What Is The Trinity? One God Three Persons

The Triune God

The Trinity is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. It is important that Christians understand this doctrine and attribute of the living God. It is very easy to misunderstand and twist this glorious truth.

So, what is the Trinity? There is one eternal God. The one true God exists in three distinct Persons who share the same divine nature. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. There is One God. The Father is not the Son and/or the Spirit. The Son is not the Father and/or the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father and/or the Son. There are three divine Persons who are co-existent, co-eternal, and co-equal. To this mystery, there is no analogy or suitable illustration in all of creation. Nothing adequately imitates this truth about the Creator. He is unique. Different. Holy. Whatever value may be gleaned from such analogies, they all fall woefully short in capturing the true essence of God’s trinitarian nature and distort the truth in serious ways.

With such an important doctrine, let us spend some time in the Scriptures. Our purpose is to gain an understanding of who God has revealed Himself to be.

To understand more about the holiness of God, see our articles:

Scripture Affirming The Trinity

One God

The Scriptures are clear that there is only one true and living God. Some incorrectly assert that the Bible teaches tritheism. The doctrine of the trinity is a doctrine of monotheism, not polytheism, tritheism, or henotheism.

“To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)'

The LORD is one.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

God the Father is God

The Bible affirms that there is only one God. The Bible also affirms that there are three divine Persons who are rightly called God. The Father is affirmed as God throughout Scripture.

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Corinthians 8:6, bold added)

The Bible refers to God the Father as the one true and living God.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal. (John 6:27, bold added)

God the Father is rightly understood as having all the divine attributes.

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. (1 Peter 1:2, bold added)

Of the three divine persons, God the Father is the most universally understood as “God.” The other divine persons are usually where the majority of controversy and disagreement exists.

God the Son is God

Jesus the Christ is the eternal Son of God. Consistently the Son is attributed with all the works, glory, and honor that is rightly due to the one true God.

In the beginning was the Word [the Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1, bold and parentheses added)

This statement in John 1:1 is incredibly deep theologically. We encourage you to read our related article on the implications of John 1:1, In The Beginning. What is most important to observe in this article is the last clause: “the Word was God.” Some affirm the divinity of Christ but place His taking on of the divine nature and becoming “the Christ” at various points in His existence. This verse in the Gospel of John tells us that before the world began — in the very beginning — the Word (the Son of God) was God. He did not become God at a later time. He always has been and always will be God.

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known. (John 1:18, bold added)

Here the Son of God is referred to as “the only God.” Additionally, John includes the Father as God in the same sentence because the Apostle John affirmed and held to a trinitarian understanding of God’s nature.

Thomas answered Him [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28, bold added)

Thomas affirms the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth after He rose from the grave.

But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8, bold added)

The author of Hebrews declares, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that this description in Psalm 45:6 is written about the Son. The throne of the Son is the throne of God. For a more in-depth look at Psalm 45, check out our video. You can also find our video at the bottom of this page.

God the Spirit is God

The Holy Spirit is not a force or an impersonal idea. The Holy Spirit is another Person that the Bible reveals as God Himself.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4, bold added)

Lying to the Holy Spirit is equated with lying to God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. (Romans 8:9, bold added)

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

The Trinity Observed

In order to maintain the truth of the three divine Persons in conjunction with the truth that there is only one God, some incorrectly assert and teach that these divine Persons are simply manifestations of the one God at different times and in different places. However, there are places in Scripture where we see two or even all three divine Persons interacting at the same time.

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." (Matthew 3:16-17)

In this passage, we see the divine Son of God at His baptism. As Jesus was baptized, all three divine Persons are present and distinct. The Son of God was being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon Him, and the Father spoke from heaven.

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. (Matthew 28:19, bold added)

Likewise, in the Great Commission, the name (singular) that disciples are to be baptized into is the name of Father, Son, and Spirit. One name. Three persons.

One God, Three Persons

A Scriptural foundation for the Trinity is given above. Although many more passages could be cited, these verses clearly state that there is one God. They also demonstrate that the one true God exists as three co-eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member is clearly distinct from one another and each Person is fully God. While each is fully God, the distinction in Person does appear to coincide with a difference in role. Theologians refer to this difference as functional rather than ontological. That is, the difference in Persons of the Trinity is in their roles and relationship, not in their being or nature.

This particular nuance is important to grasp. There are passages that seem to suggest that there is a subordination (or ranking) within the members of the Trinity. This is correct in relation to the function of the Persons but it does not imply, as some incorrectly assert, that there is a ranking or hierarchy in the nature of the divine Persons. Put another way, the Son’s submission to the Father is a product of their eternal roles as Father and Son and is not evidence that the Son is a lesser “god” than the Father. Orthodox theologians affirm the functional subordination of the Trinity while denying ontological subordination.

The Scriptures fully affirm:

God is three Persons.
Each Person is fully God.
There is one God. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 239)

To fully understand and affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, these three statements must be declared and believed. To deny any of them, or any combination of them, is to deny the scriptural teaching of the Trinity and should be repented of immediately.

While every illustration and analogy will necessarily fall short in some way, the best diagram representing these biblical affirmations seems to be this one (below).

Trinity diagram — This diagram is not inspired nor is it perfect. However, it is perhaps the closest His creatures can come up with to represent this glorious truth of the trinitarian nature of God.

The Divine Nature

All three persons of the Trinity possess the identical divine nature. The divine nature is essentially the fullness of God. Meaning each member of the Trinity possesses all of the attributes of God. Each person is fully God.

The Father is holy, the Son is holy, and the Spirit is holy. The Father is love, the Son is love, and the Spirit is love.

The Father, Son, and Spirit not only possess all of the same attributes but they are equal in the measure for all of their attributes as well. Meaning, the Father does not love more than the Son or the Spirit. They all love the same, equally as one. They are all perfect in every attribute.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not different in nature but do differ in their relationship. Some theologians use the terms ontological and functional to further describe the Trinity. The term ontological refers to “being” or “essence.” The term functional describes the “role” and/or “relationship.” Using these terms, the God of the Bible is one ontologically, and three functionally. One in Being, three in Person.

Making such distinctions is not simply a matter of semantics. Those who misunderstand and/or twist the biblical revelation of God’s nature sometimes assert that the doctrine of the Trinity is inherently contradictory, and, therefore, false. However, they have failed to understand that in the way God is one (ontologically), He is not one (functionally). Likewise, in the way God is three (functionally), He is not three (ontologically). Since the doctrine of the Trinity does not assert that God both is and is not one (or three) in the same sense, no contradiction is actually present even when one is asserted by opponents who do not understand the doctrine of God they are arguing against.

Some will also attempt to argue that the doctrine of the Trinity is absurd because it attempts to get people to believe that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. However, God is not finite like His creation. Instead of a mathematical trick, God’s infinite nature is better understood as infinity + infinity + infinity = infinity, which is not absurd nor invalid in practice or on paper.

Relationship

When we speak of relationship, we are speaking both of how each Person relates to one another and also how each Person relates to creation.

God the Father is unique in His relating to the Son, the Spirit, and the creation. God the Son is unique in His relating to the Father, the Spirit, and the creation. God the Spirit is unique in His relating to the Father, the Son, and the creation. It is important to distinguish each divine Person with one another and with creation.

This will be a lifelong pursuit. We must continually study God’s word to understand who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and will do in the future relating to His creation.

Relating To One Another

As noted above, the Persons of the Trinity are co-eternal, co-equal, and have the same divine nature. In their co-equality, the divine Persons also exercise mutual submissiveness. It is observed in Scripture that the Son submits to the Father, the Spirit submits to both the Father and the Son, and the Father gives everything to the Son.

Together, with one another, working in unity to achieve the mission of God. The mission of saving a people from every tribe, tongue, language, and peoples. No role is greater than another in this task. The divine Persons relate to one another in perfect love and harmony. This is perhaps most beautifully and concisely summarized by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1. In this chapter, Paul explains how the Father sent the Son into the world in order to bestow blessings upon those who believe in Jesus. The Son came into the world and accomplished that salvation. The Holy Spirit then applies that work to believers and seals those who have faith in Jesus in Christ.

All three Persons working together to accomplish the singular mission of God to reconcile all things to Himself in Christ Jesus. This is God’s eternal purpose. It reveals the glory of Christ’s church. Paul makes this very point just a few verses later in Ephesians 3.

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. (Ephesians 3:8-13)

Relating To Creation

The Persons of the Trinity relate to creation in different ways to achieve the shared mission. All working for the glory of their name and for the salvation of human beings made in the image of God, both male and female.

God the Father did not die for the sin of the world; God the Son did. God the Son does not convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; God the Spirit does. God the Spirit did not send the Son into the world; God the Father did.

For more on the Trinity’s relation to one another and creation, see our article: Why Did Jesus Ask For The Cup To Pass? For a look at the practical elements of how this theology relates to the Christian prayer life, don’t miss this article from our sister site: Trinitarian Prayer.