AN EXAMINATION OF THE ECONOMY OF THE TRINITY IN THE

OLD TESTAMENT

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A Term Paper
Presented to
Dr. Bruce Ware
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
Studies in Theology: SBTS Theology Conference
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by
Terry L. Irwin
December , 2013
On my honor, I have neither given nor taken improper assistance in
completing this assignment.

AN EXAMINATION OF THE ECONOMY OF THE TRINITY IN THE

OLD TESTAMENT
The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity is incalculable both for theological
supposition and personal piety. Jonathan Edwards remarked that weighty doctrines such as the
Trinity are glorious inlets into the knowledge and view of the spiritual world, and the
contemplation of supreme things; the knowledge of which, I have experienced how much it
contributes to the betterment of the heart.1 As we push into a greater understanding of the
Trinity, our ability to comprehend and enjoy the melodiousness of divine harmony is amplified.
There is profound joy for the saint who plumbs the depths of Scripture in search of Trinitarian
notes. This is perhaps no more evident than in the pages of the Old Testament. The fullness of
Revelation affords us with the ability to look behind the veil of previous mysteries. By
understanding and applying the distinct Trinitarian characteristics of God revealed in the New
Testament we can spot an otherwise opaque richness in the actions of God in the Old Testament.
With this in mind, the goal of this exposition will be to set forth a model of
demonstration and classification of the distinct actions of the Trinity in the Old Testament via
accepted concepts of systematic theology arising out of the New Testament. This will allow us
to distill the economic actions of the Trinity in the Old Testament into their essential characters.
First, I shall demonstrate the fundamental role of the Father in the Old Testament as
Elohim, the primary figure of Hebraic worship. Second, I shall demonstrate the fundamental role
of the Son as Yahweh, God as he is personally encountered and worshipped by Old Testament
saints. Finally, I shall demonstrate the fundamental role of the Spirit as the holy presence of God
both ceremonially in the Temple and effectively in individuals and circumstances.

1
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Hermeneutical Considerations
First, before we go any further, I would like to allow B.B. Warfield to provide us with
a consensus definition of the Trinity: There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the
Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in
subsistence.2 This articulate definition will serve as an important hermeneutical ballast in our
examination.
Second, as I alluded to previously, this examination will employ a retrospective
hermeneutic in order to properly identity and distinguish between the roles and actions of each of
the persons. The benefit and suitability of this hermeneutic is that it allows us to look at the
actions and character of God in the Old Testament in light of the Trinitarian realities expressed
by New Testament revelation.
To be clear, by doing this I am not merely juxtaposing Trinitarianism with the Old
Testament and a reject any claim that this examination might be interpreting the Old Testament
out of context. Rather, I want to stress that the reveled Trinitarianism of the New Testament is
the proper context for discerning the otherwise mysterious nature of the economic actions of God
in the Old Testament. Rather than spending a significant portion of time defending this method,
its suitability will be assumed for our purposes. Others have sufficiently demonstrated the
justification of such a Christological Old Testament hermeneutic.
It is sufficient for us to recognize that the since God is properly immutable and
indivisible we should expect that his economic actions and character have always been distinctly
Trinitarian. Therefore, we should expect that a clear Trinitarianism can be perceived, rather than
inserted, in the Old Testament.
2 B. B. Warfield, Trinity, The International Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1930), 5:3012
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Finally, a meticulous demonstration of Old Testament Trinitarianism would more than

exceed the limits of an examination such as this. Therefore, you should be aware that my goal is
not to provide exhaustive examples, but rather to set forth essential hermeneutical scales for
discovering Trinitarian tones throughout scripture. This is not to say that our examination will be
devoid of illustrations; I will demonstrate the validity of my claims by setting forth notable
examples and my hope is that such examples will serve as inspiration for you own contemplation
and meditation. In this way, the essential roles and characteristics of the Trinity will be
identified, explained, and appropriately applied to the Old Testament.
The Fundamental Role of the Father in the Old Testament
Our first subject of study is an identification of the role and actions of the Father in
the Old Testament. As mentioned previously, we need to utilize systematic concepts regarding
the Fathers character and then apply these concepts to discover his essential role in the Old
Testament.
Systematicians have long acknowledged that the driving characteristic of the Father is
his paternal quintessence; all that he is, as a person, is centered on his paternal character. This is
of course what Jesus implies by calling him Father and encouraging his followers to call him this
as well. Yet this presents itself, on the outset, as of the most difficult issues we face in
identifying the essential role of the Father in the Old Testament. This is because the idea of God
as a Father is spoken of quite infrequently in the Old Testament. There are some instances and
allusions where God is characterized as a Father and we can be sure that these instances really do
have the Father in view. There are a small number of passages where God is described as a
father to Israel, for example Deuteronomy 32:6: Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and
senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you
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(E.S.V.). The only other notable example is Isaiah 63:16, For you are our Father, though
Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name. Apart from these two cases, there is a minority of
instances in which the Fatherhood of God is extended personally; passages like 1 Chronicles
17:13 or Psalm 68:5 for example. What is astonishing is that throughout the entire Old
Testament these references do not amount to anything worthy of a noticeable prototype. Thus,
passages which describe God as a father or even passages where fatherly imagery is used are
insufficient for our examination.
Therefore, in order to suitably identify the Father in the Old Testament we must push
further into those things which are essential to his nature. It is not enough to ask ourselves where
God seems to be acting fatherly and thus ascribe those actions to the Father; we must understand
the elements behind his paternity.
First, several New Testament passages and systematic formularies demonstrate that
one of the distinct characteristics of the Fathers nature is his incommunicable character. More
than either of the other two persons, the Father is wholly transcendent and imperceptible. John
tells us plainly that no one has ever seen God (John 1:18). Jesus elaborates on this by saying,
the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard,
his form you have never seen (John 5:37). Paul supports this idea at least twice in his epistle to
Timothy first by referring to God as, eternal, immortal, invisible and later Paul refers to the
God who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or
can see (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16). This
The Fundamental Role of the Son in the Old Testament

The Fundamental Role of the Spirit in the Old Testament

Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY