Finding God’s Name and the Trinity in the OT and NT

Just by looking at the title to this post, on the surface this may not seem to be that important of a discussion to many – an “oh we already know this stuff” type of thing. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Seeing as there are theists from all walks of religions, atheists, and those in between, it's easily understood there are just as many personal, subjective opinions about the word “God” as there are people in the world. According to a 2018 report by the Pew Research Center, 56% of Americans believe specifically in the God of the Bible. And of those 56%, the word “God” today has come to mean so many different things to the point that we are all guilty of subjectively creating at least somewhat of an idol in our minds.

That fact alone should warrant an investigation into this important topic. This is a crucial discussion because it’s assumed we’re all talking about the same God when, in fact, we’re not at all. Due to this ambiguity among Christians, the result is a poor relationship with God. After all, how can you get to know someone and love someone without truly knowing who they are? “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” so says A.W. Tozer in his classic book The Knowledge of the Holy.

On the one extreme, you have people who believe God is very authoritarian, frowns at our unholiness at any given time, and is so absent that He rarely butts in to lend a hand in our lives, thus causing these people to feel constant guilt and like God doesn't care about them personally. On the other extreme, you have people who believe God is so into their lives that He doesn't at all think their sin is bad and is just there to bless them and help them to have stuff and to be happy, thus causing these types of people to show little guilt because they think God perpetually affirms their life decisions.

With that said, using the Old Testament and New Testament alike, Who exactly is this “God” that the Bible speaks of? Does He have a name? What are His characteristics? And why do we refer to Him as a . . . Him?

Introduction to the Trinity

Starting from the beginning, we see in the very first chapter and verse: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This verse is so ripe with information that we will have to continue coming back to it. For the time being, in order to see exactly who is involved in the creation event (Genesis 1:1-3, 26-27 in particular), one of the many things can learn is that, if we translate the word “God” in the original language that Genesis was written (Hebrew), we see that “Elohim” simply means God is a title instead of an identifying name (similar to how we say “dad” or “mom”). While that doesn’t seem to help us much, the next thing we see is that the noun “Elohim” is grammatically plural (the -im suffix in Hebrew indicates plural form, whereas the singular form would either be “Eloah” or even just “El”).

This does not mean the Bible is suggesting polytheism (that there is more than one God). Rather, the fact that there is only one God is highlighted in Deuteronomy 6:4 (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”), in Malachi 2:10 (“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?”), and all throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament alike. In fact, three times in Isaiah 45 alone, for instance, God clearly says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me” (Isaiah 45: 5-18). Rather, this plurality has to do with His majesty.

In verse two we read, “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Note that this verse doesn't just say “God” again but specifically “the spirit” of God. Then, jumping to verse 26 we see the words “us” and “our” in reference to His creation: ‘“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”’ Also in 3:22: ‘“And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us.”’

So, was the plurality in verse one speaking of just God and His spirit, or is there more to that equation? This is a significant question that we will have to put to the side for the time being.

It’s All in the Name

To find both the very name of God and also the meaning behind that specific name, we have to skip ahead to chapter three of the book of Exodus. We see in verse two the word “LORD” is in all capital letters: “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” While this isn’t the first time we see this in Scripture, it is where we find the reasoning for it. “LORD” is what the English translators put it in place of God's divine name.

Continuing from verse six to verse 15, God speaks to Moses about the Israelites: ‘“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”’

We see that in verse 12 God said to Moses “I will be with you.” And how one would say “I will be” in Hebrew was “Ehweh.” This does not mean God will be with Moses at a later time but, rather, that God is already with and will always be with him. God then answers Moses' question in verse 13 of what His name is with the reply, “I AM WHO I AM.” This the Hebrew word “Yahweh.” When God refers to Himself He says Ehweh, but when others refer to Him it is Yahweh. Though God’s name, Yahweh, sounds like He is trying to say something philosophical, He is simply revealing His character while giving His name at the same time. The significance of this name is that it is a deeply personal statement from God revealing to us Who He is. In other words: I will forever continue to be Who I am. (When Moses is to tell the Israelites Yahweh is with them, it is saying “HE IS is with us”). Thus, whatever characteristics God displays, He is that. So if God displays mercy, love, justice, etc., He is the very, perfect, reliable, never-changing embodiment and definition of those very things. And we have already seen in verse 12 something God is: always with us. He is what He is, and what He is is with us - always and forever.

Back to the Trinity

To get back to where we left off in Genesis 1, we must jump ahead to quick examples in the books of Psalms, Micah, Isaiah, and Daniel.

First, in the book of Psalms: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (118:22-23).

In the book of Micah: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (5:2).

In the book of Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (7:14).

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (35:5-6).

“See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about. . . . He grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. . . . And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (52:13-53:2-12).

And in the book of Daniel: ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Who exactly was this “son of man?” The fulfillment of each of these prophecies (and over 300more) is found at the very onset of the New Testament.

“Son of man” is a title that simply means a son of a human being. Though, when matched with prophecy, we see that this “son” wasn’t just born from a woman but from a woman who was a virgin.

‘“The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus”’ (Matthew 1:18-25).

This birth did not just happen anywhere, but happened in Bethlehem exactly as was prophesied: ‘“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel”’ (Matthew 2:1-5).

“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was” (John 7:42)?

Jesus is the Son of man (He described Himself as such 81 times), was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, and would fulfill the prophecy of having and using the power to perform miracles: “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5).

Furthermore, Jesus was rejected by man. He reminded people of Who He was with this prophecy: ‘“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”’ (Matthew 21:42)?

Jesus was then tortured to the point that He was unrecognizable. The ancient historian Eusebius gives a personal account of the wicked torture of scourging: “The bystanders were struck with amazement when they saw them lacerated with scourges even to the innermost veins and arteries, so that the hidden inward parts of the body, both their bowels and their members, were exposed to view.” The victim of Roman scourging would have been so weak from blood loss and internal damage that they would die more quickly, of course, than if they had not been scourged. In fact, had someone been only scourged and not killed in another way afterward, they would most likely die from massive blood loss as a result. Sadly the worst had yet to come for Jesus, as He was then murdered in such a horrendous way that a new word (“excruciating”) had to be invented.

Finally, of course, we have ample evidence that He defeated death, was resurrected from the grave, ascended to the right hand of God in Heaven, and now forgives the sins for those who put their trust in Him.

With all of that said, this “son of man” sure sounds like God. And you’d be right; that’s exactly Who He is! Working our way back to Genesis 1, we arrive first at where we discussed in Exodus 3:2-15 of Moses learning God’s name. Jesus echoes this name, and it almost gets Him stoned to death!

To the question from the Pharisees, ‘“Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replies, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” The people listening in to this conversation then said, “You aren't even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” To this, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds”’ (John 8:53-59).

If Jesus merely wanting to convey that He somehow lived before the time of Abraham, He would have said, “Before Abraham was, I was.” Jesus knew what He was saying, and so did those who became mad enough from His statement that they tried to murder Him with stones. Jesus states here that He is not just the son of man that was prophesied, nor is He just a servant of God. Rather, He says He is God – the great I AM (Yahweh) – Who is worthy of worship that is reserved only for God! And this makes perfect sense from the prophecy in Isaiah (fulfilled in Matthew) that this individual’s name and very nature would be “God with us.”

The disciple, Thomas, for instance, said of Jesus upon seeing Him risen from the grave, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28)! The Apostle Paul would declare to the church in Corinth, “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” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Unlike the Hebrew Old Testament, because the New Testament was written in Greek and the New Testament writers predominantly used a Greek translation of the Old Testament (called The Septuagint) which never uses all capital letters when referring to God, the word “Lord” is never in all capital letters. Rather, when we see the word written “Lord” in reference to God in the New Testament, we know that “Yahweh” is being discussed. So, what is being done here is stating Jesus is Yahweh.

Working our way back even closer to Genesis 1, we come to Jesus’ baptism, at about the age of 30, by the hand of John the Baptist (the baptizer) in the book of Matthew: ‘“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ . . . I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” . . . Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”’ (3:1-3,11,13-17).

First thing, yes this was a fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah: ‘“A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”’ (40:3). Second, notice that this prophecy speaks of Yahweh (“LORD”). So, a messenger was prophesied. This was John the Baptist. And this messenger was to prepare the way for Yahweh. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Thus, Jesus is clearly being equated with Yahweh!

Third, when the spirit takes the form of a dove hovering over the waters, does that sound familiar? Right, we saw in the spirit hovering over the waters at the creation event in Genesis 1:2. Fourth, an interesting note is that this was a dramatic event. In the Gospel of Mark, speaking of this moment, the word “schizo,” which means to split or tear, is used (used only one other time, when the temple was dramatically split from top to bottom at the very moment Jesus died on the cross). So, the heavens split and tore open, being a direct reference to the cries of the people heard in Isaiah: “If only You would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence” (64:1).

“Tried to prevent Him”? Why would John do that?

The gospel of John adds, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘“The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me’” (1:29-30).

“Existed before me”? John the Baptist was born before Jesus (his own cousin). So what is that all about?

Finally, we see John the apostle write, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (1:1-5, 9-14).

Compiling this information together with what else we have discussed, we find that John the Baptist tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized, because why would the Son of God, the One Who would live a sinless life, the One Who would forgive sin, Who not only was there “in the beginning” but was the One through which the universe was created (Colossians 1:15-20, 2 Timothy 1:9, and Jude 1:25, for example, also speaks of this) need repentance Himself? God’s voice and Spirit, and the resurrection that would take place later on (Romans 1:4, for example, also speaks of this), all put a visual and audible mark of approval on Jesus to have full authority (to forgive sins, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast out demons, and so on), as God in the flesh Who dwelt among us. Yes, Jesus acted and spoke as if He was God because, in fact, He was fully God and fully human at the same time, in order to give Himself as the only sacrifice that would work to redeem us and to make salvation possible: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

For Jesus to have called Himself as the great I AM, and called Son by God the Father means in all of those instances that He is one in essence, that He is co-equal, that He is the exact representation of God the Father’s nature. The Holy Spirit also shares this unified nature with God the Father and God the Son. Thus, we have found that, yes there was more to the equation to the plurality in Genesis 1. Before the creation event, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all eternally existed as one God in a plurality of personalities. Jesus Christ – the Word of God, as described by John – is the final piece of what is called the Trinity. As the Apostle Paul sums up the Trinity while in prayer: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Old Testament implicitly hints at this plurality of God, and the New Testament clarifies it. Thus, both Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 represents a conversation within the Trinity; God the Father is having a “conversation” with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself spoke of God the Father as being a distinct Person from Him, yet the same God. Jesus also spoke of God being a Person distinct from Him and the Father, yet the same God: The Holy Spirit. Does that sound pretty cool? Absolutely. Does that sound pretty confusing? Absolutely. The Trinity lies at the very heart of the Christian faith, yet that doesn’t mean we as Christians fully understand, are supposed to fully understand it, or even have the ability and capacity to understand it. But God has given us enough information to know He has existed and will forever exist in this way.

Further, Scripture is clear that we can know the plurality of three personalities in the Trinity does not equate to what is called “modalism” (God acting in three modes). In other words, the God of the Bible does not simply put on different hats for different jobs. (You can imagine a town of 100 people having one individual being, say, the postman, the owner of the gas station, and the justice of the peace. Or imagine a theater production with a limited cast forcing a person to hurry and change their costumes in order to play multiple roles). Since Scripture clearly shows the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all having their differing, simultaneous, co-equal, co-eternal roles, it fully takes away the possibility of God having “three hats.” Thus, to use common analogies of God being like an egg having three parts or water having three states does not work.

We learn so much about the first coming of Jesus. Now, we must prepare for His second coming. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). At that time, He will be “clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13).