The Trinity
Author: Steve Amato
Description: Bible Study interpretation on the concept of the Trinity

Translations: 简体中文 繁體中文

# UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY

What is the relationship between God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

On one hand the scripture declare Jesus to be God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1,14 (See also Jesus' Incarnation to resolve this paradox)

"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:18

"I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33

But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. Hebrews 1:8

He is spoken of as have created all things, and therefore preexisted mankind.

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:3

"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Colosians 1:16

Furthermore notice Isaiah 48:12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last." But Jesus says this of himself in Revelation 2:8 "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." As well as in Rev 1:17 and Rev 22:13 But the context of Isaiah indicates that God is speaking.

Yet on the other hand, Jesus himself clearly implies that he is not God, whom he calls Father. For when he prays, who is he praying to? In fact at one point, his will conflicted with that of his Father.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42

How can we resolve this apparent contradiction?

And what of the Holy Spirit? For he is distinct from the Father and the Son.

"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," Matthew 28:19

Yet our attitude towards him will affect our eternal destiny.

"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."Mark 3:29

He is spoken of, not as an impersonal force, but as an individual.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

For example, the Holy Spirit spoke in the Old Testament.

Hebrews 10:15,16 - The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." (Jeremiah 31:33)

So how can we understand the relationship between God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in such a way that it resolves the apparent contradictions?

God is like the sun in the sky. It is separate from the earth by a vast distance, just as God is separate from his creation. He is far away in heaven. But what we call the sun in the sky is not really the sun, but we see the light that comes from the sun and we call that light the sun. Jesus is as the light that comes from God.

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3

And as light proceeds forth from that ball in space, so Jesus proceeds forth from the Father.

> "I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." John 8:42

Is the light that comes from part of the sun? It depends on how you define the sun. The object in space is like God the Father. The light that comes from that object may be considered part of that object. For even those who don't accept that the light that comes from the sun is part of the sun, will nonetheless look up in the sky and say, "There's the sun.", referring to the light that comes from the sun as if it were the sun. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant in John 14:9

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

And how do we get to God? I once heard a rumor that NASA scientist had proposed to send a mission to the sun. In response to the question as to how they would deal with the intense heat, they replied, "We'll travel at night!"

You cannot get to God unless you follow the light, as Jesus says,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

And what of the Holy Spirit? He is like the heat that comes from the sun. So even in darkness, for those who don't have the light of Christ, the Holy Spirit is yet at work. He is what we can experience about God. And though God is far away in heaven, separate from His creation, yet He is itimately integrated into it in the Holy Spirit as Paul says,

"For in him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28

And as heat also proceeds from that ball in space so the Holy Spirit also proceeds from the Father.

> "... the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father ..." John 15:26

As we have three parts - soul, body and spirit - and yet we are one, so also God has three parts - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and yet all are one. Yet the body is not the soul, nor is it the spirit. These are distinct, and yet both distinctly and collectively we can speak of these as being what we are.

# MODALISM

This illustration of the trinity is different than "modalism", which illustrates the trinity something like the three forms (modes) of water - steam, water, ice. This I believe is incorrect. For the Father didn't become Jesus at one point in time, for who was Jesus talking to when he prayed? And Jesus didn't go on to become the Holy Spirit. Rather the scriptures treat these three as distinct individuals and not as different forms of the same individual. Nor does the modalism idea reflect the proper relationships between members of the trinity. For example Jesus is subordinate to the Father. See Jesus' Subordination.

# THE CHRISTIAN

To complete this illustration, where would the Christian fit it? The Christian is like the moon. Dead rock having no light of its own, but reflecting the light of Christ to a world in darkness. For those who don't know Christ live in darkness. Yet even when they are in the light, those who are spiritually blind cannot see the light. For them, the Holy Spirit is the only hope to convict them of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources