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The Trinity is a foundational Christian doctrine where even small errors can have large (and devastating) consequences. Although the word "Trinity" appears nowhere in Scripture, the doctrine of one God revealed in three persons is plainly taught in Scripture. The Trinity has become a neglected doctrine in the evangelical church in recent times, to the church's great harm.
A Declared Truth
Just as the Bible does not set out to prove the existence of God but states it as truth, the Bible also states the doctrine of the Trinity as axiomatic truth. According to Scripture, the Trinity is the one true, living, and eternal God, who is composed of three united persons of one substance and power, without separate existence. The triune God is revealed in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Key passages supporting the doctrine of the Trinity include Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 5:19, John 14:16, 2 Corinthians 13:14, James 2:19, and 1 John 5:7.
Although the word "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible, the doctrine of the Trinity is plainly taught in its pages. But the Trinity is a doctrine that human wisdom cannot fully comprehend or explain. It can only be accepted on the basis of God's declarative revelation in His Word.
Not Three Gods, But One
The one true God presented in Scripture is not three Gods, but one. God is one in essence, but three in persons, the three persons forming a single unity. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father (Psalm 2:7, John 1:14-18, 1 John 4:9), and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son (John 15:26, Galatians 4:6). Each Person of the Godhead has a unique role in the Covenant of Redemption described in Ephesians chapter 1 - the Father choosing a people for Himself, the Son accomplishing their redemption from sin, the Holy Spirit applying the work of redemption to individuals.
Not Only a New Testament Doctrine
The Trinity is not only a New Testament doctrine. It is very much an Old Testament teaching as well. At various places in the Old Testament, God is referred to as a unity ("I") but at the same time a plurality ("us") - e.g., Genesis 3:22, 11:7; Isaiah 6:8. Among the Hebrew names for God in the Old Testament, the plural name Elohim is used over 2,000 times. It is Elohim - the triune God - who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Genesis 1:1-2:22), who gave the Ten Commandments to Moses (Exodus 20), who says, "I am God, there is no one else" (Isaiah 46:9), and who is denied by the professed atheist (Psalm 14:1, 53:1).[1]
God is identified as the Father in passages such as Deuteronomy 32:6, Isaiah 63:16, and Malachi 2:10. God is identified as the Son in Psalm 2. God is identified as the Spirit in many passages including Genesis 1:2, 1 Samuel 10:10, 1 Samuel 19:20-23, 2 Samuel 23:2, Job 33:4, Psalm 51:11, Micah 2:7, and Zechariah 7:12.
Both the Old and New Testaments include Trinitarian statements, such as Isaiah 48:16, where the Messiah speaks of Jehovah as having sent Messiah into the world, with His Spirit; the baptismal command of Matthew 28:19; and the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son in John 14:16-21.
The Importance of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity is not merely a technicality. It is essential Christian truth. To believe in the God of the Bible is to believe in the Trinity. To not believe in the Trinity is to not believe in the God of the Bible.
To believe in God the Father is to believe in the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Galatians 1:1), the One who has delivered believers from the power of darkness and conveyed them into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).
To believe in God the Son is to believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal God made flesh, and thus qualified to be the perfect sacrifice to redeem sinners from the curse through His blood (Colossians 1:14), the One who now reigns in Heaven (Acts 2:36, 7:55-56), who is the Head of the church (Colossians 1:18), and will come again to judge the world (Matthew 25:33-46, 2 Timothy 4:1).
To believe in God the Holy Spirit is to believe in the One who is the Author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21), the One who brought about the virgin birth of Christ (Matthew 1:20), the One who brings every believer to life in Christ (John 3:5-6, Titus 3:4-7), who lives in every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16), and instructs every believer in the true faith (1 Corinthians 2:6-16).
Any church that denies or diminishes the Trinity, or teaches a doctrine of the Trinity that is contrary to the doctrine as taught in the pages of Scripture, teaches a false god and jeopardizes souls. Any church that neglects the doctrine of the Trinity, or does not teach it in its fullness, robs its people of the essential understanding of the God they worship and serve, and places them in danger of falling into deeper error, and departure from the faith.
References:
1. In fact, the Bible teaches that there are no true atheists, and that professed atheism is a belief system that is the product of intellectual dishonesty resulting from spiritual darkness. See the article Does the Bible Really Teach that There Are No True Atheists? on this site.
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