states, “God who created all things” (Ephesians 3:9), while the Psalmist declares “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his” (Psalm 100). Yet, in John's gospel we read of the Son, “all things were made through [Jesus], and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). In Colossians 1:15-17, Paul writes that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” In Job, we read of the Holy Spirit, for “the Spirit of the LORD has made me.” In Genesis 1:1 we read that at creation “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are said to have created all things. What we can say of the Father, we can say of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

As we see from this brief summary of the biblical evidence, this is why we must affirm that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons–Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are equal in glory, majesty and power. This is how God reveals himself in his word.