The Trinity | BCL Monthly

Happy August to our BCL readers!

If you want to know what perfect love is, look no further than the Trinity. Scripture reveals that there is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity isn't merely something we need to know doctrinally; learning about the three Persons of the Godhead deepens our understanding of all our loving God has done to redeem us for our good and his glory.

In this month’s newsletter, Dan shows how the Bible reveals the Trinity, particularly through Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who saves his people; Ayrian traces the activity of our triune God from creation to redemption to eternal life with him; and Le Ann explores what Scripture teaches about the Trinity and why knowing God rightly helps us to better comprehend the magnitude of his love for us in Christ.

To God alone be the glory!

In Christ,
Le Ann Trees, Managing Editor
Dan Rowlands, Content Editor
Ayrian Yasar, Associate Editor

As many surely know, the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, but it is clearly revealed by God in Scripture. As the Westminster Confession of Faith states in chapter I, paragraph 6, the whole counsel of God is either expressly set down in Scripture or may “by good and necessary consequence be deduced from Scripture.” An example of what may be deduced from God’s word is the doctrine of the Trinity.

John 10, the chapter where Jesus declares he is the Good Shepherd, provides an inarguable example of Christ Jesus’ divine nature as the Savior of God’s people. In other words, with a simple syllogism to help explain, it is God who saves; Jesus saves; therefore, Jesus is God. Let me explain.

With one of Jesus’ great “I Am” statements (an echo of Exodus 3:13–15, where God tells Moses to say, “I AM has sent me to you”), Jesus declares, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). He goes on to explain what the Good Shepherd does for his sheep, that is, God’s people. Jesus reveals he lays down his life for his people; he gives them eternal life, and no one is able to snatch them out of his hand (John 10:28). In other words, he is the Savior of God’s people!

Yet even in this, Jesus is referring to God’s work as the Savior of his people as prophesied in Ezekiel 34:

“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock…so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered… I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak…” (Ezek. 34:11–12, 15–16)

God’s prophecy to Ezekiel declares that God will be shepherd over his people because the leaders of God’s people are corrupt, enriching themselves and not caring for the sheep (i.e., God’s people) (Ezek. 34:10; 15). God himself will be the one who rescues his people as the good shepherd, and he himself will be their shepherd. Clearly, in John 10, Jesus is echoing back to Ezekiel 34 when he says he is “the good shepherd.” It will be Jesus who rescues the people of God and leads them to green pastures (Ezek. 34:14, John 10:9). But Jesus explains even more—how he will shepherd his sheep. He will lay down his life so that they may have eternal life (John 10:11).

When Jesus says very plainly that he and the Father are one (John 10:30), he is teaching a truth that is essential to what we know as the doctrine of the Trinity: There is one God, who exists eternally in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Even the Jews who were present when Jesus said this understood what he was saying (John 10:33). He was declaring that he was God who would rescue his people from their sin and misery, giving them rest and eternal life.

It is God who saves his people as the Good Shepherd. Jesus, who saves his people, is God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. The Father sent the Son to accomplish our redemption, and the Holy Spirit gives us new life and unites us to Christ. There is none better to place your faith in than Jesus who saves.

One of the most wonderful mysteries of the Christian faith is the Trinity. If you are a member of a Reformed congregation, you will regularly hear a Trinitarian blessing at the beginning or ending of worship, for example, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

As you read your Bible you will also find narrative portions of Scripture that reveal this reality. Take for example Genesis 1:1-2, which describes the creation of the world. Often we think of God the Father as the sole Creator, yet the apostle John tells us that in the beginning the Word, who became flesh (Jesus), played a crucial part in creation:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

And we can see from Genesis that the Spirit of God is also present in a creative way—“hovering” (Gen. 1:2). So from the very beginning of the world, the work of God was done by the Trinity.

Another famous example of the Trinity revealed in Scripture is the baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew:

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:16-17)

In this passage we again have Jesus, the baptized; the Spirit of God, the hoverer; and the Father, the speaker. This biblical reality has been carefully expressed in the Westminster Larger Catechism:

Question 8:
Are there more Gods than one?
There is but one only, the living and true God. (Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, 6; Jer. 10:10)

Question 9:
How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties. (1 John 5:7; Matt. 3:16–17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 10:30)

Question 10:
How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?
The scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto them such names, (Isa. 6:3, 5, 8; John 12:41; Acts 28:25; 1 John 5:20; Acts 5:3–4) attributes, (John 1:1; Isa. 9:6; John 2:24–25; 1 Cor. 2:10–11) works, (Col. 1:16; Gen. 1:2) and worship, (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14) as are proper to God only.

The biblical prooftexts above (and there are many others) for these statements are important because they point to the Son and the Spirit being truly equal in substance with the Father—they are truly God and not created or lesser gods, as Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly claim.

Furthermore, the actions of the Trinity are not limited to the original creation or a few special appearances around people of note in the Bible. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are active today in each Christian’s life and journey to the heavenly Kingdom. Take for example what the apostle Paul declared in Romans 5:5-6:

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

We have the Father’s love because it is communicated to us by the Holy Spirit “who has been given to us,” and all of this is because Jesus sacrificed his life for us sinners.

But Christ didn’t just give his life for our sins. His resurrected life is a sure promise that we too will live forever:

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Rom. 6:8)

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thess. 4:14)

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him. (2 Tim. 2:11)

And just in case you aren’t convinced, the apostle Peter speaks of the work of the Trinity as well:

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Pet. 1:1-2)

Peter is talking to regular Christians, telling them that God the Father set a loving providence upon those he had chosen for himself, choosing them to be brought out of sin and darkness, and that the Spirit is changing these chosen people to be more and more like Jesus their Lord, who has shed his blood for them.

God is completely invested in creating and saving a holy people to have a loving relationship with him. If you trust in Christ for salvation, rejoice that our triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has set his love upon you.

We know ourselves to be children of the Father, redeemed by the Son, and in communion with both through the Holy Spirit. Every blessing, both spiritual and material, comes to us from the triune God. In that name we are baptized; that name sums up our confession; that name is the source of all the blessings that come down to us. To that name we will forever bring thanksgiving and honor. In that name we find rest for our souls and peace for our conscience. Christians have a God above them, before them, and within them. (Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics Volume 2: God and Creation [Baker Academic, 2004], p. 334)

The Holy Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—requires and commands our most reverent worship, respect, and adoration.

Accordingly, what we say and write about the Trinity must be done with the most reverent care and humility.

First, it is helpful to recognize that our finite, created minds have only as much capacity for understanding God’s existence as God has permitted.

We need to start with what Scripture tells us about the Trinity, and Scripture is where we also must end in describing the Trinity. While there are numerous Bible passages that proclaim the doctrine of the Trinity, let’s focus on these below for now.

Christians do not worship multiple gods. As Deuteronomy teaches us in what is known as the Shema:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4)

Following are additional Bible passages that declare God is one: Mark 12:29, 32; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; and James 2:19.

We find verses throughout the Bible about the divinity of God the Father:

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:6)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Eph. 1:3)

Following are additional Bible passages that declare the Father is God: John 6:27; 8:54; 17:1, 3; 20:17; 1 Corinthians 15:24; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:1; 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:17; and Jude 1.

We find verses throughout the Bible about the divinity of God the Son, Jesus Christ:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)

For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. (Col. 2:9)

Following are additional Bible passages that declare Jesus is God: Isaiah 9:6; John 5:18; 8:58; 10:30-33; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5–6; Colossians 1:15–17; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:3, 8; and 2 Peter 1:1.

Jesus declares God is one and that he is one with the Father.

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4 in the Gospel of Mark when a scribe asks him which commandment is the greatest of all:

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’” (Mark 12:29)

Jesus declares he is one with the Father.

Jesus gives the following answer to the Jews’ question regarding whether he is the Christ:

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

Jesus permits Thomas to worship him.

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 in the Gospel of Matthew when Satan is tempting Jesus to worship him:

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matt. 4:10)

Yet, after Jesus is resurrected from the dead and Thomas declares him to be God, Jesus does not refute him:

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28)

We find verses throughout the Bible about the divinity of God the Holy Spirit:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:1-2)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

Following are additional Bible passages that declare the Holy Spirit is God: Job 33:4; Psalm 139:7; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3–4; 28:25–26; 1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 13:14; and Hebrews 10:15–17.

Finally, in Scripture we find two passages that refer to each Person of the Trinity:

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:16-17)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.” (Matt. 28:18-19)

It can be helpful in understanding the Trinity to distinguish between the ontology (essence) of the Persons of the Trinity and the economy (activities) of each Person of the Trinity in our salvation.

Essence: Each Person of the Trinity is truly God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have the same essence and have always existed. The Persons of the Trinity are co-equal in power, authority, majesty, and glory (Matt. 28:19; John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor. 3:17).

Activities: The Persons of the Trinity have different activities in our salvation. As theologian Michael Horton states,

Although all three persons are mutually active in every external work of the Godhead, they are active differently. The Father is the originating agent, the Son is the Mediator, and the Spirit brings about the intended effect. (The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way [Zondervan, 2011], 303)

The Athanasian Creed states, “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the essence.”

The historic creeds and confessions of the church were the result of efforts both to combat heresies and to give a faithful summary of essential doctrines of the Christian faith. These creeds and confessions about the Trinity are immensely helpful because many errant teachings regarding the Godhead have run rampant throughout the centuries and continue to do so today. For example, Mormonism teaches a plurality of gods, while Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the full deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Some people, with good intentions, attempt to use analogies to explain how God is one in essence and three in person and end up teaching things about God that aren’t true. We must avoid the error of modalism, which claims that God operates in three different modes but isn’t actually three in person. We also must avoid the error of tritheism, which claims that the Trinity consists of three separate gods. For some helpful historical definitions of the Trinity, be sure to check out the entire Athanasian Creed along with the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Definition.

In the Trinity we find perfect love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as God’s immeasurable love for us displayed in our redemption in Christ. As Bavinck so beautifully summarizes:

In the doctrine of the Trinity, we feel the heartbeat of God’s entire revelation for the redemption of humanity. Though foreshadowed in the Old Testament, it only comes to light fully in Christ. Religion can be satisfied with nothing less than God Himself. Now in Christ, God Himself comes out to us, and in the Holy Spirit He communicates Himself to us. The work of recreation is Trinitarian through and through. From God, through God, and in God are all things. Recreation is one divine work from beginning to end, yet it can be described in terms of three agents. It is fully accomplished by the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. (God and Creation, 333-34)

No more perfect love exists than the love between the Persons of the Trinity, and God created us to love and be loved. I’m sure most of us can think of special people in our lives we love so much that we would give our lives to rescue them. People even sacrifice their lives to save complete strangers. God loved his creation with such an infinite love that he gave himself so that all who trust in Christ alone for salvation would live forever with him in glory. May we always love, adore, and worship God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.

Prayer is an essential means by which we can commune (fellowship) with God—and not just God as an abstract being, but God as a personal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity gives himself to us in the work of prayer. Indeed, prayer wouldn’t even be possible if not for the Trinity. Read more...

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