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What does the Holy Bible teach about the Trinity?
The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the
Trinity is that there is no totally understandable manner
and method to be used by which one can perfectly and
completely understand this concept of three divine entities
existing as one living being. Therefore, the Trinity is a
concept that can be impossible for any human being to
fully understand, let alone explain.
God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should
not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible
teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that
the Holy Spirit is God. It also teaches that there is only one
God. Though we can understand some facts about the
relationship of the different Holy Persons or Divine
Entities of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is
incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does
not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on
the teachings of the Bible.
The Trinity, therefore, is biblically established as one God
existing in three Divine Persons. Understand that this is
not, in any way, suggesting three separate gods. Keep in
mind, when studying this subject that the word “Trinity”
is not found in Scripture. This is a term that is used to
attempt to describe the triune God—three coexistent, co-
eternal Holy Persons or Divine Entities who are (one)
God.
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The following is what God’s Word says about the Trinity:
(1) There is one God. ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our
God, the Lord is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4 and “. . .there
is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called
gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many
“gods” and many “lords”— 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 8:4-
6. See also in Galatians 3:20-22 “Now an intermediary
implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then
contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a
law had been given that could give life, then
righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the
Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the
promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those
who believe.” And again in 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is
one God, and there is one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus.”
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(2) The Trinity consists of three Persons. I John 5:7-8
says, “For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these
three are one. And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these
three agree in one.” Again in Matthew 28:18-19 “And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” And
again in 2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Ghost, be with you all.”
(3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from
another in various passages. In the Old Testament,
“LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” See Genesis 19:24
and Hosea 1:4. The LORD has a Son found in Psalm 2:7,
Psalm 2:12 and again in Proverbs 30:2-4. The Spirit is
distinguished from the “LORD” Numbers 27:18 and from
“God” in Psalm 51:10-12. God the Son is distinguished
from God the Father in Psalm 45:6-7. In Hebrews 1:8-9
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(in the New Testament), Jesus speaks to the Father about
sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 “And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and
will be in you.” This shows that Jesus did not consider
Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also
all the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the
Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to
another Entity in the Trinity—the Father.
(4) Let’s be very clear that each member of the Trinity is
God. The Father is God John 6:27 “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.” And in 1 Peter
1:2 “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.”
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The Son is God in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.” John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the
only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And
again in Romans 9:5 “To them belong the patriarchs,
and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is God over all, blessed forever.” “See to it that no
one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition, according to the elemental
spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in
him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you
have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and
authority.” And in Hebrews 1:8 “But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of
uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” And in 1
John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come
and has given us understanding, so that we may know
him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his
Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
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The Holy Spirit is God. Acts 5:3-4 “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.” 1
Corinthians 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are
God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If
anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For
God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
(5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture
shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and
the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is
an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any
Entity of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our
finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite
God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:41-44 “And he
withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt
down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing,
remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel
from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he
prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great
drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
And even more in John 5:30-47 wherein these verses you
can receive a fuller picture. “I can do nothing on my own.
As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I
seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If
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I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not
true. There is another who bears witness about me, and
I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I
say these things so that you may be saved. He was a
burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to
rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I
have is greater than that of John. For the works that the
Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I
am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent
me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne
witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his
form you have never seen, and you do not have his word
abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he
has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think
that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear
witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you
may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I
know that you do not have the love of God within you. I
have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive
me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive
him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from
one another and do not seek the glory that comes from
the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the
Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom
you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you
would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not
believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” And in John 20:21 “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be
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with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you.”
And 1 John 4:12-16 “No one has ever seen God; if we
love one another, God abides in us and his love is
perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and
he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we
have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to
be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus
is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So
we have come to know and to believe the love that God
has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides
in God, and God abides in him.”
Concerning the Holy Spirit. John 15:26 ““But when the
Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will
bear witness about me.”
John 16:4-11 “I did not say these things to you from the
beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going
to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where
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are you going?’ But because I have said these things to
you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you
the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I
do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I
go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will
convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and
judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in
me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the
Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
(6) The individual members of the Trinity have different
tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the
universe: 1 Corinthians 8:6 “. . .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.” Revelation 4:11 ““Worthy
are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor
and power, for you created all things, and by your will
they existed and were created.”
For the cause of divine revelation: Revelation 1:1 “The
revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show
to his servants the things that must soon take place.” For
the cause of salvation: John 3:16-17 “For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him.”
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Jesus Christ Our
Lord and Savior
And for the cause of Jesus' human works: John 5:17 “My
Father is working until now, and I am working.” John
14:10-11 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and
the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not
speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in
me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the
works themselves.” The Father initiates all of these
things.
The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the
following works: the creation and maintenance of the
universe: 1 Corinthians 8:6. “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.” And in John 1:1-4
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made through him, and
without him was not any thing made that was made. In
him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
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And in Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him
all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things were created through him and for
him. And he is before all things, and in him all things
hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the
fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in
heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” In
divine revelation: John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were
made through him, and without him was not any thing
made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the
light of men.” And in salvation: 2 Corinthians 5:14-19
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have
concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all
have died; and he died for all, that those who live might
no longer live for themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we
regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we
once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard
him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ
reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
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them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
The Father does all these things through the Son, who
functions as His agent.
The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the
following works: creation and maintenance of the
universe: Job 26:12-14 “By his power he stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered Rahab. By his wind
the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing
serpent. Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
Psalm 104:30 “When you send forth your Spirit, they are
created, and you renew the face of the ground.” By
divine revelation: John 16:12-15 “I still have many
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all
the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to
you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for
he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that
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the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take
what is mine and declare it to you.” And in Ephesians
3:4-5 “When you read this, you can perceive my insight
into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to
the sons of men in other generations as it has now been
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” And again in “For no prophecy was ever produced by the
will of man, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21
And for salvation: John 3:6 “That which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.” And in Titus 3:4-7 “But when the goodness and
loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of works done by us in righteousness, but
according to his own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he
poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.” And in Peter 1:2
“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.” and in Jesus'
works: Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
me, because the Lord has anointed me.” And in Acts
10:38 “. . .how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God
was with him.” Thus, the Father does all these things by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
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There have been many attempts to develop illustrations of
the Trinity. However, none of the popular illustrations are
completely accurate. An interesting example might be:
that an egg or an apple in its delicate shell has a white and
a yolk which are parts of the egg, not the egg in
themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple
are parts of it, not the apple itself.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each
of them is God. The water illustration is somewhat better.
Liquid, vapor, and ice are forms of water, but the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit are not forms of God, each of them is
God. So, while these illustrations may give us a picture of
the Trinity, the picture is not entirely accurate. An infinite
God cannot be fully described by any known or finite
illustration.
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The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue
throughout the entire history of the Christian church.
While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented
in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly
clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy
Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the
biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are,
to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather
than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite
human minds, we would be better served by focusing on
the fact of God's greatness and His infinitely higher nature.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the
mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
Romans 11:33-34
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Grasping this concept of three Divine Entities in one body
or “corpus oneness” is obviously of the very most difficult
aspects of Christian belief for someone to understand.
And that is for believers and non-believers. This concept
of a trinity living and existing together inside of one form
is an enigma of gigantic proportions for most people.
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So, the doctrine of the Trinity is a strict monotheism which
is the teaching that there exists in all the universe a single
being known as God who is self-existent and
unchangeable. Therefore, it is important to note that the
doctrine of the Trinity is not polytheistic as some of its
critics proclaim. Trinitarianism is monotheistic by
definition and those who claim it is polytheistic
demonstrate a lack of understanding of what it really is.
The Trinity o God is person entities.
o Each person is divine.
o There is only one God.
Many theologians admit that the term "person" is not a
perfect word to describe the three individual aspects found
in God. When we normally use the word person, or divine
entity, it is usually understood to mean physical
individuals who exist as separate beings from other
individuals. But in God, there are not three entities nor
three beings. God is a trinity of persons consisting of one
substance and one essence. God is numerically one. Yet,
within this single divine essence are three combined but
individual and separate existing entities that we call
persons.
Each of the three persons is completely divine in
nature, though each is not the totality of the
Godhead.
Each of the three persons is not the other two
persons.
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Each of the three persons is related to the other two
but are distinct from them.
Concluding thoughts:
To be able to totally understand this holy concept and
existence of the Trinity is all but almost impossible to fully
comprehend and be able to explain to others. It is even
more difficult to be able to write clear examples of what it
means to be this Trinity and clarify, illuminate, or
rationalize such a concept in the manner we think and
understand. It is best to allow each individual human
being to think through the picture and example of what and
who the Trinity is on their own. One should try to
incorporate the illustrative paradigm of such a Trinity
within one’s own mental model.
Deep thinkers may have considerable problems with the
concept and being of the Holy Trinity, while easier
thinkers will experience fewer problems. You don’t want
to make this any more difficult to fathom than what it
already is. Yet, many religious fringe denominations
claim that the Trinity is hogwash, and that each holy
entity, i.e, the Father God, the Son Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Spirit, are all separate beings or forces, and are in no
way combined.
Read and study your Bible verses and let the Bible
interpret itself. Before you begin to study this Holy
Trinity, pray for guidance and clear understanding and you
should be able to draw your own clear and committed
conclusion.
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Booklet Number 21
Covenant Christian Ministries
Belle Arden Run
488 Mountain View Drive
Mosheim, Tennessee 37818-3524
(423) 422-4711
www.thewatchmansentinel.org
Copyright 2017
Dahk Knox, Ph.D., Ed.D., D.Sc.
Jan Knox, Ph.D.
October 2, 2017
(Monetary contributions are welcomed and
appreciated for printing and postage expenses)
All Rights Reserved©