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Response

The word ‘trinity’ is not found in the Bible, it’s a word chosen by humans to describe what the Bible teaches us about God. There is only one God, but he has always existed as three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The trinity is often difficult to understand. However, this shouldn’t surprise us. Why on earth would we expect to be able to get our little human heads around God – the eternal being who created and rules the entire universe? Just because we can’t fully understand the trinity, doesn’t mean it’s not true. We need to remember that very few of us fully understand the laws of relatively and the quantum theory, however, that doesn’t mean they’re false.

Three in one?
Three statements can be made about the Trinitarian God revealed to us in the Bible:-
- There is one God.
- God is three persons.
- Each person is fully God.

There is one God: The Bible is extremely clear on this point and it was a fundamental belief of the Jews. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

God is three persons: Throughout the Bible there is much evidence to suggest that God is in fact three persons. For example, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were involved in creation (Genesis 1:1-2, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-16) and in Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let us make man in our image…” God refers to himself in the plural, not singular.

When Jesus was baptised there were three distinct persons present (Mark 1:9-11). God the Son was being baptised, God the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove and God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”

The Bible explains how the Father sent the Son (John 3:16) and the Son promised the Spirit (John 16:7). There are clear distinctions between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Each person is fully God: The life and teachings of Jesus drastically challenged the Jews thinking on the nature of God. The evidence for Jesus being God was compelling (FAQ) – yet they believed that there was only one God. Then, to make things more complicated Jesus also spoke to God and referred to him as Father. Therefore they had to begin to wrestle with the idea that Jesus was God yet at the same time was distinct from God the Father.

Then there’s the Holy Spirit, this undoubtedly added to their confusion. Some have questioned whether the Holy Spirit is actually a distinct person; some have argued that the Spirit is just the ‘force’ or ‘power’ of God at work in the world. While others have explained the trinity by describing the Holy Spirit as the ‘glue’ that holds the Father and the Son together. However, there’s ample evidence that the Holy Spirit is fully God and fully personal. Let briefly examine three pieces of evidence.

Firstly, those who understand Greek grammar tell us that the Holy Spirit is referred to as a he not as an it. Surely a ‘force’ or ‘glue’ would be an it not the more personal he. Secondly, if the Holy Spirit was just ‘the power of God’ verses such as Luke 4:14 wouldn’t make sense. This verse says, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…” would really be saying, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the power of God.” Thirdly, on a number of occasions in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is placed on the same level as God the Father and God the Son. For example Matthew 28:19 says, “…baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Don’t be too simplistic
It’s not easy to hold those three statements together. Therefore, as people have attempted to make the trinity more understandable they often fall into the trap of loosing one of the three statements. This is a problem as it leads to an understanding of God that isn’t biblical.

Trap 1: There are three gods, not one.
This is known as ‘tritheism’. This is the least common trap in theory, but sometimes in our speech and worship we talk as if this were the case.

Trap 2: God is NOT three distinct persons
This is known as ‘modalism’ and is probably the most common trap for Christians when it comes to the trinity. Modalism states that there is one God who just reveals himself in different ‘modes’ at different times. For example, in the Old Testament we primarily see him in ‘Father Mode’, while Jesus was on earth we see the ‘Son Mode’ and now God primarily reveals himself in ‘Spirit Mode’.

Trap 3: Each person is NOT fully God
This idea suggests that the Son and the Holy Spirit are not fully God, they are his deputies – they’re similar to God but certainly not equal to him and they do not share all of his attributes.

Hopefully the initial explanations of each of the three statements (there is one God, God is three persons and each person is fully God) clearly show the problems with these three traps.

Any Differences?
So what are the differences between Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Grudem* says, “There is no difference in attributes. The only difference between them is the way they relate to each other and to the creation.”

Father, Son and Holy Spirit each have different functions. This is illustrated in creation. God the Father spoke (Genesis 1:3), God the Son acted (Colossians 1:16) and God the Holy Spirit was ‘hovering over the waters’ – the presence of God all over the world (Genesis 1:2).

It is also illustrated in the work of redemption. God the Father planned redemption and sent his Son into the world (Galatians 4:4). The Son obeyed the Father and died for our sins make redemption possible (Colossians 1:19-22) (FAQ). And the Holy Spirit applies redemption to us (John 3:5-8) (FAQ).

Having said this, it is important to emphasize that this doesn’t mean we can separate out the functions of the three persons entirely. Whatever the Father does, the Son and the Spirit are also involved in somehow, and so on.

I still don’t get it!
The trinity is a mystery. But then, what sort of God would he be if we could understand everything about him?

The Bible doesn’t explain the ins and outs of the trinity, it’s doesn’t explain exactly how it works. Therefore, we shouldn’t get ourselves too bogged down with it. We need to accept that there are some things that we’ll never understand.

How did you learn to swim? Did you learn by reading books about swimming or did you learn when someone placed you in a swimming pool? I suspect it was the second and the person who placed you in the pool probably (well hopefully!) got into it with you and showed you how to swim and held you and helped you.

You don’t primarily learn about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit by academic study – just as you don’t learn to swim by academic study. You learn to swim by jumping in a doing it. In the same way you learn about the trinity by having a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, by worshipping the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and obeying the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

* Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine, IVP 1999

Quote  

"Even the best definitions end up sounding like a small child trying to play Mozart on pots and pans in the middle of the kitchen floor.  The more you study the Trinity and what has been said about it over the years, the more you are left in wonder and awe about the nature of God."  Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis.

Further Reading

Chapter 8 from Michael Lloyd's Cafe Theology, Alpha 2005.

FAQ Disclaimer:

FAQ responses are designed to promote clear biblical thinking about subjects that are often difficult and confusing. The responses are all considered to be compatible with the Evangelical Alliance’s basis of faith but beyond that should not be assumed to represent the Evangelical Alliance’s ‘official standpoint’ on any particular doctrine or issue.