The Trinity
January 2019
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The doctrine of the Trinity can be found throughout the Bible. Although the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, the evidence of the Godhead is overwhelmingly obvious in the Scriptures.
Grammatically Speaking
The fourth word in Genesis 1 is the plural form of the word for God, Elohim. The Godhead is seen in the creation with God (Elohim), the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim), and the Word of God (and God said…) are all involved in the creation of the universe. Another example of the plural form of Elohim is in Genesis 35:7, when God appeared to Jacob. Elohim is also used in Psalm 58:11: “verily he is a God (God’s or Godhead) that judgeth in the earth.”
The plural pronoun can be seen in Genesis 1:26 to describe the making of man, “Let us make man in our image and likeness.” When Adam ate from the forbidden Tree of Life, God would say, “Behold, the man is become as one of us.”
“Who, shall I send and who will go for us,” was the question God asked to Isaiah. We are instructed by the Scriptures to recall our Creator. In both places, the plural pronoun is used for us to give recognition to the Godhead. In Ecclesiastes 12:1 it is written, “Remember now thy Creator (Bara; the plural pronoun means “Creators”) in the days of thy youth,” and in Psalm 149:2 Israel was commanded to rejoice in his makers.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not an anomaly. It is a recurring theme that begins in the Old Testament and follows through to the New Testament. In fact, the very prayers said by pious Jews every day reveal the perfect unity of the Godhead: Shema Israel (Hear, O Israel), Adonai Elohim (the Lord our Gods), Adonai Echad (the Lord is one). The Hebrew word echad can imply a unity in diversity. An example of this from Scripture is found in Exodus 26:6. The parts of the tabernacle are constructed so that they shall be one tabernacle. Ezekiel spoke of Israel fragmented as two sticks being reunited as one, “and they shall be one (echad) in mine hand.” (Ezekiel 37:19).
It is important to understand this concept because it applies to marriage. In Genesis 2:24 the Lord ordained that a husband and wife will become one flesh (basar echad). This cannot be fulfilled with anything other than a man and a woman. To further illustrate this concept, let’s look at our spiritual baptism into Christ.
I Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” God placed us into Christ. All of us become one with Christ and one with one another as His body. This is true unity. God has so wonderfully revealed Himself to us with countless examples of His perfect unity. The very tripart being of man further reveals this to us. Man is spirit, soul, and body.
The Trinity In The New Testament
The Trinity is one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We previously saw from the Old Testament the perfect unity of God. In the New Testament, the manifestation of the unique roles of the Godhead are given.
In Matthew 3:16-17, the scene is during the water baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit is represented in the dove descending upon Jesus while the Father’s voice proclaims, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Here is a perfect example of seeing the Godhead revealed as three persons.
Jesus Christ spoke of the Trinity when commanding His disciples to baptize others, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19). Followers of Christ taught the Trinity, and they ascribed to Him divine status as being coequal to the Father.
There are many triadic formulas in the New Testament that testify of the Godhead and their various roles. A specific example of this is in I Peter 1:2: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
The Godhead
Throughout the Word of God, we find testimonies of each member of the Godhead being recognized as God:-
Isaiah clearly says, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father” (Isa. 64:8).
- Malachi 2:10 says, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?”
- It is made most clear by Jesus Christ Himself, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God” (Jn. 8:54).
Jesus Christ is recognized as God in multiple Scriptures in the New Testament:
- “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Tim. 3:16).
- “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
- “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Heb. 1:8).
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (Jn. 1:1-3).
The Holy Spirit is God. The only unpardonable sin in the Bible is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Lk. 12:10).
In Acts 5:1-6, Peter gives strong warning against lying to the Holy Spirit, as Ananias did. In many other places we see the Holy Spirit separating (choosing) the disciples for service. He is the Shekinah glory of God in us, as we are the dwelling place of God as believers (I Cor. 3:16).
All the works of God carried out in the earth by God are done by the Holy Spirit. Because of the Cross, we have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit. We have the victory of Jesus Christ and its benefits given to us by the Holy Spirit; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is the resurrection power to live a godly life—free from the dominion of sin, made possible by the Cross and carried out in us by the Holy Spirit. God is working so perfectly to carry out His perfect redemption plan—as one God!
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