God in Three Persons Blessed Trinity
The Trinity is an essential doctrine of Christianity; however, it is also a grand mystery, which we can apprehend but not comprehend. Attempts to form analogies of the Trinity from nature and human experience ultimately miss the mark. So how are we to understand this doctrine? James White offers this helpful definition: “Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”1 Hank Hanegraaff succinctly puts it: “One What and three Who’s.”2
When speaking of the Trinity, we are communicating three things about God. First, it affirms that there is one God. Moses declares, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4)! Isaiah, likewise, prophesied, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God” (Isa. 45:5).
Second, the doctrine of the Trinity affirms that the one God exists as three coequal and coeternal persons. There is God the Father. He is the one whom we lift up our prayers (Matt. 6:9-13) and from whom all blessings flow (Jas 1:17). There is God the Son—Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38), declared Himself to be God (John 8:58; 10:30, 33), and vindicated His claim through giving up His own life and raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19, 22; 10:17-18; 20:30-31). And there is God the Holy Spirit. His divine activity is displayed in creation (Gen. 1:2; Psa. 104:30), the incarnation (Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35), inspiration (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Paul attributes to the Spirit the divine title of “Lord” (2 Cor. 3:13). Moreover, Peter’s condemnation of Ananias and Sapphira for their scandal, implicit in the apostle’s charge is the idea that lying to the Holy Spirit is on par with lying to God (Acts 5:11).
Third, the doctrine of the Trinity tells us that the three persons are distinct. The Father is neither Son nor the Holy Spirit, the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. An example of the distinct persons in the Godhead can be found in the account of Jesus’ baptism. For example, Matthew writes, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:16-17). So there is Jesus coming out of the water, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and a voice from Heaven. There are also interactions between the three persons, which make them distinct. For example, Jesus prays to the Father (John 17:1ff), and the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-31; 16:5-11).
Finally, the Trinity is the centerpiece of Christian worship. When we come before the God in prayer, we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ taught us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). Paul praises God for blessing His people every spiritual blessing, which includes the election of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:3-14). Elsewhere, the apostle pronounces this benediction; “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). How marvelous is our triune God!
When speaking of the Trinity, we are communicating three things about God. First, it affirms that there is one God. Moses declares, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4)! Isaiah, likewise, prophesied, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God” (Isa. 45:5).
Second, the doctrine of the Trinity affirms that the one God exists as three coequal and coeternal persons. There is God the Father. He is the one whom we lift up our prayers (Matt. 6:9-13) and from whom all blessings flow (Jas 1:17). There is God the Son—Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38), declared Himself to be God (John 8:58; 10:30, 33), and vindicated His claim through giving up His own life and raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19, 22; 10:17-18; 20:30-31). And there is God the Holy Spirit. His divine activity is displayed in creation (Gen. 1:2; Psa. 104:30), the incarnation (Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35), inspiration (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Paul attributes to the Spirit the divine title of “Lord” (2 Cor. 3:13). Moreover, Peter’s condemnation of Ananias and Sapphira for their scandal, implicit in the apostle’s charge is the idea that lying to the Holy Spirit is on par with lying to God (Acts 5:11).
Third, the doctrine of the Trinity tells us that the three persons are distinct. The Father is neither Son nor the Holy Spirit, the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. An example of the distinct persons in the Godhead can be found in the account of Jesus’ baptism. For example, Matthew writes, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:16-17). So there is Jesus coming out of the water, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and a voice from Heaven. There are also interactions between the three persons, which make them distinct. For example, Jesus prays to the Father (John 17:1ff), and the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-31; 16:5-11).
Finally, the Trinity is the centerpiece of Christian worship. When we come before the God in prayer, we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ taught us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). Paul praises God for blessing His people every spiritual blessing, which includes the election of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:3-14). Elsewhere, the apostle pronounces this benediction; “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). How marvelous is our triune God!
Holy, Holy, Holy merciful and mighty; God in three persons blessed Trinity!
- James White, The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1998), 26
- Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book (Nashville, TN: J. Countryman, 2004), 182
Greetings Warren Nozaki
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of the Trinity,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you to reconsider "The Trinity"
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor