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May/June 2012

Plan of Salvation:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe
in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.

What Is the Christian Message?

With his final words before his ascension, Jesus issued to his followers
the task of conveying his message to
the world. Armed with this directive,
the total number of Christians exploded from a mere 120 to over
3,000 within the span of two weeks.
By the end of the first century, an
estimated one million people had
responded to the Christian message
by becoming followers of Jesus.
Today, nearly two thousand years
later, the Christian faith has grown to
become the largest faith in the world
with over two billion adherents. Still,
Christians continue to treat Jesus'
mandate seriously and persist in
spreading his message far and wide.
What is this message, though, and
why is it so important? Why have
countless Christians pledged and
even given their lives in order to promote it?
The Christian message is often referred to as the "Gospel," which

means "good news." Specifically, it is

the good news about Jesuswho he
is, what he has done, and what he
offers.

contain a code of conduct as well as

doctrinal and theological statements,
the central message is more about
placing faith in the person of Jesus
than it is about conforming to any
Essentially, the message is that Jesus code.
was God in the flesh, that he came
The primary emphasis of Christianity,
into the world to reconcile humanity then, is to point people toward Jesus
to himself, and that his salvation is
and the salvation that is only available
freely offered to each person who
from him.
will respond in faith.
The Christian Church has taken different forms throughout the centuries, but this central message has reFurthermore, the Gospel message
explains that salvation is only possible mained the same. It binds all of
Christendom together.
through the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Though thousands of
books have been written about these Despite the various branches of
events, the core idea is that, through Christianity in the world todaythe
his sacrifice, Jesus paid the price for Gospel message acts as a unifying
element. Though adherents to the
our sinfulness (rebellion against
faith include people from every walk
God), thus offering us forgiveness.
of life, this message binds them all
together.
Then through his Resurrection he
conquered death, removing it as the
Throughout the Christian Church,
penalty for our sin and replacing it
this message of salvation is considwith the offer of eternal life.
ered to be the hope of the world.
Though the Christian Scriptures do

Good News Press - 2

Netanyahu: Israel Wants Peace Talks

Does God love Homosexuals and what should Christians do about it?
Yes, God loves all sinners,
but he does not like sin.
Homosexuality is a sin that
needs to be repented of as
well as adultery, fornication, lust, and a long list of
other sins. Gods holy nature requires penalty for
sin. Jesus paid the sin price
Abbas has recently been comwhen he died, that we didnt have to. God expects us
plaining that Israel has no inNevertheless, Israels fundato turn away from sin, and
terest in a two-state solution
mentals are strong: inflation
and has been destroying the
and inflation expectations are not say that sin is ok, natural, or normal. Scripture
peace process. He has report- squarely within the 1-3 persupports Gods dislike of
edly been preparing a letter to cent target range, unemployhomosexual sin: Even as
hand to Netanyahu stating his ment is at historic lows, the
Sodom and Gomorrah, and
pre-conditions for resuming
net international investment
the cities about them in like
talks.
position is a surplus, and public manner, giving themselves
debt has fallen steadily to be- over to fornication, and
going after strange flesh,
According to
are set forth an example,
Abbas, the letter
suffering the vengeance of
states that If Israel
eternal fire . Jude 7 Chrisis not willing to
tian ministries should not
Union, Russia and the United
States. The Palestinians walked
away from high-level talks in
September 2010 and have
refused to return to the table.
A series of lower-level meetings between officials in Jordan
earlier this year failed to produce a breakthrough.

April 3, 2012

Netanyahu: Israel Wants

Peace Talks
-Tells media security and
economy are Israels backbone
-Israeli PM: SWIFT sanctions are tough; will they
work?

freeze construction
in the West Bank
and East Jerusalem,
the Palestinian
Jerusalem, Israel is still
Authority will file a
ready to hold direct talks with
complaint with
the Palestinian Authority, deinternational bodspite the recent harsh rhetoric
ies.
from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, according to
In his remarks marking the
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
beginning of his fourth year in
Netanyahu who is marking
office, Netanyahu stressed his
three years in office.
governments two-pronged
emphasis on security and
There is no way to conclude
building a strong economy. He
negotiations unless you actuspoke the day after the Interally start them, he said. Israel
national Monetary Fund issued
is urging face-to-face negotiaits annual report on Israel's
tions in line with the calls of
economy.
the United Nations, European

Good News
Press is an
outreach
publication,
sharing with
the world
that God
Loves them and there is
salvation, hope, and peace
through his son Jesus

Biblical Questions & Answer

Christ. Contact us with

your info, news, questions, or comments to:
info@goodnewspress.us.
For the latest news and
stories visit our website
www.goodnewspress.us.
For Sales positions send
resumes to:

The report concluded that

Israel's economy remains
strong with GDP growing 4.7
percent in 2011, led by robust
private consumption and buoyant investment. However, the
global downturn is slowing
Israeli growth, with 2012 GDP
growth expected at 2.8 percent.

remain silent nor be intimidated by the homosexual

lobby but should stand
against unrighteousness in
love.
How do I find a good
Christian Church?
Prayerfully, ask God to lead
you to one. Ask yourself
these questions. Does the
church teach according to
the bible? Read tliteralheir
statement of faith to find
out what the church believes. Do they follow the
great commission to go out
and compel men to be
saved? Is there an atmosphere of love and acceptance? Is it a balanced
church that will meet the
needs of your whole family?
How can I be healed?
Believers that believe
Gods word and expectantly wait on him to fulfill
promises in their lives will

reap the benefits. When

praying, pray and ask In the
name of Jesus. When
speaking, speak to your
mountain (sickness, finances, family needs, or
whatever and tell it to heal
in Jesus name, daily). Keep
believing, praying, and
speaking until you see what
you asked for come to
pass.
Healing Scriptures: Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities,
who healeth all thy diseases
(Psalms103:3) I shall not
die, but live, and declare
the works of the Lord
(Ps.118:17). But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him and by his stripes
we are healed (Isiah 53:5).
With long life will I satisfy
him, and shew him my salvation (Psalms91:16)

Easter Statement by President

low 75 percent of GDP.
These strengths are also underpinned by Israel's sound
institutional frameworks, including fiscal rules and a new
central bank law.
Furthermore, following recent
discoveries of natural gas
fields, Israel may become a net
energy exporter in coming
years.

info@goodnewspress.us.
To submit an article,
opinion, or mail send to
info@ goodnewspress.us
in 500 words or less.
Good News Press is a
bimonthly publication.
Copyright 2012. All
rights reserved.

This Sunday, Michelle and I

will join
Christians
across the
country
and around the world to

celebrate Easter and give

continues to give way to
thanks for the all-important the victory of resurrection.
gift of grace.
So to all those celebrating
Easter is a time to reflect
with us, we extend our
on both Christs suffering
warmest Easter greetings
and ultimate triumph, as
and best wishes in the days
the anguish of the cross
ahead.

Gospel Goes To Hollywood Awards

sounding success
throughout Hollywood. The event, to
raise awareness and
funds in support of
the fight against domestic violence, was
held Friday, February
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.,
24, 2012 at the historical
March 1, 2012 /PRNewsTaglyan Cultural Complex
wire/ -- Gospel Goes to
in Hollywood, CA. FestiviHollywood Awards Lunch- ties began with a higheon (GGTH) hosted by
powered-red-carpet and
actress Wendy Raquel
pre-reception on the lavRobinson and comedian
ishly landscaped courtyard
Jonathan Slocumb, who
of Taglyan.
stepped in for Terry
Guests enjoyed delectable
Crews, was hailed as a re- pass trays and mimosa be-

fore entering the venue

adorned by beautiful floral
designs by Tic-Tock Couture Floral.
Hundreds of guests, celebrities, industry legends and
some of today's hottest
new talent poured in to
witness the untold stories
of faith by honorees, actress Loretta Devine, director Bill Duke and producer Curtis King and
highly anticipated musical
performances by CeCe
Winans, Donnie McClurkin
and Angella Christie.

Good News Press - 3

Growth of Christianity Explosive In Iran
According To Open Doors
SANTA ANA, Calif. The number
of Muslims coming to Christ from
Islam often called Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) or Secret Believers is growing faster
and faster in Iran. In fact, according to Open Doors Middle East
workers, the growth is explosive.
They even speak of a revival inside Iran, especially among young
people.

toward the government and lead- churches outside Iran.

ers following the fraudulent 2009
presidential election of Mahmoud Over the last few months the
Ahmadinejad.
Iranian government has prohibited several churches from holdIranians are very outgoing and
ing services in Farsi on Fridays,
want to speak about their faith,
the official Muslim holy day. They
another Open Doors worker
thought this would lead to less
states. That is why discipleship
people attending services, but
training (with elements of outthat didnt happen, reports the
reach and communications) for
worker. Another restriction is
Iranian believers is successful. If
the Iranian government is forbidForty years ago an estimated 200 you tell them that a Christian
ding the selling of Bibles and New
Muslim Background Believers
should share, the Iranian ChrisTestaments.
were living in Iran. Today the
tian shares.
estimation is 370,000 MBBs. AcPersecution in Iran not only
cording to Open Doors, the
Offering discipleship training is
comes from the government but
house church movement has
one of the ways Open Doors
also from society, including Mustriggered many secret meetings.
uses to strengthen the Iranian
lim-Background Believer families.
The growth is happening in all
church. Many Iranians are also
Iran is ranked No. 5 on the Open
regions, but mostly in the larger
coming to Christ through Chris- Doors 2012 World Watch List of
cities.
tian programming on satellite
the top 50 worst persecutors of
television.
Christians. Open Doors will be
Besides these new believers, Iran
sponsoring a prayer campaign for
also has a traditional Armenian
The government of Iran sees this the Persian Gulf countries, includand Assyrian church with about
growth as a threat. In 2010, Iran's ing Iran, starting this summer.
80,000 members. These churches supreme religious leader MahAn estimated 100 million Chrisare free to have their meetings in moud Ali Khamenei blamed the
tians worldwide suffer interrogatheir own language, but it is not
enemies of Islam for establishing tion, arrest and even death for
allowed for them to reach out to and encouraging the expansion of their faith in Christ, with millions
the Farsi-speaking Muslims. Offi- Christianity in Iran. The Minister more facing discrimination and
cially, the Iranian government
of Intelligence, Heydar Moslehi,
alienation.
says that there are about 200,000 reportedly warned of the threat
Christians living in Iran. Other
of house churches and other
Open Doors supports and
religious groups are also growing Christian interests during Octo- strengthens believers in the
in Iran. But the growth of the
ber and November 2011.
world's most difficult areas
number of Christians is far higher
through Bible and Christian litFor that reason the house
than the growth of the other
erature distribution, leadership
churches have to be more carereligions.
training and assistance, Christian
ful, says the Open Doors worker. community development, prayer
Open Doors workers think that In the past every house church
and presence ministry and advothe growth of Christianity has
had around 15 members. Now
cacy on behalf of suffering believeverything to do with Iranians
this number of persons is five or ers. To partner with Open Doors
getting to know the real face of
six because of security reasons.
USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLEIslam, the official religion of Iran, Most of them are organized in
5 (888-524-2535) or go to:
and the mistrust of the people
networks and not connected to
www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

Give Hope, Food and Happiness this Easter

Easter eggs are an ancient
symbol of new life, representing nature's decision
that winter will end and
spring will bring sunshine,
green grass and blossoming
flowers. But for those who
live in developing countries
around the world, eggs
symbolize more than just
the Easter holiday and
springtime -- they represent
hope, food and happiness
for families and children in
need.
As children dye eggs this
Easter, their peers in poverty-stricken communities
will be cherishing gifts from
the World Vision Gift Catalog. The catalog offers more
than 250 life-changing gifts
ranging in price from $16 to
$39,000 that can be purchased in the name of a
friend or family member.

To celebrate Easter blessings, gift-givers can choose

from a variety of springtime
items including:
Two chickens offer a daily
supply of eggs with plenty
of protein. - $25
A sheep gives plenty of
milk, cheese, and wool for
children. - $ 105
A goat and two chickens
provide a steady supply of
eggs, milk and meat to feed
children and help families. $100

New this year, World Vision has launched

www.MyGiftCatalog.org.
This site allows fundraisers
to start a gift catalog giving
page to celebrate birthdays,
weddings or to honor a
loved one. Each fundraiser
has a personalized page
with photos, selected gifts
and information about why
they would like gifts from
the World Vision Gift Catalog.

After purchasing an item,

the person whose name the
gift was given in receives a
special card describing the
Ten ducks produce protein- gift and its impact. Donors
rich eggs to feed a family
can also receive free handyear round and both eggs
made gifts such as handand ducklings can be sold
carved serving spoons from
for extra income. - $60
Kenya and jewelry from
Thailand with a cash contriTraditional water wells
bution to the Maximum
provide safe water for up to
Impact Fund.
150 people.

Good News Press - 4

The Hunger Games - Reviewed by
Jeremy Landes (Contributor) of Christian Spotlight
MPAA Rating: PG13 for intense
violent thematic materials and
disturbing imagesall involving
teens
Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality: 2.5 Stars
Primary Audience: Teens, Adults
Genre: Sci Fi Thriller Drama
Adaptatiion
Length: 2 hrs 22 min
Year of Release: 2012
USA Release : 2012 (wide
4,000 + theaters)
Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence
Katniss EverdeenWinter's
Bone, The Burning Plain
Josh Hutcherson Peeta Mellark
Liam Hemsworth Gale Hawthorne
Elizabeth Banks Effie Trinket
Woody Harrelson Haymitch Abernathy
Stanley Tucci Caesar Flickerman
Donald Sutherland President Snow
Toby Jones Claudius Templesmith
more
Director: Gary Ross
Producer: Color Force
Larger Than Life Productions
Lionsgate
more
Distributor: Lionsgate

the other teens. Our own

money is on Katniss Everdeen
(played by Jennifer Lawrence)after all, shes the
movie star and the one on the
poster, plus shes the only
character who the filmmakers
portray as having anything
passing for depth. Its clear
from the beginning, shes in no
real danger of losing her life.
The main question is: what
kinds of deaths are we going to
get to see without jeopardizing
the all-important PG-13 rating?
The decadent, gaudy audience
members depicted in The Hunger Games are painted as
heartless seekers of entertainment at others expense; were
meant to judge them for their
callous disregard for life. Except that going to the films
counts us among an audience
willing to pay for the privilege
of watching teens kill each
other as a form of sport.

The main difference between

the audience for The Hunger
The Hunger Games phenome- Games movie and The Hunnon (first the novel, now a
ger Games TV show (watched
blockbuster movie) is, at its
by ugly people with bad hair
core, about how a government inside the film) is that we are
uses the media to control its
being cued to feel badly about
population. In this fantasy fua few of the deaths (but not
ture world, an annual lottery
the mean kids) even though
forces 24 teenagers (called
we know that Katniss only
tributes, from 12 districts) to prevails if everyone else dies.
participate in a reality television spectacle called the Hun- So how do the filmmakers help
ger Games, where they will be us empathize with a main charforced to kill one another. The acter who is forced to violently
reason stated for these Games kill others? They make sure
is to remind formerly rebelthat all the killing she does
lious districts that their govhappens in self-defense or as a
ernment is still firmly in conway to try and help someone
trol.
who is innocent. They give
her a sister who she saves
This weekend, millions of
from participating in the
Americans will be piling into
Games, plus another cute little
theatres and mirroring the
girl to try and protect. They
films fictional audience that
also introduce killer insects
cheers for their favorite tribute and dogs that can do the dirty
and bets on on who will kill all work for her, so that paying

audiences wont feel any

qualms about rooting for her
to survive through killing.
So, if youre reading a review
of this movie on a Christian
Web site right now, chances
are that you call yourself a
Christian and may be wondering if you should go see The
Hunger Games or take your
kids. Maybe you want to know
how violent it is, whether
theres swearing, nudity, etc.
Honestly, I cant remember any
swearing. Nor is there any sex
or nudity.

acter. Since this is a kill-or-bekilled arena, we are supposed

to accept that she has no other
choice.
Hundreds of years ago, crowds
would gather to watch Christians getting torn apart by wild
animals or burned alive. Today,
the American culture deemed
Christian by much of the
world, is gathering to watch
fictional characters end each
others lives in creative ways.

The fact that theres another

audience depicted in the film
for us to criticize about their
The violence is frequent and
enjoyment of the reality televiawful, but the filmmakers use a sion murders may seem to give
handheld camera and edit away us some moral distance and
violence that might seem too
license to stay in our seats and
upsetting. In this style, when a keep watching the killings, too.
little kid receives an arrow in
But while watching it I could
her abdomen, she doesnt
not help realizing that I was
scream or plead for help while condoning the behavior demshes suffering. Its a relatively
onstrated onscreen by showing
clean death with a little bit of
up and paying to watch it, and I
red makeup on her shirt thats felt convicted.
supposed to be blood.
One character interestingly
She dies quickly and peacefully theorizes, If nobody watches
while the music swells, plus
the Games, then theres no
shes cute, cuing us that were reason to have them. Simimeant to feel bad about this
larly, if you choose not to sit
characters deatheven
and watch teenagers particithough she earlier helped end pate in the bloodsport called
the life of another character via The Hunger Games, you may
attacking insects.
send a message that theres no
need to make two more seWhen a mean character is
quels.
getting eaten alive by monstrous dogs, theres no
At the very least, youll be able
screaming from him either
to keep some disturbing imhes one of the bad kids who ages out of your head and be
delights in killing others by
able to better meditate on
snapping their necks.
what is true, noble, and pure.
Some might call these uses of
violence appropriate, but I call
them profane. In this film, it is
a means to an endsetting up
the character of Katniss for
two more blockbuster sequels
without giving us any pause to
question her choices or char-

Perhaps the most disturbing

moments showed the two
heroes moving toward suicide
to achieve a goal and, later,

another evil character

being pressured to kill himselfbeing locked in a
room with poison.

If youre reading this, you

may still be able to exercise the choice not to
enter a room/theatre
where theres only poison
to digest.

Collins: The Hunger

Games, Catching Fire,
Mockingjay.

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Moderate to mild

OMG (3), damn (3), hell
(2) / Sex/Nudity: None

The first book, on which

this film is based, aims to
establish the characters
and depict the depravity
of a totalatarian government that sacrifices its
own children.

Editors note: The Hunger

Games is the first part of a
trilogy series of young
adult books by Suzanne

The following books reveal rebellion, civil war,

romantic intrigue, and the
end of the Hunger Games.

Good News Press - 5

TripAdvisor Unveils 2012 Travelers Choice Hotels For Families
Awards Honor Family-Friendly
Properties Worldwide, According to Reviews and Opinions from Millions of Travelers
NEWTON, Mass.
April 3, 2012
/PRNewswire/
TripAdvisor, the
worlds largest travel
site*, today announced
its 2012 Travelers
Choice awardwinning Hotels for
Families. This year,
504 top family-friendly
properties were recognized in 25 markets
around the globe including the U.S.,
Europe, Caribbean,
Africa, Asia, and the South
Pacific.
Award winners were determined based on the hotels
most highly rated by those who
traveled with family. Unlike any
other honors, TripAdvisor
Travelers Choice winners are
based on millions of valuable
reviews and opinions from
travelers around the world.
To inspire travelers planning
family trips this year, TripAdvisor has identified hundreds of
the most highly rated familyfriendly properties covering
popular hotspots as well as
other appealing destinations for
families worldwide, said Barbara Messing, chief marketing
officer for TripAdvisor.
To provide even more information to help travelers plan the
perfect trip, TripAdvisor has
named family-friendly Large
Hotels and Resorts and Small
Hotels and Motels in the U.S.
and world. Large properties
feature 100 rooms or more.
The average nightly rate for
the entire list of the 2012 Travelers Choice Hotels for Families is $274 per night. U.S. large
properties average cost per

night is $292, and U.S. small

properties average $131 per
night.

3. Hope Lake Lodge & Conference Center, Cortland, New

York
4. Disneys Wilderness Lodge,

town, Pennsylvania
9. The Suites at Hershey, Hershey, Pennsylvania
10. Sun Viking Lodge, Daytona
Beach, Florida
For the complete list of the
2012 Travelers Choice Hotels
for Families, go to
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tra
velersChoice-Family
Average nightly rates reflect
current rates from properties
with rates listed on TripAdvisor.

Select Travelers Choice Hotels Orlando, Florida

for Families Award Winners:
5. WorldQuest Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida
Top 10 World Large Ho6. Woodloch Pines Resort,
tels and Resorts:
Hawley, Pennsylvania
7. Lake Buena Vista Resort
1. Treasure Island Resort &
Village & Spa, Orlando, Florida
Holiday Park, Biggera Waters,
8. Marriotts Harbour Lake,
Australia
Orlando, Florida
2. KeyLime Cove Resort and
9. Floridays Resort Orlando,
Water Park, Gurnee, Illinois
Orlando, Florida
3. Rocking Horse Ranch Re10. Homewood Suites by Hilsort, Highland, New York
ton Anaheim-Main Gate Area,
4. Hope Lake Lodge & ConferGarden Grove, California
ence Center, Cortland, New
York
Top 10 U.S. Small Hotels
5. Protur Bonaire Aparthotel,
and Motels:
Cala Bona, Spain
6. Holiday Village Rhodes, Ko1. Pollaces Family Vacation
limbia, Greece
Resort, Catskill, New York
7. Beaches Turks & Caicos,
2. Starlight Motel & Luxury
Providenciales, Turks and Cai- Suites, Ortley Beach, New
cos
Jersey
8. Aparthotel Playa Mar, Port
3. Lampliter Oceanside Rede Pollenca, Spain
sorts, Wildwood Crest, New
9. Alfagar II Aparthotel, AlJersey
bufeira, Portugal
4. VIP Motel, Wildwood Crest,
10. Aquafantasy Aquapark Ho- New Jersey
tel & Spa, Selcuk, Turkey
5. Echo Motel & Oceanfront
Top 10 U.S. Large Hotels
and Resorts:
1. KeyLime Cove Resort and
Water Park, Gurnee, Illinois
2. Rocking Horse Ranch Resort, Highland, New York

Cottages, Old Orchard Beach,

Maine
6. Sierra Sands Family Lodge,
Mears, Michigan
7. Park Vue Inn, Anaheim, California
8. Country Inn & Suites Hershey at the Park, Hummels-

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is the worlds
largest travel site, enabling
travelers to plan and have the
perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers
trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel
choices and planning features
with seamless links to booking
tools. TripAdvisor-branded
sites make up the largest travel
community in the world, with
more than 50 million unique
monthly visitors*, and over 60
million reviews and opinions.
The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including
China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated
division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisors millions of monthly visitors.
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:
TRIP) manages and operates
websites under 19 other travel
media brands, and together the
sites attract more than 69 million unique monthly visitors**.
TripAdvisors travel media
brands include
www.airfarewatchdog.com,
www.bookingbuddy.com,
www.cruisecritic.com,
www.everytrail.com,
www.familyvacationcritic.com,

www.flipkey.com,
www.holidaylettings.co.uk,
www.holidaywatchdog.com,

www.virtualtourist.com,
www.whereivebeen.com,
and www.kuxun.cn.

www.independenttraveler.co *Source: comScore Media

Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites,
m, www.onetime.com,
Worldwide, January 2012
www.seatguru.com,
www.sniqueaway.com,
www.smartertravel.com,
www.tingo.com,

**Source: comScore Media

Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc.
and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, January 2012

www.travel-library.com,
www.travelpod.com,

2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All

rights reserved.

Good News Press - 6

What Is The Doctrine of the Trinity?
By Matt Perman
heaven in the form of a dove as
Jesus comes out of the water
(Mark 1:10-11). In John 1:1 it is
affirmed that Jesus is God and, at
The doctrine of the Trinity is
the same time, that He was "with
foundational to the Christian
God"-thereby indicating that
faith. It is crucial for properly
Jesus is a distinct Person from
understanding what God is like,
God the Father (cf. also 1:18).
how He relates to us, and how
And in John 16:13-15 we see that
we should relate to Him. But it
although there is a close unity
also raises many difficult quesbetween them all, the Holy Spirit
tions. How can God be both one is also distinct from the Father
and three? Is the Trinity a conand the Son.
tradiction? If Jesus is God, why
do the Gospels record instances The fact that the Father, Son, and
where He prayed to God?
Holy Spirit are distinct Persons
means, in other words, that the
While we cannot fully underFather is not the Son, the Son is
stand everything about the Trin- not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy
ity (or anything else), it is possi- Spirit is not the Father. Jesus is
ble to answer questions like
God, but He is not the Father or
these and come to a solid grasp
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is
of what it means for God to be
God, but He is not the Son or
three in one.
the Father. They are different
Persons, not three different ways
What Does it Mean That God is
of looking at God.
a Trinity?
The personhood of each memThe doctrine of the Trinity
ber of the Trinity means that
means that there is one God
each Person has a distinct center
who eternally exists as three
of consciousness. Thus, they
distinct Persons--the Father, Son, relate to each other personally-and Holy Spirit. Stated differthe Father regards Himself as "I,"
ently, God is one in essence and while He regards the Son and
three in person. These definiHoly Spirit as "You." Likewise the
tions express three crucial
Son regards Himself as "I," but
truths: (1) The Father, Son, and
the Father and the Holy Spirit as
Holy Spirit are distinct Persons,
(2) each Person is fully God, (3) "You."
by Matt Perman | Topic: The
Trinity

there is only one God.

Often it is objected that "If Jesus

is God, then he must have
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit prayed to himself while he was
are distinct Persons. The Bible
on earth." But the answer to this
speaks of the Father as God
objection lies in simply applying
(Phil. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus
what we have already seen.
2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God While Jesus and the Father are
(Acts 5:3-4). Are these just three both God, they are different
different ways of looking at God, Persons. Thus, Jesus prayed to
or simply ways of referring to
God the Father without praying
three different roles that God
to Himself. In fact, it is precisely
plays?
the continuing dialog between
the Father and the Son (Matthew
The answer must be no, because 3:17; 17:5; John 5:19; 11:41-42;
the Bible also indicates that the
17:1ff) which furnishes the best
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are
evidence that they are distinct
distinct Persons. For example,
Persons with distinct centers of
since the Father sent the Son
consciousness.
into the world (John 3:16), He
cannot be the same person as
Sometimes the Personhood of
the Son. Likewise, after the Son
the Father and Son is apprecireturned to the Father (John
ated, but the Personhood of the
16:10), the Father and the Son
Holy Spirit is neglected. Somesent the Holy Spirit into the
times the Spirit is treated more
world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33).
like a "force" than a Person. But
Therefore, the Holy Spirit must
the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a
be distinct from the Father and
He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts
the Son.
8:16). The fact that the Holy
Spirit is a Person, not an imperIn the baptism of Jesus, we see
sonal force (like gravity), is also
the Father speaking from heaven shown by the fact that He speaks
and the Spirit descending from

(Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts

15:28), thinks and understands (1
Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1
Corinthians 12:11), feels
(Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians
13:14). These are all qualities of
personhood. In addition to these
texts, the others we mentioned
above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is
distinct from the Personhood of
the Son and the Father. They are
three real persons, not three
roles God plays.
Another serious error people
have made is to think that the
Father became the Son, who
then became the Holy Spirit.
Contrary to this, the passages we
have seen imply that God always
was and always will be three
Persons. There was never a time
when one of the Persons of the
Godhead did not exist. They are
all eternal.
While the three members of the
Trinity are distinct, this does not
mean that any is inferior to the
other. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. They are equal
in power, love, mercy, justice,
holiness, knowledge, and all
other qualities.
Each Person is fully God. If God
is three Persons, does this mean
that each Person is "one-third" of
God? Does the Trinity mean that
God is divided into three parts?
The Trinity does not divide God
into three parts. The Bible is
clear that all three Persons are
each one hundred percent God.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
are all fully God. For example, it
says of Christ that "in Him all the
fullness of Deity dwells in bodily
form" (Colossians 2:9). We
should not think of God as like a
"pie" cut into three pieces, each
piece representing a Person. This
would make each Person less
than fully God and thus not God
at all. Rather, "the being of each
Person is equal to the whole
being of God."[1] The divine
essence is not something that is
divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into
"parts."
Thus, the Son is not one-third of
the being of God, He is all of the
being of God. The Father is not
one-third of the being of God,

He is all of the being of

God. The Father is not onethird of the being of God,
He is all of the being of
God. And likewise with the
Holy Spirit. Thus, as Wayne
Grudem writes, "When we
speak of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit together we
are not speaking of any
greater being than when we
speak of the Father alone,
the Son alone, or the Holy
Spirit alone."[2]

not names (plural). The

three Persons are distinct,
yet only constitute one
name. This can only be if
they share one essence.
Is the Trinity Contradictory?

This leads us to investigate

more closely a very helpful
definition of the Trinity
which I mentioned earlier:
God is one in essence, but
three in Person. This formulation can show us why
There is only one God. If
there are not three Gods,
each Person of the Trinity
is distinct and yet fully God, and why the Trinity is not a
contradiction.
then should we conclude
that there is more than one
God? Obviously we cannot, In order for something to
be contradictory, it must
for Scripture is clear that
violate the law of nonconthere is only one God:
tradiction. This law states
"There is no other God
that A cannot be both A
besides me, a righteous
(what it is) and non-A (what
God and a Savior; there is
it is not) at the same time
none besides me. Turn to
and in the same relationme and be saved, all the
ends of the earth! For I am ship. In other words, you
God, and there is no other" have contradicted yourself
if you affirm and deny the
(Isaiah 45:21-22; see also
44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deu- same statement. For example, if I say that the moon is
teronomy 4:35; 6:4-5;
32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings made entirely of cheese but
then also say that the moon
8:60).
is not made entirely of
Having seen that the Father, cheese, I have contradicted
the Son, and the Holy Spirit myself.
are distinct Persons, that
they are each fully God, and Other statements may at
first seem contradictory but
that there is nonetheless
are really not. Theologian
only one God, we must
conclude that all three Per- R.C. Sproul cites as an example Dickens' famous line,
sons are the same God. In
"It was the best of times, it
other words, there is one
was the worst of times."
God who exists as three
Obviously this is a contradistinct Persons.
diction if Dickens means
that it was the best of times
If there is one passage
which most clearly brings all in the same way that it was
the worst of times. But he
of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: "Go therefore avoids contradiction with
and make disciples of all the this statement because he
means that in one sense it
nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and was the best of times, but in
another sense it was the
the Son and the Holy
Spirit." First, notice that the worst of times.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
are distinguished as distinct Carrying this concept over
to the Trinity, it is not a
Persons. We baptize into
the name of the Father and contradiction for God to be
the Son and the Holy Spirit. both three and one because
He is not three and one in
Second, notice that each
the same way. He is three
Person must be deity because they are all placed on in a different way than He is
one. Thus, we are not
the same level. In fact,
would Jesus have us baptize speaking with a forked
in the name of a mere crea- tongue-we are not saying
ture? Surely not. Therefore that God is one and then
denying that He is one by
each of the Persons into
saying that He is three. This
whose name we are to be
is very important: God is
baptized must be deity.
Third, notice that although one and three at the same
time, but not in the same
the three divine Persons
are distinct, we are baptized way.
into their name (singular),
How is God one? He is one

in essence. How is God

three? He is three in Person. Essence and person
are not the same thing. God
is one in a certain way
(essence) and three in a
different way (person).
Since God is one in a different way than He is three,
the Trinity is not a contradiction. There would only
be a contradiction if we said
that God is three in the
same way that He is one.
So a closer look at the fact
that God is one in essence
but three in person has
helped to show why the
Trinity is not a contradiction. But how does it show
us why there is only one
God instead of three? It is
very simple: All three Persons are one God because,
as we saw above, they are
all the same essence. Essence means the same thing
as "being." Thus, since God
is only one essence, He is
only one being-not three.
This should make it clear
why it is so important to
understand that all three
Persons are the same essence. For if we deny this,
we have denied God's unity
and affirmed that there is
more than one being of
God (i.e., that there is more
than one God).
What we have seen so far
provides a good basic understanding of the Trinity.
But it is possible to go
deeper. If we can understand more precisely what
is meant by essence and
person, how these two
terms differ, and how they
relate, we will then have a
more complete understanding of the Trinity.
Essence and Person
Essence. What does essence mean? As I said earlier, it means the same thing
as being. God's essence is
His being. To be even more
precise, essence is what you
are. At the risk of sounding
too physical, essence can be
understood as the "stuff"
that you "consist of." Of
course we are speaking by
analogy here, for we cannot
understand this in a physical
way about God. "God is
spirit" (John 4:24). Further,
we clearly should not think
of God as "consisting of"
anything other than divinity.
The "substance" of God is
God, not a bunch of

Good News Press - 7

Continued from Page 6
"ingredients" that taken together
yield deity.
Person. In regards to the Trinity,
we use the term "Person" differently than we generally use it in
everyday life. Therefore it is often
difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in
regards to the Trinity. What we
do not mean by Person is an
"independent individual" in the
sense that both I and another
human are separate, independent
individuals who can exist apart
from one another.
What we do mean by Person is
something that regards himself as
"I" and others as "You." So the
Father, for example, is a different
Person from the Son because He
regards the Son as a "You," even
though He regards Himself as "I."
Thus, in regards to the Trinity,
we can say that "Person" means a
distinct subject which regards
Himself as an "I" and the other
two as a "You." These distinct
subjects are not a division within
the being of God, but "a form of
personal existence other than a
difference in being."[3]
How do they relate? The relationship between essence and
Person, then, is as follows.
Within God's one, undivided
being is an "unfolding" into three
personal distinctions. These personal distinctions are modes of
existence within the divine being,
but are not divisions of the divine
being. They are personal forms of
existence other than a difference
in being. The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point:
"The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among
themselves as the one mode of
existence differs from the other,
and-using a common illustrationas the open palm differs from a
closed fist."[4]
Because each of these "forms of
existence" are relational (and
thus are Persons), they are each a
distinct center of consciousness,
with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as "I" and
the others as "You." Nonetheless,
these three Persons all "consist
of" the same "stuff" (that is, the
same "what," or essence). As
theologian and apologist Norman
Geisler has explained it, while
essence is what you are, person
is who you are. So God is one
"what" but three "whos."
The divine essence is thus not

something that exists "above" or

"separate from" the three Persons, but the divine essence is the
being of the three Persons. Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of
God. Wayne Grudem explains:

2. This one God exists as three

Persons.

3. The three Persons are not

each part of God, but are each
fully God and equally God.
Within God's one undivided being there is an unfolding into
three interpersonal relationships
But if each person is fully God
such that there are three Perand has all of God's being, then
sons. The distinctions within the
we also should not think that the Godhead are not distinctions of
personal distinctions are any kind His essence and neither are they
of additional attributes added on something added on to His esto the being of God . . . Rather,
sence, but they are the unfolding
each person of the Trinity has all of God's one, undivided being
of the attributes of God, and no
into three interpersonal relationone Person has any attributes
ships such that there are three
that are not possessed by the
real Persons.
others. On the other hand, we
must say that the Persons are
4. God is not one person who
real, that they are not just differ- took three consecutive roles.
ent ways of looking at the one
That is the heresy of modalism.
being of God...the only way it
The Father did not become the
seems possible to do this is to say Son and then the Holy Spirit.
that the distinction between the Instead, there have always been
persons is not a difference of
and always will be three distinct
`being' but a difference of
persons in the Godhead.
`relationships.' This is something
far removed from our human
5. The Trinity is not a contradicexperience, where every different tion because God is not three in
human `person' is a different
the same way that He is one.
being as well. Somehow God's
God is one in essence, three in
being is so much greater than
Person.
ours that within his one undivided being there can be an unApplication
folding into interpersonal relationships, so that there can be
The Trinity is first of all importhree distinct persons.[5]
tant because God is important.
To understand more fully what
God is like is a way of honoring
Trinitarian Illustrations?
God. Further, we should allow
There are many illustrations
the fact that God is triune to
which have been offered to help deepen our worship. We exist to
us understand the Trinity. While worship God. And God seeks
there are some illustrations
people to worship Him in "spirit
which are helpful, we should
and truth" (John 4:24). Therefore
recognize that no illustration is
we must always endeavor to
perfect. Unfortunately, there are deepen our worship of God-in
many illustrations which are not
truth as well as in our hearts.
simply imperfect, but in error.
One illustration to beware of is
The Trinity has a very significant
the one which says "I am one
application to prayer. The general
person, but I am a student, son,
pattern of prayer in the Bible is
and brother. This explains how
to pray to the Father through the
God can be both one and three." Son and in the Holy Spirit
The problem with this is that it
(Ephesians 2:18). Our fellowship
reflects a heresy called modalism. with God should be enhanced by
God is not one person who plays consciously knowing that we are
three different roles, as this illus- relating to a tri-personal God!
tration suggests. He is one Being
in three Persons (centers of con- Awareness of the distinct role
sciousness), not merely three
that each Person of the Trinity
roles. This analogy ignores the
has in our salvation can especially
personal distinctions within God serve to give us greater comfort
and mitigates them to mere roles. and appreciation for God in our
prayers, as well as helping us to
be specific in directing our
Summary
prayers. Nonetheless, while recLet us quickly review what we
ognizing the distinct roles that
each Person has, we should never
have seen.
think of their roles as so separate
1. The Trinity is not belief in
that the other Persons are not
three gods. There is only one
involved. Rather, everything that
God, and we must never stray
one Person is involved in, the
other two are also involved in,
from this.
one way or another.

2 Orphans
By Kevin Tyner
There were two Orphans and they both set out to find their
purpose in life. The 1st Orphans asked the 2nd, where are you
going first? The 2nd orphan answered to find my father, family
and home. The 2nd Orphan asked the 1st Orphan and where are
you going first and he replied to find my fame, fortune, and future.
The 2nd Orphan replied when would you have time to find your
father, family and home? The 1st Orphan answered after I f0d my
fame, fortune and future. The 2nd Orphan replied what if you run
out of time or get lost finding your fame, fortune and future how
would you know where your home is.
The 1st Orphan pondered the question and had no answer then
replied to the 2nd what if you never establish your fame, fortune
and future. How will you survive in the world? The 2nd Orphan
replied I would just go home to father and family.
(Matthew 6:19-21; 32-34)

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Notes
1.Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine,
(InterVarsity Press and
Zondervan Publishing
House, 1994), p. 255, emphasis added.
2. Ibid, 252.
3. Ibid, p. 255. While I believe that this is a helpful
definition, it should be
recognized that Grudem
himself is offering this as
more of an explanation
than definition of Person.
4. Herman Bavinck, The
Doctrine of God, (Great
Britain: The Banner of

Truth Trust, 1991 edition),

p. 303.
5. Grudem, pp. 253-254.
Further Resources
Augustine, On the Trinity

of the Holy Spirit

R.C. Sproul, Essential
Truths of the Christian
Faith, pp. 35-36
J.I. Packer, Knowing God,
pp. 57-63.

Herman Bavinck, The Doc- John Piper, The Pleasures

of God, chapter 1
trine of God, pp. 255-334
Edward Bickersteth, The
Trinity.

James White, The Forgotten Trinity

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, chapter 14

Desiring God

Donald Macleod, Shared

Life: The Trinity and the
Fellowship of God's People
R.C. Sproul, The Mystery

By John Piper. Website:

desiringGod.org
Desiring God.

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