Five Things You Should Know About the Trinity

By J. Cornelius

1.) Definition of Trinity.

“Trinity” (meaning “threeness”) is simply the term used to say that there is One God in Three Persons but not three Gods.  These three persons are generally referred to as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, (I John 5:7 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”).  The word “Triunity” can also be used and is even closer as it literally means “three in one” and vice versa. The Biblical teaching of the trinity is one of the most difficult things to understand, and some have tried to explain it by using illustrations such as one human consists of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. Illustrations like this are inferior at best and must be avoided.

 2.) Unity of God in the Bible.  

The Bible clearly says that there is only one God and not many: Deuteronomy 6:4 “The LORD our God is one LORD,” I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God…,” The false gods are contrasted to the one and only true God: Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Isaiah 44:8, “Is there a God beside Me? Indeed, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”  I Corinthians 8:4, “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”

3.) Threeness of God in the Bible.  

The threeness of God is shown in the Old Testament: Isaiah 48:16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD, and His Spirit, have sent me (Jesus).” In Genesis 1:1 the threeness of God is in harmony with the teaching that God is one and is shown by the construction of Hebrew words used: “In the beginning God (plural noun) created (singular verb) the heavens and the earth” Throughout the New Testament the three Persons of God are given by their titles: Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (I John 5:7 says plainly that the three are one).

4.) The Persons are equally God.

The Father is declared to be God—John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” The Son is declared to be God—John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Spirit is recognized as God—Acts 5:3-4 “But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… you have not lied to men, but to God.” They are each 100% God and yet they are not three separate Gods. They are NEVER SEPARATE! They are God. And so it is called the Trinity.

5.) The Trinity is Eternal.

The Bible teaches that God has never had a beginning and will never have an end and therefore is eternal. Since God is Three in One and this Triunity cannot be separated then each Person must be equally eternal without beginning or end, or else God would not be God. Each of these Bible references sets forth the eternality of God as given in the Three Persons: Father—Psalm 90:2; Son—John 1:2, Revelation 1:8, 17; Holy Spirit—Hebrew 9:14.