This study © 2000 by David Humpal

Introduction

Early church theologians came up with the trinity concept as a way to explain what they perceived as the teaching of the Bible. Instead of adhering to a specific trinitarian statement, it’s probably best to simply say that we believe what the Bible teaches. We may not fully understand the Biblical concept, but by trying to force this idea into human words, we are really trying to bring the eternal God down to our finite understanding. This is an effort bound to fail. Most Christians including myself believe the historic concept of the trinity fairly represents the Biblical teaching, but I think I’m more comfortable with saying we believe what the following verses teach us about God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God Is One God

The Bible clearly teaches that God is one God and not a multiple of Gods. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” And when we compare Malachi 2:10 with John 1:3 we see that Jesus must be part of that “one God” who created us.

In fact the Hebrew word for God in Genesis 1:1 is instructive -- elohiym is always used as a singular noun with a singular verb when it refers to the deity, and yet it is the plural form of the word. The Hebrew language itself may indicate to us that God is one and yet contains Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Naturally, this is beyond our human understanding.

Jesus and God are One

In Philippians 2:6 Paul says that Jesus has the very nature of God. And In Matthew 1:23 the Angel tells Mary that her baby will be named “God with us,”

The Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, and they accused him of blasphemy in Mark 2:7, John 10:33, and John 5:18.

In John 20:28 Thomas calls Jesus “my God.” And in John 1:1 John calls Jesus God.

In Luke 22:42 Jesus clearly states that he has a will separate from the Father’s, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

The Holy Spirit Is God

In Acts 5:3-4 Peter tells Ananias that he has lied to the Holy Spirit in verse 3 and in verse 4 says that he lied to God. This passage clearly indicates that these two are the same.

In 2 Peter 1:21 the words of the prophets are said to be both spoken from God and carried by the Holy Spirit.

When we compare the same event described in Exodus 17:7 and Hebrews 3:7-9, we see that in Exodus God is the one being tested. In Hebrews the Holy Spirit is the one being tested. Since both passages describe the same event, this indicates that God and the Holy Spirit are one.

In John 16:13 the Holy Spirit is said to not speak of himself but rather will speak what he hears, clearly indicating that the Holy Spirit has a separate will from God the Father and Jesus the Son and could speak of himself if he so chose.

God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

There are many scriptures that show the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit working together as three separate persons of the Godhead such as 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, and Matthew 3:16-17.

In Matthew 28:19 Christ indicates the formula for baptizing new believers, “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.”

In Ephesians 4:4-6 Paul tells us that there is one Spirit and one Lord Jesus and one God the Father indicating their equality in the Godhead.

Footnotes:

These notes on the trinity © 2000 by David Humpal, all rights reserved.