The Holy Trinity
The Mystery of God’s Nature
Gen 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let Us make man inOur image, according toOur likeness; …
“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. NAS
God is Triune – There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three areOne God. In the unity of the Godhead there are three, equal in divine perfection, equal in divine power, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Matt 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of theFather and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
The word “Trinity” is never actually used in the bible. However, we understand God to be One in essence yet existing in three persons.The bible states again and again that there is “One God,” yet He is revealed again and again in three different personalities. This is seen in many places in the bible and we consider it an important essential and fundamental of the historic Christian faith. We must never compromise the nature of God as clearly defined in the scriptures, for the moment we do, we are now worshipping a different God than the one revealed in scripture. That is why we consider this an essential issue. We would divide with anyone who does not accept the biblical concept of the Trinity. When this truth is compromised, Jesus Christ ceases to be, “God VERY God.”
Each person of the Triune Godhead possess all of the attributes of God and are equally divine. All of the virtues and attributes of God reside in each one of them.
| Father | Son | Holy Spirit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal- | Ps 90:2 | John 1:2,Rev 1:8 | Hebrews 9:14 |
| Omnipotent- | Daniel 4:35 | Hebrews 1:3 | Rom 15:19 |
| Omniscient- | Jer 17:10 | Rev 2:23 | 1 Cor 2:11 |
| Omnipresent- | Jer 23:24 | Matt 18:20 | Ps 139:7 |
| Holy- | Rev 15:4 | Acts 3:14 | Acts 1:8 |
| True- | John 7:28 | Rev 3:7 | 1 John 5:6 |
God says He is One and there is no other.
Throughout the bible, God explicitly states that He is the only ONE, true and living God. He is distinct from all other beings, whether natural or supernatural, all other beings were created by the ONE God and for His purposes. All other beings aredependent upon God for their existence, but God beingself-existent is dependent on nothing. He alone is God, the Almighty, Eternal and Transcendent Creator and Sustainer of all things. (Duet 6:4,Isaiah 44:6, Jeremiah 10:10, 1 Cor 8:4, 1 Tim 2:5)
Isa 45:5 –“I am the LORD, and there is no other;Besides Me there is no God. NAS
Isaiah 44:8-“Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses.Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
1 Timothy 1:17-“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible,the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
God says He exists in three persons.
Throughout the bible, God is explicitly revealed in three distinct persons. Yet each person, as we have shown, possesses all of the attributes of the ONE God. This is indeed a profound mystery. Nevertheless, it is indeed thetrue nature of God as revealed in Holy Writ. Those of us who do know God personally, do experience the unique relation to God wherein we discern these distinct persons, do we not? He is indeed a TRIUNE being. He is a God of wonder and awe!
2 Corinthians 13:14-“May the grace of theLord Jesus Christ, and the love ofGod, and the fellowship of theHoly Spirit be with you all.”
Matt 3:16-17 – 16 And after being baptized,Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw theSpirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, 17 and behold, avoice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” NAS
The Son, Jesus Christ is called God.
Isaiah 9:6-“For to us achild is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Col 2:9-10 – 9 For inHim(Jesus Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, NAS
Heb 1:2-3 – 2 in these last days has spoken to us inHis Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,through whom also He made the world. 3 AndHe is the radiance of His glory and theexact representation of His nature, andupholds all things by the word of His power. NAS
Col 1:15-17 – 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 Forby him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. NIV
John 1:1-3 – 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and theWord was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. NIV
The Holy Spirit is called God.
There is only ONE who is “holy.” Therefore if the Spirit is Holy, He must be God.
Ex 31:3-4 – 3 And I have filled him with theSpirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, NAS
Gen 1:2 – 2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and theSpirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. NAS
Eph 4:30 – 30 And do not grievethe Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. NAS
Let us embrace the fact that the bible certainly portrays God in three persons without compromising the fact the He is One. The three persons of the Godhead most definitely are distinct and enjoy interpersonal relationships between each other, yet they are all referred to as God. Understand that each one is God or Deity,but the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. Another thing we might notice is the beautiful attributes of the relationships between the Godhead, their authority and submission, self-sacrificing love, and the harmony of their purposes in the ever unfolding plan of God. Thus we see the Trinity. This concept can never really be fully understood this side of heaven, but we trust the scripture by faith.
Dear friends, God is truly an awesome God. Let us worship him honestly from our heart with reverence and fear. Let us offer our lives to him in willing sacrifice of all that we have. He truly is the immortal King of Eternity who has by his power stretched out the heavens like a tent. Truly the earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness thereof, how can we not reverence His holy name? How can we not bow our hearts before him in adoration of his love and power, not to mention his compassion and grace toward a world full of rebellious sinners? What perfect love the Father has lavished on us, even the death of his only Son, to reconcile us to Himself and bring us into perfect freedom.
In one sense the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery that we will never be able to understand fully. However, we can understand something of its truth by summarizing the teaching of Scripture in three statements:
- God is three persons.
- Each person is fully God.
- There is one God.
John 1:1-3,14 – The Son is God
John 17:24 – The Son has eternally existed….
Some have questioned whether the Holy Spirit is indeed a distinct person, rather than just the “power” or “force” of God at work in the world. But the New Testament evidence is quite clear and strong. First are the several verses mentioned earlier where the Holy Spirit is put in a coordinate relationship with the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4–6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4–6; 1 Peter 1:2): since the Father and Son are both persons, the coordinate expression strongly intimates that the Holy Spirit is a person also.
