One Being, Three Persons

     The Trinity. One of the most central doctrines in the Christian faith, and one of the most misunderstood. The very heart of theology is to understand as much as possible about who God is. Unfortunately, this doctrine has been questioned by Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more. It is vital that every Christian is armed with the truth in order to fight these false doctrines and to clarify in their own mind who God is.

     The Trinity is one being and three persons. It makes sense that people would question that, because it makes no sense to finite minds. But it is clearly shown in the Bible that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons of the one being of God. All three of these persons have the attributes of God, and since the Bible clearly states there is only one God, they are three persons and one being. The word Trinity is not used in the Bible, but it is a word to describe the biblical concept.

     Jesus is God. It is so important to know whether or not this is true. Many people say it is not clear, but there are at least five main biblical reasons to believe Jesus is God: 1) the Bible claims it directly, 2) Jesus created everything, 3) He has the power to save, 4) we are called to worship Him, and 5) He has the attributes of God.

     The Bible claims it directly. The most well known passage that directly calls Jesus God is John 1:1-14, which opens with something called the Word being God and being with God, then reveals that Word to be Jesus. There are many more verses that directly claim Jesus’ deity. Thomas called Jesus God and was not corrected in John 20:28. Jesus Himself said “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30-33), and because the Pharisees took this as claiming to be God they tried to stone Him (also see John 8:54-59, Matthew 12:8-14, John 5:18). In Revelation 1:17-18 and 1:8, Jesus calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega. Isaiah 9:6-7 is clearly describing Jesus and says He will be called Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Jesus is referred to as Lord of Lords and King of Kings in Revelation 17:14.

     Other verses say if one sees or knows Jesus, they also see or know God (1 John 2:23-25, John 14:7-9, Matthew 1:23, John 1:17-19, etc.). Additionally, there are verses saying Jesus has the fullness of God or the fullness of God’s glory in Him (Colossians 1:19-20).

     Jesus created everything. There are several places where the Bible says Jesus created all things (John 1:3, John 1:10, Hebrews 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6). Some critics say that Jesus was created by God, then was used to create everything else. But several of these verses use the phrase “created all things”; therefore, He Himself could not have been created. This is an important point, because if Jesus was not created then He has always existed. If He always existed, His claim to be Alpha and Omega (pointed to above) makes more sense and He must be God.

     There are several additional verses that point to Jesus being a source of light and life, which points to Him being the Creator of these things and in power over them. Some verses about Jesus being light are found in John 1:4, John 8:12, John 12:46, 1 John 1:5-7, Isaiah 9:2, and John 3:18-21. Jesus being life or the source of life is found in many places, including John 14:6, John 10:10, John 6:25-71, and Colossians 3:3-4.

     Jesus has the power to save. Jesus having power to save means Him being able to forgive us, adopt us, and bring life into us. Isaiah 43:10-11 says that only God can save and He is the true Savior, so Jesus being called Savior actually supports Him being God. Acts says He bought the church with His own blood, which would only make sense if He was God (Acts 20:28). Other verses that say Jesus saves people from sins include Colossians 1:21-22 and John 8:23-24. Mark 2:5-12 says Jesus has power to forgive sin and that God is the only One allowed to do that (also see John 8:1-11, Luke 7:36-50). Most Christians are familiar with many passages where Jesus is referred to as Savior, such as Luke 2:11, which commonly read at Christmas.

     We are called to worship Jesus. All of these savior claims are often made alongside Jesus being Lord, because being a Savior goes with being God. Jesus being our Savior is often the reason Christians praise Him and worship Him. If Christians worship someone who is not God, that is idolatry (Exodus 20:3-6, Matthew 4:10, Isaiah 42:8). So within the very command to worship Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11, Revelation 1:5-6) and in the biblical examples of worshipping Him (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33, Luke 24:52, etc.), there is an assumption that He is God.

     Jesus has the attributes of God. The attributes of God are inherent parts of who He is, such as omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing), and good. Some verses point to His omnipotence like Revelation 1:5, Colossians 1:18, Isaiah 9:7, and Romans 8:35-37. Others point to His omnipresence like John 14:8-14 (He has to be present to hear the prayer), Matthew 28:20, and John 14:23. His omniscience is seen in verses like Matthew 9:4, where Jesus knows what is in a person’s heart, because God says He alone knows what is in someone’s heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus is good. Mark 10:17-22 seems to support that Jesus does not consider Himself good, and therefore not God. However, there are many passages where Jesus calls Himself good or perfect including (John 10:11, Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26). Jesus defined Himself as good, and said God alone is good, thus supporting the claim that Jesus is God.

     Only God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and fully good. Therefore, Jesus must be God. Jesus has the attributes of God and therefore the fullness of God is in Him. Jesus is in the form of God (Philippians 2:5-8, Colossians 1:15). Colossians 2:1-3 says all the wisdom and knowledge of God are found in Christ. Colossians 2:9-10 says the fullness of God dwells in Christ.

     The Holy Spirit. Many people who deny the Trinity do not see the Holy Spirit as a person. There are four main reasons to see the Holy Spirit as a person: 1) He has a mind, emotions, and a will; 2) praise must be done through Him; 3) He has the attributes of God; and 4) He acted in creation.

     He has a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit is described as a person in the Bible, such as when we are told He testifies (1 John 5:6-8, John 15:26-27), teaches (John 14:25-26), commands and guides (Acts 8:26-31), and helps us (Romans 8:26-27). He is consistently described with personal pronouns in Acts 13:1-4. He is described as having a will in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, and having emotions (being grieved) in Ephesians 4:29-31.

     Praise must be done through Him. Praise is given in multiple places to the Holy Spirit. We are to worship in the Spirit (Philippians 3:3, John 4:19-24, Ephesians 1:18-21). Jesus thanks God in the Holy Spirit in Luke 10:21. In Acts 11:12-18 and Acts 10:44-48, the church praises God because of the Holy Spirit redeeming all believers.

     He has the attributes of God. The Holy Spirit is identified as God in Acts 5:3-4 when lying to the Holy Spirit is equal to lying to God. He is also identified as God in Acts 10:38 when it is said that the Holy Spirit is with him, therefore God is with him. He is full of power (Romans 15:19), knows the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-13, Isaiah 40:12-13), is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), offers sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 6:11), and is all wise (Job 32:8-9).

     He acted in creation. The Holy Spirit, like Jesus and the Father, created all things (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 104:30) and is the source of life (Job 33:4, Job 12:10). Again, if the Holy Spirit existed before creation He must be God. And God is the One who breathed into people to give life. The Holy Spirit is a person and is God.

     Three Persons. If Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father are all God, the next thing people get confused with is them being one person. This is important to deny because they are clearly given different roles in salvific history, they are shown to have community with each other, and passages signify them as being separate persons such as where they are all mentioned together.

     The Father is given the role of sending the Son (John 3:16-17) and raising Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4). This being said, Jesus has the power to lay down His life and raise it up (John 10:18). Jesus is given the role of living a perfect life and dying for the sins of the elect (John 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit is given the role of sanctification, is the promise of redemption, and is the way of communicating with God (Romans 8, Ephesians 1:13-14). They talk with each other (Genesis 1:26, John 17, Luke 6:12), showing community.

     There are many verses that mention all three persons, such as Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). It shows up in many of Paul’s letter closings (2 Corinthians 13:14, for example). Other verses that mention all three of them include John 14:26, John 15:26, Acts 2:33. Mentioning all three of them separately shows that they are separate persons, yet mentioning all three of them so consistently together as God shows they are God the One God.

     Common heresies. The most common heresies against the Trinity are modalism, tritheism, arianism, docetism, and partialism. Modalism and partialism are two sides of the same coin. Modalism is saying that there is one God, but not separate persons. This is wrong because then when one person is present, the others are not, which would mean they are not eternal or omnipresent. Partialism says that all three persons of God are fully God, but only make up one third of God each. These are both wrong because Tritheism is the belief that there are three separate gods, which directly contradicts the consistent teaching in the Bible that there is only one God.

     Arianism and docetism are both saying that when Jesus was on earth, He was not fully God which is wrong based on the passages mentioned earlier. There is a passage that says Jesus does not know the time of His return (Mark 13:32). At first glance, this seems to confirm that Jesus is not God. However, Jesus could easily restrain His omniscience in His earthly form just as He humbled Himself in needing sleep and food. Because of all of the passages supporting Jesus being fully God and fully man, it makes more sense to accept His divinity than to deny it based on one passage. In addition, Jesus being omniscient is shown in His knowing people’s hearts as mentioned above.

     Seek to Know Him. There are many other Bible verses to support the claims above. The more someone looks for the truth in whether or not the Triune God is real, the more they will see the Bible supporting it. There are many people who will try to deceive Christians regarding who God is, but the people of God must stand firm and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who deserves praise. Let the people of God worship the Alpha and Omega not for who someone wants Him to be, but for who He truly is. A Triune God, unfathomable to the human mind, who is humble and patient enough to save humans from themselves and bring them to Him in glory.