Grammatical Distinctions
As discussed, the
absence of the article before the first personal noun in the Pauline
salutations, clearly distinguishes the Persons of the Father and
the Son. Even more, the real personal distinction between the Persons of
the Trinity is well observed in constructions where the article is
repeated before all of the personal nouns.
For example, Reformed theologian B. B. Warfield shows that the repeated
article in Matthew 28:19 demonstrate that the three Persons are
numerically distinct and are under the one Name: Jehovah:
He
commands them to baptize their converts ‘in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.’ The
precise form of the formula must be carefully observed. It does not
read: ‘In the names’
(plural)—as if there were three beings enumerated, each with its
distinguishing name. Nor yet: ‘In the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost,’ as if there were one person, going by a threefold name.
It reads: ‘In the name [singular] of the Father, and of the [article
repeated] Son, and of the [article repeated] Holy Ghost,’ carefully
distinguishing three persons, though uniting them all under one name.
The name of God was to the Jews Jehovah, and to name the name of the
Jehovah upon them was to make them His. . . . (Warfield’s
brackets).
A “repeated article,” Harris explains, “shows unambiguously
that nouns are separate items.”
As well, Paul’s grammar clearly denotes a presentation of three
distinct Persons—not three modes of a unipersonal deity:
The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ [tou
kuriou Iēsou Christou],
and [kai]
the love of God [tou
theou], and [kai]
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [tou hagiou pneumatos] be with you all (2 Cor. 13:14).
In
Revelation 5:13, the Father and the Lamb are presented as two
distinct objects of divine worship, differentiated by the repetition
of the article tō:
“To
Him
[tō]
who sits on the throne, and
to the Lamb [kai tō arniō],
be blessing and honor and glory and dominion for ever and ever”
(emphasis added).
There are many other passages where this “construction of
distinction” (viz. Sharp’s rule #6) applies, clearly demonstrating
the real distinction between the three Persons of the holy Trinity
(e.g., Matt. 28:19; 1 Thess. 3:1; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; 1 John 1:3; 2:22-23).
Subject-Object
Distinctions:
Simply, if Jesus and the Father were not distinct cognizant
Persons, we would not expect to find a clear subject-object relationship
between them:
After
being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water . . . behold, a
voice out of the heavens said, “This is My [subject] beloved Son,
[object] in whom I [subject] am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:16-17;
emphasis added; see also 17:5).
“I
[subject] glorified You [object] on earth, having accomplished
the work which You [object] have given Me [subject] to do”
(John 17:4; see also Luke 23:34, 46).
The
Father and the Son stand in an “I”–“You” relationship of each
other; the Son refers to the Father as “You” and Himself as “I.”
The Father likewise refers to Jesus as “You” and Himself as “I.”
The Son personally relates to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the
reverse is altogether true of the Father and the Holy Spirit relating to
each other. Salvation is predicated
inextricably on the Tri-Unity of God. Scripture knows of no other God.
God the Father infallibly saves according to His mercy whereby the
sinner is regenerated by means of the Holy Spirit, through the God the
Son, Jesus Christ:
He
[God the Father] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have
done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom
He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior (Titus 3:5-6).
Notes
As seen above, in constructions involving multiple personal nouns
linked by kai\,
kai and
the first noun lacks the article; each
noun must denote a distinct person (viz. Sharp’s rule #5).
However, when multiple personal nouns in a clause are each preceded
by the article o(, ho
and linked by kai\, kai,
each personal noun also
denotes a distinct person
(e.g., 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Thess. 3:11; 1 John 1:3; 2:22-23; Rev. 5:13).
This rule is known as Sharp’s rule #6 (cf. n. 39 above; also cf.
Sharp, Remarks on the Uses of
the Definite Article). Pertaining to Sharp’s rule #6, I had
consulted Professor Daniel B. Wallace as to the question of its
absoluteness and its utilization against the anti-distinction of the
modalists. He expertly affirmed that predominately
(not absolutely; cf. John 20:28) the rule does provide a valid case
against modalism. Clearly, this rule indicates, particularly in
Trinitarian contexts where all three Persons are juxtaposed
in the same verse, an ontological distinction between the three
Persons of the Godhead.
Salvation
is predicated inextricably on the Tri-Unity of God. Scripture knows of
no other God. God the Father infallibly saves according to His mercy
whereby the sinner is regenerated by means of the Holy Spirit, through
the God the Son, Jesus Christ:
He
[God the Father] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have
done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom
He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior (Titus 3:5-6).
As
seen above in Revelation 5:13 the
"Lamb" and the "Father" are presented as two
distinct objects of divine worship:
“To
Him
[tō]
who sits on the throne, and
to the Lamb [kai tō arniō],
be blessing and honor and glory and dominion for ever and ever”
(emphasis added).
And
the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen,”
And
the elders fell down and worshiped.
*Note: “To Him” (the Father) and “the Lamb” (the Son)
are grammatically differentiated by the repeated article, t%,
tō,
(“the”) in which precedes both nouns and are connected by
the one conjunction, kai,
kai,
“and” (cf. Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 1:3; cf. Sharp's
rule #6).
Distinction was indisputably in the Apostle John’s mind as he
distinguishes the Father and the Son ("the Lamb").
Further, in 1 John 1:3, John shows that believers have fellow-ship
with BOTH the Father and the Son. The Apostle John repeats
the Greek preposition meta to show that the Father and Son
are distinct from one another:
we
proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with
[meta, meta] us; and indeed our fellowship
is with [meta, meta] the
Father and with [meta, meta]
His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).
In
his Trinitarian benediction, Paul grammatically emphasizes the
distinction (viz. by the repetition of the article tou,
"the") between the three divine Persons:
The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [Iēsou Christou],
and [kai]
the love of God [tou theou],
and [kai, kai]
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [tou hagiou pneumatos] be with you all (2 Cor. 13:14; cf. Matt. 28:19).
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