Jesus and the Father Are Divine
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, March 23, 2015
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Heart of It All: The Trinity (Part 3)
by Peter Amsterdam
As we’ve seen in part 1 and part 2 of the doctrine of the Trinity, it is not a simple doctrine to understand; some parts of it are incomprehensible to our natural reasoning, and as such, it is a mystery. Though it can’t be fully understood, it is nevertheless true.
Christian philosopher Kenneth Samples states: “Even though the Trinity doctrine is not fully comprehensible to the finite human mind, what Christians believe about the doctrine is clear and distinct in the church’s creeds and statements of faith. The truth of this doctrine, however, can only be clearly and cogently communicated if believers take seriously their responsibility to study and show themselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15).”[1]
Despite its mysterious nature, we find ourselves at times needing to explain the doctrine of the Trinity as we witness or teach others who wish to grow in the faith.
Analogies for the Trinity
When Christians find themselves in a position where they need to explain the Trinity to someone, one of the most common means of explanation is to liken it to something familiar through using analogies. You might say, “The Trinity is like …” and then include a comparison that helps to explain the Trinity in terms that are relatable or familiar. This can be a fairly good way to explain it in simple terms, though there are some difficulties in using analogies. While analogies have similarities to the Trinity, they don’t fully or accurately explain it, and some of them, while seemingly good explanations on the surface, can contradict with the doctrine.
I felt it might be helpful to mention some of the more commonly used analogies, in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you may need to use one of them in explaining the concept of the Trinity. It’s also helpful to know the flaws of the different analogies so that you can be careful when using them to explain the doctrine.
One example is the popular analogy that the Trinity is like water, which in different states can be ice (a solid), water (a liquid), and steam (a gas). All three are different, but the same substance. While this seems to be a good analogy at a basic level, its flaw is that water can only be in each of those states in succession. It cannot be in all three states at the same time. Another example is the egg analogy: just as an egg consists of three things—the shell, the yolk, and the white, which together make an egg—so God consists of three Persons in one entity.
Both of these analogies offer certain likenesses to the Trinity, yet they have a major weakness. The water analogy expresses modalism, which professes that the Persons of the Trinity are not distinct from one another, but rather are only different manifestations of God. The egg analogy shows three parts making up a whole egg; however, none of the parts individually is the whole entity, the egg. Whereas in the Trinity, each part—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is God and is of the same essence.
There are analogies based on relationship ideas, that the Trinity is like a family, or a society; or like a man who is a father, a son, and a husband, and thus three persons in one. There are those analogies which have to do with the nature of the mind—the intellect, memory, and will. Others use concepts drawn from the natural world, like a mountain with three peaks rising from the same base, or an apple with its skin, pulp, and core, or the three-leaf clover. Others liken it to the dimensions of height, width, and length.
All these popularly used examples are likenesses or analogies which, while they cannot fully explain the doctrine, can be helpful as tools to express a relatable similarity to the Trinity. So they can be helpful in witnessing to others at a basic level. But they don’t portray a fully accurate representation, and in a challenging discussion or debate with someone who is knowledgeable, they won’t hold up as showing the full truth of the Trinity. Analogies can be helpful at a basic level, but they have their limitations.
However, even though there are no analogies that are completely accurate, nor do any explanations of the Trinity bring total comprehension of the doctrine, this doesn’t mean that the Trinity cannot be apprehended by our God-given understanding. I like the explanation that Christian theologian Robert M. Bowman Jr. gave when addressing the issue of the finite human mind comprehending the Trinity: “To say that the Trinity cannot be understood likewise is imprecise, or at least open to misinterpretation. Trinitarian theologians do not mean to imply that the Trinity is unintelligible nonsense. Rather, the point they are making is that the Trinity cannot be fully fathomed, or comprehended, by the finite mind of a man. There is a difference between gaining a basically correct understanding of something and having a complete, comprehensive, all-embracing, perfect understanding of it. The way many other theologians would express that difference is to say that the Trinity can be understood, or ‘apprehended,’ but not ‘comprehended.’”[2]
C. S. Lewis also addressed the issue of comprehending the Trinity in his book Mere Christianity. He states: “On the Divine level, you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine. In God’s dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being … Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube.
“When thinking about the Trinity, we should not think it is an impossible contradiction or bad math (1+1+1=1). Thinking this way assumes we can comprehend God in the same way that we comprehend humans and human relationships. God is incomprehensible to an extent. After all, we are talking about the eternal Creator.”[3]
Early Christian Creeds
In an attempt to provide clear doctrinal teachings and definitions for all believers, a number of what were referred to as “creeds” were articulated in the early eras of church history. These served both as a declaration of faith and a statement of the doctrine for the believers.
In the last article about the Trinity, reference was made to one of the most important of these creeds, the Nicene Creed. This creed was the work of the first ecumenical council, a council consisting of bishops from the whole Christian church of the day. This council was convened by the Emperor Constantine in 325 AD to deal with the question of Arianism. The man who led the argument against Arius was named Athanasius, a twenty-nine-year-old who was a secretary to the bishop of Alexandria. A few years later he became the bishop of Alexandria.
Even though the council agreed with Athanasius, issued the Nicene Creed, and condemned Arianism, the controversy continued until another ecumenical council, the Council of Constantinople in 381, reaffirmed the Nicene Creed and made a few additions to it. After that, Arianism began to lose favor and basically died out.
Creeds, such as the Nicene Creed and the earlier Apostles’ Creed, were memorized and recited in churches and in fellowships as a means of educating members in Christian doctrine and belief. The Nicene Creed is still taught and recited in many churches today. The version that is quoted today includes the few changes added by the Council of Constantinople. It also includes an addition known as the filioque clause, added to the creed much later.[4] Filioque, which means and the Son in Latin, was added to the line that previously said that “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.” It now says “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
Following is the Nicene Creed with some commentary in italics, to point out the specific Trinity points and how they are precisely worded.
The Nicene Creed, also known as the Nicene and Constantinopolitan Creed
(The words in italics are mine, in way of explanation.)
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (showing the Son existed before creation), God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made (The Son is God of God, begotten, not made; one substance with the Father, meaning the Son has the same essence, the same divine nature and is equally God, and that He wasn’t made or created by the Father, as Arius claimed.); who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick (living) and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son (the filioque clause, which was added later), who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. (Catholic in this case means universal, or the overall community or church of Christians, not the Roman Catholic Church.) We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Another creed which gained usage in the 400s was the “Athanasian Creed,” which, though not thought to be written by Athanasius, affirms the beliefs of the Doctrine of the Trinity. The Athanasian Creed very precisely lays out various points of the Doctrine of the Trinity. I’m including only those points which touch on the Trinity, so this is not the full creed. If you are interested in reading the full creed, you can find it here.
Excerpts from the Athanasian Creed
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, There are three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
The Church Fathers and their legacy
The church fathers of the first four centuries worked to find the right technical words to articulate this doctrine. As stated in part 2 of the Trinity, the development of the doctrine and its wording came gradually, often when the inherent truth of the doctrine was challenged by someone making false claims against it. The early church fathers, a number of whom were martyred for their faith, were the pioneers of Christian doctrine and theology, and deserve our gratitude for bearing the responsibility they were given in articulating the doctrines of the Christian faith of which we are beneficiaries today.
In this day and age, with massive information at our fingertips, it’s hard to imagine it taking hundreds of years to work out such a doctrine, but those centuries were very different from today. Books weren’t readily available; printing hadn’t yet been invented, and all books were duplicated by hand. Travel was slow, by foot or by horse, donkey, or camel, or by boat. Communications were as slow as transportation.
Also, Christians underwent persecutions during those centuries. Not all the persecutions were equally severe, but they were at least disruptive and at times resulted in the death of believers, including some of the apostles and later church fathers. There were ten major periods of persecution against Christians, starting in about 64 AD under the emperor Nero, and culminating in the great persecution under the emperor Diocletian lasting from 303–311 AD, during which the Christians were killed in the arenas for amusement.
It wasn’t until after Constantine became emperor and issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD that Christianity became legal and the persecutions stopped. This made it possible for church leaders to gather, such as during the Council of Nicaea, to work out issues in counsel together. We, as Christians today, can be thankful for such diligent men—the church fathers of those centuries, and men of faith in later centuries as well—for having the will and determination to work hard to find the language and terminology and to work through the theology, so that today we have a much greater understanding of the foundations of our faith.
P.S. If you wish to study more about the doctrine of the Trinity, you might want to listen to the classes of William Lane Craig, “The Doctrine of the Trinity.” You can find them at hiswebsite.
Another source for further study on the doctrine of the Trinity is Kenneth Samples’ print series, which can be found here.
Summary of “The Trinity” articles:
Christians believe that there is only one God. The doctrine that explains the concept of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God is called the doctrine of the Trinity.
God has always existed as three persons in one being. Each of the persons is fully God, having all of the attributes and the complete essence of God.
There are Old Testament verses which infer that there is more than one person in God. But it was in the New Testament that the truth of the Trinity was revealed. (Although the word Trinity doesn’t appear within the biblical text, Scripture reveals the doctrine.)
The Trinity was summarized by Augustine in seven short statements:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
There is only one God.
In the third and fourth centuries, a number of misinterpretations arose regarding the Trinity. Thus the council of Nicene convened, and sought to express in technical language the correct concepts of the Trinity. These are expressed in a formal declaration called the Nicene Creed.
There are a number of commonly used analogies, which, while they cannot fully explain the doctrine, can be helpful as tools to express a relatable similarity to the Trinity.
The concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being one God is impossible for us as humans to completely understand. The important things are to know that there is one God, that there are three Persons in God, that God loves you and Jesus died for your salvation, and that the Holy Spirit is with you as a helper and counselor.
Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions frequently cited are The New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New King James Version (NKJV) and the King James Version (KJV).
Bibliography
Barth, Karl. The Doctrine of the Word of God, Vol.1 Part 2. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010.
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
Cary, Phillip. The History of Christian Theology, Lecture Series. Lectures 11, 12. Chantilly: The Teaching Company, 2008.
Craig, William Lane. The Doctrine of the Trinity. Defenders Series Lecture.
Garrett, Jr., James Leo. Systematic Theology, Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Vol. 1. N. Richland Hills: BIBAL Press, 2000.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Kreeft, Peter, and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth, A Handbook of Christian Belief. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Mueller, John Theodore. Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and Laymen. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934.
Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1960.
Samples, Kenneth, Without a Doubt—Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions, Baker Books,1984.
Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1971.
Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
[1] Kenneth Samples, The Trinity: One What and Three Whos, 2007.
[2] Robert M. Bowman Jr., Orthodoxy and Heresy: A Biblical Guide to Doctrinal Discernment. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992.
[3] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York:HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., p.162.
[4] In 1054 the filioque clause was added to the creed. This brought about the schism or division between the western church with its base in Rome, and the eastern church with its base in Constantinople. The two branches, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, remain split today. The split was caused mostly because the clause was added by the Roman Catholic pope without consultation with the Eastern church.
As we’ve seen in part 1 and part 2 of the doctrine of the Trinity, it is not a simple doctrine to understand; some parts of it are incomprehensible to our natural reasoning, and as such, it is a mystery. Though it can’t be fully understood, it is nevertheless true.
Christian philosopher Kenneth Samples states: “Even though the Trinity doctrine is not fully comprehensible to the finite human mind, what Christians believe about the doctrine is clear and distinct in the church’s creeds and statements of faith. The truth of this doctrine, however, can only be clearly and cogently communicated if believers take seriously their responsibility to study and show themselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15).”[1]
Despite its mysterious nature, we find ourselves at times needing to explain the doctrine of the Trinity as we witness or teach others who wish to grow in the faith.
Analogies for the Trinity
When Christians find themselves in a position where they need to explain the Trinity to someone, one of the most common means of explanation is to liken it to something familiar through using analogies. You might say, “The Trinity is like …” and then include a comparison that helps to explain the Trinity in terms that are relatable or familiar. This can be a fairly good way to explain it in simple terms, though there are some difficulties in using analogies. While analogies have similarities to the Trinity, they don’t fully or accurately explain it, and some of them, while seemingly good explanations on the surface, can contradict with the doctrine.
I felt it might be helpful to mention some of the more commonly used analogies, in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you may need to use one of them in explaining the concept of the Trinity. It’s also helpful to know the flaws of the different analogies so that you can be careful when using them to explain the doctrine.
One example is the popular analogy that the Trinity is like water, which in different states can be ice (a solid), water (a liquid), and steam (a gas). All three are different, but the same substance. While this seems to be a good analogy at a basic level, its flaw is that water can only be in each of those states in succession. It cannot be in all three states at the same time. Another example is the egg analogy: just as an egg consists of three things—the shell, the yolk, and the white, which together make an egg—so God consists of three Persons in one entity.
Both of these analogies offer certain likenesses to the Trinity, yet they have a major weakness. The water analogy expresses modalism, which professes that the Persons of the Trinity are not distinct from one another, but rather are only different manifestations of God. The egg analogy shows three parts making up a whole egg; however, none of the parts individually is the whole entity, the egg. Whereas in the Trinity, each part—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is God and is of the same essence.
There are analogies based on relationship ideas, that the Trinity is like a family, or a society; or like a man who is a father, a son, and a husband, and thus three persons in one. There are those analogies which have to do with the nature of the mind—the intellect, memory, and will. Others use concepts drawn from the natural world, like a mountain with three peaks rising from the same base, or an apple with its skin, pulp, and core, or the three-leaf clover. Others liken it to the dimensions of height, width, and length.
All these popularly used examples are likenesses or analogies which, while they cannot fully explain the doctrine, can be helpful as tools to express a relatable similarity to the Trinity. So they can be helpful in witnessing to others at a basic level. But they don’t portray a fully accurate representation, and in a challenging discussion or debate with someone who is knowledgeable, they won’t hold up as showing the full truth of the Trinity. Analogies can be helpful at a basic level, but they have their limitations.
However, even though there are no analogies that are completely accurate, nor do any explanations of the Trinity bring total comprehension of the doctrine, this doesn’t mean that the Trinity cannot be apprehended by our God-given understanding. I like the explanation that Christian theologian Robert M. Bowman Jr. gave when addressing the issue of the finite human mind comprehending the Trinity: “To say that the Trinity cannot be understood likewise is imprecise, or at least open to misinterpretation. Trinitarian theologians do not mean to imply that the Trinity is unintelligible nonsense. Rather, the point they are making is that the Trinity cannot be fully fathomed, or comprehended, by the finite mind of a man. There is a difference between gaining a basically correct understanding of something and having a complete, comprehensive, all-embracing, perfect understanding of it. The way many other theologians would express that difference is to say that the Trinity can be understood, or ‘apprehended,’ but not ‘comprehended.’”[2]
C. S. Lewis also addressed the issue of comprehending the Trinity in his book Mere Christianity. He states: “On the Divine level, you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine. In God’s dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being … Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube.
“When thinking about the Trinity, we should not think it is an impossible contradiction or bad math (1+1+1=1). Thinking this way assumes we can comprehend God in the same way that we comprehend humans and human relationships. God is incomprehensible to an extent. After all, we are talking about the eternal Creator.”[3]
Early Christian Creeds
In an attempt to provide clear doctrinal teachings and definitions for all believers, a number of what were referred to as “creeds” were articulated in the early eras of church history. These served both as a declaration of faith and a statement of the doctrine for the believers.
In the last article about the Trinity, reference was made to one of the most important of these creeds, the Nicene Creed. This creed was the work of the first ecumenical council, a council consisting of bishops from the whole Christian church of the day. This council was convened by the Emperor Constantine in 325 AD to deal with the question of Arianism. The man who led the argument against Arius was named Athanasius, a twenty-nine-year-old who was a secretary to the bishop of Alexandria. A few years later he became the bishop of Alexandria.
Even though the council agreed with Athanasius, issued the Nicene Creed, and condemned Arianism, the controversy continued until another ecumenical council, the Council of Constantinople in 381, reaffirmed the Nicene Creed and made a few additions to it. After that, Arianism began to lose favor and basically died out.
Creeds, such as the Nicene Creed and the earlier Apostles’ Creed, were memorized and recited in churches and in fellowships as a means of educating members in Christian doctrine and belief. The Nicene Creed is still taught and recited in many churches today. The version that is quoted today includes the few changes added by the Council of Constantinople. It also includes an addition known as the filioque clause, added to the creed much later.[4] Filioque, which means and the Son in Latin, was added to the line that previously said that “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.” It now says “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
Following is the Nicene Creed with some commentary in italics, to point out the specific Trinity points and how they are precisely worded.
The Nicene Creed, also known as the Nicene and Constantinopolitan Creed
(The words in italics are mine, in way of explanation.)
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (showing the Son existed before creation), God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made (The Son is God of God, begotten, not made; one substance with the Father, meaning the Son has the same essence, the same divine nature and is equally God, and that He wasn’t made or created by the Father, as Arius claimed.); who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick (living) and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son (the filioque clause, which was added later), who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. (Catholic in this case means universal, or the overall community or church of Christians, not the Roman Catholic Church.) We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Another creed which gained usage in the 400s was the “Athanasian Creed,” which, though not thought to be written by Athanasius, affirms the beliefs of the Doctrine of the Trinity. The Athanasian Creed very precisely lays out various points of the Doctrine of the Trinity. I’m including only those points which touch on the Trinity, so this is not the full creed. If you are interested in reading the full creed, you can find it here.
Excerpts from the Athanasian Creed
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, There are three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
The Church Fathers and their legacy
The church fathers of the first four centuries worked to find the right technical words to articulate this doctrine. As stated in part 2 of the Trinity, the development of the doctrine and its wording came gradually, often when the inherent truth of the doctrine was challenged by someone making false claims against it. The early church fathers, a number of whom were martyred for their faith, were the pioneers of Christian doctrine and theology, and deserve our gratitude for bearing the responsibility they were given in articulating the doctrines of the Christian faith of which we are beneficiaries today.
In this day and age, with massive information at our fingertips, it’s hard to imagine it taking hundreds of years to work out such a doctrine, but those centuries were very different from today. Books weren’t readily available; printing hadn’t yet been invented, and all books were duplicated by hand. Travel was slow, by foot or by horse, donkey, or camel, or by boat. Communications were as slow as transportation.
Also, Christians underwent persecutions during those centuries. Not all the persecutions were equally severe, but they were at least disruptive and at times resulted in the death of believers, including some of the apostles and later church fathers. There were ten major periods of persecution against Christians, starting in about 64 AD under the emperor Nero, and culminating in the great persecution under the emperor Diocletian lasting from 303–311 AD, during which the Christians were killed in the arenas for amusement.
It wasn’t until after Constantine became emperor and issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD that Christianity became legal and the persecutions stopped. This made it possible for church leaders to gather, such as during the Council of Nicaea, to work out issues in counsel together. We, as Christians today, can be thankful for such diligent men—the church fathers of those centuries, and men of faith in later centuries as well—for having the will and determination to work hard to find the language and terminology and to work through the theology, so that today we have a much greater understanding of the foundations of our faith.
P.S. If you wish to study more about the doctrine of the Trinity, you might want to listen to the classes of William Lane Craig, “The Doctrine of the Trinity.” You can find them at hiswebsite.
Another source for further study on the doctrine of the Trinity is Kenneth Samples’ print series, which can be found here.
Summary of “The Trinity” articles:
Christians believe that there is only one God. The doctrine that explains the concept of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God is called the doctrine of the Trinity.
God has always existed as three persons in one being. Each of the persons is fully God, having all of the attributes and the complete essence of God.
There are Old Testament verses which infer that there is more than one person in God. But it was in the New Testament that the truth of the Trinity was revealed. (Although the word Trinity doesn’t appear within the biblical text, Scripture reveals the doctrine.)
The Trinity was summarized by Augustine in seven short statements:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
There is only one God.
In the third and fourth centuries, a number of misinterpretations arose regarding the Trinity. Thus the council of Nicene convened, and sought to express in technical language the correct concepts of the Trinity. These are expressed in a formal declaration called the Nicene Creed.
There are a number of commonly used analogies, which, while they cannot fully explain the doctrine, can be helpful as tools to express a relatable similarity to the Trinity.
The concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being one God is impossible for us as humans to completely understand. The important things are to know that there is one God, that there are three Persons in God, that God loves you and Jesus died for your salvation, and that the Holy Spirit is with you as a helper and counselor.
Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions frequently cited are The New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New King James Version (NKJV) and the King James Version (KJV).
Bibliography
Barth, Karl. The Doctrine of the Word of God, Vol.1 Part 2. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010.
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
Cary, Phillip. The History of Christian Theology, Lecture Series. Lectures 11, 12. Chantilly: The Teaching Company, 2008.
Craig, William Lane. The Doctrine of the Trinity. Defenders Series Lecture.
Garrett, Jr., James Leo. Systematic Theology, Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Vol. 1. N. Richland Hills: BIBAL Press, 2000.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Kreeft, Peter, and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth, A Handbook of Christian Belief. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Mueller, John Theodore. Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and Laymen. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934.
Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1960.
Samples, Kenneth, Without a Doubt—Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions, Baker Books,1984.
Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1971.
Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
[1] Kenneth Samples, The Trinity: One What and Three Whos, 2007.
[2] Robert M. Bowman Jr., Orthodoxy and Heresy: A Biblical Guide to Doctrinal Discernment. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992.
[3] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York:HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., p.162.
[4] In 1054 the filioque clause was added to the creed. This brought about the schism or division between the western church with its base in Rome, and the eastern church with its base in Constantinople. The two branches, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, remain split today. The split was caused mostly because the clause was added by the Roman Catholic pope without consultation with the Eastern church.
The Heart of It All: The Trinity (Part 1)
by Peter Amsterdam
In the first two articles of The Heart of It All series we saw that the New Testament reveals the deity of Jesus, that Jesus is God.
In reading the verses quoted in those sections, it’s clear that besides Jesus—God the Son—there is also the Father who is God, as Jesus prays to the Father, does the Father’s will, etc. The Bible also speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is God as well.
One God, three Persons
For the uninitiated, the impression could be that Christianity believes in three Gods—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But that’s not the case. Christians believe that there is only one God. The doctrine that explains the concept of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God is called the doctrine of the Trinity.
This doctrine explains that God has always existed as three persons in one being. This is very different from humans, as we exist as one person in one being—we are uni-personal. God exists as a tri-personal being—three persons, each distinct from the other, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and yet is one being. While God is tri-personal, each of the persons is fully God, having all of the attributes and the complete essence of God. (For more on the attributes of God, see The Heart of It All series "The Nature and Character of God.")
Theologian Louis Berkhof wrote that the word “person” is an imperfect expression of the idea, because today it denotes a separate rational and moral individual. Christian philosopher Kenneth Samples concurs. “The three persons of the Trinity should not be understood as three ‘parts’ or ‘fractions’ of God. Each person is fully divine and equally possesses all of God’s being … the term ‘person’ in reference to the Trinity is used in a unique sense and should not be understood to refer to a separate entity or being, for this would divide the divine essence.”[1]
Our experience as human beings is that where you have a person, you also have a distinct individual essence. Every person we know is a distinct and separate entity, in whom human nature is individualized. But in God there aren’t three individuals alongside of, and separate from, one another. Rather, there is one divine being, one essence, with three personal self-distinctions.
Another way to put it is that in the being of God, the three distinct Persons have an interpersonal relationship. They communicate and have interaction with one another. In Scripture you have the Father addressing the Son as You:
You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.[2]
You also have the Son referring to the Father as He, and showing communication between them:
For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.[3]
You have an example of the Son calling Himself I, and differentiating Himself from both the Father and the Holy Spirit:
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.[4]
Thus God, who is tri-personal, has interaction and a personal relationship between the different Persons within the being of God.
I particularly like how Christian philosopher and author William Lane Craig describes the Trinity in one of his lectures:
Just like I, as a being, support one center of self-consciousness, which I call I or me, God is a being that supports three centers of self-consciousness. God is a being with three centers of self-consciousness, three I’s or selves. Thus God’s being supports three persons.[5]
The concept of three persons in one God was not something that was explicitly expressed in the Old Testament, though there are Old Testament verses which infer that there is more than one person in God. The understanding of the three persons in one God became clearer in the New Testament because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers. The followers of Jesus came to understand that He was God, but was distinct from the Father, and that the Holy Spirit was also God, but was distinct from the Father and the Son. So it was in New Testament times that the truth of the Trinity unfolded and was revealed.
Developing and articulating the understanding of this doctrine was done progressively in early church history, and that will be more thoroughly explained in the next article on this topic. Although the word Trinity doesn’t appear within the biblical text, Scripture reveals the doctrine, and the word Trinity conveys the concept.
Concept of the Trinity in the Old Testament
While the Old Testament does not reveal that God is a triune being, some Old Testament passages do speak in a manner that suggests that God is more than one Person.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”[6]
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”[7]
“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”[8]
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”[9]
In these next verses, also from the Old Testament, the speaker is either God the Father or God the Son, and they make reference to each other or to the Spirit, again inferring different persons in the Godhead.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Surely you know![10]
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him![11]
“Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.[12]
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.[13]
One of the great scriptures from Torah—the five books of Moses, corresponding to the first five books of the Christian Old Testament—which is fundamental to Judaism is:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.[14]
Judaism is a monotheistic religion which believes there is only one God. This belief was by and large unique to Israel in the time of the Old Testament, as virtually all cultures in the region were polytheistic, including all of Israel’s neighbors throughout history until the time of Christ.
Christianity is monotheistic as well. Christians believe there is only one God, and affirm this same Bible verse, “the Lord our God is one Lord.” However, unlike Judaism, Christians believe in the tri-personal God, three persons in one Being.
Augustine and Trinity logic
Augustine (354–430 AD), one of the greatest figures of Christianity in the western part of the Roman Empire, and considered the most important Christian writer next to the Apostle Paul, summarized the fundamental logic of the Trinity in seven short statements. These statements are:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
There is only one God.
The first three statements express that each member of the Trinity is God. The second three statements assert that each member of the Trinity is distinct one from another. The last statement declares that there is only one God.
While all of this may be difficult to fully understand, if we build from Augustine’s foundational seven statements, it’s plain to see that the Bible lays out the case for the Trinity—three distinct persons as one God.
The Father is God.
The following verses express that the Father is God:
You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.[15]
Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting.[16]
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.[17]
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.[18]
He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.[19]
John chapter 17 is a prayer that Jesus prays to the Father, showing that He considered the Father as God.
The Son is God.
The following verses express that Jesus is God:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.[20]
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.[21]
He [Jesus/Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by 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. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.[22]
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.[23]
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.[24]
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.[25]
The Holy Spirit is God.
The following verses express that the Holy Spirit is God:
In the book of Acts, Peter says that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”[26]
Psalm 139 shows that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, something that only God is.
Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.[27]
1 Corinthians 2 shows the Holy Spirit as omniscient, knowing everything, one of the attributes of God alone.
These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.[28]
This verse states that as a human is the only one who knows what goes on in his mind and spirit—that his inner thoughts are known only to him—similarly the inner thoughts of God are only known to God Himself, thus showing that the Spirit of God is God, since the Spirit of God comprehends the thoughts of God.
This next verse shows that the Holy Spirit was present from before the creation of the world, and played a role in some manner:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.[29]
The following verses show the Holy Spirit working along with Jesus in our lives as Christians.
You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.[30]
Jesus told His disciples that:
The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.[31]
Three distinct Persons
In 2 Corinthians, Paul lists the three persons of the Trinity in a manner that shows they are distinct from one another.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.[32]
Jesus, just before ascending into heaven, commands the disciples to baptize in the name of each person of the Trinity, thus showing He saw them all as equal, all as God.
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.[33]
The way the New Testament authors refer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shows their distinctness—that they are different from one another and that they interact in ways that show they are not the same person. For example, Jesus asks the Father to send the Spirit, which shows three different Persons interacting together.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.[34]
All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.[35]
When Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”[36]
Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.[37]
These verses help to show that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct one from another.
One God
Augustine’s last statement is “There is one God.”
Both the Old and New Testaments, as well as Jesus Himself, affirm that there is only one God.
One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”[38]
That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.[39]
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no god.[40]
There is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. … Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.[41]
Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.[42]
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”[43]
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder![44]
Augustine’s statements, which are based on Scripture, make it clear that God is three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—that they are distinct from each other, and that there is only one God.
While his statements may explain the fundamental logic of the Trinity, that doesn’t make it understandable. In truth, the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being one God is impossible for us as humans to completely understand. We have nothing like it in our world. It’s completely beyond our experience. That might be disconcerting, but it’s also consistent with our belief that an all-powerful, all-knowing creator God exists. As He reveals Himself to us, it stands to reason that understanding some aspects of Him might be beyond our human experience and understanding. So if you feel you can’t fully understand it, don’t worry about it. The important things are to know that there is one God, that there are three Persons in God, that God loves you and Jesus died for your salvation, and that the Holy Spirit is with you as a helper and counselor.
When speaking of the Trinity, theologian A. W. Tozer stated, “The doctrine of the Trinity … is truth for the heart. The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor. Such a truth had to be revealed; no one could imagine it.”[45]
The apostles and disciples—who were all Jewish and who had all their lives believed there was only one God, and for whom believing otherwise was blasphemy—came to understand, especially after His resurrection, that Jesus, this man they knew and lived with, was God. They knew He wasn’t God the Father, but that He was God. Once Jesus had ascended into heaven and the promised Holy Spirit powerfully came into their lives at Pentecost, these same men came to understand the Holy Spirit as God, yet they knew that the Spirit was neither the Father nor the Son.
The writers of the New Testament understood, accepted, and wrote in terms of one God, and of the distinct persons of the Godhead. The early church believed it, and Christians today believe it. It’s at the heart of our faith.
The next part of this series will cover other aspects of the Trinity.
Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions frequently cited are The New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New King James Version (NKJV), and the King James Version (KJV).
Bibliography
Barth, Karl. The Doctrine of the Word of God, Vol.1 Part 2. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010.
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
Cary, Phillip. The History of Christian Theology, Lecture Series. Lectures 11, 12. Chantilly: The Teaching Company, 2008.
Cottrell, Jack. What the Bible Says about God the Redeemer. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000.
Craig, William Lane. The Doctrine of Christ, Defenders Series Lecture.
Garrett Jr., James Leo. Systematic Theology, Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Vol. 1. N. Richland Hills: BIBAL Press, 2000.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Kreeft, Peter, and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth, A Handbook of Christian Belief. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Mueller, John Theodore. Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and Laymen. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934.
Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1960.
Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1971.
Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
[1] Kenneth Samples, What the Trinity Is and Isn’t—Part 1, 2007.
[2] Mark 1:11.
[3] John 5:20.
[4] John 15:26.
[5] William Lane Craig, The Doctrine of the Trinity 1, Defenders Series Lecture.
[6] Genesis 1:26.
[7] Genesis 3:22.
[8] Genesis 11:7.
[9] Isaiah 6:8.
[10] Proverbs 30:4.
[11] Psalm 2:12 NASB.
[12] Isaiah 48:16.
[13] Isaiah 61:1.
[14] Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV.
[15] Psalm 89:26.
[16] Isaiah 63:16 KJV.
[17] Matthew 6:9 KJV.
[18] Ephesians 4:6 KJV.
[19] 2 Peter 1:17 KJV.
[20] John 1:1–3.
[21] John 8:58 KJV.
[22] Colossians 1:15–20 NIV.
[23] Colossians 2:9 NIV.
[24] Hebrews 1:1–3 NIV.
[25] John 1:18 NASB.
[26] Acts 5:3–4 NIV.
[27] Psalm 139:7–10.
[28] 1 Corinthians 2:10–11.
[29] Genesis 1:2 NIV.
[30] 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV.
[31] John 14:26 NIV.
[32] 2 Corinthians 13:14.
[33] Matthew 28:19.
[34] John 14:16–17.
[35] Matthew 11:27.
[36] Matthew 3:16–17.
[37] John 7:39.
[38] Mark 12:28–29.
[39] 1 Kings 8:60.
[40] Isaiah 45:5.
[41] Isaiah 45:21–22.
[42] Romans 3:29–30.
[43] 1 Corinthians 8:4.
[44] James 2:19.
[45] Tozer, A. W., The Knowledge of the Holy, NY: HarperCollins, 1961. p.18.
In the first two articles of The Heart of It All series we saw that the New Testament reveals the deity of Jesus, that Jesus is God.
In reading the verses quoted in those sections, it’s clear that besides Jesus—God the Son—there is also the Father who is God, as Jesus prays to the Father, does the Father’s will, etc. The Bible also speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is God as well.
One God, three Persons
For the uninitiated, the impression could be that Christianity believes in three Gods—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But that’s not the case. Christians believe that there is only one God. The doctrine that explains the concept of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God is called the doctrine of the Trinity.
This doctrine explains that God has always existed as three persons in one being. This is very different from humans, as we exist as one person in one being—we are uni-personal. God exists as a tri-personal being—three persons, each distinct from the other, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and yet is one being. While God is tri-personal, each of the persons is fully God, having all of the attributes and the complete essence of God. (For more on the attributes of God, see The Heart of It All series "The Nature and Character of God.")
Theologian Louis Berkhof wrote that the word “person” is an imperfect expression of the idea, because today it denotes a separate rational and moral individual. Christian philosopher Kenneth Samples concurs. “The three persons of the Trinity should not be understood as three ‘parts’ or ‘fractions’ of God. Each person is fully divine and equally possesses all of God’s being … the term ‘person’ in reference to the Trinity is used in a unique sense and should not be understood to refer to a separate entity or being, for this would divide the divine essence.”[1]
Our experience as human beings is that where you have a person, you also have a distinct individual essence. Every person we know is a distinct and separate entity, in whom human nature is individualized. But in God there aren’t three individuals alongside of, and separate from, one another. Rather, there is one divine being, one essence, with three personal self-distinctions.
Another way to put it is that in the being of God, the three distinct Persons have an interpersonal relationship. They communicate and have interaction with one another. In Scripture you have the Father addressing the Son as You:
You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.[2]
You also have the Son referring to the Father as He, and showing communication between them:
For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.[3]
You have an example of the Son calling Himself I, and differentiating Himself from both the Father and the Holy Spirit:
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.[4]
Thus God, who is tri-personal, has interaction and a personal relationship between the different Persons within the being of God.
I particularly like how Christian philosopher and author William Lane Craig describes the Trinity in one of his lectures:
Just like I, as a being, support one center of self-consciousness, which I call I or me, God is a being that supports three centers of self-consciousness. God is a being with three centers of self-consciousness, three I’s or selves. Thus God’s being supports three persons.[5]
The concept of three persons in one God was not something that was explicitly expressed in the Old Testament, though there are Old Testament verses which infer that there is more than one person in God. The understanding of the three persons in one God became clearer in the New Testament because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers. The followers of Jesus came to understand that He was God, but was distinct from the Father, and that the Holy Spirit was also God, but was distinct from the Father and the Son. So it was in New Testament times that the truth of the Trinity unfolded and was revealed.
Developing and articulating the understanding of this doctrine was done progressively in early church history, and that will be more thoroughly explained in the next article on this topic. Although the word Trinity doesn’t appear within the biblical text, Scripture reveals the doctrine, and the word Trinity conveys the concept.
Concept of the Trinity in the Old Testament
While the Old Testament does not reveal that God is a triune being, some Old Testament passages do speak in a manner that suggests that God is more than one Person.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”[6]
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”[7]
“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”[8]
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”[9]
In these next verses, also from the Old Testament, the speaker is either God the Father or God the Son, and they make reference to each other or to the Spirit, again inferring different persons in the Godhead.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Surely you know![10]
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him![11]
“Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.[12]
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.[13]
One of the great scriptures from Torah—the five books of Moses, corresponding to the first five books of the Christian Old Testament—which is fundamental to Judaism is:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.[14]
Judaism is a monotheistic religion which believes there is only one God. This belief was by and large unique to Israel in the time of the Old Testament, as virtually all cultures in the region were polytheistic, including all of Israel’s neighbors throughout history until the time of Christ.
Christianity is monotheistic as well. Christians believe there is only one God, and affirm this same Bible verse, “the Lord our God is one Lord.” However, unlike Judaism, Christians believe in the tri-personal God, three persons in one Being.
Augustine and Trinity logic
Augustine (354–430 AD), one of the greatest figures of Christianity in the western part of the Roman Empire, and considered the most important Christian writer next to the Apostle Paul, summarized the fundamental logic of the Trinity in seven short statements. These statements are:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
There is only one God.
The first three statements express that each member of the Trinity is God. The second three statements assert that each member of the Trinity is distinct one from another. The last statement declares that there is only one God.
While all of this may be difficult to fully understand, if we build from Augustine’s foundational seven statements, it’s plain to see that the Bible lays out the case for the Trinity—three distinct persons as one God.
The Father is God.
The following verses express that the Father is God:
You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.[15]
Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting.[16]
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.[17]
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.[18]
He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.[19]
John chapter 17 is a prayer that Jesus prays to the Father, showing that He considered the Father as God.
The Son is God.
The following verses express that Jesus is God:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.[20]
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.[21]
He [Jesus/Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by 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. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.[22]
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.[23]
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.[24]
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.[25]
The Holy Spirit is God.
The following verses express that the Holy Spirit is God:
In the book of Acts, Peter says that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”[26]
Psalm 139 shows that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, something that only God is.
Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.[27]
1 Corinthians 2 shows the Holy Spirit as omniscient, knowing everything, one of the attributes of God alone.
These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.[28]
This verse states that as a human is the only one who knows what goes on in his mind and spirit—that his inner thoughts are known only to him—similarly the inner thoughts of God are only known to God Himself, thus showing that the Spirit of God is God, since the Spirit of God comprehends the thoughts of God.
This next verse shows that the Holy Spirit was present from before the creation of the world, and played a role in some manner:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.[29]
The following verses show the Holy Spirit working along with Jesus in our lives as Christians.
You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.[30]
Jesus told His disciples that:
The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.[31]
Three distinct Persons
In 2 Corinthians, Paul lists the three persons of the Trinity in a manner that shows they are distinct from one another.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.[32]
Jesus, just before ascending into heaven, commands the disciples to baptize in the name of each person of the Trinity, thus showing He saw them all as equal, all as God.
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.[33]
The way the New Testament authors refer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shows their distinctness—that they are different from one another and that they interact in ways that show they are not the same person. For example, Jesus asks the Father to send the Spirit, which shows three different Persons interacting together.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.[34]
All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.[35]
When Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”[36]
Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.[37]
These verses help to show that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct one from another.
One God
Augustine’s last statement is “There is one God.”
Both the Old and New Testaments, as well as Jesus Himself, affirm that there is only one God.
One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”[38]
That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.[39]
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no god.[40]
There is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. … Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.[41]
Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.[42]
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”[43]
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder![44]
Augustine’s statements, which are based on Scripture, make it clear that God is three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—that they are distinct from each other, and that there is only one God.
While his statements may explain the fundamental logic of the Trinity, that doesn’t make it understandable. In truth, the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being one God is impossible for us as humans to completely understand. We have nothing like it in our world. It’s completely beyond our experience. That might be disconcerting, but it’s also consistent with our belief that an all-powerful, all-knowing creator God exists. As He reveals Himself to us, it stands to reason that understanding some aspects of Him might be beyond our human experience and understanding. So if you feel you can’t fully understand it, don’t worry about it. The important things are to know that there is one God, that there are three Persons in God, that God loves you and Jesus died for your salvation, and that the Holy Spirit is with you as a helper and counselor.
When speaking of the Trinity, theologian A. W. Tozer stated, “The doctrine of the Trinity … is truth for the heart. The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor. Such a truth had to be revealed; no one could imagine it.”[45]
The apostles and disciples—who were all Jewish and who had all their lives believed there was only one God, and for whom believing otherwise was blasphemy—came to understand, especially after His resurrection, that Jesus, this man they knew and lived with, was God. They knew He wasn’t God the Father, but that He was God. Once Jesus had ascended into heaven and the promised Holy Spirit powerfully came into their lives at Pentecost, these same men came to understand the Holy Spirit as God, yet they knew that the Spirit was neither the Father nor the Son.
The writers of the New Testament understood, accepted, and wrote in terms of one God, and of the distinct persons of the Godhead. The early church believed it, and Christians today believe it. It’s at the heart of our faith.
The next part of this series will cover other aspects of the Trinity.
Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions frequently cited are The New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New King James Version (NKJV), and the King James Version (KJV).
Bibliography
Barth, Karl. The Doctrine of the Word of God, Vol.1 Part 2. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010.
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
Cary, Phillip. The History of Christian Theology, Lecture Series. Lectures 11, 12. Chantilly: The Teaching Company, 2008.
Cottrell, Jack. What the Bible Says about God the Redeemer. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000.
Craig, William Lane. The Doctrine of Christ, Defenders Series Lecture.
Garrett Jr., James Leo. Systematic Theology, Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Vol. 1. N. Richland Hills: BIBAL Press, 2000.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Kreeft, Peter, and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth, A Handbook of Christian Belief. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Mueller, John Theodore. Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and Laymen. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934.
Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1960.
Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1971.
Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
[1] Kenneth Samples, What the Trinity Is and Isn’t—Part 1, 2007.
[2] Mark 1:11.
[3] John 5:20.
[4] John 15:26.
[5] William Lane Craig, The Doctrine of the Trinity 1, Defenders Series Lecture.
[6] Genesis 1:26.
[7] Genesis 3:22.
[8] Genesis 11:7.
[9] Isaiah 6:8.
[10] Proverbs 30:4.
[11] Psalm 2:12 NASB.
[12] Isaiah 48:16.
[13] Isaiah 61:1.
[14] Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV.
[15] Psalm 89:26.
[16] Isaiah 63:16 KJV.
[17] Matthew 6:9 KJV.
[18] Ephesians 4:6 KJV.
[19] 2 Peter 1:17 KJV.
[20] John 1:1–3.
[21] John 8:58 KJV.
[22] Colossians 1:15–20 NIV.
[23] Colossians 2:9 NIV.
[24] Hebrews 1:1–3 NIV.
[25] John 1:18 NASB.
[26] Acts 5:3–4 NIV.
[27] Psalm 139:7–10.
[28] 1 Corinthians 2:10–11.
[29] Genesis 1:2 NIV.
[30] 1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV.
[31] John 14:26 NIV.
[32] 2 Corinthians 13:14.
[33] Matthew 28:19.
[34] John 14:16–17.
[35] Matthew 11:27.
[36] Matthew 3:16–17.
[37] John 7:39.
[38] Mark 12:28–29.
[39] 1 Kings 8:60.
[40] Isaiah 45:5.
[41] Isaiah 45:21–22.
[42] Romans 3:29–30.
[43] 1 Corinthians 8:4.
[44] James 2:19.
[45] Tozer, A. W., The Knowledge of the Holy, NY: HarperCollins, 1961. p.18.
