What Is The Trinity?

Do you believe in the Trinity? If you are a Christian, then you kinda have to, by definition. The Doctrine of the Trinity is at the heart of orthodox-meaning...

Do you believe in the Trinity? If you are a Christian, then you kinda have to, by definition. The Doctrine of the Trinity is at the heart of orthodox-meaning correct-Christian teaching. But what does it mean, how should we understand it, and how in the world can we explain this to others?

Do You Believe In The Trinity?

Do you believe in the Trinity? If you are a Christian, then you kinda have to, by definition. The Doctrine of the Trinity is at the heart of orthodox—meaning correct—Christian teaching. But what does it mean, how should we understand it, and how in the world can we explain this to others?

Welcome to the Think Podcast, the show where we tackle impossible questions from a biblical perspective, to help you explain, share and defend the Christian message. In today's Fast Friday episode, I'm going to explain the Trinity in 5 minutes or less. I've only got 4 and a half minutes left, so let's go.

What Does Trinity Mean?

The Bible teaches that the Lord is God, that there is no other true God besides the Lord, and that there are three persons in the Godhead, or divine nature.

You might be thinking, “Joel, can you give me a metaphor?” Well, no, I can’t. I used to try to do this, but every metaphor people use ends up breaking down pretty quickly, and they all lead to heresy (false teaching) pretty quickly.

Instead, think of it this way: You are a what, and you’re also a who. You’re a what—a human being, and a who—Ryan, or Dan, or Chantal, or whoever you are. One what, and one who.

God, on the other hand is one what and three whos. So there is one God, and that one God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

One historic document from the Protestant Reformation puts it this way:

“In this divine and infinite Being, there is the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided; all infinite and without any beginning; therefore, but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties”.

How We’ll Proceed

I’m going to lay out a biblical case for the Trinity. Then I’m going to talk a little bit about how the Early Church understood and articulated the Doctrine. And finally, I’ll talk about what it means for us today. And I’ll tackle an objection or two to the doctrine toward the end, so don’t miss that.

First, let’s look at a biblical basis for the Trinity.

The Biblical Basis For The Trinity

Now the word “Trinity” isn’t used in the Bible. You can look; you won’t find it. But it is an accurate summary of what the Bible teaches about God.

For example, in John 14:9, Jesus says that to see him is to see the Father.

And in John 10:30 Jesus says he and the Father are one.

In fact, the book of John begins with a, “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). We later see that this Word is Jesus. Jesus taught his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). It’s pretty cool that Jesus says God has one name, and then lists the three divine Persons. There are many more passages, but I’ll just cite 2 Corinthians 13:14, where the Apostle Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”So in the Bible, you have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all described as God, and they are all treated as persons.

Yes, the Holy Spirit too. In Scripture he speaks, he is grieved, he even prays with us! Sometimes people think He’s an impersonal force, but no force can do these things.

The Early Church Believed In The Trinity

Now in the Early Church, they recognized this. The Didache, probably the earliest book of Christian teaching outside the Bible, instructs churches to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The early creeds—belief statements—of the universal church taught this.

You have the truth of the Trinity expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and most clearly and thoroughly in the Athanasian Creed.

And these truths have continued to be professed by orthodox (again, meaning rightly teaching) churches down through history.

Why Does The Trinity Matter Today?

Does the Trinity matter today for us as Christians? You better believe it.

It matters for the Gospel—the Father sent the Son to save the world (1 Jn 4:14), the Son accomplished the Father’s plan (Jn 14:31), and the Holy Spirit applies the work of Jesus to our lives, giving us new life, making us holy, and securing our place with God until we meet him face to face (2 Co 1:22). The Holy Spirit is the helper of Christians (Jn 14:26).

When you love someone, you want to get to know them. As Christians, one of our greatest privileges is to know and love God. Learning about his Triune nature—his three-in-oneness—helps us know and love him better.

How To Explain The Trinity

What I usually do is just draw a triangle with a circle through it. This shows how God is three, but the three are united into one God. It’s not a perfect illustration (how could it be?) but it does the trick.

Objections To The Trinity

Is the Trinity a logical contradiction?

No. God is one and God is three, but it’s not three of the same thing. One essence—one what—but three persons—three whos. The fact that this is complicated doesn’t mean it’s contradictory, nor does it mean it’s false. Any math major can tell you that true things can be complicated. And we are talking about God here. We might expect that he would be beyond our easy understanding.

Is the Trinity a Greek pagan idea that didn’t become part of Christianity until 325 A.D.?

No, as you can see, it’s right there in the Bible. It was part of Christian belief from the beginning. It’s been detailed in creeds since the earliest years, but the guys who wrote the creeds didn’t create the doctrine. God gave it to us in the Bible.

Conclusion

So the Trinity is definitely a biblical teaching. It’s ultimately beyond our understanding. It’s majorly bound up with the Gospel. And this means it's a precious truth to those of us who have been saved by Jesus. We are children of the Father, subjects and friends of the Son, and in-dwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is truly an awesome doctrine.

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