What is the Trinity? Better Yet, Who?

For many years in my youth, if someone would have asked me if I believed Jesus was God, I would have said He is the Son of God, but I didn’t equate that with God. I believed Jesus was my savior, I believe He died for my sins, He defeated the devil, and on and on – but I didn’t know Scripture well enough to understand the Trinity.

Years later, I heard a sermon on the Trinity with a little Physics inject into it, and my light bulb flickered a twinge. Perhaps that’s just the way my brain works. It also helps to know Scripture a little better as well – I’ve read the Bible a few times since those early days.

Some people find it difficult to understand God’s triune nature. How it is that one being can be manifest in three individuals? Does the Bible really teach this? YES! If it didn’t, what would be the point of the word “Godhead,” found 3 times in the New Testament, (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:8-10)?

READ: Acts 17:29
²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

READ: Romans 1:20
²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse

READ: Colossians 2:8-10
⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. ⁹For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. ¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Before talking about how God has revealed his triune nature, I’m first going to briefly make it clear from the Bible that the Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Ghost – are ALL God. They are three individuals, united as ONE God, (1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6), and at the same time, spoken of as three individual beings with unique roles.

READ: 1 Timothy 2:5
⁵For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

READ: 1 Corinthians 8:6
⁶But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Without going into huge detail, the Father is the Head of the Godhead, declared by Jesus to be the Greatest, (John 14:28).

READ: John 14:28
²⁸Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Jesus is the mediator between the Father and man, (1 Timothy 2:5).

READ: 1 Timothy 2:5
⁵For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

The Holy Ghost comforts humanity, dwells in humanity, and reveals truth, (John 14:15-17, 26, 15:26-27).

READ: John 14:15-17
¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

READ: John 14:26
²⁶But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
READ: John 15:26-27
²⁶But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: ²⁷And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

All three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are considered to be God for at least 10 reasons, though I am sure there are more.

All are referenced by the term Godhead, (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9).

READ: Acts 17:29
²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

The Father is a synonymous term with “God,” and is explicitly stated to be God, (1 Corinthians 8:6).

READ: 1 Corinthians 8:6
⁶But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Jesus said that He and His Father were as one, (John 8:58, 10:30).

READ: John 8:58
⁸Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

READ: John 10:30³⁰I and my Father are one.

Within Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead, (Colossians 2:8-10).

While speaking about Jesus, the Apostle Paul stated that He [Jesus] is the Creator:

READ: Colossians 1:13-17
¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The Holy Spirit is of the Father (Ephesians 4:30)

READ: Ephesians 4:30
³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit is given from and sent by the Father (John 14:15-17, 26, 15:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8).

READ: John 15:26-27
²⁶But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: ²⁷And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
⁷For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. ⁸He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus (Matthew 1:18-20).

READ: Matthew 1:18-20¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God (Matthew 3:13).

READ: Matthew 3:13
¹⁶And 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 (The Holy Ghost) descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Believers are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). When Jesus was baptized, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were all present.

READ: Matthew 28:19
¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

READ: Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Now that it should be fairly clear that God has a triune nature, exactly how has God revealed His nature to us in a way that we can understand? According to (Romans 1:20), we can understand the Godhead by studying the things that are made. Now what did the Apostle Paul mean by that?

Falling back to the most fundamental interpretation, if we want to study the things that are made in order to understand the Godhead, we need a small physics lesson. All things, according to physics, require time, space, and energy to exist. What is it about time, space, and energy that can reveal God’s triune nature?

TIME: Time is a single entity, yet consists of the past, present, and future. Each of these elements is identical to the other, and essentially the same thing, but different in the sense that each serves a different role. In any case, without any one of these 3 unique components, time would not exist. The past cannot exist without the present or a future, and the same can be said for each element of time.

SPACE: Three dimensional space is a single entity, yet consists of height, width, and depth. Without any one of these 3 unique components, space could not exist. Each element is identical to the other, and essentially the same thing, but different in the sense that each serves a different role. Without any one of them, three dimensional space would not exist.

ENERGY: Energy is a single entity, yet exists in a relationship with mass and velocity. Einstein contrived these three elements in his equation, E=MC². The C represents a constant for the speed of light, which is a velocity. Another equation for Kinetic Energy is K=1/2MV, which also involves Energy, Mass, and Velocity. Without any one of these 3 unique components, energy would not exist. Speaking from a quantum physics perspective, each of these elements is essentially the same thing, as the equation can have multiple expressions. For example, C²=E/M, and M=E/C² are also correct expressions of the relationship between these three unique elements of energy, but they each serve a different role.

Wrapping everything up, the THINGS THAT ARE MADE is the single creation of the material universe and all things therein, yet it all consists of the three individual components of time, space, and energy. Without any one of these three unique components, (each of which consist of an additional three unique, yet unified set of components), the things that are made could not exist.

So there you have it! It’s all as simple as that; PHYSICS explains the nature of the Trinity! We are all familiar with time and space, (though the energy one is a bit complex), so nobody should have any problem in understanding how ONE God can be manifest in 3 unique, individual beings.

READ: Matthew 3:13 (This is one of those rare passages when the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – are ALL witnessed together)
¹⁶And Jesus, (The Son) 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 (The Holy Ghost) descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, (The Father’s voice) saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

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