Many people struggle with understanding the Trinity.
The Holy Trinity is the belief that one God exists in Three Persons – God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. This generally presents the difficult question: Is it three gods or one?
What makes the Trinity particularly difficult to understand is our understanding of who a person is. While a person can look, act or even sounds like someone else, a person can’t actually be another person. So how can God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit be one person? While it isn’t easy to comprehend, God doesn’t live with our earthly limitation given His complexity. Jesus, the Son of God can be different from our Heavenly Father, and yet the same. No, you’re not crazy to struggle to comprehend how three can be one. It goes against our logic.
While no specific passage states that God exists in three persons, we do see evidence for the Trinity in the Bible.
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Scripture teaches that God has certain characteristics and applies them to three Persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and these three persons are all one God.
There are countless examples in the Bible that mention all three Divine Persons.
Acts 2:33 (ESV)33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
We also see examples of the Holy Spirit directly referred to as God throughout Scripture.
Acts 5:3-4 (ESV)3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (emphasis mine)
We also see the Trinity in the very beginning in the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 1:26-29 (ESV)26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Here we see a blend of singular and plural pronouns.
Yes it is impossible to completely understand God as three persons, and also as one Being, the Trinity reminds us of God’s complexity and His greatness.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
The Holy Trinity is the belief that one God exists in Three Persons – God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. This generally presents the difficult question: Is it three gods or one?
What makes the Trinity particularly difficult to understand is our understanding of who a person is. While a person can look, act or even sounds like someone else, a person can’t actually be another person. So how can God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit be one person? While it isn’t easy to comprehend, God doesn’t live with our earthly limitation given His complexity. Jesus, the Son of God can be different from our Heavenly Father, and yet the same. No, you’re not crazy to struggle to comprehend how three can be one. It goes against our logic.
While no specific passage states that God exists in three persons, we do see evidence for the Trinity in the Bible.
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Scripture teaches that God has certain characteristics and applies them to three Persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and these three persons are all one God.
There are countless examples in the Bible that mention all three Divine Persons.
Acts 2:33 (ESV)33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
We also see examples of the Holy Spirit directly referred to as God throughout Scripture.
Acts 5:3-4 (ESV)3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (emphasis mine)
We also see the Trinity in the very beginning in the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 1:26-29 (ESV)26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Here we see a blend of singular and plural pronouns.
Yes it is impossible to completely understand God as three persons, and also as one Being, the Trinity reminds us of God’s complexity and His greatness.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Editor’s Note: Excerpts from You Will Have Power ~ Unshakable Hope By Max Lucado from Unshakable Hope
God’s Promise
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. — Acts 1:8
I have a bargain for you to consider, a really great deal on a new tripod. It is top of the line, weather resistant, and lightweight. It folds up to fit in a backpack. It adjusts to secure any type of camera. This tripod can be a treasure that you pass down to all future photographers in your family. Interested? I’m offering it one-third off the regular price. It’s only fair that I do since this tripod is missing one-third of its legs. Yes, this is a two-legged tripod. Imagine the convenience of one fewer legs to fold up and pack. No wonder it is so lightweight. Besides, who needs all three legs?
What’s that? You do? You’re unconvinced of the value? You’d rather wait for a three-legged tripod?
Well, okay. Then let me move on to bargain number two, a tricycle. Just think of the joy your youngster will have riding up and down the sidewalk on this spectacular trike. Fire-engine red. Tassels that dangle from the handles. And, listen to this, a little bell that sits on the handlebar. Again, a great bargain. I’m offering it at one-third the original price. With these savings you can take the entire family out to dinner! There is, however, the small matter of one missing wheel. But the trike still has two. Little Johnny will eventually need to ride a two-wheeler anyway. Might as well start him out right. Buy him this two-wheeled trike.
You’re giving me that look again. You’re rolling your eyes at me the way Denalyn does. Now you are sighing. Come on, don’t walk away. Okay, the two-legged tripod is no good. The two-legged tricycle falls short of your expectations. But I have one more bargain for you to consider.
Have you ever seen a prism? Nothing captures the radiance of sunlight like a triangular prism. You’ll spend hours caught up in rapt fascination with the refractions of this simple tool. Entertain the kids. Impress your date. Get a good grade in science class. No home is complete without a triangular prism. This one is particularly suited for the budget-minded consumer. A slight factory defect has left one side of the triangle opaque. The other two sides work fine, mind you. But one third resists the light rather than refracts it. Granted, the flaw is a slight disadvantage, but on the other hand who else on your block owns a two-sided prism? Of course, I’ll lower the price by one-third to compensate for the defect.
Don’t be so quick to shake your head. Think about it. One-third off the price for a tripod that is missing a leg, a trike that is missing a wheel, or a prism that is missing a side. Do you not see the value here?
Of course you don’t, and I don’t blame you. Who settles for two-thirds when you can have the whole?
Many Christians do.
Ask a believer to answer the question “Who is God the Father?” He has a reply. Or “Describe God the Son.” She will not hesitate. But if you want to see believers hem, haw, and search for words, ask, “Who is the Holy Spirit?”
Many believers settle for a two-thirds God. They rely on the Father and the Son but overlook the Holy Spirit. You wouldn’t make that mistake with a tripod, trike, or prism. You certainly don’t want to make that mistake with the Trinity. Your Bible refers more than a hundred times to the Holy Spirit. Jesus says more about the Holy Spirit than He does about the church or marriage. In fact, on the eve of His death, as He prepared His followers to face the future without Him, He made this great and precious promise:
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. — Acts 1:8
Imagine all the promises Jesus could have made to the disciples but didn’t. He didn’t promise immediate success. He didn’t promise the absence of disease or struggles. He never guaranteed a level of income or popularity. But He did promise the perpetual, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is central to the life of the Christian. Everything that happens from the book of Acts to the end of the book of Revelation is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit of Christ. The Spirit came alongside the disciples, indwelled them, and gave the early church the push they needed to face the challenges ahead.
Perhaps you could use a push. The Spirit promises to give us power, unity, supervision, and holiness: P-U-S-H.
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit became the primary agent of the Trinity on earth. He will complete what was begun by the Father and the Son. Though all three expressions of the Godhead are active, the Spirit is taking the lead in this, the final age.
He promises power to the saint. He is the animating force behind creation.
Psalm 104:27-30 (ESV)27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
Every unfolding flower is a fingerprint of God’s Spirit.
Job 34:14-15 (NLT2)14 If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath,15 all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
The Spirit of God is a life-giving force to creation and, more significantly, a midwife of new birth for the believer. Jesus told Nicodemus:
John 3:5-8 (ESV)5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit enters the believer upon confession of faith.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. .
From that point forward the Christian has access to the very power and personality of God. As the Spirit has His way in the lives of believers, a transformation occurs. They begin to think the way God thinks, love the way God loves, and see the way God sees. They minister in power and pray in power and walk in power.
This power includes the gifts of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
These attributes appear in the life of the saint in the same way an apple appears on the branch of an apple tree. Fruit happens as a result of relationship. Sever the branch from the tree, and forget the fruit. Yet if the branch is secured to the trunk, nutrients flow, and fruit results.
So it is with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. As our relationship with God is secured and unmarred by rebellion, sin, or stubborn behavior, we can expect a harvest of fruit. We needn’t force it. But we can expect it. It simply falls to us to stay connected.
Want to see [the Holy Spirit’s] to-do list?
● Comfort the believers
Acts 9:31 (ESV)31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
● Guide the believer into all truth
John 16:13 (ESV)13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
● Reveal the things that are still to come
John 16:13 (ESV)13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
● Offer prayers of intercession
Romans 8:26 (ESV)26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
● Bear witness that the saint is saved
Galatians 4:6-7 (ESV)6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
● Attest to the presence of God with signs and miracles
Hebrews 2:4 (ESV)4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Romans 15:18-19 (ESV)18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
● Create a godlike atmosphere of truth
John 14:15-17 (ESV)15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Wisdom
Deuteronomy 34:9 (ESV)9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:9 (ESV)9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
And Freedom
2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
The list of his activities is varied, wonderful, and incomplete without this word: holy. The Spirit of God also makes us holy. After all, is He not the Holy Spirit? One of His primary activities is to cleanse us from sin and to sanctify us for holy work. Paul reminded the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Make it your aim to sense, see, and hear the Spirit of God. Would you use a two-legged tripod? Two-wheeled trike? Two-sided prism? Of course not. Avail yourself of all God has to offer. Fix your heart on this promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8).
Excerpted with permission from Unshakable Hope by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.
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