The nature of God’s existence is one of the fundamental principles of Christian faith. And yet, of all the concepts in the Bible, the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is the most difficult to understand, and is impossible to fully grasp. How can God be three individual persons, and yet still be one God? The physics and math do not seem to add up in our finite minds, but we must remember that we are talking about the infinite Creator of the universe; One who is vastly bigger than His creation. It stands to reason that we might not ever fully grasp all that there is to Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Is. 55:9) The Bible reveals this mystery.
Trinity
Christians often refer to God’s unique and complex nature as Trinity: three persons, one God. In fact, the Christian faith is the only religious group that holds to this view. By Trinity we mean that God exists as three separate and distinct persons, yet is still one Being. (The term “persons” is inadequate and misleading, but scholars have struggled to find a better term). Trying to understand this three-in-one concept, some have used the example of a triangle to help grasp the relationship of the three. An isosceles triangle has three sides and three angles, all of which are the same. Each side and angle are separate but come together to make a whole. Others have used illustrations such as an egg (shell, yolk, white) or water (liquid, solid, gas). Examples like these help us to a certain degree as we try to wrap our minds around God’s Divine nature, but they also fall dreadfully short of explaining an infinite Being.
God reveals Himself in three persons, yet He is still one God. (Deut 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4) The Father is not more “God” than the Son or the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the Son nor the Holy Spirit are more ”God” than the Father or each other. They are individually and collectively God, yet revealed as One being. In the Bible, the Trinity is always seen working together in harmony. In Luke 3: 21-22, the Bible records Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. As Jesus is coming out of the water, the Holy Spirit is seen descending from above in the form of a dove and onto Jesus. At the same time, the voice of the Father is heard speaking from above. There are other locations in the Bible where the Trinity is seen working in unity, but this is perhaps the most prominent. He is one God who reveals Himself in three separate persons. This naturally leads us to the question, “Who are they?”
Father
The Father is one part of the Trinity. He is completely God, distinct in person from the Son and Holy Spirit, and yet inseparable in nature. The Father is the primary visible part of the Trinity that is working in the Old Testament, although He is present and visible throughout the Bible. The Father is seen in the Bible as the sender. He sent Jesus to earth, in the likeness of mankind, in order to die and redeem mankind from sin. (1 Jn. 4:14)
Son
The Son, Jesus, is the second part of the Trinity and, like the Father, is completely God, distinct in person and yet inseparable. In the Bible, Jesus is the One who is being sent and redeems mankind through His death on the cross. (Jn. 3:6) Although the Father and the Holy Spirit are visible and present, it is Jesus who is the focal point of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). It must be emphasized here that Jesus’s incarnation (taking on human form) was not His beginning. He, like the Father, is eternal in being. The Gospels record the time period of Jesus’s earthly life, ministry, death, and resurrection. The Bible reveals that the ultimate plan of God is that Jesus is exalted above all things (Eph. 1: 19-23).
Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, and He also is God, distinct, and inseparable. He sanctifies and empowers those who believe and express faith in Jesus. (Rom 15:16) The Holy Spirit is visible most clearly in the book of Acts but is also visible throughout the remainder of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the one that indwells those who express saving faith in Jesus (2 Tim. 1:14). He also transforms believers (2 Cor. 3:18), teaches (Jn. 14:26), convicts of sin (Jn. 16:8), empowers (Acts 1:8), and aids in prayer (Rom. 8:26-27), but these are only a few examples of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the world.
The Triune nature of God is a wonderful mystery. This brief synopsis only scratches the surface of God’s nature. Truthfully volumes of books could be filled, but even then we still would reach an impasse in our natural minds. We will never be able to grasp this concept fully, but the Bible reveals this beautiful mystery to be true. However, we do not have to understand God’s eternal nature in order to accept it as fact. Hebrews 11:6 says, “…for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The Bible was written to mankind in a manner that we could understand intellectually. Nevertheless, faith is an essential part of any study of the Bible, especially a study of God Himself. It does not mean that we discard the intellectual part, but that we do not rely solely on intellect. Charles Tindley penned a well-known Christian hymn that says, “We will understand it better by and by.” One day in heaven we will understand things better than we ever thought possible, but until then we stand on our faith.
