What is the Trinity?

Christianity Made Simple – 04

What is the Trinity?

Of course, a central theme in both Christianity and Judaism, is the belief in God.  Not only that, but we believe that there is one, and only one, God.

In ancient times, there were many religions, and most of them taught that there are many gods, not just one.  The idea of only one God was rare, and it made the religion of the Jews very different from the others in the region where the Jews lived.

But in modern Christianity, the description of God seems to break away from the idea of just one God.  We worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  How can that be, if there is only one God?

The opening words of the Bible tell us that,

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”  Genesis 1:1

This verse portrays God as the Father, that is, the Creator.  In the New Testament, Jesus says of Himself that, “I and my Father are one.”  John 10:30

How can a man claim to be God?

This was perplexing to the early Christian scholars.  Furthermore, they elucidated that the Holy Spirit is also God.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned in both Old and New testaments.  In Matthew 28:19, as part of the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Quoting from an online source:  What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org

“All the members of the Trinity are coexistent, co-eternal, and co-equal. God eternally exists in three Persons who are in complete unity. One God but three Persons. God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

That is about as far as we can go on this subject, because as the early Christians explained it, the Trinity is a divine mystery.  It is beyond human understanding.

But then, why should this be surprising?  As we see in the Book of Matthew, Jesus, the Son of God the Father, was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  This also is a miracle, a divine mystery.

It is important for us to know that in the concept of the Trinity, there is one God, not three.  When we pray to God, we pray to the Father (Creator), Son (Jesus the Savior) and the Holy Spirit.  They are three distinct persons, but they are one God.

Jesus is both God and man, fully God and fully man.  He is “God with us.”  We cannot understand that, but as we pray to Him, we grow in faith.  We learn to more fully appreciate the truth of Him as a person, and as God.  Jesus proves Himself to us by means of the Holy Spirit entering into our souls, comforting us, leading and guiding us.

Faith is a different form of understanding, and a far better one.

-

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