What is the Trinity?
Quick Answer
The Trinity is the Christian doctrine that God eternally exists as three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who are one in essence, equal in power and glory.
Understanding Trinity
The Trinity is the foundational Christian understanding of God's nature. While the word 'Trinity' does not appear in Scripture, the doctrine emerges from the Bible's teaching that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons. This is not tritheism (three gods) nor modalism (one God playing three roles). Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons who relate to each other, yet share one divine essence. Each person is fully God - not one-third of God. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, yet there is one God. This mystery exceeds human comprehension but is revealed through Scripture. The Trinity is essential to salvation: the Father plans, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies redemption. All three persons were active in creation, and all three indwell the believer.
In the Old Testament
The Old Testament strongly affirms monotheism: 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD' (Deuteronomy 6:4). Yet hints of plurality appear within this unity. The Spirit of God is active in creation (Genesis 1:2) and empowering individuals. The 'Angel of the LORD' appears with divine attributes, sometimes identified with God Himself. God uses plural pronouns ('Let us make man in our image' - Genesis 1:26). Wisdom is personified as being with God from the beginning (Proverbs 8). These seeds of trinitarian revelation would blossom fully in the New Testament.
In the New Testament
The New Testament reveals the Trinity more explicitly through the coming of Christ and the Holy Spirit. At Jesus' baptism, all three persons are manifest - the Son being baptized, the Spirit descending, the Father speaking (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus distinguished Himself from the Father while claiming divine prerogatives. He promised to send 'another Comforter' - the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). The apostles regularly refer to all three persons in their teaching (2 Corinthians 13:14). Early Christians developed trinitarian formulas through baptism (Matthew 28:19) and worship, recognizing this truth as essential to understanding God.
Key Scripture References
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Read full commentary →2 Corinthians 13:14“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.”
Read full commentary →John 1:1“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Read full commentary →John 14:26“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.”
Read full commentary →Matthew 3:16-17“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Read full commentary →1 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.”
Read full commentary →Related Concepts
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