(Note: This is a portion of an article on The Trinity that is presented within The Biblical Story Course under ERA 6: Jesus, lesson 27).
Statement of Doctrine
The Bible affirms that God is one but that He is not alone. Instead, the one God exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons in an eternal relationship of love.
Biblical Support
Although the clearest biblical evidence for the Trinity comes in the New Testament, the Old Testament also contains hints of this doctrine. At creation, God spoke in the plural when he said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26; cf. Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:7; Isaiah 6:8), implying that God is more than one. And some argue that there are reflections of the Trinity in Isaiah 63:7-10.
This theme of plurality is developed in greater detail in the New Testament. For example, at the baptism of Jesus, the three divine persons were all present – the Son of God being baptized, the Father who speaks from heaven, and the Holy Spirit who descended like a dove (Matthew 3:16-17). The Great Commission also lists all three persons of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as did Paul in a closing to one of his letters (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
Therefore, the Bible affirms that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; cf. Mark 12:29): the Father is God (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son is God (John 1:1-4, John 20:28), and the Holy Spirit is God.
Historical Interpretation
Christians in the first few centuries of the Church’s existence formulated the doctrine of the Trinity in the midst of much controversy. Though the word “Trinity” is not used in the Bible itself, early Christians found it to be a useful term to express biblical teaching. Furthermore, the North African theologian Tertullian (c.160-c.225) described the Trinity as “one essence” and “three persons,” a formula that later was codified as the orthodox description of God.
The decisive theological battles over the doctrine took place in the fourth century at the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381). At Nicaea, the gathered bishops maintained that the Son is equal in essence to God the Father. At Constantinople the council reaffirmed the deity of the Son and also clarified that the Holy Spirit is divine as well. Those gathered at Constantinople agreed upon the Nicene Creed as a summary of their Trinitarian doctrine. It states that the Son was “begotten” of the Father, that the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father, and that all three persons are worshiped as one God. Those who rejected this theological statement were condemned as heretics. Accordingly, all three branches of the Church – Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant – affirm the Nicene Creed.
BibleMesh
The entire shape of Christian theology is determined by the reality of the One God who exists in three loving persons. The Apostle Peter refers to the Trinity when speaking of God’s saving work, which includes “the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2). The believer’s joy is not simply the wonder of meditating on the reality of the one God who is three, but deep, transforming fellowship with each person of the Godhead.
Quick-Take Video on The Trinity
Pastor Mark Dever (Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C) explains the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
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