A Trinity Crash Course

Opening Trinitarian Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer (2019)

Exhortation: Embrace the Trinity

We believe in the God of the Bible, the Author of our salvation. Which means we believe in a Trinitarian God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We confess, with the ancient Church in our creeds, that “we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity.”

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to our faith, and yet often when we think about it or try to explain it, we are prone to shy away. This is because we know there is high theology here, and with that comes deep cliffs of heresy. There are big theological words like essence, substance, subsistence, persons, filiation, spiration… shouldn’t we leave this to the experts? But if I can give you one encouragement as we jump into this lesson it is this: because there is deep mystery here, you are to lean in all the more. Yes, you must do so with precision, with the help of Scripture and the creeds, but you absolutely should learn to embrace the Trinity with simple joy.

One reason for this is that your salvation is tied up in the doctrine of the Trinity, in the undivided work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In fact, His salvific work in history is how He has revealed this doctrine to His people. God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Spirit who was also given to us (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 5:5). Salvation is nothing more than being united to the Triune God. You are made partakers of His divine nature and are given access to this great mystery, to God Himself. 

Can your finite minds fully comprehend what it means to believe in one God in three Persons? No, for we are talking about the infinite God in Himself. Should that then dissuade you from contemplating Him? Consider these words from C.S. Lewis, “You may ask, ‘If we cannot imagine a three-personal Being, what is the good of talking about Him?’ Well, there isn’t any good talking about Him. The thing that matters is being actually drawn into that three-personal life, and that may begin any time…”

So confess this great mystery. Believe in the Holy Trinity. Pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Love your Triune God, in whose name you have been baptized and who has made you His. And teach your children to do the same. 

Definition of the Trinity

“There is but one only, living, and true God…” (WCF 2.1).

“In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son” (WCF 2.3). 

“We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity” (Athanasian Creed). 

Testimony of Scripture

While the work of our faithful fathers in the ancient creeds give us very useful language regarding the doctrine of the Trinity, the foundation of this belief is from the revelation of God Himself, in salvific history, and specifically recorded in Scripture. 

We first begin with the fact that God is one. This absolutes statement of monotheism was central to the faith and practice of Israel, as they lived among the nations which worshiped and served many gods. We see this in the Shema (Hebrew for “hear”) found in Deuteronomy, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Dt. 6:4–5). 

As we come to the New Testament, we know also that the Father is God. We see this plainly in Christ’s words, when He speaks of God or prays to His Father in heaven. Father is also the personal name used throughout the writings of the apostles, such as St Paul’s greetings, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father…” (Rom. 1:7). 

We see also that Jesus, the incarnate Son, is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made through Him…” (Jn. 1:1, 3a, see also Col. 1:16). The Pharisees accuse Jesus of blasphemy, when He he proclaimed, “I and My Father are one” (Jn. 10) and when He forgave a man’s sin (Lk. 5). Thomas confesses, “my Lord and my God,” when touching the risen Christ (Jn. 20:27–28). The Father speaks to the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” (Heb. 1:8). And in Romans 10, we hear the glorious promise that if you confess “Jesus is Lord” you will be saved (v. 9). “Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed” (v. 11) Which is an echo of the promise in Joel, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord (YHWH) shall be delivered” (2:32). 

And the Holy Spirit is God. He was there in the beginning, hovering over the waters (Gen. 1:2). He is called the “Spirit of God” and the “breath of the Almighty” which gives life in Job (33:4). He is eternal (Heb. 9:14) and shares multiple attributes of God. He stands out as a separate divine Person, the Helper sent to comfort after the departure of Christ (Jn. 14:16). In the story of Ananias and Sapphira, we are told that they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) and again, that they lied to God (5:4). 

Lastly, we see all three Persons explicitly mentioned together a few times in Scripture. At the baptism of Jesus, the Father speaks over His beloved Son, as the Spirit of God descends like a dove (Mt. 3:16–17). In the Great Commission, the apostles are commanded to baptize in the singular Name “of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). And the Apostle Paul ends his second letter to the Corinthians with a Trinitarian blessing, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). 

A Note on Tradition

As part of the one catholic church, we hold to the creeds formulated by the early church and confessed through the ages. And as a Reformed church, we subscribe to the confessions developed by our Reformed fathers in the faith. But why do we bother with these man-made documents? Isn’t this just adhering to vain tradition? Why not join the “no creed but the Bible” crowd?

First, regarding the use of tradition, it is true that Jesus condemned the Pharisees when their man-made traditions and laws burdened the people. In Mark 7, the Pharisees observed the disciples eating without ceremonially washing their hands—a “tradition of the elders“—and not part of the Mosaic law. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for this, stating that they exchanged God’s commands for the tradition of men. This is a good scriptural example of tradition gone bad. The issue here wasn’t even necessarily the ceremonially hand washing that had developed. There are many things that we do, both in formal worship and in our daily lives, that has more to do with tradition than explicit command in Scripture. But these things must not contradict Scripture, and they must not be done hypocritically. The sin of hypocrisy was at the heart of Jesus’ rebuke, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me…’” (Mk. 7:6, Isa. 29:13). 

In other passages of Scripture, we find tradition spoken of well. St Paul commends the church in Corinth for remembering him in everything and maintaining the traditions he delivered to them (1 Cor. 11:2). In 2 Thessalonians, Paul calls the brothers to “stand firm and hold to the tradition that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or letter” (2 Thess. 2:15, see also 2 Thess. 3:6). And Paul writes to his disciple Timothy, telling him to “follow the pattern of sounds words that you have heard from me…” (2 Tim. 1:13). So as we can see, there is true and false tradition, there is tradition that honors and dishonors God. 

But one might respond, “All of the tradition we need is found in Scripture, so why bother with the creeds?” On one hand, this impulse is good and indeed Reformational. We must not hold tradition to be above Scripture. Scripture alone is the sole arbiter of truth, and everything must be tested against it. This is exactly what Martin Luther did with the terrible traditions of Rome. But holding steadfast to the Word, there is still a need for Scripture to be interpreted and there is still a need for the faith to be confessed.

The need to interpret and confess the teachings of Scripture is unavoidable. It is not a matter of if we will have tradition, but which tradition we will have. So we can either say, “just me and my Bible,” believing that we have all the wisdom and insight needed to understand the Word, or we can humble ourselves and hear what the Spirit has taught our fathers in the faith. A positive way to look at tradition, whether it be creeds, confessions, or even the personal writings of men throughout time, is to believe them to be, when faithful to Scripture, what the late J.I. Packer taught: the “fruit of the Spirit’s teaching activity from the ages as God’s people sought understanding of Scripture. It is not infallible, but neither is it negligible, and we impoverish ourselves if we disregard it.” By turning to tradition, we honor our fathers in the faith and we honor the work of God among his people.

Our Received Creeds

Apostles Creed (2nd cent.): “I believe in God the Father Almighty… in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord… in the Holy Ghost…” 

Nicene Creed (A.D. 381): More explicitly establishes the divinity of the Son and Holy Spirit against the rise of Arianism. Christ is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father…” The Trinitarian term of “persons” (hypostasis) is used. The Holy Ghost “who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son]” and “with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified.” 

Definition of Chalcedon (A.D. 451): Explains the relationship between Christ’s divinity and humanity – what we understand in the Son becoming incarnate – against Eutychianism (one mixed nature) and Nestorianism (two separate persons). Christ is one person, with two natures. He is “truly God and truly man.” 

Athanasian Creed (5th/8th cent.): Summarizes the early Creeds and advances the work of the Nicene Creed regarding the doctrine of the Trinity (uses the term “Trinity”). It confesses the equality of the Persons of the Godhead. “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence… the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.”

The Relations/Roles of the Persons

Immanent: The Father is unbegotten. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds (spirates) from the Father and the Son. 

Economic: The Father sends the Son into the world. The Son is sent into the world and manifests the Father. The Holy Spirit is sent from on high at Pentecost by the Father and the Son. 

“God the Father elected us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4–6). God the Son redeemed us at salvation and forgave all our sins (Eph. 1:7–12). God the Spirit sealed our salvation until the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13–14).”

The external acts of the Trinity are undivided – there is one God. God is not separated in His works. He is not fractured or divided in His work with creation. The Son doesn’t pacify an angry Father – but rather the Persons work as one to accomplish man’s redemption. The economic missions map onto the ontological relations. 

Trinitarian Heresies

Sabellianism (Modalism): One God reveals Himself in three ways/modes at different times. So the Father, Son, and Spirit are simply different manifestations (masks) of the same God. In this, there are not three distinct persons, but one. An attempt to preserve monotheism (God is one). 

Tritheism: There are three gods. Denies monotheism. An attempt to account for the distinct personhood of Father, Son, and Spirit. 

Nestorianism: There are two separate persons, divine and human, in the incarnate of Christ. An attempt to affirm both Christ’s deity/humanity. 

Arianism: The Son was created (there was a time when the Son was not). He is the first and highest created being. An attempt to preserve monotheism. 

Semi-Arianism (Subordinationism): The Son and Spirit are of “similar essence” to the Father, but eternally subordinate in nature (not equal). An attempt to preserve monotheism. 

Local Heretical/Heterodox Groups

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Explicitly deny the Trinity because the word is not in the Bible and the Bible emphasizes that there is one God. Jehovah (the Father) alone is God. They believe that Jesus was created by Jehovah as the archangel Michael before the physical world existed and he is a lesser-god. When he was incarnate, he was merely a man and not God in flesh. The Holy Spirit is simply a force, not a person. 

Latter-Day Saints (Mormons): Despite attempts to present themselves as fellow-Christians, Mormons do not hold to an orthodox understanding of our Triune God. Although they confess that Jesus is the “Son of God,” they teach that he is a created being, who “inherited divine powers” from the Father. While they claim to affirm the Trinity (“Godhead”), they deny that they are co-equal. Rather, the Father birthed the “spirit-children” of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They even believe that God the Father was at first a created being, who ascended to divinity. He is the father of the human family, and we can likewise ascend to divinity. This is polytheism.

Heritage Idaho/Homestead Heritage (Ploughshare—Deary, Idaho): Prof. Roger Olsen (Baylor University) in 2005 determined after interviewing the group in Waco, TX that they had “no aberrant theology” regarding the Trinity. 

However, they refuse to use the word Trinity in their doctrinal statements – “because there has historically been so much confusion swirling around the meaning of this term and the word is actually not even found in the Bible.” They state that they believe the one God “has manifested Himself as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in regeneration.” They do confess that Jesus Christ “was both fully man and fully God.” They confusingly acknowledge “an economic trinity within the godhead (a trinity of expressions, yet one deity).” But they deny “an ontological trinity (a trinity of intrinsically distinct “persons”). This is essentially modalism, but also a very confused statement. 

Closing Trinitarian Prayer

Father, we adore you as Lord of heaven and earth. You are the Father of our spirits, the one to whom we should be in subjection and live. You are the Father of lights, the father of mercies, and the God of all consolation. You are the eternal Father from whom, through whom, and for whom are all things. Heb. 12:9, Jas. 1:17, 2 Cor. 1:3, Isa. 9:6, Rom. 11:36

We worship you, the eternal Word, who was in the beginning with God, and is God. For all things were made by you, and without you nothing was made that has been made. In the fullness of time you were made flesh and tabernacled among us. You manifested your glory, the glory of the unique Son who abides face to face before the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn. 1:1–3, 14.

Since it is the will of God that all men honour the Son as they honour the Father, we adore you, O Christ, as the brightness of your father’s glory and the exact replica of his person. We join you with the angels of God who were all commanded to worship you. We give all honour to you, the eternal Son of God, as the exalted redeemer, the faithful witness, the first to rise from the dead, the Prince of the kings of the earth. We confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jn. 5:23, Heb. 1:3, 6, Rev. 1:5, Phil. 2:11.

We also worship you, O Holy Spirit, the Comforter whom the Son has sent from the Father, even the Spirit of truth. You are the one who inspired the Scriptures, so that holy men of God wrote as they were moved by you. You are the one who proceeds from the Father and the Son. As the Spirit of truth, you teach us all things and preserve in our memory everything the Son has said. Jn. 15:26, 2 Pet. 1:21, Jn. 15:26, Jn. 14:26. Matthew Henry’s ‘A Way to Pray,’ ed. by O. Palmer Robertson (Banner of Truth)

Recommended Resources

Delighting in the Trinity (Reeves)

Communion with God (Owen)

The Triune God/The Deep Things of God (Sanders)

The Trinity: An Introduction (Swain)

On the Trinity (Augustine)

The Trinity (Emery)

Systematic theologies (Calvin, Berkhof, Bavinck, Beeke, Vos, etc.)