Source: The Trinity โ Evidence and Issues, Robert Morey Chapter 10, pp. 167ff
Given the principle of progressive revelation, Trinitarians assume that the triune nature of God is something which gradually became clearer with each new stage of Divine revelation, reaching its climax in the Incarnation and the New Testament. Thus, while they do not claim that the doctrine of the Trinity as formulated at Nicea can be found in the Old Testament, they do believe that the conceptual building blocks which led to the Nicene formulation will be fond in the old Testament as well as in the New Testament.
We have already seen that the authors of the Old Testament clearly understood that there is only one, true, living, eternal Being who is God by nature and Maker of heaven and earth. And we have also seen that they understood that this one true God was multi-personal. These concepts are the two pillars upon while the entire doctrine of the Trinity rests and they are both clearly taught in the Old Testament.
A simple question comes naturally to the mind. Since the Old Testament writers clearly depict God as multi-personal, did they give any indication as to who these Persons were? Did they give any indication as to the number and identity of the Persons making up the Godhead?
What must be in order for what is to be what it is? If the Old Testament reveals the identity of the Persons which make up the one, true God, then we would expect to find that they are given Divine names, titles and attributes and Divine works and worship are attributed to them. These are the kinds of things we would expect to find in the Old Testament, and decidedly what Unitarians do not expect to find.
The doctrine of the Trinity begins with God the Father. If this doctrine is true, we will not be surprised to find references to Him in the old Testament. And when we open the Bible, what do we find? The Old Testament does in fact refer to a "Father" in several places. Is this "Father" a "Person" or an impersonal force or power like electricity?
But first, what do we mean by the word "person"? The average man or woman has no difficulty understanding that they are "persons" as opposed to being a rock or a tree stump which are non-persons. They also understand that they are "persons" in a unique sense that animals are not. This becomes quite clear hen they communicate with each other.
It is in this common sense understanding of the word that we apply it to God. The Bible does not describe God as a non-person, but as a living Being who is conscious of His own existence and , thus, can say "I Am." God is also conscious of the universe around Him and of man in particular. He has emotions, intellect, and will and thus, is not an emotionless, mindless, non-volitional "it." He can be prayed to because He can hear and respond. He speaks and enters into communication with man. The following chart contrasts "person" and "non-person":
| Person | Non-Person |
|---|---|
| conscious of self | not conscious of self |
| conscious of others | not conscious of others |
| intellect | no intellect |
| emotions | no emotions |
| will | no will |
| speech | no speech |
We must emphasize at this point that the very same evidence which establishes the personhood of God also establishes the individual personhood of each member of the Godhead. It would be the height of hypocrisy to accept the evidence as valid when applied to God in a generic sense and then turn around and reject it when it is applied to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit individually. Yet, as we will see in a later chapter, this is exactly what the Modalists do. They believe in a "Personal" God on the basis of the very kind of evidence that, later on, they will reject when used to prove that each member of the Trinity is a distinct Person within the Godhead.
We must also point out that Unitarians believe that the Father is God on the very kind of evidence that they will later on reject as invalid when it is applied to the Son and to the Spirit! Any theology which successfully undercuts the basis of its own cherished beliefs is doomed to the dust bin of history.
If the Father is a true "Person" and not just an impersonal force of Divine energy, then we will expect to find in the Bible that the attributes of personhood, as given in the chart above, will be applied to Him.
Once we establish that the Father is a Person, then we must ask if He is true deity or only a created being like an angel. If He is true deity, then we should find Divine names, titles, attributes, works, and worship ascribed to Him.
Since we begin with the hermeneutical principle of progressive revelation as an a priori truth, we assume that the references to the Father in the Old Testament will not have the depth of understanding that is found in the New Testament. The concept of God the Father was revealed in the earliest books of the Old Testament and slowly reached its full meaning in the New Testament. But its development from the bud to the flower does not negate its existence.
Isaiah 63:15-16 (NASB) Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation; where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds? The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me. 16For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O LORD, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name. [Compare Matt 6:9 "Our Father who art in heaven..."]
Isaiah 64:8 (NASB) But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand. [The Father is the creator.]
The "Father" mentioned in the text is clearly a Person and not justa Divin power or energy. His is true deity because he is given Divine names and titles such as ืืืื "Yahweh" and is described as the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of His people. He is prayed to and worshipped. Thus the Father is God and not a created being.
Deuteronomy 32:6 (NASB) "Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.
Malachi 2:10 (NASB) "Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?
God was the "Father" of the nation of Israel as a whole in such places as:
Exodus 4:22-23 (NASB) "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. "So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"
God was clearly the "Father" of the nation of Israel viewd as a whole (Jer 31:9). But He was also the "Father" of the Israelites viewed as individual "sons of God." Moses literally wrote in:
Deuteronomy 14:1 (NASB) "You are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.
That people were individually viewed as the "sons" of God is also clear from Isaiah who wrote:
Isaiah 1:2-4 (NASB) Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, "Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me. "An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand." Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him.
The prophet is chiding individuals within the nation for sinning against God as well as chiding the nation as a whole. Their sin is compounded by the fact that they are viewed as the "sons" of God.
Lastly, God in the "Father" of the Messiah, the Son of God. This is clear from Psalms 2:7, "Thou art my Son" and Proverbs 30:4, "what is His (i.e. God's) Son's name." Since we will deal with these passages in the next chapter, no further comments will be given at this time.
In the Law and in the Prophets, God was addressed as "Father." His description by the biblical authors indicates that He is a Person and not an impersonal force. He is also GOD because Divine names, titles, attributes, works and worship are ascribed to Him. Thus, the Trinitarian doctrine of God the Father is confirmed by the Old Testament.