Scripture reveals that God eternally exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but there is only one God. This concept of the Trinity can be a huge point of struggle for many people. You may even have some questions surrounding how God can be three-in-one yourself. That is understandable, and that is why I want us to briefly unpack this topic in this space.
Theologian Wayne Grudem offers three statements that are all equally true in understanding the Trinity:
God is three persons.
Each person is fully God.
There is one God.
Scripture makes no effort to fully explain the Trinity. Many people who criticize the Trinity rightly point out that the word “Trinity” does not even appear in the Bible. Trinity is a word the church fathers used to describe a truth that is in the Bible; there is only one God, but He has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. All are co-equal. All are fully God. All have always existed and always will exist. It’s also important to note that no one person of the Trinity is of more value than another. The Son submits to the Father, and the Spirit submits to the Son. They are equal in their value, but they function differently in their roles.
Scriptural Evidence
Instead of simply trusting what others teach about this truth, let’s look at several passages of Scripture that affirm the Trinity when they are built together.
First, James 2:19 teaches, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” James teaches that there is only one God, and even the devil and the demons around him acknowledged this. The first person of the Trinity, the Father, is God.
Of course, most people do not struggle with the deity of the Father. But what about the Son?
We find a powerful description of Jesus as God in John 1:1-4: “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 anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Christ’s deity is key when it comes to true Christianity. There are many false versions of Christianity that attempt to appear Christian, but they are not because they deny the deity of Jesus.
What about the Holy Spirit? There is a story in the book of Acts about a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of property and, instead of giving freely, lied to the church about the amount they gave. Peter confronted them, saying, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God” (Acts 5:3-4). Notice how Peter began by saying he lied to the Holy Spirit and ended by saying Ananias lied to God. Clearly, Peter, like all the early church fathers, believed that the person of the Holy Spirit was God.
Now, if the Father is God and the Son is God and the Spirit is God, and there is one God, how are they three in one?
I think the most powerful passage we can look at comes from the words of Jesus in John 16:13-15: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Notice how Jesus beautifully describes the work of all three persons—the work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Spirit. Jesus is declaring the truth of the Trinity.
Why Does This Matter?
A proper understanding of the Trinity deeply affects our ability to relate to God and understand His work. This is why believing in the deity of each person of the Trinity matters greatly.
If Jesus isn’t God, His death did not atone for your sins. Atonement is the word used to describe the work of Jesus dying in our place and sacrificing His life to pay for our sins. If He were simply a man, He would have been a great man and a martyr, but not the Messiah. To deny Jesus as fully God is to take away one of the building blocks of our understanding of the finished work of Christ on the cross. He was both God and man on the cross, which means He's sufficient to take away the sins of the world because of the purity of His sinless blood.
If Jesus isn’t God, you cannot be justified by faith in Christ. We know that we come to Christ by faith alone in Jesus. Accepting Him into your heart and trusting His finished work on the cross is the means of salvation. This can only happen if He is truly God.
If Jesus isn’t God, He cannot answer your prayers. Scripture is clear that we are to pray to God alone. In the first of the Ten Commandments, God declares we are to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). Yet we find Jesus saying in John 14:13- 14, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Praying to Jesus makes no sense if He is not fully God.
If the Holy Spirit isn’t God, you cannot trust His leading. How are we supposed to trust the Holy Spirit if He is not God? Walking with God requires spiritual insight and guidance that only God can provide. If the Holy Spirit is not God, then there is no means by which to have this in our lives.
Focusing on the fullness of who He is should stir our hearts to worship, and celebrating the Trinity means we can worship all three persons. God is Father, Son, and Spirit, and we can pray accordingly. We can pray to God for provision. We can pray to Christ as our Lord. We can pray to the Holy Spirit as our Helper. This allows us to guard against imbalances, such as becoming too infatuated with one person of the Trinity and overlooking the beauty and glory of the others.
We need all three.