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Matthew 3:16-17 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Mark 1:9-11 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22 When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Matt 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

* Modalism (sabellianism, noetianism, or patripassianism) says Father, Son and Spirit are just three different “modes” or expressions of the same entity. The truth is, all three are eternally coexistent.

* Adoptionism says Jesus was not always God, but he was adopted to be God’s son. The truth is, Jesus always was and will be eternally God.

* Arianism says Jesus is substantively lesser than the Father and is a created being. The truth is, Jesus was not created and He is eternal God.

* Tritheism says that Father, Son, and Spirit are three separate gods. The truth is, They are One God, distinct but not separate.

– There is one God (Deut 6:4; 1Cor 8:4; Gal 3:20; 1Tim 2:5).
– God consists of three Persons (Gen 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matt 3:16-17, 28:19; 2Cor 13:14).
– The Hebrew noun “Elohim” is used in Genesis 1 and is plural (I think this is a hint at the Trinity).
– Gen 1:26, 3:22, 11:7 and Isa 6:8 all use the plural pronoun “us” for God. These words refer to “more than two.”

– Isa 48:16 and 61:1 show the Son speaking and making reference to the Father and Spirit (Compare Isa 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19).
– Matt 3:16-17 describes Jesus’ baptism and all three are present, Father, Son, and Spirit.
– Matt 28:19 and 2Cor 13:14 show three Persons within the Trinity.

– The LORD has a Son (Psa 2:7, 12; Prov 30:2-4).
– The Spirit is different from the “LORD” (Num 27:18).
– God the Son is not the same as God the Father (Psa 45:6-7; Heb 1:8-9).

– The Father is God (John 6:27; Rom 1:7; 1Pet 1:2).
– The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Rom 9:5; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8; 1John 5:20).
– The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1Cor 3:16).

– The members of the Trinity have different roles.
– The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1Cor 8:6; Rev 4:11); divine revelation (Rev 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10).
– The Son is the agent through whom the Father created and maintains the universe (1Cor 8:6; John 1:3; Col 1:16-17); Jesus is the agent of divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matt 11:27; Rev 1:1); and of salvation (2Cor 5:19; Matt 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son.
– The Holy Spirit is also the means by whom the Father created and maintains the universe (Gen 1:2; Job 26:13; Psa 104:30); He is also the agent of divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Eph 3:5; 2Pet 1:21); as well as salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38).

– There are no adequate analogies or illustrations for God.
– The egg/apple analogy with the shell, the white, and the yolk are parts of the egg, but they are not each the egg itself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God.
– The water illustration fairs no better, ice, liquid, and steam are all modes of water, but not distinct.
– A man who is a son, a husband, and a father is also modalism

– not a good picture of the trinity. None of them work because God is different.

– The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God.
– That is what the Bible says, that is the doctrine of the Trinity.
– One “what” – GOD; and 3 “who’s” Father, Son, Holy Spirit; God in 3-Persons, blessed trinity.

And here’s the always classic “St. patrick’s Bad Analogies” from LutheranSatire

Have you ever heard someone address God as “daddy” before?

Is this wrong? Well, I don’t know if I would go so far as to say it’s “wrong,” but I also wouldn’t say it’s right either.

Most people go directly to verses like Mark 14:36 where Jesus said “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.“

The popular interpretation is that “Abba” (ἀββά) is a more intimate expression of the idea of “father.” The problem with this view is, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Abba is simply the Aramaic word for “father.” There aren’t other words in first century Aramaic for “father.”

In 1971 a scholar named Joachim Jeremias proposed the idea that “abba” was something a small child called their father (New Testament Theology p.67), but it seems he didn’t have any hard evidence for this position. Though his view has been critiqued by many (e.g Geza Vermes, “Jesus and the World of Judaism, 1983, p.42; George Schelbert “ABBA Vater,” 2011) and was even abandoned by Jeremias himself, it has persisted in popular Christin culture. James Barr’s article “Abba Isn’t Daddy” sums it up well “[abba] was not a childish expression comparable with ‘Daddy’: it was a solemn, responsible, adult address to a Father.” (Journal of Theological Studies, Vol. 39, 1988, p.46)

What’s happening in Mark 14:36 is much like other instances of the use of Aramaic words in the New Testament where the Aramaic word is written as a Greek transliteration and then translated into Greek so the reader would understand what the word meant.

A good example is Matthew 27:46 “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’“

I don’t believe Jesus is speaking in both Aramaic and Greek in these instances, though he certainly could speak both languages, that would seem to be awkward, rather he’s just speaking in Aramaic and the Gospel writer is explaining what he means to his readers.

So, how should we address God? With respect and gratitude, after all “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). So, is it “wrong” to call God “daddy?” That’s a language issue. If you can do so with all due respect to him, I don’t suppose it’s wrong… however, there isn’t really an example of anyone addressing God that way in the NT, not even Jesus, so we can’t simply say it’s OK either.

My advice? Just address him as Father, that’s who he is, if you are in Christ.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. -1Corinthians 13

You can do a whole lot of good things, but if you do them with a sour attitude, you’re just spinning your wheels. Not only should we do right, when we do, we need to be patient and kind. We shouldn’t envy or brag. We can’t be arrogant or rude when we were, that really does matter. We can’t insist on our own way, be irritable, or resentful. We can’t be happy with bad things happen and we should always rejoice when the truth comes to light. If we want to be effective, we need to be able to “take a punch.” We need to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if it means we get hurt. We always think the best, and we never give up. That’s love, and that ain’t easy.

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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

Genesis 17

How impatient are we? If you don’t see God moving in your life within a few days of asking for something, do you feel as though he has forgotten you? Even worse, do you think he doesn’t care or can’t act if you don’t see *results* pretty soon? How short our attention span. Abraham was 99 years old when God came to him and engaged in the covenant with him. That’s longer than most people live. What if we were willing to wait a lifetime (or longer) to see God act. What if we remained faithful to God and trusted him for all of our tomorrows for the next 99 years no matter what things look like. We’ve all probably heard the sentiment before “I tried church and it didn’t work.” What do people mean when they say something like that? Abraham could have said “I tried God for 98 years and I haven’t heard a peep… I quit.” Don’t quit. Keep going. Remain faithful. Be a regular participant and genuine contributor through your church, a local body of believers. Trust in Jesus. Don’t give up… keep going. See you Sunday.