Who is God? That’s the question that the doctrine of the Trinity tries to answer. As Christians we believe that Jesus was fully human, but also fully God, manifesting the Creator’s true nature to the world. We also believe that the Holy Spirit, who proceeded from Christ and the Father, was fully God as well. But the Bible also says that God is one. How should we reconcile the oneness of God with the three distinct Persons of God in the Bible: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? The Trinity affirms that God has one nature, existing in three Persons, all co-equal and co-existent. This simple formula helps protect God’s revelation from misinterpretation or compromise. Early on in Christian history heretics from tried to deny vital aspects of God’s nature by either claiming Jesus and the Spirit weren’t fully divine or that the Persons of the Trinity weren’t really distinct. But the Bible doesn’t really give us those options. It affirms the fullness of one God dwelling in three Persons. This is how the doctrine of the Trinity was formed. God is Triune, and fully divine, hence, the Trinity. Anything aside from this confession compromises how God revealed Himself and those who love Him will stay true to His revelation instead of trying to create a different God out of our own logic.
JESUS AS THE ONE GOD
Scripture tells us that God is one, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,” (Deuteronomy 6:4). But Jesus and the Holy Spirit, are also identified as God as well. Besides telling His disciples that “I and the Father are one,” (John 10:30), or referring to Himself with the same titles that God used in the Old Testament (cross reference Rev. 1:17 with Isaiah 44:6, or John 8:58 with Exodus 3:14), Jesus also did things that only God could do. He exercised absolute power over creation (Mk 4:35-41), forgave sins (Mk 2:1-12), received worship (John 9:38) and said He would judge humanity at the last day (Matthew 25:31-46, John 5:16-30). Much more could be shared on this topic, but these are just a few examples of Jesus’ claims to deity.
THE SPIRIT AS THE ONE GOD
Likewise, the picture we are given of the Holy Spirit is not one of some impersonal force, but the third person of Gods nature. Besides playing a fundamental role in creating our universe (Gen 1:2, Job 33:4, Ps 104:30), the Holy Spirit is continually identified as God throughout the whole of the Bible. Aside from numerous other examples (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19, Heb. 9:14, Isa 63:7 etc.), Paul says that “the Lord is the Spirit …” (2 Cor. 3:17), and Peter explicitly makes this case when chastising Ananias, “… how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit …. You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4).
INTERPERSONAL RELATION
Not only are the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit God, they are each separate persons who relate to one another. Jesus speaks to the Father (Matt. 3:17, 17:5, John 12:28), and the Father speaks to the Son (John 17:1, :Luke 23:46), and the Spirit is sent by the Father in Jesus’ name to teach His followers after His ascension (John 14:26). Jesus also commands that believers be baptized not just in His own name, but in the name of the “Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Clearly, the members of the Godhead interact with one another in a way that reveals distinct personalities. Nevertheless, each demonstrates and identifies with the nature of God. This is the mystery, and reality of the Trinity.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
While critics may suggest that the Trinity appears foolish or contradictory, it is neither. Instead it is a human observation of the Divine nature of God. Instead of creating a contradictory conception of God that tries to force Him into being something that He’s not, it is a realist approach that takes into account all of the available evidence. Scientists can’t fully explain how light can be both a particle and a wave, but that’s what repeated experimentation has demonstrated. Regardless of the mysteries of quantum physics, they attempt to remain true to what the science demonstrates. It’s no surprise that theologians who interact with the physical sciences see a similar approach to the The Trinity. People like John Polkinghorne, Alister Mcgrath, T.F. Torrance and others can’t help but see the similarity between what’s called ‘critical realism,’ and how the doctrine of the Trinity developed. Modern science has learned how to not put preconceived boxes around data and let evidence speak for itself. This is precisely what the doctrine of the Trinity intends to do.
To think that the Trinity is a product of Church councils or theological innovation is to picture Christians as too naive—we would never create something as complicated as the Trinity to win converts. As C.S. Lewis says, “If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about.” Scripture, plainly and simply, is based on historical facts, the details of how God entered into our world. First, as God anointed and spoke through the prophets, then through Christ and His victory over sin and death, and finally through the Spirit empowering the Apostles and Church. The Trinity is really just a description, a name if you will, that reflects the facts about God’s history.