The Triune Nature of God

Have you ever tried to explain the Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity to someone? Does it make sense to you, or do you get more confused trying to explain it? Well I will try to make it simple for you. If someone asks you about it I want you to be able to explain it so at least they see how the 3 persons of the Trinity work together in unity and in purpose.

The Doctrine of the Trinity is something that is hard to fathom due to man’s  limited understanding of our creator. 

God Himself makes clear that we cannot fully understand the mind of God.

Isaiah 55:8-9 New International Version 1984 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Here we go:

God is One God that exists in 3 persons:

·         God The Father

·         God The Son (Jesus)

·         God the Holy Spirit

All 3 persons are fully God, eternal, and  work together with one mind in all things. 

• Throughout the Bible you will see The Father, Son and Holy Spirit working in one mind, Spirit, and purpose, actively playing a role in carrying out the plan of Salvation.

God The Father:  
Active in creation of the universe, all things, devised the Plan of Salvation.
(God spoke the Word that brought into existence all things, the beginning, and our relationship with time.) 

Genesis 1:1-3 New International Version 1984 

The Beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

God The Son (Jesus):   

Active in achieving the plan of Salvation through His death on the cross and
resurrection. Jesus actively reigns over the Church. Also Known as the logos or
the Word. All things were created through Him. Food for thought -
God spoke things into existence and Jesus is the Word.
 

John :1-3 New International Version 1984 

The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

God The Holy Spirit:    
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs in believers once someone receives Christ 

as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is active in calling people to faith and making 

them increasingly more like Jesus.When we receive Jesus into our life The Holy Spirit 

plays a major role in our sanctification process. When a person is sanctified he or she is 

being set apart by God for a specific divine purpose. The very moment we are saved in 

Christ we are also immediately set apart to God and begin the process of being conformed

to the image of Christ. Baptism of The Holy Spirit happens once in a persons life.  This is

permanent. The filling of the Holy Spirit can happen many times and depends on a 

our relationship with Jesus. Sin can hamper us from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you need some evidence in the Bible of the Godhead here are some passages to reference:

• Here is a passage in the Bible from Genesis that gives evidence for the Trinity:

Genesis 1:26:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth,  and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

• Also notice in this passage from the Gospel Matthew where Jesus was baptized, The Holy Spirit and God are both participants in Jesus’ Baptism by John the Baptist:

Matthew 3:16-17 :

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

•  One of Jesus’ Greatest commands to His followers references of the Trinity:

Matthew 28:19:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

• When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would give birth to the Messiah, Jesus, the trinity is referenced:

Luke 1:35:

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

•  Jesus explains in the verse below one of the roles of the Holy Spirit yet also references the Godhead:

John 14:26 New International Version 1984 

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

C.S. Lewis gives us a great analogy for the Trinity:
The three dimensions of space: Length, width and height. All coincide in the same place, yet are distinct.


So the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all distinct yet fully God and have the same attributes, divine nature, and glory. They exist together in perfect harmony with one another. They are co-equal but there is evidence of subordination due to the roles they play. The Father is the head, the Son proceeds from the Father and is subordinate to Him, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and is subordinate to both. So that is why God the Father is referred to as the First Person in the Trinity, Jesus the second, and the Holy Spirit the third.

When explaining the Trinity, it is important to show how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit  have actively worked together to achieve God’s Plan of Salvation. This will help will give others get a better understanding of the relationship between the 3 persons of the Trinity, as well as the depth of  God's love for us. Even with a simple explanation, this relationship is still hard to grasp because of our limited human understanding and perspective. I know many books and articles have been written about this subject.  I suggest we all continue to pursue a deeper understanding of this Godhead relationship. God's Word is living and active and will open doors of greater understanding if we desire it. But most of all we need to focus on our relationship with Jesus. Through Jesus we will learn the truth about all things as well as develop and celebrate the hope we have for all eternity.

Just Sayin………………..Dave