What does it mean that God is a Trinity? Are there three gods or only one?
Isaiah was able to proclaim: No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.
The Bible is the most amazing compilation of spiritual writings ever assembled. For over 1600 years, Christians have held to the 39 writings of the Old Testament and the 27 writings of the New Testament as the inspired written Word of God. We believe that the Bible is a reflection of the very mind and heart of God, God’s revelation of Himself to humanity and a life-charter for those who dare to follow.
The Bible teaches us some pretty amazing things about God, God’s character and God’s story. When it comes to the Christian understanding of God as Trinity, the Bible simply doesn’t provide us a systematic lesson about the Triune God. Rather, the Bible presumes God as Trinity. Rather than teach us about God as Trinity, the Bible simply refers to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The word Trinity was first formally introduced to the Christian Church by Roman theologian Theophilus in the middle of the second century. While Trinity is the word most used, many Christians seem to better understand it when referring to God’s Triunity. Whether Trinity or Triunity, the orthodox Christian faith holds that there is one God and in the unity of God there are three equally eternal Persons, the same substance (or essence), yet distinct from one another.
There is not one God with three natures. There are not three different Gods. The Son and the Holy Spirit are not less God than the Father, nor is the Son or the Holy Spirit among God’s creations. Rather, the triuness of God suggests that:
- God is one (Ephesians 4;6; James 2:19)
- God is three (Matthew 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2)
- God is three-in-one (Matthew 28:19, et.al.)
Each of the three persons of the Triune God possesses what only God has and so each is fully God.
Many have tried to come up with a tangible word picture for the Trinity of God:
The twisted pretzel with it’s three distinct holes.
The entire egg made up of yoke, white and shell.
Or H2O, whether revealed as water, steam or ice.
Each rather-flawed word picture might help give a little bit of understanding, but certainly none of them barely scratch the surface of giving us understanding of this complex and mystifying aspect of the nature and character of God.
The prophet Isaiah spoke so profoundly of the Lord when he declared:
This is what the LORD says, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:6-8)
In summary, the doctrine of the trinity (triunity) of God is knowable and believable, but will never be completely explainable by human minds or human words. The mechanics of how Triunity exists and functions remains a mystery to us. We might say that the doctrine of God’s Trinity is a-logical or beyond understanding. And that’s one of the reasons why trusting God is easier for Christians--we place our life-trust in One who is amazingly complex, incomparably transcendent and far beyond human understanding. No wonder Isaiah was able to proclaim: No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.
