The document discusses the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. It states that while the Trinity is impossible for humans to fully understand, the Bible teaches that God exists as three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who are coequal and coeternal. The document provides biblical evidence for the Trinity from passages mentioning the Father, Son, and Spirit. It also notes that while the term "Trinity" is not in the Bible, the concept of God as three persons is clearly expressed. The nature and roles of each person are described, with examples of their distinctness and unity. The document acknowledges limitations in fully explaining the Trinity but emphasizes its centrality to Christianity.

1. The Trinity – 19th
October 2017
“Oh,the depth of the riches of the wisdomand knowledgeof God! How unsearchablehis
judgments, andhis pathsbeyondtracing out! 34
“Whohasknownthe mindof the Lord? Or who has
been his counselor?”(Romans11:33-34).
The most difficultthingaboutthe Christianconceptof the Trinityisthatthere isno way to perfectlyand
completelyunderstandit.The Trinityisaconceptthat is impossibleforanyhumanbeingtofully
understand,letalone explain. Asstatedabove in Romans11:33-34 we can understandthat God is
infinitelygreaterthanwe are;therefore,we shouldnotexpecttobe able tofullyunderstandHim.The
Bible teachesthatthe FatherisGod, that JesusisGod,and that the Holy SpiritisGod. Doesit meanthat
there are three Gods? Onthe contrary the Bible alsoteachesthatthere isonlyone God.Thoughwe can
understandsome factsaboutthe relationshipof the differentPersonsof the Trinitytoone another,
ultimately,itisincomprehensible tothe humanmind.
The Trinityisone God existinginthree Persons.Butwe needtoclearlyunderstandthatthisisnotin any
waysuggestingthree Gods.We needtokeepinmindwhenstudyingthissubjectthatthe word“Trinity”
isnot foundinbiblical Scripture.Thisisatermthat is usedtoattemptto describe the triune God—three
coexistent,co-eternal Personswhomwe know as God. But of real importance isthat the concept
representedbythe word“Trinity”byitself isnotfoundinScripture.
The word "Trinity"comesfromthe Latinnoun "trinitas"meaning"threeare one."Itwasfirstintroduced
by Tertullianat the endof the 2nd centurybut receivedwideacceptance inthe 4thand 5th centuries.
The Trinityexpressesthe belief thatGodisone beingmade upof three distinctpersonswhoexistinco-
equal essence andco-eternalcommunionasthe Father,Son, and Holy Spirit. The doctrine or conceptof
the Trinityiscentral to most Christiandenominations andfaithgroups.Amongchurchesthatrejectthe
doctrine of the Trinityare The Church of JesusChristof Latter-daySaints, Jehovah'sWitnesses,Christian
Scientists,Unitarians,the UnificationChurch,the Christadelphians,OnenessPentecostalsandothers.
Since we knowthat the wordTrinityisnot foundinScripture,asChristianssince ourfaithisbasedon
the bible,we needtounderstandthe expressionof the wordTrinityinScripture. We canlearnthat
althoughthe term"Trinity"isnotfoundin the Bible,mostBible scholarsagree thatitsmeaningisclearly
expressed.All throughthe Bible,GodispresentedasFather,Son,andHolySpirit.He is not three gods,
but three persons inthe one andonlyGod. TyndaleBible Dictionary states:"The Scriptures presentthe
Father as the source ofcreation, the giverof life,and Godof the entire universe.The Son isdepicted
as the image ofthe invisible God,the exact representationof His beingand nature, and the Messiah-
Redeemer.The Spirit isGod in action,God reaching people—influencingthem,regeneratingthem,
infillingthem,andguidingthem. All three are a tri-unity,inhabitingone another and working together
to accomplish the divine designin the universe."

2. To understandthisfurtherhere are some keyversesexpressingthe conceptof the Trinity:
1. “Therefore go andmake disciplesofall nations,baptizingtheminthe name of the Father and of the
Son andof the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew28:19).
2.“Whenthe Advocate comes, whomI will sendto you from the Father—theSpirit of truth whogoes
out from the Father—hewill testify aboutme.."(John15:26).
3. “The grace of the Lord JesusChrist and the love of Godand the fellowshipofthe Holy Spirit be with
you all.” (2 Corinthians13:14).
The nature of God as Father,Son,and HolySpiritcan be seenclearlyatthese twomajoreventsin the
Gospels:
The Baptism of Jesus- Jesuscame to Johnthe Baptist to be baptized.AsJesusrose upout of the water,
heavenopened,andthe Spiritof God,like a dove,descendeduponhim.Witnessestothe baptismheard
as statedin Matthew 3:17, “Anda voice fromheaven saying, “Thisis my Son,whom I love; withhim I
am well pleased.” The FatherclearlyannouncedJesus’identity,andthe HolySpiritdescendedonJesus,
empoweringhimtobeginhisministry.
The Transfiguration ofJesus - Jesustook Peter, James,and John to the top of a mountaintopray,but
the three disciplesfell asleep.Whentheyawoke,theywere astonishedtosee Jesustalkingwith Moses
and Elijah.Jesuswastransformed.Hisface shone like the sun,andhisclothingdazzled.Thenavoice
fromheavensaid: "Thena cloudappeared and covered them, anda voice came from the cloud: “Thisis
my Son,whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark9:7). Thiseventis recordedalsoin Matthew 17:5. At the
time,the disciplesdidnotfullyunderstandthe event,buttodayreadersof the Bible canclearlysee God
the FatherdirectlyandpowerfullylinkedtoJesusinthisaccount.
In additiontoabove there are manymore Bible verses expressingthe Trinity asfollows:
Genesis1:26, Genesis3:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16-17, John1:18, John 10:30, John14:16-17,
John17:11 and21, 1 Corinthians12:4–6, 2 Corinthians13:14, Acts 2:32-33, Galatians4:6, Ephesians
4:4–6, 1 Peter 1:2.
The doctrine of the Trinityhasbeena divisiveissuethroughoutthe entire historyof the Christian
church. While the core aspectsof the Trinityare clearlypresentedinGod’sWord,some of the side
issuesare notas explicitlyclear.The FatherisGod,the Son isGod, and the HolySpiritisGod—butthere
isonlyone God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.Beyondthat,the issuesare,toa certain
extent,debatable andnon-essential.Ratherthanattemptingtofullydefine the Trinitywithourfinite
humanminds,we wouldbe betterservedbyfocusingonthe fact of God's greatnessandHis infinitely
highernature can be understoodwhenwe read Romans11:33-34,“Oh, the depthof the richesof the
wisdomandknowledge ofGod! How unsearchablehis judgments, andhis pathsbeyondtracing out! 34
“Whohasknown the mindof the Lord? Or who hasbeen his counselor?”

4. The followingiswhatGod’sWordsays aboutthe Trinity:
1) The bible clearlystatesthatthere isone God – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God,the LORD is
one”(Deuteronomy6:4). “A mediator,however, impliesmore thanone party; but Godis one.”
Galatians3:20; “For there isone Godand one mediatorbetween Godandmankind,the man Christ

5. Jesus.”(1Timothy2:5).
2) The Trinity consists of three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8,
48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17,AssoonasJesuswasbaptized,he wentupoutof the water.At
that momentheavenwasopened,andhe saw the Spiritof God descendinglikeadove andalightingon
him. 17
Anda voice fromheavensaid,“ThisismySon,whomI love;withhimI am well pleased.” In
Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7
and Isaiah 6:8, theplural pronoun for “us” is used. The word "Elohim" and the
pronoun “us” are pluralforms, definitely referring in the Hebrew language to
more than two. While this is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does
denote the aspect of plurality in God. The Hebrew word for "God," "Elohim,"
definitely allows for the Trinity.
In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, theSon is speaking while making referenceto the Father
and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son
speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes theevent of Jesus'baptism. Seen in this
passageis God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father
proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are
examples of three distinct Persons in the Trinity.
3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one fromanother in various
passages. In theOld Testament, “LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” (Genesis
19:24; Hosea 1:4). TheLORD has a Son (Psalm2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). TheSpirit
is distinguished fromthe “LORD” (Numbers 27:18) and from“God” (Psalm51:10-
12). God the Son is distinguished fromGod the Father (Psalm45:6-7; Hebrews
1:8-9). In theNew Testament, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper,
the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This shows thatJesus did not consider Himself to
be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all the other times in the Gospels
whereJesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoketo
another Person in the Trinity—the Father.
4) Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1
Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8;
1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scriptureshows that the Holy Spirit is
subordinateto the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinateto the Father.
This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the

6. Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand
concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:42, John 5:36, John
20:21, and 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26,
16:7, and especially John 16:13-14.
6) The individual membersof the Trinityhave differenttasks.The Fatheristhe ultimate source orcause
of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6;Revelation 4:11);divine revelation(Revelation 1:1);
salvation(John 3:16-17);andJesus'humanworks(John 5:17;14:10).The Fatherinitiatesall of
these things.
The Son isthe agentthroughwhomthe Fatherdoesthe followingworks:the creationandmaintenance
of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6;John 1:3;Colossians 1:16-17);divinerevelation(John
1:1, 16:12-15;Matthew 11:27;Revelation 1:1);andsalvation(2 Corinthians 5:19;
Matthew 1:21;John 4:42).The Fatherdoesall these thingsthroughthe Son,whofunctionsasHis
agent.
The Holy Spiritisthe meansbywhomthe Fatherdoesthe followingworks:creationandmaintenance of
the universe (Genesis 1:2;Job 26:13;Psalm104:30);divine revelation(John 16:12-15;
Ephesians 3:5;2 Peter 1:21);salvation(John 3:6;Titus 3:5;1 Peter 1:2);and Jesus'works
(Isaiah 61:1;Acts 10:38).Thus,the Fatherdoesall these thingsbythe powerof the HolySpirit.
There have beenmanyattemptstodevelop illustrations of the Trinity. However,none of the
popularillustrationsare completelyaccurate.The egg(or apple) failsinthatthe shell,white,andyolk
are parts of the egg,not the egg inthemselves,justasthe skin,flesh, andseedsof the apple are partsof
it,not the apple itself.The Father,Son,andHolySpiritare notparts of God; eachof themisGod. The
waterillustrationissomewhatbetter,butitstill failstoadequatelydescribe the Trinity.Liquid,vapor,
and ice are formsof water.The Father,Son,andHoly Spiritare not formsof God, each of themisGod.
So,while these illustrationsmaygive usapicture of the Trinity,the picture isnot entirelyaccurate.An
infinite Godcannotbe fullydescribedbyafinite illustration.