A great many people today deny the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. For example, there are those that would say they believe in God. But as soon as you bring up Jesus Christ, they make Him a mere man. He is not God. He is not deity. And if you mention the Holy Spirit to them, they become even more confused. and they set him aside as not having any role in the Godhead either. They will accept God, or God as a father, but they do not accept the Lord Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit as being deity. And when I observe that in the world, I'm really not surprised, for their spiritual eyes are dark. They're blinded. They're dead, the scriptures say, in their trespasses and their sins. and they don't understand biblical truth. The Spirit of God has not opened their eyes to see it and to understand it. But when I come to the Church of Jesus Christ and I see the same practical application, a denial of the Trinity in practical terms, I become greatly disturbed. And let me explain what I mean. For example, there are many Christians, people who call themselves Christians today, who will accept God the Father. They may view Him as somewhat passive, but nonetheless they accept Him as God, God the Father. And they stop at that point. There are yet others who will take the Lord Jesus and emphasize Him to such an extent that they set aside the role of God the Father and the role of God the Holy Spirit. And there are yet others who will emphasize the Holy Spirit to such an extent that they will set aside the work of the Lord Jesus and the work of the Father. In all instances, it is a practical denial of the Trinity, for the Bible teaches the three in one, and they all have their separate roles and responsibilities and work in the life of the believer. one is not set higher than the other. And because we have made a practical denial of the Trinity, the Church of Jesus Christ today suffers. For we have grieved the Spirit of God and we have quenched His work among us. We lack that supernatural authority and ability of the Holy Spirit. We lack spiritual power. And the church today faces a critical crossroads. For today we desperately need spiritual revival. By virtually all methods of evaluation, the church today is sick. It needs a revitalization of the Spirit of God. And if we are ever to once again enjoy the work and ministry of the Spirit of God, we must first of all recognize the problem that's causing part of this disturbance in the Church. For you see, we have denied Biblical truth. We have distorted what the Scriptures say about God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it may even creep in through ignorance. We have failed to study God's Word, and thus we don't know the full realm of God's truth. For regardless of the cause, we have come to the place where we desperately need spiritual revival. And if we are to ever again experience that outpouring of the Spirit of God in our lives as individuals or in the Church of Jesus Christ, we must repent of our sins. We must have a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of direction. We must once again study God's Word for its truth. And we must determine God's truth as it especially affects and identifies the Trinity. And we must turn from our unbelief. And we must turn from our disobedience and believe God's Word. and begin to apply it in our lives by His Spirit. And the Word of God is certain in its promise when it says when we turn back to God in belief and faith and in obedience, He hears our cry. He heals us spiritually and He pours out again His presence among us and in our lives that we might once again experience a refreshing from the hand of the Lord, and we might once again have lives that can best be described as joy unspeakable and full of glory. The Scriptures talk a great deal about the Trinity. I'd like us to look at an example of Scripture from the book of 1 John. I choose this because the Apostle John perhaps more than any other writer, talks about the Trinity and about the role of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit and their oneness together. And there's one passage, especially clear, that speaks to this very issue. And we find it in 1 John, chapter 5. If you have scriptures, it's way back at the back of the New Testament. And there's just one verse I want us to look at because it says it in a nutshell. 1 John 5, verse 7, and here's what it says, For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. The Apostle John takes here this great truth of the Trinity and crystallizes it down into a very simple statement. He talks about how the three are one. And I want us to examine this passage of Scripture today. And I want us to see this truth of Scripture, the Trinity, the unity in Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And what the Scriptures have to say to confirm the truth that John so clearly states here in his first epistle, chapter 5, verse 7. Here's the first thing I want you to notice, that the Scriptures are very clear. The Trinity is a reality. It isn't something, a figment of a man's imagination. It isn't some kind of hocus-pocus doctrine that the Christian Church has somehow devised to confuse people and thus perhaps intimidate them in some fashion. No, the doctrine of the Trinity is a real, biblical, And the Scriptures confirm it in many ways. First, I want you to notice the identity of the Trinity, who it is that comprises the Trinity. Notice He identifies all three of them. First of all, it says there are three that bear record in heaven, and then He gives the list. First of all, there's the Father, God the Father. Then secondly, there's the one mentioned as the Word, That's Jesus Christ. We find that from other references in Scripture, that He is the One that is identified as the Word. In a few moments, we'll look at some references that confirm that fact and put that together for you in references in the Scripture. But the Word is Jesus Christ. And then the third member of the Trinity is the Holy Ghost. That's another name for the Holy Spirit. He has several names in Scripture. One of them is the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit of God. So John identifies for his readers of this letter, believers, those who name the name of Christ, and he identifies for them the Trinity. Now it's very interesting that this statement of the Trinity comes in the book of 1 John. And the reason I say that is because the purpose of the book of 1 John, the letter that he wrote to believers, he wrote with a specific purpose in mind. His purpose was to write to believers, to tell them how to tell the difference between those who were true believers and those who were false believers. Those who were believers in name only, They really didn't believe all of the Scripture. They were false believers. And he wrote especially to them so they could know and understand the difference. How can you spot a true believer from a false believer? One of the very first questions you could ask is, do you believe in the Trinity? The Father, the Son, and the Spirit in union together, do you believe in the Trinity?" A very defining question because those who are true believers would readily answer, yes. Those who are false believers would have a question. They would have a doubt and perhaps even admit, no, they don't believe in the Trinity. But here the Apostle John names very clearly the three members of the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And the Scriptures are very clear that they confirm the fact that the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not only deities, but they are one with each other. I would like to take just a few moments in our program and our study today to show you the scriptural proof that identifies and ties together the three members of the Trinity together, showing them to be one. First of all, we'll start with the Lord Jesus and how the Lord Jesus Himself identifies Himself with the Father and how the Lord Jesus is also identified as being one with the Spirit. If you have scriptures, turn to the Gospel of John, the very first chapter of the Gospel of John, and we read this, starting in verse number 1. In the beginning was the Word. Now, there's that name again. The same Word that we find in 1 John 5, verse 7. One of the members of the Trinity is the Word, and here's where we have it. It says here, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So that whoever the Word was is here identified as being one with God. So if we can somehow come to a conclusion as to who the Word is, we can see who it is that is one with God. If you drop down just a few verses in the same chapter 1 of John, we come to verse number 14. And here's what we read, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So who is the word? None other than the Lord Jesus himself. He is the one that is called the only begotten of the Father. He is the one who became flesh and dwelt among He is the One who showed forth the brightness of the glory of the Father. We read that in Colossians 1 and 2. We read it also in Hebrews 1, where it talks about how God has revealed Himself to us in the various manifestations, in the way that He has revealed Himself to us. And one of them is, it says, He has revealed Himself by His Son, who is the brightness of His glory. So we know from Scripture that the one identified in 1 John 5, verse 7, as the Word, who is one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see it stated and confirmed here in John 1, verses 1 and 14. But again, we have another reference that I would like you to see. that very clearly states that relationship, that oneness between the Lord Jesus and the Father. And it's a statement of the Lord Jesus Himself. And that's in John chapter 10. And it is verse number 30. And it just is a very bold statement by the Lord Jesus Himself when He declares this, I and my Father are one. So we have the confirmation of Scripture that the Word, who is part of the Trinity, is none other than the only begotten Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And He Himself very clearly states and describes His relationship with the Father when He says, I and my Father are one. Now, how about the Holy Spirit? Where do we have the relationship of the Holy Spirit? Well, let's look at a couple of references also taken from the Gospel of John, because, as I indicated earlier, he seems to have more reference to the Trinity than some of the other writers, and so it's a little more clear to see it there by his writings. So, if you turn in the Gospel of John to chapter 15 and verse number 26, you see a statement by the Lord Jesus relating to the Holy Spirit. Here's what it says. But when the Comforter is come, now the Comforter is speaking about the Holy Spirit. If we were to look back in John chapter 14 and look at some other references, we would find that the Lord Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, he's called at other times. Here's what he says, "...but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth," now here's the phrase I want you to notice, "...which proceedeth from the Father, ye shall testify of me," the Lord Jesus says. So here the Lord Jesus just very clearly describes the relationship between the Father and the Son and the Spirit. And the Lord Jesus said, I will send the Comforter. The Father will send him at my desire. He will come from the Father. He's called the Spirit that proceeded from the Father. So we have the identity tied here and the relationship shown between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And we have the Spirit being described here as proceeding from the Father. And I want you to notice another reference that now ties in the Holy Spirit with the Lord Jesus. And that will complete the circle. Turn to Galatians chapter 4. We find here the writings by the Apostle Paul. And he talks about this relationship of the Father and the Son and the Spirit. And we read this in Galatians 4, verse 6, And because ye are sons, now let me stop here a moment and then I'll come back and read it again. In the preceding verses, Paul has talked about how those who believe in Jesus Christ become sons of God. And now he's making a conclusion here. And he says, And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, so that you and I can only call God the Father by the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And He's called here the Spirit of His Son, or the Spirit of Christ. So now we have the circle made complete of how the Father is one with the Spirit, the Spirit is one with the Son, the Son is one with the Father. There is a oneness that is there between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. A Trinity. A unity in Trinity. So the Scriptures confirm the statement made in 1 John chapter 5 about the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. And these three are one. Now I want to take just a few moments and look at this concept about the unity that is there, that exists between the Father and the Son and the Spirit. I want to mention a few things that it is not. It is not merely agreement. For you see, you and I could agree on certain things and not be in union, and not be one. We would agree, but we would be separate people. We would still not be one. So it is more than just agreement. Secondly, it is not just a unison of thought. We find oftentimes, especially in the church, when we have board meetings and there is a vote that is made on an issue in the board meeting, oftentimes the first vote will show some in favor of it, some not in favor of it. So there would be a split between the people. Perhaps the majority would be in favor of the proposal and a minority would disagree. the issue has passed, oftentimes the board members will say, why don't we all cast a unanimous ballot stating our intentions of being one? And we call that unity. That is not the kind of unity that is being described here by the Apostle John of the oneness between the Father and the Son and the Spirit. There is a uniqueness of essence that is the same in the Father and the Son and the Spirit that makes them one. To try and describe it in any human terms would be virtually impossible to describe because there is nothing, humanly speaking, that comes close to the Trinity. We can give some examples that are close, but why cloud the issue with something that is only close? I would prefer to allow the Spirit of God to take the bare truth of His Word and open your eyes to see it. For that is the only way we understand any spiritual truth, whether it be truth about the Trinity, whether it be truth about salvation, whether it be truth about the Lord Jesus or any of the truths that we find in Scripture. The only way we come to understand them is when the Spirit of God opens our eyes to see them. And so I'm going to trust today that the Holy Spirit of God will open your eyes to see the truth as to how there can be a unity between three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and yet have a oneness of essence. that makes them a Trinity, that makes them one. And I pray that the Spirit of God will open your eyes to see and understand that truth. Because you see, it is a vital truth to understand if we are to have redemption. And let me explain what I mean by that. The Father is the one who the Scriptures say is offended by our sins. The Scriptures say that God is angry with the sinful daily. And our sins disrupt any fellowship that we might have with God. We read that in 1 John 1, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. And if we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie. So the Father is offended by our sins. He sent His Son. the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of sin for sinners like you and like me. It is the Spirit of God who then takes that death, that payment by the Lord Jesus Christ, and applies it to our lives that we might believe. So you see, if you destroy the Trinity, you destroy redemption. For redemption requires the work of all three in the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We've grappled with a difficult truth today, haven't we? It's one that's very hotly debated at times. But my prayer is that the Spirit of God will open your eyes today to see the truth. And that in understanding the truth, you might get a glimpse of your condition, before God. Has the Spirit of God today pointed out in your life areas where you have failed to believe this truth? Perhaps up to this point it's been ignorance. You've never heard of it. You've never heard it explained. Or perhaps today is the first time that you've ever really understood. That's the work of the Spirit of God in your life, opening your eyes Do you see your need today of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who paid the penalty for sinners like you and like me? It's the Spirit of God that opens your eyes to see that truth. It then takes the work of the Spirit of God to bring that truth into a living reality in my life and in yours. I pray that the Spirit of God will do that work in your life today. that he will bring you to a place of trust and confidence and faith in the Lord Jesus as your Savior. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus in some time in the past, perhaps today the Spirit of God reveals the Lord Jesus to you as your Advocate, the One who takes your sin and covers it before the Father. and repentance from sin brings release, brings forgiveness and cleansing. I pray that the Spirit of God will bring these truths into a living reality in your life today, that they might begin to bring new life to you, that they might lead you into the path of spiritual transformation, perhaps today the new birth, becoming born again. leading you to trust Jesus Christ in saving faith. Or perhaps today leading you into a spiritual transformation that brings you into the path of spiritual revival. May God bring by His Spirit a transformation into your life today that will begin you in a new walk with Him.