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On a number of occasions, people have inquired about the Trinity and what we believe as a church regarding it. A video explaining our position on God and the Trinity can be found here: WATCH THE VIDEO
I thought, however, that a short article providing many cited verses on the topic would be helpful as well. The verses listed in this article are not exhaustive; there are many other verses that affirm the main doctrinal points about the Trinity. This is provided only as a summary for you.
Finally, you should know that this doctrine has been articulated and affirmed for many centuries. You may want to read the Athanasian Creed, where the doctrine is described in formal detail.
God is one, and this one God has made Himself known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not a puzzle to solve but a truth to receive, worship, and enjoy.
From the first pages of Scripture, God makes it clear that there is only one true God.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
“There is no God but one.” (1 Corinthians 8:4)
This means Christians are not worshiping three gods. There is only one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, worthy of all our worship and trust.
The Bible also shows that this one God is three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who act together in perfect unity.
In Jesus’ baptism, the Son is baptized, the Spirit comes down like a dove, and the Father speaks from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17)
Jesus commands baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Notice Jesus says “name” (singular), not “names.” One name, yet three persons. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are together the one God we worship.
The Bible directly calls the Father “God.”
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7)
“One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:6)
When you pray to the Father, you are praying to the true and living God who loves His people and rules over all.
The Bible also clearly teaches that Jesus, the Son, is fully God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1, 14)
Thomas sees the risen Jesus and says, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
“From their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.” (Romans 9:5)
“In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
Jesus is not just a great teacher or a special man; He is truly God who became human to save us.
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force; He is God, personal and active.
Peter confronts Ananias for lying “to the Holy Spirit” and then says, “You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3–4)
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
God’s Spirit lives in believers, giving new life, strength to obey, and comfort in suffering.
The Bible shows the Father, Son, and Spirit are not the same person simply using different names. They speak to one another, love one another, and send one another.
Jesus prays to the Father: “Father… glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1)
Jesus says, “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28)
Here, Jesus talks about the Father as someone distinct from Himself.
Jesus says, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” (John 14:26)
The Father sends the Spirit; the Sender and the One sent are distinct persons.
Jesus says, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (John 15:26)
The Spirit comes from the Father and the Son and points people to Jesus. He is not Jesus, but He glorifies Jesus.
So:
- The Father is God.
- The Son is God.
- The Spirit is God.
- The Father is not the Son.
- The Spirit is not the Father.
- The Spirit is not the Son.
- And there is only one God.
This truth is not only for theologians; it is for your daily walk with God.
You are loved by the Father: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1)
You are saved by the Son: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
You are helped by the Spirit: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26)
When you pray, you are coming to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit. When you worship on Sunday, you are joining the worship of heaven to the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You may never fully understand how God can be one in being and three in persons. That is okay. God is greater than our minds. But you can truly know Him because He has shown Himself to us in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.