After doing some research, listening to many podcasts, reading books and articles about the Holy Spirit, and talking to peers, I am now ready to invite others into this…
THE CASE
All Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this—that is, if you have come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true—you are not a Christian at all. Those words may sound harsh, but they represent the judgment of the Christian church across the centuries.
What is the Trinity?
I admit that no one fully understands it. It is a mystery and a paradox. Yet I believe it is true.
I can think of at least three reasons for believing in the Trinity:
- The Bible teaches this doctrine.
- Christians everywhere have always believed it.
- No other explanation makes sense.
Someone has said it this way:
If you try to explain the Trinity, you will lose your mind. But if you deny it, you will lose your soul.
We believe in one living and true God who is the Creator of heaven and earth; who is eternal, almighty, unchangeable, infinitely powerful, wise, just and holy.
We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience.
Matthew 3:16-17
Matthew 28:19-20
Mark 12:29
John 1:14
Acts 3:3-4
2 Corinthians 13:14
I understand that it can seem very intimidating.
Break Down of Holy Spirit:
- One God and One Only
- Exists in three Persons
- Equal and Eternal
- Worthy of equal praise and worship
- Distinct yet acting in unity
- Constituting the one true God of the Bible
As you might imagine, the early church struggled mightily over this doctrine. They eventually reduced their belief in the Trinity to two short statements. They concluded that God is …
- One in Essence
- Three in Person
When we say these things we mean that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but they are not three gods but only one God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, but each is God individually and yet they are together the one true God of the Bible.
Have you ever seen the word “Godhead?”
Theologians sometimes use that term when they want to refer to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as three divine Persons in one God.
The Trinity In The Bible
The Bible contains numerous clear statements regarding the unity of God: Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us “the Lord is one.” 1 Corinthians 8:4 adds that “there is no God but one.” 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “there is one God.” All Christians wholeheartedly affirm this truth.
However, the Bible also contains clear statements regarding diversity within that unity. For instance, in the very first verse of the Bible we are told that “In the beginning God.” The Hebrew word for God is elohim, which is actually a plural form of the word el. It’s a word that in other contexts is sometimes translated as “gods,” referring to heathen idols.
Isaiah 48:16 seems to explicitly refer to all three Persons of the Trinity “And now the Sovereign LORD (the Father) has sent me (the Son), with his Spirit (the Holy Spirit).” I’m not suggesting that Isaiah fully understood the Trinity or that the Jewish readers would have understood what it meant, but I do think that in the light of the New Testament, we can say that this seems to be a clear statement of the Trinity in the Old Testament.
All Three Persons are called God in different places in the Bible.
- Father — Galatians 1:1
- Son — John 20:28
- Spirit — Acts 5:3-4
—–My personal favorite illustration of the trinity comes from noted scientist Dr. Henry Morris. He says that the entire universe is Trinitarian by design. The universe consists of three things: matter, space, and time. Take away any one of those three and the universe would cease to exist. But each one of those is itself a trinity.
- Matter = mass + energy + motion
- Space = length + height + breadth
- Time = past + present + future
It’s important to remember that all illustrations fail eventually. They don’t “prove” the Trinity; they simply help us understand the concept.
The whole universe witnesses to the character of the God who made it.Psalm 19:1
