Trinity

The Trinity is one God revealed in three persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Hebrews were living among pagans who worshiped many gods. Our fatherly God warned them against such worship. Therefore, they memorized and frequently recited these words, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” [1] The Hebrew word for “One” in this passage is not “yachid” that means a solitary one. It is the Hebrew word, “echad” which is used most often as a unified one.

“The two shall become one flesh.” [2] The one here is echad. Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one.” [3] Jesus said to the Father, “The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” [4] God’s desire is to bring us into oneness with Him. We talk about the body of Christ as being one.

Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon wrote, “The Son the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are like two hands of God to mold us into His image.” The Father uses His Word and Spirit to mold us into His likeness.

The Father sends His Word [Jesus] by His breath [the Spirit]. The Hebrew word for Spirit can also be translated as breath. The Bible connects God’s breath with His Spirit. [5] Jesus breathed His Spirit on the disciples. [6] The breath of God brought the first Adam to life. His breath brought the new Adam to life: the Church.

Jesus is referred to as the Word of God twice in the New Testament. [7]

The Triune God is revealed to us in the three Old Testament “US” verses: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.” “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” [8] This is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit conversing within Himself.

The Triune God is revealed to us in the Hebrew name for God [Elohim]. Elohim occurs over 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Elohim is grammatically plural rather than singular. The -im suffix in Hebrew indicates the plural form.

The Triune God is revealed to us in an Old Testament prophecy: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” [9] The Holy Spirit is the Wonderful Counselor. The Everlasting Father is our Heavenly Father. Jesus the Son is the Prince of Peace. Three-in-One the Mighty God!

The Triune God is revealed in the Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” [10]

We should teach people about the Triune God because He is relevant to their life. We have a clear mandate from God to reveal Him to others. There is no eternal life apart from a revelation of God.

The Trinitarian message is God revealing Himself to us as a community for our sake. The Trinitarian message is about God graciously opening His heart and home to us. The Triune God is relational.

Our Triune God helps us exist as people in communion with Him and His followers. God is a Community-in-Love, where each of the three Persons pours His life out for the other. Jesus honored the Father and Father honored Him. Jesus spoke of the Spirit as His Spirit and also the Spirit of the Father.

We should only trust those who profess faith in the Trinity:

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

This is how we know that we live in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God.” [11]

Jesus is called the Savior of the world. God says there is no Savior besides Him, meaning that Christ and the Father are One. “I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.” [12]

Jesus Christ is both God and man: “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).” [13] Paul regards Jesus has more than a man and also equal to Father God. Paul met Jesus after He ascended to the Father. He met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

The Trinity is one God revealed in three persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[1] Deuteronomy 6:4
[2] Genesis 2:24
[3] John 10:30
[4] John 17:22
[5] Genesis 2:7
[6] John 20:22
[7] John 1:1; Revelation 19:13
[8] Genesis 1:26; 3:22; Isaiah 6:8
[9] Isaiah 9:6
[10] Matthew 28:19-20
[11] 1 John 4:1-3, 5-6, 13-15
[12] Isaiah 43:11
[13] Galatians 1:1