The Trinity

Rooted in Scripture

The doctrine of the Trinity is based on three Biblical premises: (1) There is only one God; (2) The Father, Son, and Spirit are each identified as God; (3) These three relate to each other as distinct Persons.
This doctrine is not explicitly stated; the word “trinity” is never used; yet, it altogether permeates Scripture.
“There is but one true and living God…and in the unity of this Godhead there are three persons, equal in power and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

We call them “Persons” who are “distinct” because they interact with each other in a love relationship. We should not refer to Father, Son, and Spirit as “individuals” who are “separate,” because this suggests that there are three beings. God is one Being.
Deuteronomy 6:4 is clear. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”

At the baptism of Jesus, all three Persons are present and interact (Mt. 3:16-17): Jesus is baptized, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks.
God the Father. Jesus referred to His Father over 165 times in the Gospels. He taught His disciples to pray to the Father (Luke 11:2). When the Bible refers to “God” in general, it is often referring to the Father.
God the Son, Jesus. While we are “sons of God,” Jesus alone is the Son of God. This title affirms His equality with the Father (Jn. 5:18).
Colossians 2:9 is explicit: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) affirms that Christ is “of one substance with the Father…Very God of Very God.”
God the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is also attributed divine attributes and works. In Acts 5:3-4, the Spirit is freely referred to as God.

The world God created reflects His trinitarian nature. The universe (uni = one) consists of only three aspects: time, space, and matter.
Time consists of past, present, and future; space consists of length, width, and height; matter consists of energy, motion, and phenomena.
St. Patrick used the shamrock, three leaves united in one stalk, to preach the Trinity.
There are no perfect illustrations for the Trinity. Illustrations are often oversimplified and lead to error in thinking. For example, the Trinity is sometimes compared to water, which is found in three states: ice, liquid, and vapor. The three Persons of the Trinity, however, exist at the same time!

Cooperation. The Persons work together to achieve common purposes; e.g. the Father planned our redemption, the Son purchased our redemption, and the Spirit administers redemption to the individual believer.
Order. There is an authority structure in the Trinity. The Son willingly submits to the Father and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son. This does not make Son or Spirit less equal.
Love. The Father and Son love intimately (Jn. 3:35, 14:31). Both Father and Spirit glorify the Son and receive honor when the Son is glorified (Php. 2:9-11, Jn. 16:14).

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) said that the “truth that God is three and one is altogether a matter of faith.” While the Trinity is a mystery which is above reason, it is not contrary to reason. God is three in one sense and one in another. This unity in diversity is the very nature of being.
Jesus said that “if any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God” (John 7:17). God confirms this doctrine to the heart of the obedient believer.

While we worship the one God as God, we may freely worship Father, Son, and Spirit as Persons to whom we can directly relate.
While Father and Son can comfort, we usually attribute God’s warming presence to “the Comforter,” the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26).