The Trinity

Back in Spring of 2009, as I was finishing my time at Cal State Fullerton, I decided to take a class in the Comparative Religion Department. The class was called “The History and Development of Modern Christian Thought.” This class basically traced the history of Christianity and Catholicism through the Renaissance, the Reformation, and up to some of the modern trends.

I decided to take the class for two reasons. One, I thought it would be a good chance to learn about some of the major events in the history of Christianity. Second, I thought it would be a good chance to get to see what other people’s opinions were about religion and the Bible and the gospel.

I wasn’t under the impression that everyone in the class was a Christian, and actually I’m sure I stood out a bit because most of the people were pursuing some kind of religious or philosophy major, and I was just some kid pursuing a degree in Sports Science. At the same time, I quickly realized how much I stood out because I actually believed the Bible was the authoritative word of God.

The title of the class didn’t help either. The History and Development of Modern Christian Thought. It’s one thing to trace how Christians think about and apply the truth, but it’s another thing to think that over the years, what Christianity teaches has changed or evolved somehow. And that seemed to be the prevailing attitude of the class.

I remember one guy who I think was studying to be a priest or something like that. He said, “Well take the Trinity for example. That’s not a Christian doctrine. The word Trinity isn’t even in the Bible. We didn’t come up with the teaching about the Trinity until about 300 years after Jesus died.”

Is that correct? Why would he make that statement? Well, he isn’t correct. But we do want to understand why he would get that idea. You see, after Jesus ascended back into heaven, and after the Apostles died, most of the church leaders focused on the humanity of Christ. They focused on His death and suffering. So very little was being said and taught about the deity of Jesus.

And so, there began to come false teachers saying that Jesus wasn’t really God. He wasn’t fully Divine. So people started to ask questions again. Was Jesus God? Was He a man? Was he an illusion? Was He created? And one of the biggest proponents of the idea that Jesus was created was  a man named Arius. And his views became part of what we call the Arian Controversy.

Well, all the false teachings and the questions in people’s minds started to produce divisions. Not just religious divisions, but political divisions also. So the Emperor Constantine convened a gathering of church leaders. It’s called the Council of Nicea, and it took place in the year 325. The main issue at Nicea was: Who was Jesus? Was He fully God or was He created?

Over 50 years later, in 381 there was another meeting, the Council of Constantinople. And this time the discussion was based on the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit fully God?

Well, as a result of these two councils, the church had a much clearer way of describing and thinking about the Trinity.

But that doesn’t mean that it was at that time that the Trinity was invented. Theological truth is like the law of gravity. Nobody invented gravity. It was given to us by God. And yet there came a time when we as humans discovered it and understood it better. The same is true with the truth of God.

It took some time, some opposition, and some persecution for us to be able to describe it more clearly or understand it a little better or designate a term for it. But that doesn’t mean the doctrine didn’t exist.

In fact, the doctrine of the Trinity is a very biblical doctrine. And it is a very practical doctrine as well. It is foundational to who God is and who you are. But before we get to the practical effects of it, we need to start with the biblical support.

Let’s start with a question: What is the Trinity? What does it mean? Well, you can think of Trinity as a shortened form of Tri-unity. “Tri” speaks of three. And “unity” points to one. So to say that God is a Trinity means that He is actually three-and-one or three-in-one. What does that mean?

Well, let’s start with the idea that God is one. We touched on this last week. If you’re taking notes, this is the first major heading you’ll want to write down: There is only one God. This is affirmed throughout the Bible, and in both the Old and New Testaments.

Deuteronomy 6:4. A passage that all of Israel had memorized: “The Lord our God. The Lord is One.” And there are many others.

Deuteronomy 4:35 – The Lord is God; there is no other besides Him.

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give my glory to another, Nor my praise to graven images.

Isaiah 44:6 – I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.

And the New Testament makes this explicitly clear as well. 1 Corinthians 8:6 – There is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him.

1 Tim 2:5 – For there is one God.

1 Timothy 1:17 – To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.

James 2:19 says God is one, even the demons believe this.

This is a fundamental belief of Christianity. There is only one God. There is only one divine essence. If you believe in more than one diving essence or being, then you have multiple gods. That’s called polytheism, the belief in more than one God, which is wrong.

So we know there is only one God, but throughout the Old Testament we start getting hints that it’s not that simple. The Hebrew word for God (Elohim) is plural. And then there are times when the Bible uses a plural verb or a plural pronoun for God.

For instance, as early as Genesis 1:26, you read where God says: “Let us make man in our image.” That’s plural. And we’re not made in the image of angels, and angels don’t create. So who’s the US there?

You also have passages where more than one person is called God or Lord/Jehovah. We see this in Genesis 19:24 where it says that Jehovah rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from Jehovah out of heaven. Is that 2 Jehovah’s?

Psalm 45:6-7 refers to a king, calling him God, but then says “God has anointed you.” So you have two references to God.

Psalm 110:1 has the Lord Jehovah speaking to David’s Lord. Two Lords. And there are several other passages that do the same. Passages that hint to some sort of plurality within God. There are times when one of God’s messengers refuses to be worshipped, and times when the messenger receives worship, as if he is God.

The plural nature of God, though, is something that isn’t fully revealed until we come to the New Testament. And in the New Testament we are fully exposed to the reality of a “threeness” in God.

If you remember the Great Commission at the end of Matthew, Jesus says: Go baptize in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t say “names” with the plural. He says “name” in the singular.

Then we have Paul’s benediction 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. So these three were connected somehow.

Who are these people? And how does that connect to the Trinity? Remember, the Trinity means that God, although He is one in essence (one in being), he exists as three distinct persons. But all three persons are God. God exists in three Persons.

We know God the Father is God. But what about Jesus Christ? Jesus is God, but He’s not the Father. He’s a different person, but He’s also not a different God. That’s what Jesus and the Apostles taught the disciples. You can start with John 1:1. Jesus is the Word. In the beginning was the word. And the Word was with God. And the word was God.

In John 10:30, Jesus says: I and the Father are One. Later, when Thomas sees the resurrected Jesus in John 20:28 he says to him: My Lord and my God!

In Titus 2:13, Paul refers to Jesus as “our great God and Savior.” And in Hebrews 1:8, the writer applies the words of Psalm 45 to Jesus: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”

So, there is no doubt that the Bible presents Jesus Christ as fully God. One last verse, Colossians 2:9 – In him the whole fullness of deity dwells.

The same is true for the Spirit. The Spirit is God also. Psalm 139 asks: “Where shall I go from you Spirit? Where shall I flee form your presence?” He links the Spirit of God to the presence of God.

In Acts 5, remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter said to Ananias: “Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to man but to God.” Again, there’s a link between the Spirit and God.

In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul asks: Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? He links having God’s Spirit in you with having God in you. So the Spirit is fully God… And there are other verse that could be used, but we need to keep moving.

There’s one last verse, though, that I’d like to bring up. And it’s significant because it doesn’t just link Jesus with the Father, and it doesn’t just link the Spirit with God. What is does is link the Spirit with Jesus. Go ahead and turn to Romans 8:9. In Romans 8, Paul is continuing to talk about the Christian life, and he focuses now on the role of the Holy Spirit. If you’re saved, then you’re in the Spirit, and there’s life and peace. If you’re not saved, then you’re in the flesh, and that’s death. And look what Paul says. Verse 9.

Who’s spirit is Paul talking about? The spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Are those two separate spirits? No, they’re the same. The Spirit of God lives in you. The Spirit of Jesus lives in you. That’s important. When we say that Jesus lives inside us, we don’t mean there’s a little man in there with a candle so he can see. We mean that, it is the Spirit of Jesus who lives in us. The Spirit of God.

So this is what you need to understand when you think or talk about the Trinity. There is one God. There are three persons. But all three are God. There is Unity. They are united. They are One. Everything God is, Jesus is. And the Holy Spirit is as well.

BUT, and this is so important. Even though there is Unity, there is also diversity. There is distinction. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is God. But the Father is not the Son. And the Spirit is not the Father. And the Spirit is not the Son. They are distinct persons.

There are some people who call themselves believers, who affirm the Unity of God. But they deny the Distinctions in the Trinity. Some teach that these three persons are really just one God with three different Manifestations or Modes. So, in their view, God is like the guy with all the hats, who is the sheriff, and the judge, and the lawyer. Or He’s like water, which can take the form of ice or vapor, but its can’t be all of them at the same time. This view denies the distinctions in the Trinity.

Theologically this is called Modalism. It’s the idea that God has three different modes or manifestations. Sometimes they identify with the slogan “Jesus only” and they will baptize only in Jesus’ name. This is the case with some strands of Pentecostal churches who won’t affirm that Jesus is eternal.

And this is a very big problem because the Bible presents God as united but also distinct. If the Persons of God are not distinct: Who was Jesus praying to? Who spoke at the baptism of Jesus? Who descended like a dove at the baptism? Who spoke at the Transfiguration? To whom is Jesus interceding? To whom is the Spirit interceding? How can the Spirit glorify Jesus if they are not distinct?

So that’s what it means to believe in the Trinity. All three persons are united but distinct. God is One. And God is Three. All of them are eternal. All of them were involved in the creation of the world. All of them are equal in power. All of them are omniscient and omnipresent and holy. All of them speak the truth. All of them show us love. But they are not the same person. But they are all God.

What this means is that all of them are equal in essence. They aren’t pieces of God. You don’t combine all three of them to get God. And two of them combined aren’t more powerful than the other one. They are all God. And they are all One. They exist at the same time, but are distinct persons.

How does that work? We don’t have all the answers. We’re dealing with our infinite God. We’re dealing with another class of being. And just because there is some confusion, doesn’t mean it’s not true. We take it by faith. And there’s no good analogy to use because nothing on earth is like this. We affirm God’s oneness, His unity. And we affirm His Threeness, His distinctions. It’s a mystery that we can’t fully understand.

But there is something very important you need to know. Just because the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equal in nature and in power, they are distinct in how they function. In WHO THEY ARE, they are equal. But in WHAT THEY DO, they have an order.

Why is this important? Well, this is where we get to that practical side of the Trinity. How does the Trinity affect your everyday life? Well, let me give two major applications. And you can sort of let these bounce around in your head for this week.

The first way the Trinity affects your life is through your worship—your worship of God. You worship a Triune God. A God who is united but has some distinction. So what?

Well, for starters, don’t confuse them. The Father didn’t die on the cross, Jesus did. We don’t worship the Father for dying on the cross. We worship the Father for sending the Son. We worship the Son for obeying the Father, for laying down His own life. We worship God for His work, and we recognize that He works through the Son and the Spirit to accomplish His plan.

However, at the same time, you can’t drive a wedge between the persons of God. Some people have this idea that God is mean and cruel, and Jesus is kind and loving. That’s a poor distinction.

Even worse, some people think that God wanted to send us all to hell, but Jesus said “No don’t do that! I will die for them!” No. They are united. They don’t argue. They don’t fight. They don’t compete. They have the same plan. The same purpose.

Finally, and again, this is connected to our worship. We should be thankful and praise God for making Himself known to us. You see, the Trinity is a special revelation of who God is. There are certain things about you that nobody knows except those who are very close to you. Right? Well, the Trinity is like that. It’s a special nearness to God that has come to us through the New Covenant.

The Old Testament saints didn’t know it very clearly. Most people only knew God at a distance. But then Jesus came. And He said in John 14 and 16: Another Helper is coming. The Spirit of Truth. And He will dwell with You. He will be in You. He will Teach you. He will guide You.

You see, the New Covenant allowed God, not just to dwell AMONG us or UPON us. It allowed God to dwell WITHIN us. We can now know God both externally and internally. We can call God “Father” now, and He calls us His “friends” (Jn 15:15).

This is what Romans 8:15-16 and Galatians 4:6 say. The Spirit within us bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And by that Spirit we cry out “Abba! Father!” This is like a child calling out to his Dad for help. Someone he knows and trusts.

Do you know God with that kind of intimacy? If not, then you’re not a Christian. But you CAN know God that intimately. If you repent of your sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ. Then you will be forgiven of all sin. And God Himself, Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit, will come and live inside you. To teach you and to guide you. You won’t just be looking at God from the outside. You will enter into a deep relationship with Him. You will have fellowship with Him.

This is an amazing reality. It’s a privilege for which we thank and worship God. The Trinity distinguishes Christianity from all other belief systems. God is not far off. He lives within us. The Trinity affects our worship.

But it doesn’t end there. It doesn’t end in our hearts and in our minds or in our doctrine. The Trinity affects our life. It affects our relationships. It affects the way we treat one another. You see, the Trinity is the perfect picture of unity and diversity. Agreement but with distinction.

Turn with me to Genesis chapter 1. The first chapter of your Bible. Genesis 1, verse 26. And we’ll just read two verses. Genesis 1:26-27.

All of humanity is created in God’s image. Male and female. We are all equal, and yet there are differences. The fact that men and women are different and yet they still relate to one another is not part of the curse. It’s part of being made in God’s image. Human relationships reflect the relationships within God. We are relational people because God is a relational God in Himself. And so we need to learn how to be united while still affirming that there are distinctions.

And this is what happens in a marriage. They are two different people, but they become one flesh. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11. And this is the passage where Paul clearly links the reality of the Trinity to the reality of marriage.

We know Jesus is God. We know Jesus is equal to God. But we also know that the Son submits to the Father. So they have different roles. There is submission going on here. And Paul makes a comparison here. 1 Corinthians 11:3.

Does Jesus submit to the Father? Yes. Is Jesus inferior to the Father? No. Absolutely not. But He still submits. And that’s what marriage is supposed to reflect. Wives, you’re not inferior to your husband. You’re valuable. You’re important. And any husband who treats you otherwise is in sin. He is a fool. And any wife who refuses to submit is also in sin. Because God is a God of order. So one person submits to the other. Our marriages reflect this.

And this equality with distinction is not just for marriages. It’s not just for the home. It’s for the entire church. The church, just like God, is an amazing picture of equality and unity with distinction and diversity. It’s like a musical harmony or a beautiful mosaic.

Flip over with me to 1 Corinthians 12:4. Here Paul is talking about the unity of the church and the diversity. 1 Cor inthians 12:4-6. Where do all these gifts come from? The same Spirit. The same Lord (Jesus Christ). The same God who works all things in everyone.

What does that mean? It means we’re united. We’re on the same team. We’re working toward the same goal. There are supposed to be some differences, but there are not supposed to be divisions. There is not supposed to be a competition. We’re not supposed to try to beat the other person. We’re supposed to model the submission of Jesus Christ and serve one another.

Go over to Ephesians 4. The passage I read to open up our message. The second chapter of Ephesians highlights the unity we have in Christ. Jews and Gentiles. Circumcised and uncircumcised. We are one new man. We’re members of the same family. We’re stones in the same building. And Ephesians 4 says: then act like it. Because you’re all united in the Triune God. Ephesians 4:1-7.

I hope you’re starting to get this idea. The church is not just a display of God’s mercy. It’s a living display of the wonderful relationships God has in Himself. And every time you humble yourself to serve another person, you are glorifying God by reflecting the attitude of Jesus Christ.

Turn with me to Philippians 2. The next book. It’s a beautiful passage highlighting the equality of Christ and the Father, yet the humble submission of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:1-8.

Every time you humble yourself. Every time you consider the interests of another person, you are modeling the relationship of the Trinity. Humbling yourself doesn’t mean that other person is more valuable than you. It means that you value Christ more than anything else. And this is what Paul wanted for every local church.

Ando you know why Paul wanted this for the church? Because that it exactly what Jesus wanted for His church. One final passage. Turn with me to the gospel of John, chapter 17. This is our last passage for today. In John 17, Jesus is praying for His disciples. And not just the disciples of His times, but the disciples for all time.

This prayer is filled with references to the beautiful, eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. And we get to see what that relationship means for all our relationships.

John 17:1-5.

John 17:9-11.

John 17:20-23.

The Trinity matters because the glory of God matters. The Trinity matters because unity matters. Unity matters because it points people to the reality of who Jesus is. And although there is diversity, any time we move and act with unity, we glorify our eternal Triune God of love, who has united us to Himself, and whose glory we will see one day.