How is God 3-in-1?

The Trinity

During this final week of our study of Theology Proper, I wanted to save one of the more intriguing yet popular topics for last. This final week we will be discussing the idea of the trinity. The trinity concept is simple to explain and yet, not very easy to understand. The reason for this is that there is nothing at all in this world that we can compare it to. The best we have for the defense of the Trinity and the explanation of it, is again of course, the Word of God. Foreshadowing to Thursday, we will be discussing if the idea of a 3-in-1 God is too farfetched, but for this particular post, however, we simply want to answer through scripture, how God is indeed 3-in-1. The reason for this is because surprisingly, there are still many Christians and even pastors who disagree with this premise and the doctrine of the Trinity is no small doctrine and should, therefore, not be taken lightly. As Dr. Wayne Grudem puts it, “The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. To study the Bible’s teachings on the Trinity gives us great insight into the question that is at the center of all of our seeking after God: What is God like in himself?” Dr. Grudem goes on to define the trinity as follows, “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.” This will be the sole definition we use for the trinity, and as we will see as we dive into the Bible, God’s Word affirms this definition as well. 

What It Is

To start, let’s break down some passages where we see all 3 of these persons in existence. Perhaps no other passage shows all members of the Trinity in action better than Matthew 3:16-17 “16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” In this particular passage, we see the Son being baptized, the Spirit descending, and the Father speaking. You may be able to argue that this doesn’t mean that all of these beings are connected or are members of the same God, but you certainly can’t argue that these persons do not exist in 3 separate beings, for they are all present at one point in time. This next passage that we are about to go over may seem to come a bit out of left field, but is absolutely crucial to understand if we are to grasp the concept of the trinity in God’s Word. Look at what our Lord tells Isaiah in chapter 42 verse 8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another,”. We see that only God Himself is to receive glory and no one else. He makes this crystal clear to Isaiah, yet look at what John 5:22-23 says, “22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Why would the Father want glory and honor to be shown to the Son if He just told Isaiah that God alone is only worthy of glory? Because simply put, the Son is God just as the Father is God. 

What about the Holy Spirit? We can also see the Holy Spirit ascribing to certain attributes that only God can have as well. Let’s look at Jeremiah 23:24 for example, “24 Can a person hide himself in hiding places So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.” God and God alone is omnipresent in His being, meaning He is everywhere all of the time. There is nowhere we can go to escape Him! Scripture is clear on this as well, Proverbs 15:3 also says, “3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.” and Psalm 139:7 mentions, “7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”. It doesn’t get more clear than this! Yet, what do we see mentioned about the Holy Spirit in scripture? Before Jesus ascends to heaven, look at what He tells His disciples in John 14:26 “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” Is this ‘helper’ just for the current disciples or every follower of Christ? Paul gives us this answer later on in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” So if God alone is omnipresent, and yet the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, not just the 12, how is that possible? It’s simple is it not? The Holy Spirit is God. All throughout scripture it is evident, that only God is worthy of glory, honor, and praise, and only He has theistic attributes. Yet, as we continue reading God’s Word, this glory and these attributes are obtained by not just the Father, but also the Son, and not just the Son, but also the Spirit. 

What It Isn’t 

I know this was a lot, but just as a reminder, this post was not written to try and explain the Trinity, it was written to prove that scripture affirms the Trinity, despite what other pastors or leaders may tell you. Just as Dr. Grudem said, there is one God, in three persons, and scripture agrees. The surplus amount of passages that we use doesn’t just show us what God is, but it also reminds us of what He isn’t. The Trinity isn’t 3 beings who are all one-third God (partialism), or 3 beings who are all separate gods themselves (tritheism), or even 1 being who just takes on 3 different roles (modalism). The Word of God has made it undeniable that God Himself is 3 persons who all make up the same deity. While this concept is unlike any other, it is a concept that we must understand if we are to come to grasp this overall ideology (which we will dive into in the next post). For now, however, I hope and pray that any questions you may have had about the reality of the Trinity in scripture have been answered and put to rest. I want to encourage you to study these passages in God’s Word and follow up on our next blog post as we explore if the Trinity is too farfetched or if Christ followers can really understand and defend this idea. Because, spoiler alert, it can and it must.

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Sources

[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.

[2] Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA79455700

[3] MacArthur, John & Mayhue, Richard. A Systemic Summary of Bible Truth: Biblical Doctrine. Wheaton, Crossway, 2017