The Doctrine of the Trinity
by Bryan Carlson
The Trinity is the doctrine that God is one God eternally existent in three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—all of whom are equally God (2 Corinthians 13:14). The Bible speaks of the Father as God (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 1:2), Jesus as God (John 1:1-14; John 8:58; John 20:30-31; Philippians 2:6-8; Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-5; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
Scripture makes it clear there is only one God that we worship. “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Isaiah 45:5 tells us “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. According to 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, even if there are many so-called gods in our culture, for us there is one God and we exist for Him.
God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity. 1 Corinthians 8:6a says, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist,” and Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” He is the head of Christ and the giver of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:15; John 14:26; Ephesians 1:3).
Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus talks about His oneness with His father in John 10:30 when He proclaims, “I and the Father are one” and in John 14:7-15: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1 that Jesus is the radiance of His Father’s glory and the exact representation of His nature. Hebrews 1:8 says: “But of the Son He says, ‘Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.’” Jesus humbled Himself by voluntarily leaving His throne in Heaven to live the life of a man on earth (Philippians 2:6-7). After His death and resurrection, He ascended to the right hand of the Father where He intercedes on behalf of all those who put their faith and trust in Him (Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25).
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is referred to in Romans 8:9-11 as “Christ in you” equating Him with God the Son. He is co-equal to the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). Jesus promises his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come to them after He leaves and will teach them all things and remind them of everything he has said (John 14:26). This passage shows that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person with a unique role in the Trinity. He always draws attention to the Father and the Son and never to Himself (John 16:14).
There are several beautiful pictures in the Scriptures of the Trinity working together. At the baptism of Jesus recorded in Luke 3:21-22, “while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.’” In John 16:13-15 we see the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth, Jesus Christ being glorified by the Holy Spirit—"because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you”—and Jesus saying about the Father that “all that belongs to the Father is mine.” In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" showing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct but united in one name. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." This passage shows that the three persons of the Trinity work together to bring grace, love, and fellowship to Believers. In 1 Peter 1:2, Peter greets his readers by saying, "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood," showing the distinct roles of the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ.
