The biblical doctrine of the Trinity is one that is often debated. Even for Christians it is difficult to comprehend based upon our experiences. The Trinity is different from our experience. But this shouldn't negate the concept. Why should we expect the nature of God to correspond to human nature and experience.
It is amazing today that people can believe in wormholes, alternate universes, alien life etc...but the Trinity is unacceptable.
The Trinity is not a concept that Christians simply made up. While the term Trinity is not in the Bible. It is a biblically-based concept. The term was developed to describe God as revealed in the Old and New Testaments.
The concept of a triune God was developed in order to safeguard the biblical teahcing that God is one, while affirming that the Bible teaches the Jesus Christ is divine and that the the Holy Spirit is a personal being.
This results in the biblical doctrine that there is one God who exists eternally in a perfect unity of three persons.
Below is a summary of the biblical case for the Trinity as well as some historical errors related to the Trinity and a summary of the orthodox view of the triune God.
BIBLICAL TEACHING
1. The Bible teaches that there is only one God, in contrast to the polytheism of other religions.
A. OLD TESTAMENT (Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4, 32:29, Isaiah 45:14, 46:9).
B. NEW TESTAMENT (I Corinthians 8:4-6, Ephesians 4:3-6, James 2:19)
2. The Bible uses plural words for God.
Elohim is a plural word. The Bible uses plural pronouns and verbs in relation to God. This does not explicitly prove that God is triune, but it is compatible with tri-unity (Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7; Isaiah 6:8).
3. Biblical distinctions within the Godhead
A. The Angel of Yahweh (Gen. 16:7-13, 18:1-21, 19:1-28, Malachi 3:1)
B. The Messiah is described as divine (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6)
C. The Spirit is distinguished from Yahweh (Isaiah 48:16, 59:21, 63:8-10)
D. Oneness and threeness in the New Testament (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Acts 2:32-33; I Corinthians 12:4-6; II Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2
4. The Bible teaches that Jesus is divine. (John 1:1, Philippians 2:5-11)
A. He possesses divine attributes. (Matthew 9:4-omniscience, 28:18-omnipotence, 20-omnipresence)
B. He did things that only God can do (Mark 2:1-12-forgive sins, John 12:9-raise the dead, Colossians 1:17-holds creation together, John 1:1-2-creator, 5:27-future judge of all
C. Christ’s own statements (John 4:7,9-10, 10:30, 8:58, 14:16-26)
D. Thomas called Jesus God (John 20:28)
E. Jesus is identified with God (Col. 1:14-16; Hebrews 1:1-3; Rev. 1:8 & 22:13).
F. Jesus is worshipped along with the Father (Rev. 4:9-14).
4. The Bible teaches that the divine Holy Spirit is personal and distinct from the Father and the Son.
A. He is equated with God (Acts 5:3-4)
B. He has divine attributes (I Corinthians 2:10-omniscience, 6:19-omnipresence,
C. He regenerates people (John 3:5-6, 8).
D. He is a distinct and personal (John 14-16)
5. Trinitarian Passages (Matt. 28:19, 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14, Eph. 4:4-6, 1 Pet. 1:2, Jude 20:21).
HISTORICAL ERRORS
1. Jesus was a virtuous man who was given special power by the Holy Spirit at his baptism. Jesus was not God.
2. Modalism: The Father, Son and Spirit are not three distinct persons, but they are three means by which God manifests himself. These are terms that refer to God as he manifests himself in different times and places. They are names or roles for only one distinct person. The Father, Son and Spirit do not exist simultaneously as distinct persons.
3. Arianism: There is only one uncreated reality and that is God, the Father. Jesus was created before the world. He is less than God, but more than man.
ORTHODOX UNDERSTANDING
- God is one.
- Affirm the deity of the Father, Son and Spirit who are qualitatively the same. They are all divine in essence.
- There is unity in diversity. There is an essential oneness, even though there is a simultaneous distinction between the three.
- God is eternally triune.
- The doctrine of the trinity has been divinely revealed and is not a man-made doctrine. It is how we describe the revelation of God in scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- The Trinity is “other than” our experience.
- God’s tri-unity is affirmed, but not explained.