Can you explain the Trinity?
Listen: 111.4
It is so important that we understand that there is only one God; scripture is emphatic about this. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Romans 3:30 says, “Seeing it is one God…” 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God…” This one God is God of all as we read in Romans 3:29, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.”
While it is clear that there is only one God, our God has made Himself known to us as a plural God. This means that God is made up of more than one. We can see that in the very first verse in the Bible. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Hebrew word for God here is ‘elohiym’ which is a plural word indicating two or more. Let’s consider the words of Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” This one God is introduced to us as a plural being and in this verse, God speaks to Himself in a plural sense, using the words ‘us’ and ‘our’. We find this example in other places in the Word. Genesis 3:22 says, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…” In Isaiah 6:8 we read, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” There are many more examples like this throughout the scriptures.
We might wonder how we are made in the image of God since God is a spirit. God is a triune God, and he has made us to be triune, also. God is known to us as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are also three: body, soul, and spirit.
Our God has manifested Himself to us in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let’s consider John 14:16-17, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth…” Here, the Son is telling His disciples that He will ask the Father to send the Spirit. Let’s read of the Lord Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:16-17, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Spirit of God descends upon the Son of God while God speaks from Heaven speaking of His pleasure in His Son. Another example is found in Hebrews 9:14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” This shows us that the Son of God, led by the Spirit of God, offered Himself to God as a sacrifice for our sins.
The language of scripture affirms to us that God is three, and these three are God. In John 6:26, we have the expression “God the Father.” Speaking of the Lord Jesus, 1 John 5:20 says, “This is the true God…” In Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Peter tells Ananias that he had lied to the Holy Ghost; that he had lied to God.
So, we see that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. While they are one in nature and purpose they are distinguishable in character. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father. The Father sent His Son. The Son died for our sins. The Spirit indwells every believer. However, there is only one God. What a wonderful mystery! (111.4)