The Trinity

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 ESV

       From the First Century to our present age many people have found the biblical doctrine of the Trinity hard to understand. The doctrine of the Trinity recognizes that God is one God, but is also three distinct Person: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In our material existence the concept that God is One, yet He exists as three distinct persons is foreign to us. However, the doctrine of the Trinity is without questions revealed in God's word.

       The biblical term is for trinity is "Godhead" (Greek theiotes) and it is used three times in Scripture: Act 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9. The word "Trinity" is not found in Scripture, which is a theological word Christians use to refer to the Godhead.

       "Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill." (Acts 17:29)

       "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20)

         “For in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead lives in bodily form," (Colossians 2:9)

      The doctrine states that the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit consist of three distinct Persons, yet these three are one God. There are many arguments espoused by those that deny the Trinity, but the most prevalent is how God can be One God and at the same time be three Persons?

       In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission stating they were to teach and baptize in the names of the Godhead: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

       Further, 1 John 5:7 states, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Just because God did not inspire the writers of Scripture to use the modern word "Trinity" does not mean it is not a biblical truth. Some who object to the doctrine of the Trinity respond noting the Bible does not use the word “Trinity.” However, there are many words and phrases that Christians use to express a biblical doctrine that are not found in the Bible. One is the word "Rapture." The word is not found in Scripture, by the phrase “shall be caught up” the Greek “harpagēsometha" is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and means to “catch away” or Latin “rapiēmur”meaning to be snatched away. In fact the word "Bible" is also not found in the Scriptures. Would we dismiss the existence of the Bible because the word is not found in Scripture?

       Those that deny the Trinity are denying the Godhead. They rationalize that it is physically impossible for three distinct persons to be only one. They are both right and wrong. They are right in the sense that it is impossible for us to explain, for this cannot be a reality in our physical/material world. But they are wrong in denying that God is a Triune God. Those that believe this doctrine do so because the Bible clearly teaches monotheism, meaning that God is One God. Yet, the Scriptures unmistakably refer to the plurality of God as existing in Three Persons.

        Most of mankind has no real idea of who God really is. The gods of unbelieving men are small and do not take into account the immensity of Almighty God as He is presented in the Bible. J.B. Phillips wrote a book in 1952 called, “Your God Is Too Small.” He exposed the misconceptions that many have about God in that their understanding of God superimposed upon Him human characteristics. In His greatness and power the Bible says He spoke the universe into existence. God states this truth saying, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11:3)

       Believing that God is a man or any material being shows one does not comprehend the true omnipotence (all powerful), omnipresence (present everywhere), omniscient (knows all things) nature of our sovereign God and Creator, nor does he bow in humility to his Creator. Like Satan, the lost man seeks to elevate himself to God's level and above. Therefore many men miss the truth and reality of God's essence because they ignorantly try to perceive Him as being as a physical being as are they. God has revealed Himself to all men in His word the Bible and it would behoove all men to believe what their Creator has said about Himself. Paul stated God's mandate when addressing the unbelieving Athenians as recorded in Acts 17:30: "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."

       John said, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world" (1 John 4:1-3).

       His statement makes it absolutely vital that a person fully believe in the Trinity, which means to accept who and what God really truly is. Because all men are lost in sin, only our supernatural Creator can save this lost and dying world, and only by fully believing God's promise of salvation can one be saved and receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The truth of the Trinity is unconditionally tied to accepting Him as who He is.

Malachi