Next Sunday the question we will try to tackle together is “What its the Trinity?”
This is a tough one because the bottom line is that the Trinity is a MYSTERY!
Nonetheless, God clearly reveals in Scripture that he is One Being comprised of Three Persons. The Church had to work out how to best articulate this when it faced heresies early on regarding the full divinity of Christ.
One of the best evidences for the divinity of Christ in scripture is not proof-texts that succinctly say “Jesus is God” (we do have those, see Jn 1:1–3, 14; Col. 2:9; Jn. 8:58; Heb. 1:3; Titus 2:13; Jn. 20:28; Phil. 2:5–6; Rev. 1:17–18; and Matt. 1:23). Rather, solid evidence for the divinity of Christ can be found in the texts where Jesus is worshipped.
People worshipping Jesus in the NT is the starting point for the church’s articulation of the Holy Trinity. Here are some Bible verses where people worship Jesus, recognizing His divinity and authority:
1. Matthew 2:11 (NIV) – “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Here, the Magi worshiped the infant Jesus as the King of the Jews.
2. Matthew 14:32-33 (NIV) – “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
In these verses, the disciples worshiped Jesus after He calmed the storm.
3. Matthew 28:9 (NIV) – “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.”
After His resurrection, the women who met Jesus on the road worshiped Him.
4. Matthew 28:16-17 (NIV) – “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
The disciples worshiped the risen Jesus when He appeared to them.
5. John 9:38 (NIV) – “Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”
The man born blind, after being healed by Jesus, worshiped Jesus when he recognized Him as the Son of God.
6. Luke 24:52 (NIV) – “Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
The disciples worshiped Jesus after His ascension into heaven.
7. Revelation 5:11-12 (NIV) – “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’”
In heaven, angels and the heavenly host worship Jesus as the Lamb of God.
8. Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV) – “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’”
Here, John worshiped Jesus when he saw Him in a vision of His glorified state.
These verses emphasize Jesus’ divinity and show that people, both on earth and in heaven, worship Him as Lord and Savior.
One of the tricky things about this, however, is that the Bible also teaches that while Jesus is God, he is distinct from God the Father, which is a topic that we’ll tackle Sunday!
