One God, Three Persons: The Trinity Revealed in Scripture | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - In Scripture, from the Creation Onward, We are Taught One Essence of God, Which Contains Three PersonsJohn Calvin asserts that God possesses an infinite, spiritual, and undivided essence that cannot be measured by human senses or reduced to earthly forms. To distinguish himself from false idols, God has revealed himself as one simple essence containing three distinct persons, or hypostases. Calvin defends the use of extra-biblical theological terms such as "Trinity," "Person," and "consubstantial," arguing that they faithfully explain scriptural truths and are absolutely necessary for refuting heretics. These terms were historically required to combat figures like Arius, who denied Christ's eternal divinity, and Sabellius, who reduced the three persons to mere attributes or names.A "person" is defined as a subsistence in God's essence, carrying an incommunicable quality that distinguishes it from the others, yet remains bonded in absolute unity. The Father is recognized as the source and beginning of activity, the Son as the divine wisdom and ordered disposition, and the Holy Spirit as the power and efficacy of that activity. Despite these relational distinctions, the divine essence is entirely and perfectly common to all three.Calvin provides extensive scriptural evidence for the eternal deity of both the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son, the eternal Word, was active in creation and is identified throughout the Old Testament as Jehovah and the Angel of the Eternal God. In the New Testament, Christ's divinity is demonstrated through his power to forgive sins, govern the universe, and grant eternal life. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is proven to be fully divine because he sustains creation, regenerates believers, dwells in Christians as God's temple, and distributes divine gifts.Ultimately, Calvin firmly rejects anti-Trinitarian heresies, such as those of Servetus, which suggest God's essence is divided or that the persons are merely temporary outward manifestations. He emphasizes that whenever believers profess faith in the one true God, they must recognize the single essence in which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit coequally exist.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730