What is the Trinity?
A term that is super common in Christianity but also incredibly hard to understand is “The Trinity.” You’ve probably heard this word used to describe how God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all one God–three distinctive parts, but somehow still just one Being.
This is important, because Christianity is what we call a monotheistic religion–mono meaning “one,” theism meaning God. Many ancient faiths included many “lower case g” gods, each with distinctive qualities, roles, and personalities, but we believe the monotheistic God of the Bible is the one true God.
One important fact about the trinity: the word “trinity” doesn’t actually appear in the Bible. The ancient writers of our scriptures were clear and adamant about mentioning and describing the three persons of God, but the explanation of the Trinity as we know it now wasn’t spelled out in the letters found in the Bible. However, church leaders as early as 100-200 AD were beginning to formulate the terminology we use today.
We’ll explain why this concept is so important, but first–who are these three persons? What makes them different, and what are their qualities?
Let’s start with God the Father. The Father is the source of all life. He empowers us to live and move and be. In our world today, the word “father” has some baggage, because some of us had dads that weren’t the best. On earth, sometimes dads (and moms and everyone else for that matter) let us down. Maybe they have tempers or make bad decisions or don’t love us the way they should have. Maybe you don’t have a good relationship with your dad, or maybe you’ve never even met him. That’s not the Father we’re talking about. God the Father, at His core, is good. Like a good and healthy and loving adoptive dad, He chose you and sacrificed a lot to bring you into His family. God the Father is a planner–and from the beginning, He put into motion a plan that sent His only Son into the world to save it–to save us. And He also sent the Spirit, an encouraging presence to guide us through the world He created. God the Father is creative and loving, and his all-knowing self is the perfect and only place to put our trust as his plan unfolds.
Jesus the Son may be the easiest part of the Trinity to understand, because we have the most in common with Him. In a way we can’t really understand, Jesus–like the Father and Spirit–has always existed. He was God long before that silent night in Bethlehem, and the Bible teaches Jesus was involved with the creation of the world. There are two really big ideas to understand about Jesus.
First, because He is God, He was able to live a perfect life during His time on earth. He was tempted, he was injured, he understood pain, he grieved and experienced all of the emotions we feel, but He never succumbed to sin. Because of that sinless life, He was the only being acceptable to be a sacrifice on behalf of our sin. Jesus was uniquely qualified to free us from the penalties we all deserve because of the wrong things we do. Because of his sacrifice, his death, and his resurrection, we have hope for eternal life with God.
But here’s another interesting thing about Jesus: The way He lived his life on earth gives us a template and a glimpse into God’s heart for humanity. He was God–the ultimate king and ruler of all–which makes his habits and choices on earth really peculiar. Instead of pursuing influence or fame, Jesus was far more concerned with befriending the poor. He was always on the lookout for the outsider. He cared for the sick and the injured, passionately spoke about peace and justice, and boldly held those in power accountable for their corruption.
There’s really no doubt in the academic community that Jesus was a real person. And whether you call yourself a Christian or not, it’s nearly impossible to argue with the teachings of Jesus. He was a peaceful revolutionary, turning the world upside down by His servant leadership. And because of His sacrifice, He is worthy of our worship.
The Holy Spirit is hard to understand. Spirits are invisible–you can’t touch or see or smell or audibly hear a spirit, which is hard for our 21st century brains to accept. If you’ve been around the church at all, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Ask God into your heart.” That’s a weird phrase Christians use that doesn’t really have anything to do with your blood vessels, but you probably get the intention. When you invite God to be a part of your life, that God–that thing you feel guiding you–that’s the Holy Spirit.
In one sense, this is the most personal part of the Trinity, because He interacts with us all the time. The Spirit convicts us when we sin, but He also encourages us when we’re down. You’ve probably heard of the Fruit of the Spirit–specific qualities that true God-followers should strive toward–things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those good qualities are things the Spirit longs to give you, and His wisdom guides you through each unique struggle you face.
He also distributes gifts–those talents and qualities you have that make you uniquely you–those came from the Spirit, and He longs to show you how to use them to make your greatest impact in the world. When we’re healthy, we can slowly learn to feel His guiding hand in our lives, and His voice and His nudging are worth following.
So these three persons of God–they are separate, but they’re one. Ever since those early 100 AD days of people explaining this idea, we’ve tried to come up with analogies to help us wrap our minds around the concept of the Trinity. Maybe you’ve heard some of them–things like a three-leaf clover, or water–expressed as gas, liquid, and solid, or even an egg, with its shell, white, and yoke. But all of these fall short eventually. Take the analogy a step or two beyond that surface level and it really doesn’t work. The truth is–our little brains can’t fully understand this concept. Just like there are things in science or nature or technology that our brains can’t comprehend, the same is true about faith. Maybe that bothers you, or maybe it doesn’t. If you really want to understand the Trinity, keep studying, and maybe you’ll get some good answers. At the end of the day, God is mysterious, and maybe that’s best. Gods that are easy to understand probably aren’t worth following.
Here’s the biggest thing to remember: This monotheistic three-in-one God that is definitely not an egg or water–the three parts have distinctive characteristics, but they’re joined by at least one defining quality: Love. The Bible is clear that God isn’t just love as a verb; God is love as a noun. Not an analogy, but a synonym. All three parts are loving, and that love drives everything–everything in the Bible, everything in history, everything in your life. That’s who God is, and that’s what separates Him from the gods described in other faiths. The Christian God is both big and awe-inspiring and powerful in heaven, but He’s also humble and sacrificial and a peaceful underdog hanging out with the homeless. He created the world and has the grand schematics of time in His hand, but He’s also inside you, guiding and encouraging and developing you. No other God does all of those things, and no other god is really God at all. There’s only one–in three parts. He is love. He is good. And He invites you to follow Him.
This is important, because Christianity is what we call a monotheistic religion–mono meaning “one,” theism meaning God. Many ancient faiths included many “lower case g” gods, each with distinctive qualities, roles, and personalities, but we believe the monotheistic God of the Bible is the one true God.
One important fact about the trinity: the word “trinity” doesn’t actually appear in the Bible. The ancient writers of our scriptures were clear and adamant about mentioning and describing the three persons of God, but the explanation of the Trinity as we know it now wasn’t spelled out in the letters found in the Bible. However, church leaders as early as 100-200 AD were beginning to formulate the terminology we use today.
We’ll explain why this concept is so important, but first–who are these three persons? What makes them different, and what are their qualities?
God the Father
Let’s start with God the Father. The Father is the source of all life. He empowers us to live and move and be. In our world today, the word “father” has some baggage, because some of us had dads that weren’t the best. On earth, sometimes dads (and moms and everyone else for that matter) let us down. Maybe they have tempers or make bad decisions or don’t love us the way they should have. Maybe you don’t have a good relationship with your dad, or maybe you’ve never even met him. That’s not the Father we’re talking about. God the Father, at His core, is good. Like a good and healthy and loving adoptive dad, He chose you and sacrificed a lot to bring you into His family. God the Father is a planner–and from the beginning, He put into motion a plan that sent His only Son into the world to save it–to save us. And He also sent the Spirit, an encouraging presence to guide us through the world He created. God the Father is creative and loving, and his all-knowing self is the perfect and only place to put our trust as his plan unfolds.
Jesus the Son
Jesus the Son may be the easiest part of the Trinity to understand, because we have the most in common with Him. In a way we can’t really understand, Jesus–like the Father and Spirit–has always existed. He was God long before that silent night in Bethlehem, and the Bible teaches Jesus was involved with the creation of the world. There are two really big ideas to understand about Jesus.
First, because He is God, He was able to live a perfect life during His time on earth. He was tempted, he was injured, he understood pain, he grieved and experienced all of the emotions we feel, but He never succumbed to sin. Because of that sinless life, He was the only being acceptable to be a sacrifice on behalf of our sin. Jesus was uniquely qualified to free us from the penalties we all deserve because of the wrong things we do. Because of his sacrifice, his death, and his resurrection, we have hope for eternal life with God.
But here’s another interesting thing about Jesus: The way He lived his life on earth gives us a template and a glimpse into God’s heart for humanity. He was God–the ultimate king and ruler of all–which makes his habits and choices on earth really peculiar. Instead of pursuing influence or fame, Jesus was far more concerned with befriending the poor. He was always on the lookout for the outsider. He cared for the sick and the injured, passionately spoke about peace and justice, and boldly held those in power accountable for their corruption.
There’s really no doubt in the academic community that Jesus was a real person. And whether you call yourself a Christian or not, it’s nearly impossible to argue with the teachings of Jesus. He was a peaceful revolutionary, turning the world upside down by His servant leadership. And because of His sacrifice, He is worthy of our worship.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is hard to understand. Spirits are invisible–you can’t touch or see or smell or audibly hear a spirit, which is hard for our 21st century brains to accept. If you’ve been around the church at all, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Ask God into your heart.” That’s a weird phrase Christians use that doesn’t really have anything to do with your blood vessels, but you probably get the intention. When you invite God to be a part of your life, that God–that thing you feel guiding you–that’s the Holy Spirit.
In one sense, this is the most personal part of the Trinity, because He interacts with us all the time. The Spirit convicts us when we sin, but He also encourages us when we’re down. You’ve probably heard of the Fruit of the Spirit–specific qualities that true God-followers should strive toward–things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those good qualities are things the Spirit longs to give you, and His wisdom guides you through each unique struggle you face.
He also distributes gifts–those talents and qualities you have that make you uniquely you–those came from the Spirit, and He longs to show you how to use them to make your greatest impact in the world. When we’re healthy, we can slowly learn to feel His guiding hand in our lives, and His voice and His nudging are worth following.
So What?
So these three persons of God–they are separate, but they’re one. Ever since those early 100 AD days of people explaining this idea, we’ve tried to come up with analogies to help us wrap our minds around the concept of the Trinity. Maybe you’ve heard some of them–things like a three-leaf clover, or water–expressed as gas, liquid, and solid, or even an egg, with its shell, white, and yoke. But all of these fall short eventually. Take the analogy a step or two beyond that surface level and it really doesn’t work. The truth is–our little brains can’t fully understand this concept. Just like there are things in science or nature or technology that our brains can’t comprehend, the same is true about faith. Maybe that bothers you, or maybe it doesn’t. If you really want to understand the Trinity, keep studying, and maybe you’ll get some good answers. At the end of the day, God is mysterious, and maybe that’s best. Gods that are easy to understand probably aren’t worth following.
Here’s the biggest thing to remember: This monotheistic three-in-one God that is definitely not an egg or water–the three parts have distinctive characteristics, but they’re joined by at least one defining quality: Love. The Bible is clear that God isn’t just love as a verb; God is love as a noun. Not an analogy, but a synonym. All three parts are loving, and that love drives everything–everything in the Bible, everything in history, everything in your life. That’s who God is, and that’s what separates Him from the gods described in other faiths. The Christian God is both big and awe-inspiring and powerful in heaven, but He’s also humble and sacrificial and a peaceful underdog hanging out with the homeless. He created the world and has the grand schematics of time in His hand, but He’s also inside you, guiding and encouraging and developing you. No other God does all of those things, and no other god is really God at all. There’s only one–in three parts. He is love. He is good. And He invites you to follow Him.
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