The Trinity
Introduction
Yogi Berra once said “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.”
While Yogi was a legend in the game of baseball, he was never known as a whiz at mathematics.
Theologians aren’t known for their mathematical skills either. Especially those who believe and teach the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. After all, critics of that doctrine argue, anybody who believes in the Trinity believes that “one plus one plus one equals one.”
Is that what the Trinity is? Is that what Christians believe?
Other critics of the Trinity say that Christians are polytheistic and worship three gods.
Is that what the Trinity is? Is that what Christians believe?
Frankly, many Christians would have problems explaining what they believe about the Trinity, much less defend what they believe. Even though the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines in all of Christianity, many preachers have rarely—if ever—preached or taught on it.
Maybe it’s because it’s so difficult to understand. As someone once said, “You can’t unscrew the inscrutable.”
Definition
Here are a few definitions to get us started.
“There is one God. This one God has a plural nature. This one God is called the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, all distinct personalities, all designated God. We are therefore led to the conclusion that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God, the doctrine of the Trinity.” Josh McDowell
“Within the unity of the one God there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and these three share the same nature and attributes. In effect, the three persons are the one God…coequal in power, nature and eternity.” Walter R. Martin
From these definitions we see the following in the doctrine of the Trinity:
God is one.
Each of the persons within the Godhead is deity.
The oneness of God and the threeness of God are not contradictory.
The Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is eternal.
Each of the persons of God is of the same essence and is not inferior or superior to the others in essence.
The Trinity is a mystery which is impossible to fully understand.
Hard To Understand
At first glance it’s easy to see why non-Christians criticize this doctrine. It doesn’t seem to make sense. Even to some of history’s greatest thinkers and theologians.
Augustine, an early church leader, spent several years trying to understand the doctrine of the Trinity. One day, while he was deep in thought, Augustine was walking along the beach and saw a little boy with a bucket running back and forth pouring water into a small hole. Augustine asked him what he was doing and the boy said that he was trying to put the ocean into the hole he had dug. Augustine later said that that’s when he realized that he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite mind.
The doctrine of the Trinity isn’t easy for the finite human mind to grasp.
Yet, there are other spiritual truths that we struggle with.
For instance, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that God wrote the Bible. On the other hand Luke 1:1-4 says that a man, Luke, wrote that part of the Bible. Which is true? The correct answer is that BOTH God and man wrote Scripture. How can that be? Only God can explain it.
Scripture also says that God sovereignly calls those who will be saved. No one is saved that isn’t called. Yet those who are not called will be held accountable and suffer the wrath of God. How can that be? Only God can reconcile His sovereignty and our responsibility. It’s a mystery.
Augustus Strong reminds us that humans struggle to understand non-spiritual things as well:
“Physicists have never finally and perfectly resolved the question of the nature of light. One theory says that it is waves. The other says it is quanta, little bundles of energy as it were. Logically it cannot be both. Yet, to account for all the data, one must hold both theories simultaneously. As one physics major put it: ‘On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we think of light as waves; on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we think of it as particles of energy.’”
Strong’s point is that we accept all kinds of things without fully understanding them. Many would have trouble explaining the intricacies of electricity, but continue to use it and advocate its usage.
Compared to ignorant and unreasoning animals, the human mind is a wonderful and powerful thing. Compared to God’s wisdom, however, man gets his comeuppance.
1Cor. 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Isa. 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
As human beings, we have to accept our limitations. Does that mean we give up and don’t even try to understand? Not at all.
Analogies
Even though we can’t totally grasp this doctrine, we’ve got to try and understand it. One way to try and get a handle on the Trinity is to look for some analogies.
Some people have described the Trinity using the analogy of an egg, with its yolk, its white and its shell.
The illustration is not a particularly good one, however, since the three parts of an egg are not individually an egg.
Others have compared the Trinity to water which may be liquid, solid or gas. This isn’t adequate either, because unlike the three members of the Trinity which are all fully God at all times, water can’t exist in all three states simultaneously.
Still others have said the Trinity is like a person who has three roles. For instance, the author of this article was a writer during a specific period of time. Shortly after that his role changed to a husband and still later to a father. This analogy isn’t a good one either, since it essentially says that there is one person who has multiple roles. In contrast, the Trinity has three distinct and separate persons, not one who is manifested in different ways.
While illustrations of this complex spiritual truth are hard to come by and fall short of doing the Trinity justice, there does appear to be an analogy in the natural world.
D. James Kennedy explains:
“…The universe consists of space, time and matter—these three, no more…Each of these is absolutely essential. Without any one of these we have no universe as we know it. Further…each of these is, in itself, triune. Space consists of length, breadth, and height—these three, no more; …each one is essential, or else we can have no space at all….Time consists of past, present and future—these three, no more; that from one perspective or another all time is past, all present and all future…Matter itself consists of energy—tiny swirling electrons and protons—energy in motion, producing phenomena, such as hardness, or coldness or softness, color, or whatever. So we see that we live in a triune universe, which bears upon it the fingerprints of the triune God.”
Doctrinal Importance
While it’s a mind-boggling concept, the doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith.
Kennedy goes on to say this:
“If we fail to understand the Trinity, we cannot possibly understand the Christian religion. In fact, a misunderstanding of the Trinity will inevitably distort every other doctrine of the Christian religion: we will be found grossly at fault in our understanding of the person and deity of Christ, of His incarnation, of His substitutionary atonement, of His resurrection, of the doctrine of justification by faith, and of all other similar doctrines.”
Loraine Boettner adds this:
“In the nature of the case, anti-trinitarianism inevitably leads to a radically different system of religion. Historically the Church has always refused to recognize as Christians those who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity.”
Simply put, those who deny the Trinity almost always deny other key Christian doctrines as well, especially that of salvation by grace through faith and the deity of Christ, thereby excluding themselves from God’s kingdom.
In order to worship in spirit and in truth we must have a proper view of God.
Objections
Generally speaking there are five objections to the doctrine of the Trinity. The first two objections will be addressed immediately. The last three will be dealt with a little later in this article.
1. The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible
The first objection cited by critics is that the word “Trinity” (from the Latin word trinitas, meaning threeness) is not in the Bible. That’s a valid observation. There are other widely-accepted Christian terms not found in Scripture, however. “Incarnation,” “rapture” and “substitutionary atonement” are nowhere to be found either. Yet these terms represent great Biblical truths and shouldn’t be discounted simply because theologians and church historians have tried to describe what’s found in Scripture.
While the word “Trinity” itself isn’t found in the Bible, the spiritual truth is there to be found for serious readers. It’s unavoidable as we’ll see in a little while.
Adopting the doctrine of the Trinity is similar to that of formulating a scientific theory. The latter is essentially a reasoned explanation of observed phenomena in the natural world. Likewise, the doctrine of the Trinity is a reasoned explanation of what is observed about what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. In fact, Scriptural evidence for the Trinity is so prevalent that early Church fathers, councils, theologians and denominations have universally accepted it.
D. James Kennedy says this:
“It is not found in some few isolated texts here and there but it is pervasive; it is found in hundreds of texts from Genesis to Revelation. From the first chapter of the Bible to the last chapter of the Bible, God reveals Himself to us as the triune God.”
Outside of Scripture, however, humans probably wouldn’t be aware of the Trinity. While we can see the triune nature of the universe, it’s doubtful whether we could ever make that leap.
2. The doctrine of the Trinity wasn’t formulated until late in history.
The second objection to the Trinity is that it took the Church so long to formulate the doctrine. One reason that’s true is that the doctrine isn’t explicitly stated. It’s implicit. In other words, one has to read and study Scripture in order to observe what God is like. There’s no place in the Bible that identifies and discusses the Trinity. We have to read the Bible in order to get the big picture and how everything interrelates. And reading and studying systematically takes diligence and time.
Other reasons the doctrine took so long to be formulated was because the Church was preocuppied with agreeing on canon, organizing itself, and surviving in a hostile world. There wasn’t much time for systematic study of Scripture, where the doctrine is most evident.
Tertullian first coined the word “Trinity” in the second century, and formal statements about the doctrine were written after that following conflicts with Judaism and paganism. These statements were developed in response to numerous heresies about the nature of God during that time.
The historic creeds from early church history clearly and concisely illustrate the early church’s belief in the Trinity. For instance, the Creed of Nicaea in A.D. 325 affirmed the deity of Jesus Christ and separate personhood from God the Father:
“We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father as only begotten, Light from Light true God from true God, begotten not created.”
Meanwhile, the Constantinopolitan Creed of A.D. 381 affirms the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit. It also makes a clear distinction between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
“(We believe) in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Life-giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and Son.”
There’s plenty of evidence that individual church fathers believed in the Trinity as well. Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origin and Augustine all documented their belief in the Trinity, especially the deity of Jesus Christ.
Ignoring how the Church fathers responded to the heresies of anti-Trinitarianism with formal statements such as creeds, some critics argue that the Trinity is actually the product of paganistic views.
Here’s what Walter Martin says on that subject:
“Trinitarian theology was not derived from pagan sources. It was derived from biblical passages where honest, godly men said ‘Hey, 2 Peter says there is a person called the Father, and he’s God. And Acts chapter 5 says there is a person called the Spirit, and he’s God. And John 1 says there’s a person called the Word and he’s God.’ You’ve got three persons, and Deuteronomy 6 says, ‘There is only one God.’ Logical conclusion: The three persons, somehow, are the one God. That’s how Trinitarian theology started. Not with the pagans.”
3. Christians worship many gods.
Critics of the Trinity also argue that the doctrine means Christians are polytheistic. That is, they worship many gods.
Here’s what Henry M. Morris says about that objection:
“True Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity: God is manifest in three divine persons—Father, Son and Spirit. We do not believe in three gods (that would be polytheism) but one God. Yet each of the three distinct persons is fully and eternally that one God.”
The Christian conviction that there’s only one God will be explored more in a little while.
4. The three members of the Trinity aren’t persons.
Another common reason for rejecting this doctrine is denying that one or members of the Trinity is a real person, particularly the Holy Spirit. Critics argue that He is some mystical force or a manifestation of God.
We’ll explore the characteristics of personhood and apply them to each member of the Trinity later in this article.
5. The three members of the Trinity aren’t all divine.
Finally, the stumbling block for most people who deny the Trinity is the deity of Jesus Christ. To them He is nothing but a created being, a man. A good man to be sure, but not God Himself. Almost five million Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are included in this group.
Others have no problem accepting the deity of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, they deny the deity of the Father and the Holy Spirit. The four million members of a movement called Oneness Pentecostalism believe that only Jesus is God, and that God is not a plurality of persons. They believe that Biblical references to Father and Holy Spirit are only manifestations of the one God, most correctly known as Jesus. Because of their emphasis on the name of Jesus, many Christians have difficulty identifying the movement’s denial of the doctrine of the Trinity.
Having dealt with the first two objections to the Trinity, now we’re ready to answer the final three in much more depth.
Do Christians worship one God or many gods?
Are Father, Son and Holy Spirit all persons?
Are Father, Son and Holy Spirit all deity?
The rest of this article will respond to these three objections.
One God
Bruce R. McConkie, a Mormon, has this to say on the subject of the existence of numerous gods:
“As pertaining to this universe, there are three Gods: the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. To us, speaking in the proper finite sense, these three are the only Gods we worship. But in addition there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who have passed on to exaltation (that is, Godhood) and are thus gods.”
Unlike the numerous polytheistic religions and cults, Christians do not believe in three gods. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God. Let’s look at the Old Testament first.
Old Testament
Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Deut. 4:35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.
Isa. 44:6 “This is what the LORD says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Isa. 43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Old Testament teaching about the one true God is also evident in the first two Commandments.
Exod. 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Exod. 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
God says the Israelites are not to worship any other (so-called) gods. He goes on to say that worshiping anything other than Him is idolatry and forbidden. The Old Testament affirms monotheism, not polytheism. In other words, it says that there is only one God.
New Testament
The New Testament has a lot to say on the subject of how many gods there are as well.
1Tim. 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1Tim. 2:5 1Tim. 2:5 For there is one God…
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good!
1Cor. 8:4 …We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
The Bible is clear that there is only one God. Worshiping something doesn’t make it divine. There is, by nature, only one true God.
Triune Nature Of God
While there’s only one God, Scripture also says that God is triune in nature. The first hint of the Trinity is found on the first page of the Bible, where God and the Spirit of God are both involved in creation.The Hebrew word for God is Elohim. The plural suffix, “im,” presents a single God who is expressed in the plural.
Gen. 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
A second hint occurs several verses later where the plurality of the Godhead is evident in creation.
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
A few chapters over God again refers to Himself as Us.
Gen. 3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
A similar passage appears in Isaiah.
Isa. 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Critics of the Trinity argue that God was talking to His heavenly host, His angels. But angels cannot create and man was going to be made in the likeness of God, not angelic beings. Also, why does the Bible refer to God in the singular and plural in the same sentence?
Having said that, Old Testament teaching on the Trinity is virtually impossible to see and comprehend. The New Testament brings it into focus, however, with numerous passages, including ones that clearly show the triune nature of God.
For instance, the Trinity is seen clearly in the birth of Jesus.
Luke 1:35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Here’s the “Holy Spirit,” the “Most High”—that is, the Father—and the “Son of God,” Jesus.
The Trinity is also seen in Jesus’ baptism.
Matt. 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
The “Spirit of God”—the Holy Spirit—descends on Jesus and then comes a “voice from heaven,” that is, the Father.
The New Testament has more examples of the Trinity all together in one verse or passage. Here are three more.
John 14:26 But 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.
John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
2Cor. 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Remember those old movies and TV shows where one actor played more than one part, but you rarely saw the two characters in the same shot? And when you did see them together, it was either a stand-in for one of the characters or a hokey looking split screen effect?
That’s not the case in these passages. There’s no trickery or slight of hand. All three members of the Trinity are right here, side by side.
So we see that Scripture says that there’s one God. But we also clearly see God’s triune nature after reading the Bible. The inevitable question is how can this be?
Walter R. Martin offers this explanation:
“It should be kept in mind that the word ‘one’ can denote composite as well as solitary unity. For instance, in Genesis (chapter 2), Adam and Eve are called one flesh; and Numbers (chapter 13) speaks of “one” when the context indicates that was in realty a cluster of grapes hanging from one stem. Here are bona fide instances of composite unity.”
Personhood
As we noted earlier, one of the most common objections to the Trinity is the idea of personhood. Critics claim that one or more members of the Trinity are not really persons. That’s particularly true about the Holy Spirit. Because of that, let’s begin by defining what a person is.
Millard J. Erickson has this to say:
“God is personal. He is an individual being, with self-consciousness and will, capable of feeling, choosing, and having a reciprocal relationship with other personal social beings. That God has personality is indicated in several ways in Scripture. One is the fact that God has a name. …By this he demonstrates that he is not an abstract, unknowable being, or a nameless force. …The great respect accorded to the name is indicative of the personality of God. If a place or object were involved, such respect would not be necessary.”
The God of the Christian Bible has all of the things associated with personality or personhood.
1. He’s alive and self-conscious—He has a name and is described in Scripture with personal pronouns such as He and His. He is never referred to as an “it.”
2. He has intellect—He thinks and reasons.
3. He has a will and He acts upon that will.
4. He displays emotions such as love and wrath.
5. He communicates.
Some non-Christians say that God cannot be described as a person—that that term can only be applied to human beings. They forget, however, that God says in Genesis 1:27 that He created man in His own image. So even though the concept of personhood is an imperfect expression of a difficult truth to be grasped, it shouldn’t be ignored in its application towards the Godhead.
As persons, both God and man are different from things and animals. Only persons have intellect, emotions, a will and the ability to communicate.
In order to refute the argument that one or more members of the Trinity is not a real person, we’ll apply each of the five characteristics of Person hood to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If they are persons, and not things or some kind of spiritualized references to mystical forces, then each should possess all five characteristics of Person hood. The three should be distinct personalities.
Deity
Before we see whether the Trinity consists of three persons, we also need to find a way to see whether the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are divine. There’s no questions that the most common objection to the doctrine is that one or more members of the Trinity are not regarded as deity. In order to argue otherwise, let’s determine what makes God God.
Lets consider five attributes of deity that are exclusive to Him.
1. Eternal: God is eternal. That is, He has always existed and will always exist. God was never born or created and will never die or cease to exist.
2. Holy: Simply put, God is without sin. He doesn’t make mistakes. He’s morally perfect and blameless.
3. Omnipotent: God is all powerful and can do anything and everything. His strength and power are without limit. His omnipotence is especially evident in creation and salvation.
4. Omnipresent: God’s omnipresence means that He is everywhere all at the same time. God cannot and is not confined to any one place.
5. Omniscient: Omniscience has to do with knowing all things. Nothing is hidden from God. He sees and knows everything. It’s impossible to keep a secret from God.
Now that we’ve identified these five attributes of God, the next step is to apply them to each member of the Trinity. In other words, if the Father is God the Bible should show that He is eternal, holy, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. The same should be true of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In order to determine whether each are divine, we’ll see if Scripture shows that all five of these basic—and universally acknowledged—attributes are applicable to each member of the Trinity.
Not only that, we’ll also search for examples of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit’s involvement in salvation, a distinctly supernatural and divine act. Finally, we’ll also look to see if Scripture refers to them as”God,” whether implicitly or explicitly.
Father
We’ll start with the Father. Let’s find out if He’s a person and if He’s God. We’ll start with personhood.
Is the Father a person?
1. He’s alive and self-conscious—He has a name and is described in Scripture with personal pronouns such as He and His.
Hebr. 1:5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father “? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?
John 5:17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”
The Bible describes the Father as very much alive. He’s so conscious of His existence that He’s aware that Jesus has become a man, the son of God. The Father is also described in these and many other passages with personal pronouns.
2. He has intellect—He thinks and reasons.
1Pet. 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
We see here that the Father judges. Thus, we know that the Father thinks and reasons.
3. He has a will and He acts upon that will.
1Pet. 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Mark 14:36 {“Abba}, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Jesus knew that His Father had a will. Scripture also says that the Father chooses humans for salvation. The Father clearly has a will.
4. He displays emotions such as love and wrath.
2Cor. 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Father has feelings. Not only is He compassionate, His love is revealed in the gift of His own son.
5. He communicates.
IIPet. 1:17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
The Father speaks in this passage. Only a thinking person can communicate using words and sentences. And once again we see how the Father loves, an attribute of personhood.
While we could look at many other passages, we see that the Father passes the test for personhood. He’s not a thing.
But is He God?
Is the Father God?
Even though the Father’s deity is rarely if ever disputed, let’s apply the five attributes of God that we discussed earlier in this article.
1. Eternal
John 17:1-3 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
The Father can’t grant eternal life without first possessing it Himself. The Father is eternal.
2. Holy
John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name -the name you gave me -so that they may be one as we are one.
The Father is called holy. That couldn’t be any clearer.
3. Omnipotent
1Cor. 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Rom. 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The Father’s power— His omnipotence—is seen in action. Creating everything from nothing and raising Jesus from the dead illustrates infinite power.
4. Omnipresent
Matt. 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matt. 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The Father sees everything, even if it’s done in secret. He also feeds the birds, regardless of where they are on earth. He’s omnipresent.
5. Omniscient
Matt. 6:31-32 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Eph. 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -
Not only does the Father know what we need, He knew us before we were even born! He knows all things. He’s omniscient.
The Father is involved with salvation.
The Father certainly seems to be divine. But is He involved in salvation?
1Pet. 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
The Father is seen here giving us new birth through the resurrection of Jesus. He’s actively involved in saving sinners like you and me.
The Father is called God.
Finally, let’s see if the Bible literally refers to the Father as God.
1Cor. 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom. 1:7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phil. 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Col. 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Gal. 1:1 Paul, an apostle -sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead -
Col. 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
In summary, the Father is both a person and deity. He’s the first member of the Trinity.
Son
Is the Son a person?
Virtually no one doubts that Jesus was a real person who really lived. Even secular historians acknowledge his personhood. Nevertheless, let’s be consistent and apply the same characteristics of personhood to Jesus that have been applied to the Father and that will be applied later to the Holy Spirit.
There are an abundance of passages that could be cited, but here are just a few.
1. He’s alive and self-conscious—He has a name and is described in Scripture with personal pronouns such as He and His.
Matt. 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
The Lord was born as a human being, given the name Jesus and referred to in this passage as “he.” The son passes this test easily.
2. He has intellect—He thinks and reasons.
Mark 1:21-22 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
One can’t teach what one doesn’t know. Jesus has intellect and is seen here sharing what He knows with others.
3. He has a will and He acts upon that will.
Mark 1:25-27 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching -and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”
There’s no question that Jesus has a will and He imposes that will on others, in this case demons.
4. He displays emotions such as love and wrath.
John 11:32-36 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Jesus loved His friend Lazarus. He also loves us.
5. He communicates.
Mark 1:38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else -to the nearby villages -so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
The son communicates all of the time. When He was here on earth as a man Jesus included preaching in His communication.
Not surprisingly, we’ve seen that Jesus was a real person. But—and this is the most volatile question in all of Christianity—is Jesus Christ also God?
Is the Son God?
In John Ankerberg and John Weldon’s book called “Knowing the Truth About The Trinity,” the authors list what various religions and cults believe about the deity of Jesus Christ. While the groups all claim to “accept and honor” Jesus, the quotes from influential members of their own organizations show otherwise.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
“The incarnation is scripturally erroneous. Indeed, if he (Christ) had been an incarnate being, he could never have redeemed mankind.” Charles Taze Russell
Mormonism
“Christ is the firstborn spirit Son in the eternal family, and while yet in pre-existence he advanced and progressed and became like the Father in power and intelligence; that is, he became a God.” Joseph Smith
Unitarian/Universalism
“They (Unitarian/Universalists) do not regard him as a supernatural creature, the literal son of God who was miraculously sent to earth as part of an involved plan for the salvation of human souls.” Waldemar Argow, Unitarian Universalist minister
Buddhism
“The doctrines of the divinity and the resurrection of Christ are outside the province of rational thought…Christians are schizophrenic…” Daisaku Ikeda
Followers of these religions and cults would do well to read 2 Corinthians 11:4.
2Cor. 11:4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Despite what these non-Christians say about Jesus, however, the Bible teaches that He is God in human flesh.
1. Eternal
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Hebr. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Jesus existed before the world was created. He also never changes. He’s eternal and has always existed and will always exist.
2. Holy
Hebr. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -yet was without sin.
2Cor. 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Mark 1:23-24 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -the Holy One of God!”
Jesus has never sinned. He’s holy and morally perfect.
3. Omnipotent
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Col. 1:16 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.
The Lord’s power couldn’t be stated any more clearly. He’s so powerful—so omnipotent—that He made everything in the universe, seen and unseen.
4. Omnipresent
Col. 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Matt. 28:20 …And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In order to hold everything in the universe together, and in order to be with His disciples to the very end of the age, Jesus must be omnipresent. He’s everywhere all at the same time.
5. Omniscient
Mark 2:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?
John 2:24-25 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
John 21:17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
The Lord reads our minds. He knows what we’re thinking at all times. He’s omniscient.
The Son is involved with salvation.
In addition to having all five of the attributes of deity we identified earlier, Jesus is involved with salvation, something only God Himself can do.
Hebr. 1:3 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.
Matt. 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The Lord Jesus Christ saves people by providing purification for their sins. This is just a handful of the many, many passages that show that the Son is actively involved in salvation.
The Son is called God.
The Son is literally called God.
1John 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true -even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope -the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
2Pet. 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Rom. 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
Phil. 2:5-6 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Col. 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Col. 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Jesus claimed to be God.
Stubborn critics will argue at this point that all of these references to Jesus as God are from others. They say that if Jesus was truly God He would have said so Himself.
While Jesus never used the words “I am God,” however, He didn’t have to. He claimed to be God in human flesh over and over again in the New Testament without ever saying the words “I am God.”
Rev. 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Rev. 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Rev. 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Jesus says He is eternal, claims the title or name reserved only for God—the “Almighty”—and claims to control the destiny of human beings.
In Exodus 3:14 God said this to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” The unbelieving Jews of Jesus’ time were very familiar with God’s self-appointed “name” for Himself. That’s why they reacted so violently to what the Lord said in John 8. They knew Jesus was making a statement about His deity.
John 8:56-59 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
There are other passages where Jesus claims that He’s God but doesn’t use those exact words. His hearers certainly knew what He was saying, though.
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…
John 5:17-18 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Matt. 26:63-65 But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
John 19:7 The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
John 10:28-33 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
The Jews were correct in saying that Jesus was a man, but they refused to believe His claims to being God. In one of the great mysteries of the Bible, the incarnate Christ was 100 percent man and 100 percent God.
The Lord proclaimed His deity in the passage below by displaying supernatural power and forgiving sins.
Mark 2:5-11 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
Jesus goes out of His way to make a point. He wants to make sure those who are watching this interaction with a paralytic know that He forgives sins. He wants them to know that He—Jesus—is God. The Lord’s deity is also evident in John 20.
John 20:25-29 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
In this passage, Jesus doesn’t rebuke Thomas for calling Him Lord and God. In fact, Jesus encourages that opinion of Him to continue into the future. He wants people like us, in the 20th Century, to believe that He is God.
Finally, we see that God the Father Himself says that Jesus is divine.
Hebr. 1:8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
Doctrinal differences are to be expected among sinful human beings, but denying that Jesus is divine means rejecting the most important belief of the Christian faith. A human cannot save the world from sin. Only God can do that.
And as we’ve seen over and over again, the person Jesus is the eternal, holy, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God of the universe.
Holy Spirit
While Jesus’ deity is probably the most volatile dispute in the doctrine of the Trinity (and all of Christianity for that matter), the Holy Spirit is easily the most misunderstood member of the triune God. Some doubt His deity. Others doubt that He’s a real person. Still others express doubt about both. Even some Christians are a little foggy about who and what He is.
Is the Holy Spirit a person?
According to the book “Let God Be True,” Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Holy Spirit is an “invisible active force of the Almighty God that moves his servants to do his will.”
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person, however, not a mystical force.
1. He’s alive and self-conscious—He has a name and is described in Scripture with personal pronouns such as He and His.
John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Notice all of the personal pronouns for the Holy Spirit. “Him” and “He.” An “it” is not described in this way.
2. He has intellect—He thinks and reasons.
Isa. 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
Eph. 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
The Holy Spirit’s intellect is evident in His wisdom. He even shares His wisdom with believers.
3. He has a will and He acts upon that will.
Hebr. 2:4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Acts 16:6-7 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
1Cor. 12:4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
The Spirit clearly has a will. He determines who gets what spiritual gifts, and guides and directs humans in their everyday lives.
4. He displays emotions such as love and wrath.
Hebr. 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Eph. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
Rom. 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
2Cor. 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The Spirit obviously has emotion. He can be insulted, grieved and blesphemed. Scripture also says He loves and wants to have a relationship with believers.
5. He communicates.
John 14:26 But 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.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Hebr. 3:7-9 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.
Acts 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 15:28-29 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Rom. 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Rom. 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
These passages show numerous examples of how the Spirit communicates with believers, the final characteristic of personhood.
As we’ve seen from Scripture, the Holy Spirit has a name and is referred to as “He” and “Him.” The Spirit also thinks, has a will, has emotions and communicates. Since He possesses all of the characteristics of personhood, we have no alternative but to conclude that He’s a person.
But is He God?
Is the Holy Spirit God?
1. Eternal
Hebr. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Gen. 1:2 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.
The Holy Spirit has always existed and always will exist.
2. Holy
Rom. 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. The word Holy is part of His name!
It’s obvious that the Spirit is holy: Scripture literally calls him the “Spirit of holiness” and the “Holy Spirit.”
3. Omnipotent
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Rom. 15:18-19 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
The Spirit’s omnipotence is seen in creation and in signs and miracles.
4. Omnipresent
Ps. 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
The Spirit is everywhere. We couldn’t get away from Him even if we wanted to.
5. Omniscient
Rom. 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
1Cor. 2:10-11 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
The Spirit knows all things. He’s omniscient.
The Holy Spirit is involved with salvation:
The Holy Spirit’s deity is also seen in His involvement with salvation.
He gives eternal life:
John 3:1-7 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
He indwells all believers:
1Cor. 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Rom. 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
He convicts the world of guilt:
John 16:7-11 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
He sanctifies people:
1Pet. 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
2Ths. 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
1Ths. 4:7-8 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Blaspheming Him is the only sin that is not forgiven:
Matt. 12:31-32 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Why or how is this sin the only one that is not forgiven? How could a sin against an impersonal force or manifestation of God result in eternal damnation? An eternal sin must logically come from blaspheming an eternal God: the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is called God.
The Holy Spirit is also referred to as God.
Acts 5:3-4 Then 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.”
In this passage Peter is saying that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God. In other words, to lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God.
Like the Father and Son, we see that the Holy Spirit is both a person and deity. The Holy Spirit is none other than the third member of the Godhead.
Trinity In Action
Even though the Son and Holy Spirit are revealed in Scripture as being subordinate, that does not mean they are inferior. Their subordination refers to their relationship or in function, NOT in nature.
In John 14:28 Jesus said “The Father is greater than I.” Jesus is in no way inferior to the Father except in His voluntary submission during His life as a human being. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is not inferior to the Father or Son in any way.
Suppose the draft was reinstated and people were being called back into the service or into the military for the first time. Let’s say that my friend, Joe, used to be a captain in the Army and he’s drafted and now he’s a captain again. Let’s also say that I’m drafted, but I’ve never been in the service so I start at the bottom as a private. Before we were drafted we were close friends and used to hang around together a lot. But now, while in the Army, he’s a higher rank than I am—he’s a captain and I’m a private. Even though we were equal as civilians and are really still equal—we’re both men, both husbands, both fathers—in our military offices, our roles, Joe is my superior officer. I call him “sir” and do whatever he says. He wasn’t really ever superior to me except in function and office. And I respected our temporary roles. But once our military hitch is up, we’re on equal terms again and resume our friendship.
Likewise, the president of the United States is greater than any of us in position, or in office. But in nature he’s no better than any of us. He’s a human being just like us. But because of his role or office, he has authority over us and we submit to him.
While these analogies are admittedly inadequate, they give us an idea of the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. While Jesus was obedient to the Father, even unto death, He was still fully God and equal to the Father in nature. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is divine and equal with other members of the Trinity.
Conclusion
Let’s summarize what we’ve learned.
The doctrine of the Trinity says that there’s only one God who is triune in nature. The one God consists of three fully equal persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
While impossible for us to fully comprehend, one potential analogy is the observation that the universe is also triune. That is, it consists of time, matter and space.
We must accept the doctrine by faith because that’s what a common sense plain reading of Scripture reveals. The doctrine is foundational to the Christian faith.
While the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible, it’s an attempt to communicate what Scripture teaches. The reason the doctrine took so long to become evident is primarily because it requires time-consuming, systematic Bible study.
Finally, we’ve discovered that all three members of the Trinity are persons, including the Holy Spirit. We’ve also seen that each member of the Trinity is divine. In other words each one of them is God, including Jesus. Together, they make up the one true God who Christians worship.
Before we conclude, let’s look at one more passage that will put all of what we’ve learned into perspective.
How important is the doctrine of the Trinity?
How important is it to saving faith?
How important is it to our everyday lives?
Let’s look at the great commission in Matthew 28.
Matt. 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
It’s important to note that the Greek word “name” used in this passage is singular. Note that the verse doesn’t say in the names of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Instead, it says in the name of, singular. In other words, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while three distinct and separate persons, have only one name.
And that name is God.
So we find the doctrine of the Trinity in the church’s marching orders!
As Christians, our most important duty is to make disciples and to teach them to obey. There can be little doubt that in order to make disciples we MUST teach them about the Trinity.
Do we understand it? Not really. Is it what the Bible teaches? Yes.
One plus one plus one does not equal one. But, one times one times one DOES equal one.