On the Trinity
The Danger, Labor, and Profit
The Trinity has perplexed the minds of many for thousands of years. It is perhaps one of the most difficult doctrines to embrace. However, it is critical for the Christian to know, believe, and be able to articulate. While it is spiritual mystery, and certainly difficult to comprehend, it is an essential truth. Saint Augustine wrote in De Trinitate, “In no other subject is error more dangerous, or inquiry more laborious, or the discovery of truth more profitable”. So what does God disclose about Himself in His Scriptures?
The Trinity in Creation
The Bible literally begins with the Trinity. The Godhead is introduced in the first few verses. Genesis 1:1-2 we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” In a different perspective of the same thing, John records in his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). These verses show that each Member of the Trinity was active in creation. The Father spoke, through the Son, as the Spirit was hovering; all in perfect agreement. While the Genesis account only speaks to the Father and Spirit, John’s gospel speaks to the reality that Jesus was always present in creation, despite not being mentioned in Genesis. Not only does it speak to Their roles in creation, but it reveals the eternal nature of the Godhead. Since eternity past, always existing in community with each other. Mormon theology would disagree in Jesus Christ’s eternal role as God. This is one of many significant issues. I digress.
Verse 26 says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” This verse mentions God speaking in first person plural. When He says, “let us make man in our image”, He is speaking about Himself as the Trinity. Mankind reflects God; each distinct Member of the Trinity was reflective in the design and creation of humanity. Not only that, but we can see the unity when creating. How They made humanity together.
The Trinity in Baptism
Consider Matthew 3:16-17. “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” While the Creation account is technically the earliest record of the Trinity being together, the baptism of Christ is the first time the Bible mentions it explicitly. As God the Son was being baptized, God the Spirit descended like a dove, and God the Father spoke from heaven. Each Person was present and actively involved in Jesus’ baptism. There is an ancient heresy called Modalism. The brilliant theologian Wayne Grudem explains that Modalism is the belief that “there is one person who appears to us in three different forms”. Modalism falls short when confronted with Matthew 3:16-17. There, at one moment, with many witnesses, displayed the glorious mystery of one God being three Persons.
Jesus says in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Like Jesus’ baptism account, each Member of the Trinity is present in the baptism of every other believer. Jesus commanded the disciples to go and make disciples. He continued to instruct them to baptize, yet in doing so, to invoke the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This displays the authority of all three Persons.
The Trinity in Worship
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” In an interview with Dr. Robert Letham, author of The Holy Trinity, explains that the “spirit” and “truth” that Jesus mentions are referring to the Holy Spirit and the Son. Dr. Letham suggests that true worship involves the whole Godhead: Father, Son, and Spirit. This reveals that the object of our worship ought to be God; not a part of God, not a particular Person of the Trinity, but the Father wants us to worship in the Spirit and the Son. Trinitarian worship.
The Glorious Roles of the Trinity
Luke records in Acts 10:38 that, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power”. The wonderful pattern revealed in the Scriptures, especially in this verse, is that there has always been authority and submission within the Trinity. I do not mean that the Father has more power than the rest of the Godhead; for the three Persons are equal in power and strength. However, this verse reveals the roles They each play. The Father anoints the Son with the Spirit. The Scriptures are replete with examples of the Father leading, the Son obeying, and the Spirit supporting. Dr. Letham explains it much better: “The most prominent [triadic pattern]... is the pattern from the Father through the Son in or by the Holy Spirit”.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” This verse tells of the blessings of God. The grace that Christ has delivered, the love that the Father has displayed, the fellowship that the Spirit distributes are all available in God’s presence. Similarly to the verse above, there is an order and there are roles within the Trinity. Through Christ, we receive what we do not deserve, which is grace. The Father lavishes His love for us. Through the Holy Spirit, we have fellowship with the saints and with God.
The Unity in the Trinity
Again Paul writes, this time to the church in Ephesus, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). In these three verses, the English Standard Version renders the word ‘one’ seven times. This teaches the absolute unity of the Trinity. While They are distinct Persons, They are still one. Although it might be radically confusing and complex how the one Spirit, one Lord, and one Father can each be truly God, the Athanasian Creed speaks to this paradox, when it says: “There is, then, one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits”. Each being God while maintaining a distinction in Personhood. Gloriously confounding.
1 Peter 1:2 says, “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” Like Acts 10:38, this passage reveals a triadic pattern. Peter was writing to the “elect exiles” regarding the Father’s eternal knowledge of them, the Holy Spirit’s act of sanctifying them, and their obedience to the Son. This reveals that God the Father is not alone in His ministry to the saints but all three Persons play a vital role in the life and salvation of the believer.
The Trinity in Salvation
Finally, we read in Jude 20-21, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” The Holy Spirit is the vehicle in which we pray, the love of the Father is what sustains us, and the unfathomable mercy of Jesus bestows upon us life that we do not deserve. The Trinity is revealed as not what, but Who saves and sustains the life of the Christian. Without any Member of the Godhead being infinitely and intimately gracious to humanity, we would be hopelessly damned, receiving our due punishment, while God would still be glorified as holy and just. However, God the Father, showing love and mercy to us, sent God the Son to live, die, and rise for the elect. Then as the Son ascended into glory, the Father and the Son sent God the Spirit to dwell in and seal the salvation of the believer.