All about the Trinity

What You Need to Know About the Trinity

The Trinity: one of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Though sometimes refuted by some, the Scriptures clearly acknowledge its existence. This article explores what the Bible teaches about the Trinity.

What is the Trinity

The Trinity is a word that describes the triune nature of God. Triune means three: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Tri means three, while unity means one — so triunity equals Trinity.

God is one God, eternally revealed in three Persons.

In a limited way, we can relate to this because we ourselves are triune beings — body, soul, and spirit. Though distinct, these are not three humans, but one person, created in the image of God.

While the actual word  Trinity is not contained within the Scriptures, they specifically address these three. For example, Matt 28:19-20 contains part of Jesus’ Great Commission to the disciples before His ascension, where He said:

19 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,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. NIV

Another example is in 1 John 5:7. This chapter addresses the assurance of salvation by faith through the Son (Jesus). Verse 7 reads:

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. KJV

Here we have the three: God the Father, the Word (Jesus, cf. John 1:1, 14), and the Holy Ghost (the Spirit).

Now, let’s look at these three components.

God the Father

God the Father—God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity and serves as its functional head. He is an infinite, personal Spirit.

Let’s look at the acknowledgement of this by Jesus Himself in John 4:24:

24. GOD IS SPIRIT, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Additionally, He has been identified as “Father” from eternity past by Jesus in John 3:16–17. Let’s take a look.

16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Now this is Jesus, acknowledging that He was sent by God the Father to save the world.

He is further acknowledged in the Scriptures in 1 Corinthians 1:3 as Paul opens his epistle to the Corinthians.

3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ^NKJV

God the Father isn’t male nor female but is referenced in Scripture with masculine pronouns. This characterizes His parental closeness to His people as well as His commanding role as God.

God the Father, as head of the Trinity, is considered the author of God’s actions. He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1-2) through the Son and by the Spirit.

He is the origin of every other divine action, such as election, calling, salvation, sanctification, glorification, and others. As it states in Romans 11:36:

36. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

He serves as the source of salvation for all individuals who seek it through Jesus.

God the Son

Now, we turn to God the Son—

God the Son is the second Person of the Trinity, eternally begotten of God the Father as we saw in John 3:16, and sharing the same essence as the Father and the Spirit. Distinct in role and personhood, He is fully God and has always existed. Let’s look at this in John 1:1–2:

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was in the beginning with God.

Ok, “in the beginning was the Word.” This “Word” that John mentioned is God the Son. Now, remember I mentioned this earlier.

“The Word,” or logos (the Greek word), refers to the Son of God’s role in conveying and expressing God the Father. In Hebrew tradition, “the Word” is seen as a creative force, a messenger, and the standard of holiness, while in Greek thought, it represents reason, speech, and the underlying principle of the universe. Both cultures connect logos with origins, showing that creation began through God’s word. Therefore, Jesus, as the logos, reveals God’s mind.

Words convey ideas, and Christ is described as the ultimate revealer of God’s thoughts in Hebrews 1:1-2:

1. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2. has in these last days spoken to us by HIS SON, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

Further, He, God the Son, refers to Himself as the “Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 1:11), the Beginning and the End, meaning He encompasses all—just as these letters span the Greek alphabet. Through Christ, all that God wishes to reveal is made known.

The term “In the beginning” is a term of perpetuity. When was the beginning? No one can determine. Christ, God the Son, existed even before creation itself; he did not originate in Bethlehem. As we saw in John 1:2, ^“He was IN THE BEGINNING with God.”

In John 1:1, 2, the word translated as “was” appears in the imperfect tense, indicating continuous action in the past. This points to Christ’s eternal nature—He has always existed.

Now I mentioned earlier that I didn’t know all about the Trinity. This is one of the things that puzzles me. How can anything or anyone always exist—no beginning, and no end. In my finite mind, it’s challenging to grasp this infinite reality. BUT, Scripture says it is, and Scripture is king! Amen!

The passage states in verse 1 that He was “With God.”

This indicates His coexistence with God. Furthermore, it asserts,

“The Word was God,” which directly affirms the deity of Christ. This answers the question: Is Jesus God? Well, according to the Scripture— He is!

The doctrine of Christ’s divinity is articulated explicitly throughout the Scriptures. Both this declaration and the concept of Christ’s eternal existence serve to support this theological position.

Let’s look at one more confirmation of Christ’s deity in Col. 2:8-10

8. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9. For in Him dwells all the FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD bodily;
10. and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. ^NKJV

Here we have another assertion of Christ’s, God the Son’s deity. Christ embodied the complete fullness of God in human form.

God the Son submits to the Father’s will. Let’s look at what He said in John 4:34:

34. Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

And He fulfills it. As he also said in John 6:38:

³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

God the Son is also the complete image of God and the firstborn over all creation, according to Colossians 1:15-17, which reads:

15. He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Now, some denominations interpret the word “firstborn” to say that the Son was created. However, the Greek word translated as firstborn means first in rank. He is the first in rank over creation. Why? because He created, as the scripture reads, “all things.” So, did He create Himself? Hardly!

Notice what Paul adds in verse 17 — Christ not only created all things, He existed before them, and He continues to hold them together— “in Him all things CONSIST.”

God the Son, while being truly divine, also became fully human and lived as Jesus Christ of Nazareth. By undergoing the incarnation, He took on human form and experienced every aspect of humanity, including its temptations, challenges, vulnerabilities, and emotions.

Let’s look at the Spiritual confirmation of this in John 1, starting with verse 1—once again.

^1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^2. He was in the beginning with God.

Verse 3 describes The Preincarnate Work of Christ—before He came to earth.

3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Now watch verse 14:

14. And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

So, the Word became flesh! This is the same Word mentioned in verse 1, stating, “the word was God.” Therefore, the Word, Jesus, is God—who came to earth to save mankind. [Repeat]

In doing this, He did not lose His divinity or any of His divine attributes. Rather, He voluntarily limited His divine privileges to perfectly obey the will of God the Father.

That is God the Son.

God the Holy Spirit

Last, but certainly not least, we look at God the Holy Spirit—

God the Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, continuing from God the Father through the Son. Let’s look at this commission by Jesus in John 15:26

26. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

This is Jesus promising the Holy Spirit (the helper) from God the Father.

The Spirit is fully God, eternal, and shares all divine attributes such as omniscience (all knowing). Let’s look at this in 1 Corinthians 2:10–11:

10. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Now, in verse 10, the phrase “the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” suggests that only the Spirit can make known to followers of Christ, the profound nature and purpose of God—especially the once-hidden mystery that is now revealed: salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. When it says the Spirit “searches all things,” it means that the Spirit fully understands and is intimately involved with all of God’s deepest aspects.

In verse 11, Scripture draws a parallel between how the Spirit understands God and how individuals understand themselves. Just as one person cannot fully grasp another’s inner thoughts, only God’s Spirit comprehends God’s mind or thoughts.

Understanding God involves recognizing His Holy Spirit and inviting Him to be part of your life. This is made possible by accepting Christ’s sacrifice on the cross through faith. The Holy Spirit is an individual person but shares the same essence and purpose as God the Father. The concept of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—starts to become evident in passages like this.

God the Spirit has worked throughout redemptive history in a variety of ways to enact the will of God. He is the power of God and was instrumental in creating the heavens, the earth, and humanity.

Today, He guides Christians as we anticipate the return of God the Son. He is indeed an intricate part of God the Father. He is Omniscient because God the Father is omniscient.

Next, we look at His omnipotence (all-powerful) as addressed in Luke 1:35:

Now here we have the announcement to Mary of her commission to give birth to Jesus.

And it reads:

35. And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ^NKJV

The angel Gabriel explained to Mary how she would become pregnant and yet remain a virgin. He said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” These words illustrate the profound and powerful presence of God. Only through the Power of God’s Spirit could this miracle be accomplished. As Jesus said in Mark 10:27, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” ^NKJV

Now this is just one example of the awesome power of God the Spirit!

And lastly, we look at His omnipresence—His ever presence.  We see a description of this in Psalm 139:7–10:

7. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8. If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10. Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. ^NKJV

What we see here is that God’s Spirit is everywhere. If we allow Him to work in our lives, He’s always available to guide us, to teach us, and to empower us. For those who know and love God, His comforting presence is always near, wherever we are.

Now, what we see here is that God the Spirit has the same fundamental nature as God the Father (Omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence)

While of the same essence as the Father and the Son, the Spirit is distinct in person and submits to them. Let’s look at what Jesus said about him in John 14:26, 16:7.

26. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ^NKJV

And also 16:7

7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ^NKJV

God the Spirit was subject to God the Son.

After his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus sent the Spirit to believers. This occurred on the day of Pentecost. Because Christ could only be in one place on earth, his departure allowed him, through the Holy Spirit, to dwell in every Christian worldwide because of His Omnipotence. Therefore, HIS leaving benefited them.

Although relegated by some as a mere force/feeling (instead of a divine Person), God the Spirit is, by the Scriptures, understood as a person, not simply an impersonal force, and is attributed with intellect, emotions, and will.

The Spirit demonstrates specific characteristics, including the ability to encourage (Acts 9:31), provide comfort (refer to John 14:26), and be subject to deception (cf. Acts 5:3). Currently, the Spirit resides within Christians at all times, giving them strength for their service—if they so allow.

Throughout history, the Spirit has carried out key roles to fulfill God’s will, especially as a creative force in making the heavens, the earth, and humanity.

Let’s look at this confirmation in Genesis 1:2-3:

2. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the SPIRIT OF GOD was hovering over the face of the waters.
3. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ^NKJV

Now the scriptures said that the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The presence of the Spirit during creation indicates the involvement of the Trinity. God the Father initiated creation, the Word (God the Son) executed it, and the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) was active throughout the creative process. They operated as one then, and also today. Again the Scripture reads in 1 John 5:7 “These three are one.”

AMEN!

This concludes Part 1. The theological foundation of the Trinity—who God is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Part 2, we will explore the practical side: The life application of the Trinity.

It will include:

• What the Trinity means for us today: How does the Trinity relate to man?
• How can we be in harmony with the Trinity, and be blessed by it, and:
• How the Trinity transforms our relationship with the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further reading on the Trinity, I recommend the book: The Deep Things of God by Fred Sanders. You can read the review and purchase on Amazon.com  [paid link]

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have

Videos

The following video and companion Short present this teaching in visual form, reinforcing the biblical truths discussed above.

Full Video

Companion Short