I Believe In The Trinity... Why Do I Believe It?

01/11/2024

I Believe In The Trinity... But Why Do I Believe It?

By Kristie Cody

Imagine that you are having a conversation with a non-believer and he asks why you believe in the Trinity. What would be your response? Are you prepared to answer that question in a scripturally sound manner or would you be taken by surprise, struggling to formulate a suitable reply? It is one thing to know what you believe, but being able to articulate why you believe it takes the conversation to a much deeper level. Knowing why you believe what you believe prepares you for the unexpected opportunities that arise from time to time to share the gospel with a person who needs to hear it and is genuinely open to what you have to say. The potential value of such a conversation cannot be calculated on this side of eternity.

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. It is a non-negotiable element of Christian theology. As this doctrine is often attacked and misconstrued by non-believers and followers of false teachings, it is important to establish up front exactly what Christians believe about the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity says that there is one God. He exists eternally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. All three persons are each fully God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not claim that there are 3 Gods or that God is some kind of 3-headed monster. God is three distinct persons in one indivisible substance. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Father. The Holy Ghost is neither the Father nor the Son. They are 3 separate, distinct persons within the Godhead. At times it appears that they abide by some kind of self-imposed heirarchy, although they are co-equal, co-eternal and function in complete unity and harmony with one another.

The Bible is the written word of God, and as such, is the final authority on everything. In it, God says what He means and means what He says. It is our responsibility as Christians to study His word and to trust in the truthfulness and inerrancy therein. With regard to the doctrine of the Trinity, let's see what God has said about Himself and what He reveals about His own nature.

It is not uncommon for a person to claim that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true because the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. While it is correct that the word itself is not in the Bible, the Scriptures clearly describe a triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Each individual member of the Trinity has specific attributes that only God can have. The Scriptures clearly reveal that each member of the Trinity is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy and eternal. No one can possess these key attributes but God. Although it is impossible for us to fully understand the Trinity with our finite human minds, we can certainly see that God has revealed his triune nature in His written word. God is exactly who He says He is, regardless of whether or not it makes complete sense to us. We are in no position to dispute what God says about Himself.

Let's look first at what the Scriptures say about the Father.

⦁ The Father is God.

John 6:27 (King James Version)
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

That is a direct statement by Jesus that the Father is God.

⦁ The Father is omnipresent.

Proverbs 15:3 (KJV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (KJV)
23) Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
24) Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

In the Old Testament, the word "LORD" in all capital letters is used for the proper name of God, which is transliterated from Hebrew as YHWH. Since the Father is God, these verses clearly reveal that the Father is omnipresent.

⦁ The Father is omniscient.

1 John 3:20 (KJV)
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Since the Father is God and "knoweth all things", the Father is omniscient.

⦁ The Father is omnipotent.

Job 42:1-2 (KJV)
1) Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2) I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Matthew 19:26 (KJV)
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Acts 26:8 (KJV)
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

Since the Father is God, He can do every thing, all things are possible with Him, and He can even raise the dead.

⦁ The Father is holy.

1 Samuel 2:2 (KJV)
There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

The Father, the LORD, is holy.

⦁ The Father is eternal.

Deuteronomy 33:27 (KJV)
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Psalm 90:2 (KJV)
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Isaiah 40:28 (KJV)
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

The Father is eternal. He is everlasting, without beginning and without end.

As revealed in the Scriptures, we can easily see that the Father is God and that He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy and eternal.

Now, let's look at what the Scriptures say about Jesus.

⦁ Jesus is God.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The deity of Jesus is clearly stated here - "The mighty God".

Matthew 9:18 (KJV)
While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worhipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Matthew 9:25 (KJV)
But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

Matthew 28:9 (KJV)
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Notice two things about the three verses listed above. First, Jesus raised the girl from the dead. Who raises people from the dead? According to Acts 26:8, God raises the dead. Second, Jesus accepted worship. If He were not truly God, it would have been sinful for Jesus to accept worship. In Luke 4:8 (KJV), Jesus spoke directly about this issue when He said, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Jesus knew full well that it was sinful to worship anyone other than God and, if He were not truly God, it would have been sinful for Him to accept worship. Peter corrected Cornelius in Acts 10:25-26 when Cornelius fell at his feet and worshipped him. The angel corrected John in Revelation 19:10 when John fell at his feet to worship him. How could Jesus accept worship and remain completely sinless if he was not truly God?

John 1:1 (KJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The "Word" spoken of in this verse is Jesus, as is made clear in verse 14. John 1:1 is a direct statement that Jesus is God.

John 1:3 (KJV)
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Notice that John 1:3, speaking of Jesus, says, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Go back to Genesis 1:1 and you see, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." John 1:3 says that Jesus made all things, but Genesis 1:1 says that God created the heaven and the earth. This is not a contradiction. This is a revelation. This is a revelation that Jesus is God.

John 20:28 (KJV)
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Thomas called Jesus, "my Lord and my God." If Jesus is not God, why didn't He correct Thomas when he said that? Exodus 20:3 (KJV) clearly states, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." If Jesus was not truly God, it would have been sinful for Him not to correct Thomas when he called Him "my Lord and my God." Jesus never sinned.

Titus 2:10 (KJV)
Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Titus 2:10 says that God is our Saviour. Titus 2:13 identifies our Saviour as Jesus Christ. How can Jesus be our Saviour as verse 13 says without being God as verse 10 says?

Hebrews 1:8 (KJV)
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.

This verse in Hebrews is written from the perspective of God as the speaker. Look at what He calls the Son - "O God".

The Scriptures clearly establish that Jesus is God. The deity of Jesus is directly stated, as well as illustrated through the recording of His actions.

⦁ Jesus is omnipresent.

Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

How can this be true if Jesus is not omnipresent? Only God can be omnipresent, humans can not. Jesus can only be omnipresent if He is God. This verse does not say, "the memory of me is in the midst of them" or "my legacy is in the midst of them". No. It clearly says, "there am I in the midst of them." For Matthew 18:20 to be true, Jesus has to be God.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Notice two things about this passage. First, Jesus names all three members of the Trinity in verse 19. Second, He assures His disciples that "I am with you alway". The word "alway" is translated from the Greek word "pas" (G3956), a primary word meaning "all, any, every, the whole". Jesus was sending His disciples out into the world and was assuring them that He would be with them. They were physically going in different directions, yet Jesus was assuring them that He would be with them, with each one of them, completely. Jesus never sinned so we know that what He said to them was true and not a lie. How is this possible unless Jesus is omnipresent? How can He be omnipresent unless He is God?

⦁ Jesus is omniscient.

Matthew 12:25 (KJV)
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Luke 6:8 (KJV)
But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Jesus "knew their thoughts." He did not guess their thoughts or assume their thoughts. He "knew their thoughts." Only one who is omniscient can actually know the thoughts of another person.

John 1:45-49 (KJV)
45) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48) Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Nathanael's strong reaction in verse 49 makes it clear that there is no physical explanation for how Jesus could have seen him under the fig tree or even known that's where he was when Philip found him. This short introduction to Jesus clearly had a profound affect on Nathanael. He went from, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" in verse 46 to, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel" in verse 49. Jesus' omniscience was displayed for Nathanael. Who is omniscient except for God?

Revelation 2:23 (KJV)
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

How does Jesus search the reins (the inmost mind) and hearts if He is not omniscient? He can't be omniscient without being God. Only God knows what is in a person's heart and mind. Jesus has to be God for what He said in this verse to be true.

⦁ Jesus is omnipotent.

Matthew 28:18 (KJV)
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

For Jesus to possess "All power" literally means that He is omnipotent. Ominpotence is an attribute that only God can have. Jesus cannot be omnipotent without being God.

John 1:3 (KJV)
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This verse is a clear declaration of the omnipotence of Jesus. As the Creator of "All things", Jesus cannot be anything less than all powerful. Since only God is all powerful, Jesus must be God for this verse to be true.

Mark 6:7 (KJV)
And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

For Jesus to give his disciples "power over unclean spirits", He had to have that power in the first place. Who has power over unclean spirits, along with the ability to bestow that same power upon someone else? Only God has that kind of power. As the Creator of everything (John 1:3), Jesus has power over everything, including the ability to give supernatural powers to whomever He chooses, for however long He chooses. This omnipotence is an attribute that only God has. For Mark 6:7 to be true, Jesus must be God.

Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV)
1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Who can uphold "all things by the word of his power"? Who has the authority and the power to purge our sins "by himself"? These are things only God can do, yet these things are said of Jesus. For this passage to be true, Jesus must be God.

⦁ Jesus is Holy.

Mark 1:23-24 (KJV)
23) And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24) Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

Even the unclean spirits recognized and openly acknowledged that Jesus was holy and that He had the power to destroy them. No mere human is holy. No mere human has the power to destroy spirits. Only God is holy and only God can destroy spirits. For verse 24 to be true, Jesus must be God. On a side note, it is quite interesting that unclean spirits, who are able to move between the seen (physical) and unseen (spiritual) realms, recognize and openly acknowledge the truth of who Jesus is. Humans, on the other hand, who have access to much less experiential knowledge based on our restriction to the physical realm, will do extreme theological and mental gymnastics to deny that Jesus truly is who He says He is, as if we humans possess some kind of superior knowledge and understanding. Far too often, humans desparately claw and cling to astonishing levels of self-deception in order to deny the existence of a Creator to whom each and every one will be held accountable.

Acts 3:14 (KJV)
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

Again, Jesus is called "the Holy One". No one is holy but God. "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee..." - 1 Samuel 2:2 (KJV). Only God is holy. For Acts 3:14 to be true, Jesus has to be God. In the verses above, Jesus is called "the Holy One". No one less than God can be "the Holy One".

⦁ Jesus is eternal.

John 17:5 (KJV)
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

This is a clear, direct statement from Jesus Himself that He existed "before the world was."

Micah 5:2 (KJV)
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

This prophecy about Jesus clearly states that He is "from of old, from everlasting." Jesus is not a created being. Jesus, like the Father and like the Holy Ghost, is eternal.

Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Jesus existed "before the world was." He is "from everlasting." He is "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." These are all clear declarations of Jesus' eternality.

In this small sampling of verses and passages, the Bible clearly shows that Jesus is God. Jesus is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy and eternal. Who, other than God, can be all of these things? No one. Based on what the Bible actually says, Jesus is God.

Finally, let's look at what the Scriptures say about the Holy Ghost, also often referred to as the Holy Spirit.

⦁ The Holy Ghost is God.

Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The Holy Spirit is in the 2nd verse of Genesis and was present at the creation. In this verse, He is called "the Spirit of God". How do you separate God's Spirit from Him? That is simply not possible.

Acts 5:3-4 (KJV)
3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4) Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou has not lied unto men, but unto God.

Notice two things about this passage: 1) The Holy Ghost has personhood. You cannot lie to electricity or to gravity or to anything else that does not have personhood. The Holy Ghost has personhood. 2) Lying to the Holy Ghost is lying to God. In verse 3, Peter told Ananias that he had lied to the Holy Ghost. Then in verse 4, Peter told him he had lied to God. How can that be true if the Holy Ghost is not God? This passage does not contain a contradiction. This passage contains a revelation. The Holy Ghost is God.

Ephesians 4:30 (KJV)
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Again, notice two things about this verse: 1) The Holy Spirit is again shown to have personhood. He can be grieved. That is an attribute of personhood. 2) The Holy Spirit is the One who seals you unto the day of redemption. That is something only God can do, but the Bible clearly says in this verse that the "holy Spirit of God" does it. The "holy Spirit of God" is God.

⦁ The Holy Spirit is omnipresent.

Psalm 139:7-10 (KJV)
7) Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

There is nowhere to hide from the Holy Spirit. This passage illustrates His omnipresence. God is omnipresent and His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is omnipresent.

John 14:16-18 (KJV)
16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

In speaking to His disciples, Jesus incorporates each distinct member of the Trinity in this passage. Though each are distinct persons, they function together in complete harmony and unity. For the Spirit of truth to "dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" He would have to be omnipresent. How can the Spirit be omnipresent if He is not God?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV)
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

How can the Holy Ghost be "in" believers if He is not God? He would have to be omnipresent to be "in" believers and omnipresence is an attribute only God has. How can this verse be true if the Holy Ghost is anything less than God?

⦁ The Holy Spirit is omniscient.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (KJV)
10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. The Holy Spirit knows the things of God. This passage is an undeniable declaration of the omniscience of the Holy Spirit. Omniscience is an attribute only God has. For this passage to be true, the Holy Spirit must be God.

John 14:26 (KJV)
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

All three members of the Trinity are mentioned in this verse in such a way as to clearly indicate the personhood of each. Jesus says "whom" and "he" when speaking of the Holy Ghost. Jesus says that, "he shall teach you all things..." Teaching is a function of a person, not an impersonal force. In order to teach someone "all things", the person doing the teaching must first know "all things." To know "all things" is to be omniscient. That is literally what omniscient means. Omniscience is an attribute that only God has. How can this verse be true if the Holy Ghost is not God?

⦁ The Holy Spirit is omnipotent.

Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerobbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

God declared that the rebuilding of the temple would not be done by human strength, but would be done by the power of His Spirit. God's Spirit - the Holy Spirit - is all powerful. What argument can possibly be made against that?

Revelation 11:11 (KJV)
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

To return life to someone who has been dead for 3-1/2 days requires omnipotence. Only God is omnipotent. The "Spirit of life from God" (the Holy Spirit) must be God in order to have the power to bring these two men back to life after they had lain in the street, dead, for 3-1/2 days.

⦁ The Holy Spirit is holy.

This is blatantly obvious - it is stated in His name. All throughout Scripture, He is called "holy Spirit of God" and "Holy Ghost". No mere human is holy. An impersonal active force cannot be holy. Only God is holy. For the Holy Ghost to be holy, He must be God.

⦁ The Holy Spirit is eternal.

Hebrews 9:14 (KJV)
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

This is a direct declaration of the Holy Spirit's eternality. Only God is eternal. For this verse to be true, the Holy Spirit must be God.

The Bible, the very word of God, shows that the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy and eternal. These are attributes that only God can have, therefore, in accordance with the written word of God, the Holy Spirit must be God.

The verses and passages highlighted in this article are merely a small sampling of the ways God reveals His triune nature to us throughout the Scriptures. It is important to keep in mind that, while He chose to reveal certain things about Himself, by no means did He reveal everything. We simply cannot comprehend all that He is. We are not on His level.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (KJV)
8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The Bible is the inspired word of God. It is His message to us. In it, He has clearly revealed that He is one being, consisting of three distinct persons, each of whom possess attributes that only God can possess, and each of whom have a separate role within the Godhead. We cannot take what God has said about Himself and declare it untrue because it does not fit neatly within our human reasoning. We don't get to change God to fit within the parameters of human logic. We have to adjust our thinking to accommodate what God has told us about Himself. Any person denying the reality of the doctrine of the Trinity will need to provide a Scripturally sound explanation for how each of the verses and passages discussed above (as well as those not included in this article) do not provide clear revelation of the existence of the Trinity. If these verses and passages do not mean what they say, what then do they mean?

We also cannot dismiss what God has said about Himself because it does not answer all of our questions. God is who He says He is, regardless of our ability to understand it. He is completely unique and unlike any other being anywhere, at any time.

It is imperative that you get your understanding of who God is by reading the Bible for yourself. Never take anyone's word as to what the Bible says. Read it and study it for yourself. Build your faith on the inerrant, infallible word of God. Then you will know why you believe what you believe and will be better prepared for opportunities to share the gospel with others.

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